"We're pregnant!"
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Remarkably, the first set of clues for the Hogwarts scavenger hunt that Harry and Owen had were very easy to solve. The first asked them to find a one-eyed witch with a hump in the castle, and Harry had known immediately where that was, having used the secret entrance concealed within the hump to sneak out of the castle on several occasions. After they wrote the word inscribed on the base of the statue– Djali, whatever that meant– they were given their next clue.
Owen grinned when he read that the next clue required them to find the statue that paid tribute to Helga Hufflepuff's homeland. "This is too easy," he laughed, leading Harry down a secret flight of stairs to the basement of the castle, near where Harry knew both the kitchens and Hufflepuff common room to be. He guessed that Owen had spent plenty of time over the years finding the quickest ways to his common room, much like Harry had done with Gryffindor Tower.
Owen led him down a corridor before gesturing proudly at a waist-high statue of a dragon with a forked tongue, raising a claw like it was about to strike an enemy. There were streaks of red on the otherwise grey stone statue that unnerved Harry slightly, having never noticed the statue before.
"It's a Common Welsh Green," Owen explained. "Helga was the only Welsh founder of Hogwarts, so she made sure to hide little tributes like this around the castle."
Harry wondered if that information would be in Hogwarts: A History for teams without a Hufflepuff to find. It was easy enough to answer the question posed by the clue though. The statue's colours were grey and red. The parchment briefly glowed before revealing the final clue they were allowed to solve for the week.
"Write the name of the clumsy knight known for intruding on other portraits in the castle," he read. "This is way too easy. It's Sir Cadogan. All the older Gryffindors should know that."
"Guess we've gotta hope the girls got harder clues than we did this week so we can start building a lead on them," Owen replied. Harry nodded as he wrote the answer, and, as expected, no new clues appeared. He wondered if everyone had different clues or the same ones. Nobody was sharing theirs, so he had no idea if they were ahead or on a completely different path than the other teams.
"At least we're done for the week. Really, it's gonna come down to that last week because it shouldn't be too hard to find three new things every week."
"We might have to outrun them then," Owen thought aloud. "I like our chances," he added with a grin that Harry returned, enjoying the fun that this scavenger hunt was bringing to the term.
Unfortunately, the rest of the term was still carrying on strong, and Harry had to find other outlets to stay engaged and keep himself from dying of boredom. One of the ways he'd found towards the end of the last term had been taking lessons in combat transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. It was exhausting, training with her, but Harry thought it might've been his most rewarding class. He could easily see the applications that this class would have in his life. He didn't really like thinking that he'd ever actually need to use these skills, but after years of essentially training himself to expect to be attacked, he liked having this new weapon in his arsenal.
After another gruelling session with McGonagall that ended with him transfiguring a brick wall that was inches from crushing him into a wall of feathers, he remembered that he'd planned on doing something in this office over break.
"I'll see you next week, Potter," McGonagall told him, which was about as close to high praise as he'd get from her.
"Er– I was actually wanting to speak to Professor Dumbledore for a moment, Professor," Harry replied. McGonagall nodded but didn't leave or make any attempt to give him privacy, not that he was concerned about her holding any of his secrets. She already knew more than almost anyone and, as far as he knew, had been entirely trustworthy with all of it.
"Hello, Professor," Harry said as he approached Dumbledore's portrait.
Dumbledore smiled down at him. "I've been impressed with your progress, Harry. You've mastered these transfigurations exceptionally quickly, and they will be of great service to you, should you find yourself in dire circumstances again."
Harry smiled wryly. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm hoping it's just a precaution that I'll never need." He didn't fully believe that that was realistic though.
Dumbledore smiled kindly, almost like Harry was a child entertaining some naive notion. He hoped Dumbledore didn't know something he didn't. "Of course. It is wise of you to continue learning more advanced magic, even if we both share the hope that you never have to use it. And Minerva tells me that your Defence lessons are continuing to go well."
Harry thought he saw McGonagall sit a little stiffer, as if Dumbledore had just revealed her deepest secrets. "I don't know about that, but I've been having a good time with it, and I think people are learning from it. It feels good to help someone get something they're struggling with."
