A/N: Hello my dearies!
The delay was due to me being slightly lazy and my internet got cut off and this chapter just wouldn't write…. but I'm sure you'll all forgive me….. Plus I was busy being a beta hehe.
Now, before anything else, I just want to say a big massive, warm and fuzzy thank you to everyone for your support. Your reviews made me laugh, giggle, smile, gasp and feel at ease. I cannot say how grateful I am to you all; you are all honestly fantastically brilliant. Thank you so much!
For those that have had something done to you for your sexuality or for whatever other reasons- screw them. You are a beautiful person who has the right to be exactly who and how you are. Never let anyone bring you down- you will always rise above them!
Oh, and if I haven't responded to your review, please let me know and I'll make sure I do next time (if there is one… you may never want to review again…..). It personally annoys me when authors don't reply to the reviews I leave, so I try my hardest to reply to all of you :D
On the topic of reviews: Holy mother of Merlin! At the time of writing this, I have had 328 reviews for 6 chapters! :O That is just… phenomenal! It's… I can't even describe how bloody amazing it is. I am honestly speechless. So many people have written more chapters and still don't have this amount of reviews, so again, I would like to say a big big thank you! A large thank you as well to those who have added me on their favourites or who have alerted my humble story :D.
Now, I just have a few things to clear up:
Yes, Harry and Ginny are permanently stuck in the future. They cannot go back to their own time. This means that yes, baby James will be born during this new time line and yes, they will have to fight in the war once again. They will never be able to see their loved ones from the future, but more of that will be explained in this chapter.
No, Harry is no longer a Horcrux, therefore he will not have to die and sacrifice himself like he did in Deathly Hallows. If you want to know how that happened, I suggest you go back and look in my previous chapters.
No, no more people from the future will be coming back in time. This is an unique situation and applies to Harry and Ginny alone. Also, as they are staying in this timeline, no one will be travelling back in time to take them home. If that is the kind of story you are after, then I'm afraid you won't find it here. Again, more of this will be explained in this chapter.
Yes, things are going to change a lot because they have more information than they did when they were younger. That does not mean that they will destroy a Horcrux a day, or that Voldemort will be destroyed next week- that just isn't logical in anyway. It will take time. (and hehe, a Horcrux a day keeps Voldemort away ;))
Yes, it will be cannon pairings, so Ron and Hermione will get together and Remus and Tonks will get together. Again, this will take time as they all need to sort out some issues. Will R/T still have Teddy? To be honest, I don't know yet. Maybe he will be born later on, or if I ever write a sequel it may happen in that, but I can't promise anything. Will Sirius live and get together with someone? Again, no idea. There will be character deaths in this story (it's realistic and expected) and I haven't fully decided if Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Snape, Fred, etc will die. We shall just have to see. At the moment I am leaning towards keeping them all alive, but I may not feel that way in 10 chapters or so. I'm not promising anything!
For this story, I reckon there will be 20+ chapters. I have the ending all figured out and a rough outline of what is to happen, but I need to fine tune and write it all.
Before anyone comments, yes I know that this chapter is a bit choppy and it doesn't exactly flow, but it is supposed to be like this. Basically this is a filler chapter that will answer most of the questions people have asked me. I wanted to get the explanations out before they go to Hogwarts and it's basically a way for me to pass the time in the storyline. Plus, it's basically a way for me to get the characters to bond more.
Last thing (I promise!)- I have a poll up on my profile which I would appreciate you looking at. Basically, I want to know if you reckon Harry should have any detentions with the toad (yes, Umbitch will be teaching, unfortunately). Please let me know!
Man, you must all get fed up with these long author's notes…
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Harry Potter universe. All recognised fictional characters and locations are the sole property of the fabulous J.K Rowling. All I own are a couple of strawberry shortcake scented candles… :D
Listening To: Read All About It- Professor Green ft. Emeli Sande (flipping brilliant song…..)
P.S- Time travel makes my head hurt!
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Professor Dumbledore and Harry were unable to fully comprehend what Ginny was babbling about, nor they could they ease her anguish and stop her sobs. Eventually, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and cast a heavy sleeping charm on the pregnant teenager. Harry gently caught her as she slipped into Morpheus' realm and laid her down on the sofa before turning towards his mentor and sighing.
"She blames herself." He pointed out the obvious. It was pretty much the only thing he could decipher from her babble; he had been too busy trying to calm her down to pay attention. "Did anything else she said make any sense to you?"
