Author's Notes :

Hi!
Sorry for the delay. If you are wondering why I am posting at a different time (since I always posted before on Wednesdays afternoon my time), it's because I have moved time zones, so it's going to be a bit different now.
I loved reading all your reviews and feedbacks; very happy that you are enjoying it so far.
I hope you like this chapter, took me quite a while to get it right :)

Chapter 22 : Domino Effect

Harry felt a breeze across his skin as he opened his eyes. He smiled as he looked around. He was standing in the center of an orchard, familiar apple and orange trees surrounding him, each distancing a good three yards away from each other on all sides. Through the trees to the east, he saw the patch of grass that was deemed the small Weasley Quidditch Pitch. It too was surrounded by tall trees, in order to keep Muggles from seeing the players as they soared in the air. In the distance, straight in front of him, raising over the trees, Harry saw the topmost roof of one of his favorite buildings in the world: the Burrow.

Harry walked toward the edge of the tree-line, where the large field separated the orchard and the Burrow. Darkness had begun to descent on this November day. He saw light through the Burrow's kitchen window. He quietly peered through the window and saw Molly cleaning up the kitchen.

Stowing both his Invisibility Cloak and his Map inside his pocket, he cautiously entered and coughed lightly, lest give her the indication that someone was breaking in.

She looked up and her eyes widened.

"Harry! How - ," Molly exclaimed, her hand going to the wand in her apron.

Harry gave her tiny smile, "Yeah is Ginny -"

He trailed off as he saw Ginny slowly coming down the stairs, rubbing her almost six months pregnant stomach. The baby bump was much more noticeable and her skin was positively glowing. She had never looked so radiant (except at their wedding). She was wearing a simple gown, her long red hair combed neatly behind.

"Come on," Ginny said, taking his hand. "I saw you from upstairs."

Harry gave Molly a sheepish look and let his wife lead him to her teenage bedroom. Just as the door closed behind them, Harry closed the distance between them and kissed her. His hands traced up her back and against her bare skin, and it felt so incredible he couldn't stop a moan from escaping. She grinned against his mouth.

Chaste kisses turned passionate. It was like a series of escalating dares with the two of them.

"Harry," Ginny breathed. "As much as I love snogging you, could we perhaps move this to the bed? Only my feet are aching."

Without breaking their tryst, Harry gently manoeuvred her onto her bed. It was a bit difficult, considering the bump between them. He tried hard not to disturb it.

"Wait," he suddenly remembered and broke off the kiss just as Ginny leaned in. "You didn't ask me the security question."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Oh, the exact look-alike of my husband, who just apparated to the Burrow and didn't trigger any wards, and are also holding the two prized Potter possessions; what is the third smell in your Amortentia?"

Harry laughed, "Your hair," and captured her in a tight hug, taking a whiff of the sweet familiar flowery fragrance.

"I missed you," Ginny said.

Harry waved his wand to enlarge the bed a bit, so they could cuddle themselves comfortably. He leaned against the bedrest, with his wife tucked into his side.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

His brow furrowed underneath his glasses as he turned away from her. His Adam's apple bobbed as his eyes darted around the room. She moved her hand from his stomach to his chest, tracing along a non-existent scar that he apparently had received from a locket. Her eyes flickered to his face. He was as transparent as an open book.

"Are you mad?" he continued, "For not telling you about what happened at the Dursleys."

She shifted her body so that she was facing him. "I am not mad, Harry. Why would you think that?"

"You always say that I just bottle everything up. And isn't this supposed to count towards getting it off my chest?"

Ginny gently brushed her fingers along his face. "So, it's true then? The cupboard under the stairs was your bedroom."

His heart skipped a beat when she stated it so directly.

He nodded.

"Harry, did your - I can't even call him uncle, did Vernon ever hit you?" she asked abruptly, her eyes boring into him.

"What?" he asked, his eyes opening wide.

"I'm worried about what happened to you at that house," she said.

"I'm fine, Ginny. It's over. It's been years for me, another timeline even. I don't live there anymore, so there's nothing to worry about," he said firmly.