"And that is exactly why I decided to teach," Dumbledore replied happily. "But I sense you have something else on your mind that you wish to speak to me about."
Harry wasn't even surprised that Dumbledore knew that. "Er– yeah, I did. I was wanting to ask you… you made a spell that allowed Order members to communicate using Patronuses. Kingsley told me that the incantation for it is Voxpecto Patronum."
Dumbledore nodded. "That is true. It was a natural extension of an ordinary Patronus, even though there is nothing ordinary about any Patronus. I developed the idea of using them as messengers a very long time ago, when I realised that owls would be far too conspicuous for any secretive operations. I must admit that was one of my finer ideas."
Harry agreed with that. "Right. So the thing is… I didn't know there was an incantation for it. I learned how to cast a normal Patronus and have it deliver messages without your incantation."
If Dumbledore was surprised, he didn't show it beyond a small twitch of his beard. He stroked it, as if to calm it while he considered what Harry was saying. "Tell me, Harry. Have you noticed anything else different about the spells that you've cast recently?"
Harry started to say no immediately, but then images rushed into his head. The Burrow's living room repairing itself completely when he'd only meant to repair a sofa. All of the Weasley's robes becoming brightly coloured when he'd just intended to change the colours of his own robe. Holding a shield around the entire Great Hall while his leads duelled at the end of last term. Even fighting Grimhall and learning combat transfiguration… he'd been surprised by how well he'd been able to do that.
Dumbledore noticed his reaction and faraway look. "I'll take that as a yes. I imagine some spells you've been casting are much stronger and more effective than they used to be?" Harry could only nod confirmation to Dumbledore, who readjusted his half moon glasses and continued.
"Harry, Severus told me last year that Tom spent a great deal of time working to find a wand powerful enough that it could overcome yours. He mentioned that Tom borrowed Lucius Malfoy's wand, but it broke when Tom turned it on you."
Harry nodded, slowly beginning to work the pieces together for himself. "My wand acted of its own accord," he remembered. "And there were golden flames that ended up breaking the wand. I didn't even cast a spell. My wand just knew what to do."
"I believe the reason for that lies in the night Tom Riddle returned. When the two of you duelled, a connection was forged between your wands, even beyond that of the twin cores."
"Priori Incantatem," Harry whispered, recalling the conversation he'd had with a different version of Dumbledore about this very thing in a place that reminded him of King's Cross Station.
"Precisely. When your wand connected with his and you bested him, I believe that a piece of Tom, or his power, worked its way into your wand. The night that your wand acted of its own accord, it recognised a part of itself in your enemy, and somehow, it regurgitated some of Tom's magic to protect you."
"My wand was still able to be broken though. By Hermione in Godric's Hollow," Harry said, almost introspectively as he continued echoing the conversation of his memory.
"Because it would only protect you against Tom. In any other circumstance, your wand, though it was a very special wand indeed, was still just an ordinary wand that could be broken by a misguided spell. But think about what you did, Harry. After the battle was over, you came to this very office with Miss Granger and Mister Weasley. You placed your broken wand on the desk and repaired it with the only wand capable of performing such magic."
"I used the Elder Wand," Harry practically repeated, thinking he now knew exactly where Dumbledore was going and feeling unsure about what it really meant.
"You used the Elder Wand. And it is my personal belief that your wand, somehow, absorbed a piece of power from the Elder Wand, which used immense magic to repair your wand, much like it absorbed power from Tom that night in Little Hangleton."
Harry was speechless for a moment, even though he'd put the pieces together already. "So… that means… I– I've got an Elder Wand?"
Dumbledore stroked his beard again, smiling slightly. "On the whole, I think not. The Elder Wand is completely unique, Harry. The powers Tom gave your wand only revealed itself once, in a very specific moment. Otherwise, your wand seemed to function completely normally, correct?"
Harry nodded, and Dumbledore continued. "However, the powers of the Elder Wand are substantially more than whatever power it was that Tom passed to you. You've noticed its effects in some of the spells you've cast, but not every spell has been like that, has it?"