Albus sat down and contemplated his hands for a moment before he looked up. His heart twinged as when he saw the defeatist air that clung to the young man. His emerald eyes were dull and his face somehow seemed aged, despite the fact that not a single line marred his features. This was the reason why Dumbledore had hesitated to tell them anything yet- he did not want to burden them more than they already were. However, he knew that if he did not inform them of what he knew, the constant questions and what ifs would have plagued them, would have weaved through their minds until they burst. No matter how much the venerable old wizard wanted to protect the boy he loved as his own family, he was also painfully aware that he was no longer the innocent young boy- if he ever actually was such a thing- who had gone through more trials and tribulations than most. No, Harry Potter was an experienced man trapped in a younger body and to withhold the truth from him would have practically been impossible.
"I am not quite sure, Harry." He eventually omitted. "It would appear that Ginevra- excuse my phrasing- made a wish upon a star. A wish to have her family once again whole and to have the people you yourself cared for as family around you both to share this happy occasion. She blames herself for bringing you both back in time because of this wish."
Harry was quiet for a moment as he let this sink in. He sat down gently next to his wife, trying not to jostle her, before he opened his mouth and spoke.
"But that's not possible, is it sir?" He asked, a frown marring his face. "So Ginny made a wish. It doesn't mean it caused us to be sent back in time. Your spell did this."
Even though Dumbledore knew Harry didn't say his last words to hurt him, he couldn't help the slight flinch he made at the sentence. He ignored his body's guilty response as he answered Harry's question.
"Yes, my spell was the main cause for your time travel. However, Ginevra does have a point. The spell should not have activated until your child had been born, and so something must have happened in order to trigger the early response."
Harry's head was beginning to hurt as his brain was overloaded with information he wasn't quite ready to process. "I understand that, sir. But what does Ginny's wish have to do with it?"
"Ginny's wish acted as the trigger, Harry." Dumbledore simply said. Harry opened his mouth to contradict him, but the old man held up his hand as he carried on. "Let me explain. Ginevra made her wish after she had told you she was expecting. To her, it was something she wanted desperately at the time and so it was not the words that acted as a trigger, but the intent behind them. After all, it is normally the intent behind a wizard's words that causes the most extraordinary magic to happen."
Harry sat there with a blank look on his face as Dumbledore stood up. The words he had just heard tumbled around like a blizzard in his mind.
"I know it is a lot to take in. Why don't you take your wife upstairs and rest awhile. I shall go and inform the others on what we have discussed." Albus watched the young man for a moment, and only after he got a slight nod in reaction to his departing words did he leave the living room.
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Harry wasn't quite sure how long he sat there for, contemplating the startling revelation he had just heard. All he was really aware of was the soft, deep breathing that came from his magically sleeping wife. He sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair before standing up. He couldn't sit there any longer and decided that he would push what he had learned to the back of his mind.
He turned around, gently wrapped his arms around Ginny's neck and legs and lifted her in his arms.
"Bloody hell, I really was scrawny when I was younger." He muttered to himself as his legs protested slightly at the weight of the person in his arms. He ignored it and slowly trudged upstairs, taking extra care not to disturb the red haired angel that sat in his arms.
He soon got to the room they were now sharing- he grinned a little at this idea- and carefully laid her down on a pillow. He then slid in next to her, propping his back against the headboard, and pulled her onto his chest.
His hand skimmed and wove through her long hair as he got lost in his thoughts, so lost that he didn't hear the quiet knock that sounded from the door.
"Harry? Ginny?" Hermione called out quietly as she and Ron stuck their heads through the door. Harry looked up at her call and with a weary smile on his face, he beckoned the two in to join him.
They quietly stepped towards them before they sat at the end of the bed. Neither of them said anything, and Harry basked in the silence, knowing that it would only last as long as it took for his best friends to formulate their questions. True to form, Hermione quickly broke the silence.
"Dumbledore explained what you three talked about." She stated in a quiet voice. Harry was grateful that they knew not to talk too loudly; he didn't know how long Ginny would be under the sleeping spell for and he would rather she woke in a soothing atmosphere, not one filled with questions.
"Yeah. He told me that he was going to tell you all about it." His voice sounded slightly dead, even to his own ears. Hermione took a moment before speaking again.
"What are you thinking, Harry?"
The Boy-Who-Lived didn't answer straight away. He didn't even look at his two friends. Instead he focused his attention on Ginny's fiery red hair that twirled around his moving fingers. How was he feeling?