She only pursed her lips in response.

Harry sighed. "He never physically abused me. Manhandled me, yes. And you know Dudley was a bully."

"And Petunia?"

"She yelled more likely. Although she did threw a frying pan at me once," said Harry.

Ginny's face contorted in fury.

"I think they hoped they would stomp out the magic out of me by keeping me unhappy," said Harry.

"They had no idea what they were messing with. I have half a mind to curse them into oblivion," said Ginny. "You better believe it I am not the only one. Sirius was ready to attack, and my mum would have joined him this time."

"Have they said anything? Is Sirius here?"

"He's gone back to Grimmauld Place."

When Harry shot her a questioning look, she continued, "Well, Sirius is distraught. He blames himself. Your parents named him godfather and he thinks he has failed miserably. All of the people were looking at me for answers; my parents, Sirius, Remus - asking if what was published in the news was true and I couldn't give them an answer. You never talk about what it was like growing up with them. Many of us assumed you were neglected, but none of us had the - "

"It just blindsided me. I had no idea that that woman would go to such lengths." Harry licked his bottom lip, his green eyes piercing into hers. "I know you want to know every detail of my childhood. I appreciate how you've never pushed me on it. There's not much to tell, Ginny. I swear. It was a lot of loneliness and doing the chores and trying not to make any mistakes. When I got to Hogwarts, I stood up to them more and more. I think they became slightly scared of me."

"I am sorry," said Ginny. He turned his head to look at her.

"Don't look at me like that." Harry squared his jaw.

"How am I looking at you?" Ginny dropped her hand back to his chest.

"Like you pity me."

"Harry."

"Ginny. That part of my life is over and I would be grateful if this is the last time it comes up."

She sighed. "Ok. If you think that you have got closure from your past, then I won't say anything. That is what I told the others too. Even though this was unexpected, I am happy that the Dursleys finally got what they deserved. From what I heard, their arrest was prominently splashed over the Muggle news. It was quite the affair. "

"What about Dudley?" Harry asked. Without his parents, his cousin would be lost and although this Dudley wasn't the one with whom Harry had reconciled, he still didn't want him alone.

"I think he's alright at his boarding school," Ginny answered. "Dumbledore assured that the Order will look after him. But what will follow next - Oh."

A joyful expression spread easily across her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry almost shouted in his panic that was caused by Ginny's sudden exclamation. He looked up at the red head and saw the shocked and slightly awed look on her face. Ginny snapped out of her shock at Harry's frantic tone. She grinned widely at him as tears gathered in her eyes. "Someone wants to say hello," she whispered as she took her husband's hand and laid it down on her stomach.

Harry looked at her stomach in confusion for a moment before his eyes widened as he realised what had happened. As his hand lay gently on his wife's stomach, Harry had felt a small, yet firm nudge that seemed to come from the inside. His breath caught as he felt the movement and looked up at the chocolate brown eyes that were staring lovingly at his hand.

"Was that...," he trailed off as he swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. Ginny nodded, then replied in a soft voice that cracked with emotion.

"Yeah. Baby wanted to say hello to his daddy."

Harry let out a breathless, shocked chuckle as he rubbed his hand over Ginny's stomach. He looked up as a large grin spread across his face.

"The baby's started moving. I wasn't sure before, felt like a flutter. But now - oh."

The baby kicked again.

Harry stuttered, "Is it a - James or Lily?"

"We could find out, you know. Madam Pomfrey told me that we could see the baby's gender in her next visit," said Ginny.

Harry contemplated before answering slowly, "Is it weird that I want to wait and -"

"Be surprised," she finished. "I would like that too."

Harry continued caressing her stomach, marvelling at the little piece of life. "It's strange. We are teenagers going to be parents. We don't have our own house, nor do we have access too our Family Vault in Gringotts. The baby is going to be here in what, three months and we are hopelessly unprepared."