"No, it hasn't. There's– well, there have been a few times when I've tried to do small things, like repairing a couch in the Weasley's living room, and I fixed basically everything instead. Little things like that. But I was able to do the whole Patronus thing without the incantation, and… well, I've picked up this transfiguration with Professor McGonagall really quickly, and I didn't get beaten when I was attacked by Professor Grimhall last term, so… I think it may be having more of an effect than you think, Professor."
"Potter," McGonagall interrupted. "Transfiguration isn't some sort of brute force magic. It's a highly technical exercise of the mind. Even if the wand is assisting you, you're doing the difficult part on your own." She then pressed her lips together, as if she was disappointed in herself for essentially complimenting his abilities.
Dumbledore was still smiling. "As a former transfiguration professor myself, I can confirm that Minerva is completely correct. I also heard about your… we'll call it a tiff with Professor Grimhall. I don't mean to offend you, Harry, but have you forgotten what you've survived in the past? As I mentioned several weeks ago when you began this educational journey, you're still growing into your powers. With the ability you already possessed in combat, it isn't an altogether stunning result that you bested him. There weren't any miraculous feats of magic performed by you, were there?"
Harry shook his head, feeling his cheeks and ears warming. "No, sir."
"You didn't need the help of the Elder Wand to defeat Professor Grimhall, Harry. I will admit that the Patronus is a special case with you, but you've always had a special relationship with Patroni. Otherwise, it seems to me that the power imbued in your wand by it is something you may be able to call upon, but it appears to be entirely unreliable."
A thought struck Harry. "D'you think I could, sir? Figure out how to control it, I mean?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. Instead, a snide voice questioned, "To what end, Potter?"
Harry sighed and looked at his least favourite portrait in the Headmistress' Office, and with Phineas Nigellus Black hanging nearby, that was saying something. "Curiosity, sir," Harry replied to Snape, exaggerating his politeness sarcastically.
"And if you could control it?" Snape pressed.
"I'd be glad to know that," he answered.
"Those powers have limits. There is a reason no man is fit to carry that wand–"
"Dumbledore did–" Harry responded reactively.
"How dare you compare yourself to him?" Snape spat. "You, who possess no measurable skill and–"
"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, conveying firmness despite his tone never changing. "While I appreciate your kind loyalty, I'd ask that you refrain from shouting abuse at Harry while he is within earshot."
Harry snorted as Snape seemed to slink back further into his portrait, like a dog that had been yelled at by its master.
"Your question is perfectly reasonable, Harry. I disagree with Severus. You are a far better man than I, which is why you were able to resist the temptation of the Elder Wand in the first place. I suspect that it would be possible for you to learn how to exercise some amount of control over the power that is within your wand, but I would urge you to consider the wisdom of attempting to learn how to accomplish that," Dumbledore said in a soft voice that placated any disappointment Harry felt at his words.
"No, that's– you're right, sir. It was just a curious thought, but I already decided I didn't need that kind of power," Harry replied, giving up any subconscious dreams of grandiose power for a second time.
"And yet again, you prove the strength of your character. The children you are teaching are lucky to have someone like you to guide them. And I don't believe I'd be overreaching to suggest that Hogwarts would be very fortunate if you were interested in continuing to educate students… after this year," Dumbledore said, with a characteristic twinkle in his eye. Harry had to marvel at how smoothly he'd transitioned topics to something like this.
"That wouldn't be overreaching at all, Albus," McGonagall agreed, giving Harry something almost resembling a smile.
"Unbelievable," Harry thought he heard Snape mutter, which made him fight the urge to smirk before he realised what it seemed like they were saying.
"Wait… so you're asking me to…" Harry began, and McGonagall interrupted, apparently frustrated with how long it was taking him to vocalise it.
"Yes, Potter. We do still have a vacancy for the professorship of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and it is yours if you'd like to have it."
Harry wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. He'd enjoyed teaching everyone in Defence this year, much more than in his fifth year, but did he really want to stay at Hogwarts after graduation, when he was already graduating a year late? A vision of him playing Quidditch in a stadium packed with roaring fans flitted across his mind for a brief second, and he wondered about how he'd feel if that never became a reality. Most importantly, would Ginny want to stay close to Hogwarts when she had dreams of playing Quidditch herself?
Harry must have been lost in thought for a while because he was startled when Dumbledore spoke again. "Perhaps you already have plans for your life after you graduate?"