Ron just watched his friend intently, watched as the turbulent emotions that normally swirled beneath the surface play across his face. Ron was often rebuked and teased for not noticing things, but he actually saw a lot more than people thought. Being Harry's best friend for four years had taught him not to push him, to wait for him to be ready to speak if he really wanted to know what was going on in the youth's mind. While Hermione normally ploughed right in and demanded their friend confront his feelings, Ron knew that staying quiet was the best way to get Harry to open up.
After numerous minutes, Harry opened his mouth.
"It's…. I don't really even know myself." He frowned as the words struggled to come to him. "It's like…. having a dream shattered, you know? Even though we told you some of the stuff we knew, we both had the idea in the back of our minds that we wouldn't be here long, that we'd be going back to our own time, that we'd have to obliviate you all so our own future wouldn't change." Harry paused for a moment and swallowed thickly. When he carried on, his voice was heavy with sadness. "But none of that is going to happen. We won't be going back because we can't. We're stuck here. Stuck in this horrible, frightening reality that we both thought we'd left behind." He stopped abruptly as his throat closed up. Acknowledging the truth aloud was hard and painful- he was going have to do it all again and, even though he had more knowledge than the last time, he didn't have a clue what to expect.
Ron and Hermione shared a quick glance.
When Dumbledore had gone into the kitchen, he had found them all standing around. They had all heard Ginny screaming at the headmaster, even if the words were undecipherable. It had cause the majority of them to jump in surprise- they didn't believe that Ginny had the audacity to scream like a banshee at the old man, and the fact that she had made them all realise that something truly awful had happened. When they had all been told how they had been brought back in time, Hermione and Ron had understood the implications perfectly. They knew instantly and accepted it quicker than either Harry or Ginny ever could.
Once the headmaster had left, they had left the rest of the occupants to discuss the new knowledge as they crept upstairs to see their friends and sister.
Hermione watched sadly as the boy she thought of as a brother struggled to accept the truth. She could see that it pained him greatly to have his dreams and expectations crushed like that and she knew that he wanted to deny it with every fibre of his being. Neither she nor Ron said anything, they just stayed quiet as they waited for Harry to talk about it all.
None of them spoke for a long time and the only sound in the room was the quiet scuffling of Hedwig on the wardrobe as she watched her master and the soothing sounds of Ginny sleeping.
"I had a godson, you know. In the future." Harry eventually said. His voice cracked a little, but he still didn't look away from his wife's hair.
"What? You mean someone was actually stupid enough to make you a godfather?" Ron blurted out incredulously.
"Ron!" Hermione hissed scandalously as she whacked him round the back of his head. Harry snorted a little and a small smile crept on his face.
"Yeah, I thought the same thing to myself when R- I was asked." He nearly slipped up and told them that Remus was the one to ask him to be his son's godfather. He couldn't tell them that- it wasn't quite time for them to know.
"What was he like?" Hermione asked straight away. She wanted to ask who the boy's parents were but something told her that Harry would not answer that. She watched as a prideful smile spread across his face.
"His name is Teddy and he was like my own son." He looked up briefly to see the questioning look on their faces. "His parents passed away when he was about 2 months old."
Ron grimaced and Hermione gasped. "Oh no!"
Harry nodded. "Yes. I took him in and looked after him, with the help of his grandmother. He was an orphan, I couldn't just leave him. Not after what happened to me."
Ron's eyes narrowed at the way he said that. Something told him that his best mate meant more than the fact that Harry himself had been an orphan. A brief flash of steel bars on a window flitted through his mind and he wondered if his friend was thinking of the Dursleys.
Before either of them could speak up about it, however, Harry whispered a sentence in such a broken voice that their own hearts twinged painfully at the deep sadness that plagued the black haired boy.
"I'm never going to see him again." He croaked as tears flooded in his eyes. "I'm never going to be there for him again. I'm never going to…" He closed his eyes tightly as one of the tears dribbled hot down his cheek.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione murmured as she gently crawled up the bed and wrapped her arms around the thin boy. Ron watched as she leaned her head on his before he moved over himself and placed his hand on Harry's arm. Hermione spoke as Harry struggled to get his emotions under control.
"Dumbledore explained it all to us, and I know you're worried that he will be all alone in the future without you there, yes?" She paused for a moment before carrying on once she had seen Harry nod his head shakily. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about that-"
"What do you mean?" Harry snapped out as he looked up to glare at her. "He is alone! He only had me and his grandmother! I've left him alone!"