"I have thought about it too. But we don't need the house and money, unless the threat outside goes away. We are safe here," said Ginny. "And do you really think that Molly Weasley will let us live on our own with her grandchild in such times?"

Harry chuckled. "It really has thrown all our plans in the loop."

"It has," said Ginny softly. "But look at it this way, the baby will have all the loved ones we lost - Fred, Sirius, Remus."

"Have you thought about what comes after? You know, after Voldemort, about school, your career,... any future kids," asked Harry slyly.

She only raised her eyebrows in surprise, "I don't think I will be ready for more children after this, love. I know we talked about two or three. But we have all the time in world, since we are starting our family at fourteen and fifteen years old."

"I understand. It's just -"

"That we have now entered the mindset of being parents and we don't want a big age gap between the children," said Ginny, completing her husband's thoughts. "As for other things, we both know - you are going to this time complete your education and join the Aurors again and I am -"

"Going to take on the professional Quidditch as Ginny 'Firewhisky' Potter," smirked Harry, recalling the name fans had given her as a Harpy.

"You are staying for the night, right?"

"Of course. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," said Harry and kissed her.

"Ron!"

Ron turned to see that a booth in the shadowy corner of the Three Broomsticks was occupied by his elder brother, Bill, who was discretely waving him and Hermione over. While Hermione went to order drinks for them, Ron made his way over across the pub and made himself comfortable. Ron noticed the companion Bill had and asked, "Is this the girlfriend?"

The woman, sporting a dark brown hair and wearing some sort of hideous robe, laughed, "It's me, Tonks."

"Oh, sorry," realised Ron. "I thought you would be spending your Sunday with her. Who is she, anyway?"

"Why so interested?" Bill raised his eyebrow.

Ron shrugged in response. "Harry and Ginny seem to think that you are dating your future wife."

"Exactly why your mother too is inquiring about her," said Tonks.

"Don't I know it," said Bill wearily. "Mum's asking about her and my girlfriend is adamant on meeting my parents. Except can't really arrange a meeting when my only teenage sister is pregnant and we are harbouring a fugitive. Not to mention, all the Order secrecy."

"What are you two doing here anyway?" asked Hermione, joining the table with two Butterbeers for herself and Ron.

"Actually we came to see Harry. Where is he? Usually you three stick together," said Bill, looking around.

"That isn't the case anymore, Bill," said Ron. Bill and Tonks understood that the unit of three had now somewhat split into two units. Hermione placated him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "I expect he's with Ginny."

"What do you mean? He went to the Burrow!"

"I think he used one of the hidden passageways and apparated from Hogsmeade," said Hermione. "It's an awful risk he took. What if he's been caught?"

"He's got a sodding Invisibility Cloak and a map of the castle, Hermione," replied Ron.

"Anyways, he was quite angry this week since the article and with the Dursleys arrest...," she trailed off.

They had arrived at the uncomfortable topic. Tonks cleared her throat and asked hesitantly, "Did you two know?"

Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads in unison. Out of all the things they had ever suspected about Harry's life with his relatives, they had never…The cupboard under the stairs? How badly could someone not want an innocent child in their home that they would stoop to something so… so horrible?

"How could Umbridge have access to Privet Drive. I thought it was guarded with wards," asked Ron, puzzled.

"That is true. But the wards don't work anymore. Dumbledore assumes that since the time-travel and Harry and Ginny's mind and soul and whatnot, the wards fell, leaving the place vulnerable. It's astonishing that a great wizard like Dumbledore missed it," said Bill.

"Well, he couldn't be a great wizard, if he left Harry with the Dursleys in the first place," said Tonks, with a scowl.

"And the arrest?" Hermione asked.

"That was all Fudge's doing. The moment Harry's life went public, he started changing his tune. Now he's going straight after Dumbledore and branding Harry as a someone who has lost his mind under the abuse he suffered. The Ministry received strongly worded letters against Dumbledore, which prompted him to take the action. It's not looking good for us. I think Dumbledore is going to get removed from the post of the headmaster and Fudge is taking full advantage of this. He's parading himself as an advocate for all the witches and wizards."