Harry hesitated again. "Not… plans, exactly. I don't know, to be honest, Professor. I'm just not sure what's best for me."
"If you have other career ambitions, Potter, that is understandable. I remember you aspiring to be an Auror in your fifth year… although I assumed that those aspirations had changed, considering your rejection of Minister Shacklebolt's job offer," McGonagall said, surprising Harry with how she knew about that when he thought only the Weasleys knew. Kingsley must have told her at some point.
"No, it– it's not that, actually. I'm still happy to not be fighting dark wizards anymore. It's just… with everything, I never really thought about what I'd do after Hogwarts. I guess I didn't want to get my hopes up. I always just assumed that… you know," Harry responded in a low voice, not needing to elaborate on that. The sad looks he was being given by McGonagall, Dumbledore, and several other portraits told him they understood. He'd never given much thought to it because he'd never allowed himself to really imagine a future after war. He'd assumed that his life would end in fighting before he could realise any imaginary future.
There were tears in Dumbledore's eyes. "I have had the honour and privilege of watching you grow into a remarkable young man, Harry. I cannot properly express just how proud I am of you. I have never been happier than the day that it all ended and I knew you'd have a chance to know a future of peace. Whatever it is that makes you happy, whether it be teaching or measuring cauldron bottoms or building merpeople colonies, do it. Find the light in your life and never let it go."
Harry smiled fondly at the earnestness in Dumbledore's voice. "Even if it's Quidditch?"
Dumbledore actually laughed. "Yes, Harry. Even if it's Quidditch."
"Just don't forget who discovered you," McGonagall added, actually smiling at him now.
"I couldn't. I'll always remember the day you pulled me out of flying lessons and went to Professor Flitwick's class looking for Wood. I thought you were trying to find a cane to beat me with. That's not something you forget easily."
For the first time that he could remember, he heard McGonagall laugh. It was shocking, but not unpleasant. "I trust that what happened instead was a more preferable outcome?"
"Definitely," he agreed. "I– I don't know yet. What I'm going to do, I mean. I still have to think about it and talk about it with… everyone."
"I'm sure Miss Weasley would be very happy to speak with you about it," Dumbledore replied, almost mischievously.
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I think she would too. But I'll let you know when I make a decision. And thanks… to both of you."
They smiled at him as he walked out of the office, feeling rather uplifted and energised after what had been an exhausting lesson.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny was almost ashamed at how long it took her to remember why things had felt off this week.
The week started out well enough. She and Astoria had solved their clues in the scavenger hunt very easily. Seriously, who didn't know about the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do ballet? That one would be too easy for anyone who had been in either version of the D.A. over the past few years.
Classes felt easier after the difficulty of settling back into things at the start of the term last week, outside of Care of Magical Creatures at least. Hagrid had somehow befriended a Yeti that had ended up in Scotland, even though nobody understood how that was possible. Ginny wasn't positive if Hagrid was able to communicate with the Yeti, but he told them that it was in the Forbidden Forest, and they were going to try to learn more about it.
Unsurprisingly, nobody had expressed any desire to go near it. As much as Ginny liked Hagrid, she agreed with everyone else. There was a reason Yetis kept to themselves in some of the most remote regions of the world. Hagrid, being Hagrid, seemed to think that it was just misunderstood, but he was sporting a black eye when they met for class this week, which only worried Ginny further about the whole thing. She also believed this whole thing was legally questionable at best, and she hadn't decided if it would be better or worse for someone to put a stop to it, even if it meant Hagrid got in trouble.
So far, their lessons in his class this term had consisted of him trying to get them to come with him to meet the Yeti, and when they'd adamantly refused, Hagrid said he'd get the Yeti to come to them instead. It was a mystery as to whether Hagrid managed to lure the Yeti to his hut. The instant he entered the forest, everyone, including herself and Luna, had left, having no interest in sticking around in case the Yeti did return with Hagrid.
Beyond the issues with Care of Magical Creatures, Ginny just felt sort of out of it the whole week. School was easier, but it was taking her longer to do homework. Harry and several of her friends had noticed, but when she was asked about it, she couldn't give an explanation as to why she felt weird. She could tell Harry was worried about her, even if he tried not to show it. On Saturday night, he took her to the Room of Requirement on another one of their more regularly occurring dates, and she thought this might have been intended to make her feel better in addition to being a sweet thing to do with her boyfriend.