Ron sent Hermione a warning look but she carried on explaining regardless.
"Harry, listen to me! You may feel like you've left him alone, but you travelled back in time. Don't interrupt me!" She said sternly as he opened his mouth again. "You've travelled back in time, which means that whatever you do from now on will influence your future! Don't you see? You're shaping a new future, which means that anything that has happened in your future won't exist anymore." She ended in a soft tone. Harry and Ron looked at her with confused expressions.
"What do you mean, Hermione?" Harry asked in a quieter and wary tone. Ron said nothing, but his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Think about it, Harry. You've already changed the future. The things that happened last time for you have either already happened earlier than they should have or they won't happen at all. Plus, you'll be having your child now when you are 15 instead of when you would have originally had it at the age of 23! Also, Teddy might not be born at the same time in this timeline, which means he might not exist in the future. Don't you see?" She repeated in a slightly exasperated voice. "Your future doesn't exist anymore, so you won't have left anyone behind."
Harry gaped for her. Half of what she had said didn't make sense, but her point did. His future had already changed, so what happened before he travelled back in time might not happen at all now. The present that he had travelled away from might not exist, so there would be no on to leave behind and no one to wait for him. He had just about grasped that when Ron butted in with his own thoughts.
"You have a chance to do it all again, mate. We all know that it was bad for you and my sister, but you have the chance to prevent those bad things from happening. You can help Teddy meet his parents this time."
This time, it was not just Harry that was gaping. Hermione stared at the red haired boy, an odd glint of admiration in her eyes. Both of them went red as they held each other's gaze and Harry couldn't do anything but roll his eyes. Hopefully they won't decide to get together in the middle of a battle for the free world this time around.
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The next week or so after the revelation passed without much fuss. For the first few days, Ginny refused to leave the bed she now shared with Harry as she wallowed in the guilt, horror and frightened feelings that roamed through her system and choked her brain. Eventually Harry had decided that enough was enough and talked to her. He explained all that both Dumbledore and Hermione had explained to him and he refused to leave her alone, even when she threw objects at him. Ginny soon ran out of steam and it took a lot of tears before she began to accept that what they were all saying was true. The horrible weight still clung to her heart, but it wasn't as all consuming as it had been. She knew that her guilt wouldn't suddenly disappear, but she had to deal with it, just as Harry had dealt with his own demons over the years. She came out of her self imposed exile and soon had enough of her own energy back to even argue with Mrs Weasley when she berated her for using her wand to help with the house cleaning.
"You can't just keep waving your wand around!" Molly exclaimed as she stood over the form of her daughter. "In case you haven't forgotten, young lady, you are still underage and shouldn't be doing magic! Now stop being lazy and use some elbow grease, for goodness sake!"
Anger rose in Ginny as she placed her hands on her hips in a mirror image of her mother. The rest of the room's occupants- Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Remus and Sirius- watched wearily as the two Weasley women squared off against one another.
When Ginny spoke, her words came out in a clipped way that showed how angry she was.
"For one thing, mother, I may be underage physically, but I am actually much older than that!"
"I do not care how old you are in your head, Ginevra! The fact of the matter is that at the moment you are not of age, especially in the eyes of the Ministry! I do not care about your mind, you are physically underage and you will stop using that as an excuse!" She scolded Ginny as she narrowed her eyes. It seemed that her daughter and Harry were keen to point out that they were mentally older than they seemed, and Molly for one was sick of it being used as a get out of jail card. If they were as adult as they said they were, then they should accept that they have to get used to the fact that they were still children for the time being and have to abide by the rules.
"It's not like the Ministry is going to find out anyway!" Ginny scoffed. "In case you had forgotten, this house is under the fidelius charm! That means that the Ministry cannot track the magic that happens here. Plus, I am living in a house that is constantly full of fully qualified wizards! And as for the fact that I should use elbow grease and shouldn't be so lazy, I am pregnant mother! I know that doesn't mean I can use my wand for every little thing, but I'd rather use my wand to clean than to hurt my back scrubbing and inhaling possibly harmful fumes that could affect my baby!" She argued back to her mother before she turned around and stalked out of the room. Nobody said anything for a moment as they all watched Molly's mouth open and close like a fish. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but Molly was actually quite proud that her daughter was consciously thinking about the things that could potentially harm her child and so she decided that she would let the issue slide…. For now.