Tonks nodded by his side, "It has massively impacted the work the Order had been laying. We are now expecting that Anti-Muggle sentiments will rise rapidly. The information could actually bolster You-Know-Who's ability to gather supporters. People are less likely to trust Dumbledore or the Ministry if they thought the abuse had been allowed to happen."

Hermione gasped.

"This is the reason we came here today. Many of us Order members feel that it is time to take the offensive," said Bill.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Harry was an Auror in the future and I am guessing, he must have taken the lead in the Death Eaters cases after the war. We need his inside knowledge to tackle the people hiding in the Ministry. We could start capturing the tiny fishes and leave the big ones like Malfoy for later on," explained Tonks.

"Has Dumbledore agreed to this?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

Bill shook his head. "He's been busy with clearing his name with the Wizengamot. The only time we saw him was the day before yesterday at the Burrow. We couldn't set any plans, since most of the time he was getting yelled at by mum, Sirius and Remus. But Mad-eye, Kingsley think that with the right trap, we could perhaps make this bleak situation clear."

"We were just talking about this yesterday after Harry disappeared," said Ron. "Hermione was thinking of getting Rita Skeeter to present our side."

Bill and Tonks exchanged a look between them. "I would suggest to wait it out a bit. The people will become confused, if they aren't being now. That will just add another thorn on our path."

Tonks agreed, "Before we go public with our story, we need to put a dent in the Ministry. After we expose them, then you can go exclusive. Catch them unawares."

The four of them continued to small-talk, with Ron and Hermione promising to inform Harry about their plan. They took their leave and spent the remaining day in the pretty little village. Hermione dragged him to Scrivenshaft's because she was out of stationery and then Ron dragged her to Honeydukes in return. It was nice, Ron thought, getting to spend time with Hermione. It was not as if they hadn't before - when Harry went for Quidditch or some other school adventure or they were on their prefect duties; but this time their dynamic had changed. Harry was still as much a part of their group as before, although he had his own grown-up life without them. He wondered if she had noticed it.

"It's fun, isn't it? Being together other than for studies and prefect duties and Harry," said Hermione, then turned red. "I mean, together as in ... not a date. Just together as friends." She promptly shut up and continued perusing the shelves.

Of course she did. Ron nodded to put her out of her stuttering. He often wondered when his feelings for his girl best friend had changed into something more. Watching her dance with Krum was perhaps the moment the realisation had slapped him in his face. Merlin, he would like to take her out on a date and tell her how he felt about her and hoped she did the same way. He had no idea how to go about it seeing he never had been on a date and the way he had bungled things with Yule Ball, the less said the better.

Harry, on the other had, was perfectly in bliss in his relationship. Lucky git. At least he could count on them being together clueless before all the time-travel thing happened. Now, Ron had to take a leap of faith on his own.

Mr and Mrs. Dursley, of Number 4, Privet Drive, had assured anyone who wondered that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. It was clear, they had hoped, that they were the last people you'd expect to be involved with anything strange of mysterious, because they simply didn't hold with such nonsense. This was the image that the Dursleys had clung on to, and no amount of money could have persuaded them to admit otherwise. After all, strange and mysterious things did happen at Number 4, and – much to their horror – the Dursleys had been swept up in it …

"All because of that ungrateful boy we had to take in!" shouted Vernon Dursley.

Not for the first time, Petunia Dursley née Evans lamented the fact of having a sister... or having had a sister...or having had a sister who was a witch.

Petunia stiffly glanced around and continued to pass time by focusing on the room (she refused to accept that they had been jailed) and showcasing her disgust at the appalled maintenance of the Surrey Police. What had started as a wonderful weekend for the couple went terribly sideways; even though Petunia missed her Diddykins, it was nice to have the house to herself and Vernon. She didn't even dare think of the boy.

However, that hadn't been the case.

Early Saturday morning they had been quite publicly humiliated by getting arrested infront of all their neighbours. Petunia had read in alarm that their arrest was covered in the newspaper and on the television.