"Excellent!" Fred said with a grin as he fished his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans. "Now we can just wave our wands and-"
"Don't even think about it Frederick Weasley!" Molly snarled at her son.
"What? Ginny can-" He and George immediately began to protest, outrage etched on their faces. However, mother Weasley was not quite finished with her anger yet.
"Just because you are of age doesn't mean you have to whip out your wands for every little thing!" Her voice steadily rose as she waggled her finger at her children. "A bit of hard work never hurt anyone, so I'm sure you'll live! Besides, Ginny is pregnant and we need to make sure she is as healthy and comfortable as possible!" She fixed them all with a stern look before she left the room in a manner remarkably similar to her hormonal daughter.
Hermione quietly got back to work scrubbing a skirting board as the guys all gaped at the door. A few moments later though, all of the Weasley children turned as one to glare beadily at Harry.
The young hero backed away slightly and gulped, before letting out a small sigh and stowing his wand back in his jeans. With no noise whatsoever, he picked up a sodden rag and went back to work.
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Harry and Ginny's birthdays passed with little fuss. Molly had been all for throwing a large party as a celebration, but the young couple were merely happy with a cake and some alone time in their room (the latter of which Ron and the rest of the Weasley males were not happy with and didn't even want to think about). A few presents were given to them individually but the majority of the things they got were to do with the new baby.
The next opportunity for a party came on the day that the Hogwarts letters arrived at Grimmauld Place.
Harry, Ron and Ginny were in the young couple's room (Ron had moved out and got a room to himself)- Ginny was sitting on one of the beds, Harry was on a chair, trying to reach the top of the wardrobe, and Ron was cursing as he rooted through his trunk looking for a missing sock- when Hermione came running into the room, her bushy hair floating like a cloud behind her.
"Hogwarts letters!" She practically sang as she passed the enveloped around and ripped her own open as she plonked herself on the bed next to Ginny.
Ginny gave hers a brief scan before setting it to the side. "We'll have to give mum our lists so she can go to Diagon Alley for us."
Ron frowned at her as he struggled with his letter. "What do you mean she'll go for us?"
"They haven't let us out of the house since the start of summer, so I doubt they'll-" Her explanation was cut off by the high pitched squeal that came from next to her. Ginny's head swivelled round quickly as Harry got his wand out of his jeans so fast it was like a blur.
"Merlin, Hermione! Don't do that!" He scowled at his friend as she jumped up and down on the spot. He stowed his wand away before opening his own letter and scanning it briefly.
"Oh Harry! I'm a prefect! I got a badge! Look!" She squealed at him uncharacteristically as she showed off her pristine, red and gold prefect badge. "Where's yours? Show me!"
Ginny glanced quickly at Hermione before looking at her brother who seemed to have frozen in shock.
Harry merely raised an eyebrow at Hermione, before he surreptitiously gestured his head towards his best mate.
Hermione frowned at him, not quite understanding what he was trying to say to her, then turned her head to look at Ron as well. When she saw him standing with a flabbergasted expression, she immediately began to fret that something was wrong with him.
"Ron?" She cautiously said as she moved closer to him. "Are you okay?"
Ron looked up at her as if he had never seen her before. Hermione was about to ask him why he was looking at her like that when he too held up a badge that was identical to the one the bushy haired witch was holding.
Hermione looked blankly at the badge for a moment, then looked up into Ron's face that held a hint of worry in them. She opened her mouth to ask Harry why he hadn't got a badge, when his odd movements registered in her mind- he knew that Ron was going to get the badge and he didn't want her to make him feel bad by assuming that he had got it instead of their friend.
She didn't waste another moment.
"Oh Ron! I'm so happy for you!" She gushed as she flung herself at the red haired boy. Ron looked bewildered for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist. They both shivered slightly as a warm feeling spread over them both.
"You really mean that?" He whispered slightly at her as he leaned back to look into her deep, hazel eyes.
"Of course." She breathed back as she stared up at him.
Harry and Ginny watched with bated breaths as the two stayed intertwined, their faces slowly moving closer together as though by gravity…
Their eyes stayed locked…
Their lips parted…
Their hearts thumped erratically in their chests….
Their lips were millimetres away from brushing against one another…
CRACK!
All four occupants in the room jumped- Harry grabbed Ginny by the waist to stop her from falling off the bed while Hermione and Ron leapt apart, their faces bright red.
"So, we see that the Hogwarts letters have arrived…" One of the twins said, not noticing the disappointed tension that flooded the air.
Ron and Hermione studiously avoided looking at one another and Harry and Ginny were torn between laughing out loud or glaring at the intruders.
'Well,' mused Ginny as she nodded along to whatever the twins were saying and burrowed herself in Harry's arms. 'You can't have everything in life…'
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About a week before the children had to return to Hogwarts, the kitchen was filled with a high amount of tension that surprisingly seemed to be coming from Remus and Tonks.
All throughout the evening meal, they were nothing but uncomfortably polite to one another and everyone could tell that something was wrong- they just didn't know what.
Except for Harry and Ginny.
The two time travellers shared a look with each other and resolved to talk to the pair; they suspected that Remus had put his foot in it somehow and had inadvertently hurt Tonk's feelings, something that neither of the teens were very happy about.
Arthur cleared his throat. "So… Everyone enjoying the food?" His voice was full of weak cheeriness as he looked furtively between the werewolf and metamorphmagus, both of whom were picking moodily at their plates. The rest of the room's occupants stayed silent apart from a few agreeable grunts. Only Remus actually answered verbally.
"Oh, yes Arthur. It's lovely, thank you Molly." He politely said as he gave the Weasley parents a small smile. He had just looked back down at his plate when Tonks gave a disdainful snort.
"I wouldn't believe what he says, Molly. He's probably just trying to protect you." The last two words were snarled out with disgust and a little hatred as she glared daggers at the older man.
Everything stopped. No one moved. No one even breathed.
Remus slowly chewed his mouthful of food before he put his fork down and turned to the girl across from him.
"Excuse me?" He asked in an annoyingly calm and polite voice. Tonks didn't even try and mask her anger like Remus was doing; she threw her fork down on her plate and leaned towards him- arms folded on the wood, scowl on her face and hair slowly tingeing a mixture of black and red.
"I don't believe I was talking to you, Lupin."
"Well, you obviously had something to say. Why don't you share it with the class?" His voice stayed the same, but a slight tone of steel weaved through. The calm mask on his face quickly disappeared though, as he realised that was the wrong thing to say.
Tonks stood up so abruptly, causing both her plate and the ones that were next to her to topple off the table. The sounds of the crockery smashing masked the sharp inhales of air that erupted from people's mouths.
Sirius' lips were pressed into a thin line as he watched what was going on. He wished that he could just whack his friend upside his head but refrained as he knew that his cousin was perfectly capable of looking after herself. That was one of the things he wished Remus would get through his thick head; Tonks was no longer a child, and she was well aware of the risks of getting into a relationship with a werewolf- she worked at the Ministry of Magic, after all. He just couldn't understand why his friend wouldn't allow himself to be happy! It was obvious to everyone that they both liked each other, but Remus insisted on pushing the young girl away.
Harry sighed silently as he leaned back. Ginny next to him closed her eyes for a moment before she reached forwards and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. They both had one thought running through their heads: 'Things are about to get messy…'
"'Share it with the class'?" She repeated in quiet anger. She snorted humourlessly as her lips pressed together and she looked away for a moment. When she looked back at him, her eyes seemed slightly wetter than usual. "I'm not a kid any more, Lupin. I know exactly what I'm talking about and exactly what I feel. That isn't going to change, no matter how much you wish it would. Why can't you just-" She suddenly cut herself off, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. She cast one last look at the older man before she practically ran- or tripped, in her case- out of the kitchen.
Remus just stared at the space that she had just been standing in, his face appearing more lined than ever as his skin turned a pasty, grey colour.
Ginny sighed heavily as she clumsily got to her feet. "Come on, Hermione. Let's go find Tonks." She said quietly as she passed the bushy haired girl. Hermione didn't even argue- she just got up and followed the red haired girl out of the room.
"Come on, Weasley's," Arthur murmured. "I'm sure your mother has something she needs us to clean up." The boys all got up and left the room; even Ron knew that nothing should or could be said at the moment.
"But what about the dishes?" Molly asked as she glanced worriedly around the room.
"I'll sort that out, Molly." Harry said to her as he remained seated. "Don't worry about it." Molly looked once between Harry and Remus before she nodded slightly and left the room.
Only Sirius, Remus and Harry remained in the room, until Sirius himself sighed sadly and began to walk out. On his way, he stopped to place his hand on his old friend's shoulder.
"Remember what I said Remus." Was all he said before he left the room as well, leaving just the professor and his student.
Neither said anything- Remus because he didn't know what to say and Harry because he was waiting for Remus to get his thoughts into gear.