"Fancy meeting you here Tuney!"

The cheerful voice came from a corner and the two Dursleys started in consternation. A tall man with long, black hair stepped out from the shadows of the dimly-lit police station.

"Who are you?" barked Vernon.

"It's been a while, Petunia," said Sirius conversationally as he neared. Petunia's face paled.

"You," she said faintly. "But – you're –"

"Harry's godfather," said Sirius.

"So, you are one of them! I have had it with you lot! You think you can just throw us in jail and we will be at your mercy. Well you are wrong. I have already contacted my lawyer and mark my words -"

Sadly, Vernon didn't get to mark his words as Sirius Black waved his wand and the great big Muggle slumped on the floor. Petunia shrieked. "What have you done!?"

"A simple Sleeping Spell," answered Sirius. "Of course, much more humane than how you treated Harry - your own nephew mind." His tone grew predatory.

Her indignation swelled as it always did when her thoughts turned to her nephew and the way her family had been burdened with his care. They'd given him food and shelter for fourteen years, without recompense or the slightest bit of thanks.

"We never wanted him," snapped Petunia. "We never wanted anything to do with… with your kind." She shook her head. "The letter left with him never said we had to love him when we took him in," she continued, shaking in anger. "It said that giving him a roof over his head would protect him from that maniac who killed his parents. He's alive, isn't he?" she added. "We did our part!"

"Why in Merlin's name would you still do that to a child, Petunia?" Sirius roared, his wand shooting out warning sparks. "An orphaned child entrusted in your care!"

"You can't hurt us!" Petunia said shrilly.

"I'd like nothing more than to curse the lot of you into oblivion," he told her darkly. "In fact, it is rather redeeming when the true criminals are punished. I can see now that you don't feel a lick of remorse for it." He clenched his jaw for a moment, doing his best to keep his temper in check.

"Where were you, then?" Petunia suddenly spoke up. "You're his godfather! If anyone should have had the boy, it should have been you!"

Sirius flinched as though struck.

"Where is Dumbledore? I demand to see him. He promised as long as we kept him, we'd be safe. Is this his word?"

"I am afraid that Dumbledore no longer sees to Harry's well-being. He has been given far too many freedom. Now, you always assume the worst of us don't you, Tuney? Because here's what's going to happen now - you both are going to face the trial, in fact you will be lucky to get a court date before Christmas or scratch that, before Easter. The evidence is all there. Your neighbours, your friends and even someone named Marge has spoken quite a bit about your status as Harry's guardians. And with Harry being a minor, he doesn't even have to appear infront of your lawyer. It's going to be a smooth sailing. Or we going to make it be."

"What about my Dudley?"

"What about him? He will go to some foster care, for all I know," replied Sirius nonchalantly.

"L-lily wouldn't want this," Petunia said softly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise. The nerve of her.

"Sirius."

Sirius turned to see Remus standing behind him.

"Moony - Look, I didn't curse, hex, charm or did any lasting damage - except for making that big fat buffoon shut up," said Sirius, pointing at the sleeping form of Vernon.

"Sirius, what did we agree to?" sighed the half-werewolf.

"Don't you want to say anything?"

"It's not my place when I shied away from my friends' child for years and relied on Dumbledore to sort things out. Besides it's not us Petunia has to answer to, nor to the authorities - it is her own sister Lily Evans who will demand answers," said Remus pointedly.

Petunia's conscience twinged slightly as the image of her sister's red pigtails fluttered through her mind before she could firmly squash it out.

"Come on, now. It's not safe for you outside," said Remus.

"Uhm.. there's just one more thing I have to do," said Sirius. "Don't worry, we are going to the Muggle world."

The two men turned their backs at Petunia and disappeared into the darkness, a minute later a sounding pop was heard.

Petunia clutched the bars of the jail tightly and wondered what laid ahead for her. She and Vernon were now on their own. She continued what she had been doing, aimlessly throwing looks and shrieked when she saw a rat scuttering from under a cupboard.