"She doesn't understand." Remus eventually said as he ran his hands over his face. He looked entirely frustrated and slightly angry- but at who, Harry wasn't sure.
The Boy-Who-Lived merely picked up his cup and took a sip from it, before calmly putting it back down and regarding his friend.
"To be honest, Remus," He said in a mild tone. 'I'm turning into Dumbledore…' He internally groaned as he continued aloud. "I think you're the one who doesn't understand."
Amber eyes pierced emerald green as the werewolf glared at Harry. His anger was rising quickly. Why wouldn't they all just listen to him! He knew best, after all! None of them had to live as he had- shunned and feared across the entire wizarding world. Why couldn't they just accept that he was supposed to be alone, and being in a relationship with the young Auror would only end up with her being hurt?
"You don't know what you're talking about, Harry." He said in a bland and dead voice. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, conscious of the fact that he would have to be gentle, yet firm with the older man- he was quickly angering and it was only a matter of time before the wolf came to the surface.
With a slight jolt to the system, Harry remembered that the last time he had had a conversation like this with Remus, it had ended with the lycanthrope running away and Harry being blasted backwards into the kitchen wall. He grimaced internally, but kept up his calm façade as he conversed with Remus.
"I know perfectly well what I am talking about, Remus."
"No you don't!" Remus roared as he leapt to his feet. He had begun to breath heavily as all of his frustrations and resentment rose to the surface. A distant part of him knew that Harry didn't deserve him shouting at him, but unfortunately he was in the direct path of his harsh feelings. A larger part of him thought that it was Harry's own fault because he insisted in pushing him. "You don't get it! I'm dangerous!"
"So am I." Harry calmly stated. He had now sat back in his chair and his arms were folded over his chest. He let a ghost of a smirk spread across his face as he took in Remus' momentarily flabbergasted expression.
"What do you mean you're dangerous?" Remus shouted in disbelief. "You're no more dangerous than a puffskein!" Harry's eye twitched irritably at those words, but he remained quiet. "I'm dangerous to be around! People can get hurt around me! I'm not safe!"
"Neither am I, Remus. I understand that." Remus opened his mouth to contradict him, but Harry merely raised his voice over him. "I'm top of Voldemort's 'to kill' list. People around me can and will get hurt, just because they are in the way. Don't you see? It may not be the same situation, but they are similar. Voldemort will stop at nothing to get to me; he will destroy anything and anyone who gets in his way."
Remus let out a disbelieving snort. "Yeah, like that will happen!" He snarled. Normally, Remus wouldn't say something like that but his emotions were getting away from him. He felt trapped and misunderstood, and with the wolf so close to the surface, he couldn't control himself. So, for the second time in half an hour, Remus said something completely stupid.
Harry rose steadily to his feet, a scowl on his hardened face and a prickle of energy flooded the room. His hands were shaking slightly as his magic went slightly haywire. A slight tinkle was heard as eating utensils shook with the vibrating energy. Remus' eyebrows rose a little, but he didn't have chance to say anything as Harry began to rip into him.
"It did happen, Remus!" He barked at the older man. His voice was hard, icy and steely and if he was honest with himself, Remus could admit that it scared him. "It happened before and it will happen again! An eleven year old girl used as a way to lure me in! A friend killed because he was a 'spare'! Hundreds of school children, as young as twelve, blasted away because they were in the way! Because they wouldn't let him get to me!" Remus once again opened his mouth, but Harry wouldn't allow him to speak- so much for the calm approach. Harry let loose and berated Remus like he was a young children caught in the wrong.
"Shut up! You say you're dangerous, that people will get hurt around you- don't you think they know that? Don't you think Tonks realises that! Well they do! And guess what? They don't care! You talk about people not understanding, people not getting it, when in actual fact it's you that hasn't got a bloody clue!" He shouted. The vibrations of magic in the room got worse and objects rattled ominously on their shelves as Harry's eyes narrowed even further. Remus didn't dare speak or move- hell, he was even worried he might breath wrong!
"We're both dangerous to be around, regardless of whether the situations are the same or not. Does that mean I should take a leaf out of your book? Should I leave Ginny, abandon my child, push her away, hurt her feelings constantly as I waltz around acting like I know what is best for her and everyone?" His voice had dropped to a venomous hiss and combined with the way his eyes had turned into slits reminded the werewolf of a snake. "That's what you're doing to Tonks. She knows exactly what she's getting into and she doesn't care, Remus. She knows the risks, but she also knows that she loves you. Why can't you just accept that and make yourself happy instead of breaking both of your hearts?"
Remus stared down at the worn table, unable to meet Harry's eyes for shame. He didn't even look up when he heard the young man's chair being pushed backwards or when the kitchen door opened- he just stayed still and let the words crash around his skull.
Before he could analyse them too much, however, Harry had stopped in the doorway and spoke one last time.
"I left Ginny once." Remus looked up at that, startled. Of all of the things Harry could have said to him in that moment, that was the one he had least expected. "To protect her from Voldemort because I couldn't bear the thought of seeing her hurt, of seeing her killed because she was with me. I wasted a year wishing I was with her and I hurt her so badly, broke her heart so much that she wouldn't speak to me for months after Voldemort was killed. She wouldn't even be in the same room as me. Don't make the same mistake that I made."
And with those last words and insight into his complicated life, Harry left the kitchen.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
Harry refused to speak to Remus for a few days afterwards and Tonks was not seen around the house either. After her talk with Hermione and Ginny (something that neither girl would talk about, claiming it to be a 'sisterly secret' that they wouldn't understand), Tonks had gathered up any things she had left lying around the house and then had left for her own flat.
The last week leading up towards Hogwarts was filled with a monotony that made all of the teenagers yearn for 1st September. Ginny seemed to be going into a more of a foul mood than before which they all chalked down to pregnancy hormones which was pretty believable considering all of their weird foods she had been eating recently. However, Ginny was in such a foul mood because she knew she would have to see the hag again. She could be seen muttered to herself at odd points during the day, and whenever someone asked Harry if they knew what was wrong with her, he merely shook his head and smiled at them.
The only interesting thing that happened during that week was that Harry got a letter from a tawny brown owl that belonged to the Ministry of Magic.
"What does it say?" Sirius asked him as he frowned over a slice of toast. Most of the occupants of the room were focused and riveted on the letter that was clasped in Harry's hand.
He used his knife to slice open the official seal and pulled the letter out of the yellowish envelope. Nobody spoke as his eyes moved rapidly from side to side- they were too busy fretting that something was wrong.
When he had finished his letter, Harry looked up and gave everyone a grin. "Relax, guys. It's from Madam Bones; she says that my charges for my breach of the Restriction for Underage Sorcery have been dropped as she feels that my actions were justified." He glanced back down at the letter before smiling to himself in amusement. "She even apologises for not finding out who sent the Dementors after men, but she is going to everything she can to hunt them down and banish the offending Dementors from Azkaban."
"She can't do that, can she?" Asked Charlie as he blinked at Harry.
Remus chuckled. "Amelia Bones is quite a formidable witch. I personally wouldn't stand in her way."
As everyone began to discuss and congratulate Harry on the good news, no-one saw him slip an additional letter into his pocket.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
A/N 2: There you have it! Cliff hanger!
It's not my best chapter and it's not particularly exciting, but it explains things that need to be explained. Remember, it's supposed to be choppy!
I'm not sure about the whole telling of Remus thing :/ what do you think? And no, that does not mean that Remus and Tonks will get together straight away… As much as I wish ;)
They shall be off to Hogwarts in the next chapter! How will the baby be concealed? Will they be forced to sleep in separate dorms? No one knows…
Well, I do…. But I ain't telling! ;)
And I promise that it will flow better! And I swear that things are going to go at a faster pace from now on!
Now, for some reason, I feel I am missing something, or this story is missing something, but I can't put my finger on it :/ Any suggestions?
Don't forget to answer my poll please! I'm stuck in two minds about the whole Umbridge detentions thing.- on the one hand, I can't see him NOT getting detentions as it is Umbridge and although he is from the future and is supposedly much wiser, he is still Harry. But then again, because he is wiser, wouldn't he try and avoid them as much as possible? Argh, I don't know!
Also, are there any one-shots you would like me to write? Any missing scenes you think I have forgotten, or some scenes from their future timeline that you are curious about and would like me to write? If you want me to write a one-shot, please leave me a review and I'll get to it as soon as I can :D
Thanks to all those that have reviewed!
Listening To: Hero- Skillet
LilMissMoonRay
P.S- If you like the 'reading the books' fics, check out:-
'The Truth Behind Past and Future: Harry Reads' by Eleanor89 and
'Harry Potter Characters Reads the HP and DH' by Yukikiralacus
Now, in the words of a politically obsessed friend of mine, PEACE AND LOVE!