Today, Harry had asked the room to look like the pub in Ottery St. Catchpole that they'd gone to with her parents at the end of the summer. They spent a couple hours playing billiards together– poor Harry still couldn't beat her at that– before eating burgers and chips with butterbeer.
She had to admit that it felt better to be relaxing with Harry, and for a while, she was relieved of whatever had been bugging her this week. While they were sipping on their butterbeer, Harry brought up his meeting with Professor McGonagall this week.
"So after my lesson with McGonagall, I talked to Dumbledore about why I could send messages with my Patronus without the incantation, and he told me… well, he said that he thought that when I fixed my broken wand with the Elder Wand, it– somehow– transferred a bit of its power into my wand."
Ginny blinked before her jaw dropped. "So you created another Elder Wand?"
He shook his head immediately. "No, but that's what I thought too. Dumbledore told me that he thought it wasn't too much power, but it was also something that might be difficult to control. And…"
"You wouldn't try to control it anyways," Ginny guessed, based on the slightly disappointed look on his face and what she knew that he'd done with the actual Elder Wand after using it to repair his own wand.
"Yeah. I mean, it'd be cool and all, but… I don't need it."
"Not many people would be able to say that, Harry," Ginny said, feeling immensely proud of him at that moment.
His mouth cracked into a small smile. "I guess not. I just figure I've got enough magical things going on without adding that into the mix."
She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, leaning against him in the booth they were occupying.
"But after we talked about that… they– Dumbledore and McGonagall– they sorta offered me the Defence job. Permanently."
Ginny looked up at him, a little taken aback by the news. His expression was difficult to read. He would be a brilliant professor. She knew that. He already was. But selfishly… Ginny had grown very attached to the idea of playing Quidditch professionally with him, even if they did end up on different teams. That was just something she wanted though. More than anything, she wanted him to be happy.
"That's interesting…" Ginny said noncommittally, wondering what his thoughts were on it.
"I thought so too," he agreed. "I told them I'd think about it."
"You should. If that's what you love, what makes you happy, you should do it," Ginny encouraged him, and he smiled.
"You know, that's almost exactly what Dumbledore said to me. He said to do whatever made me happy, whether it was building merpeople cities or measuring cauldron bottoms or anything else. Even Quidditch."
Ginny felt a small, possibly selfish, glimmer of hope rise in her chest. "So Quidditch is still on the table, then?"
He nodded. "Yeah, definitely. They both are. I've just gotta think about it more, and I want to talk more about it with you since whatever I do is gonna affect us. Where we live, how our relationship will work, any other steps we wanna take, I guess."
Ginny's heart felt warm and fuzzy every time Harry assured her that his future was tied to hers. "Are you asking me to move in with you?" she asked with a grin.
Harry snorted and hugged her closer to him. "Blaze, I'm fairly certain we already have been living together for the past eight months or so."
"Well, yeah. But that's not the same as moving in together."
"I didn't realise there was a difference. Do I need to make a big formal deal of asking like I did with the Yule Ball or–"
She cut him off by laughing. "Not this time. I'll let you have this one for free."
"So that's a yes then?"
"Absolutely," she replied immediately, and Harry kissed her smiling lips. "Like I was ever gonna say no to that. We've only been living together the last eight months."
That got a laugh out of Harry. "Sometimes I think I can't love you anymore," he said, not needing to finish the sentiment. She felt the same way.
"So what'd McGonagall think about you not answering right away?"
He shrugged. "She didn't seem upset about it. I think she was a little intrigued that I'm way more interested in Quidditch and teaching than becoming an Auror like I was–"
Ginny didn't hear the rest of Harry's sentence. She suddenly realised what had been wrong this week.
"Are you packed?" Ginny's mum asked simply.
Ginny just nodded, doing her best to hide how conflicted she felt about returning to Hogwarts. She was terrified to return, worried she'd never make it out of the castle alive again. But she couldn't stay away. They'd come for her and her family, and she could do something at Hogwarts. It wouldn't be much, but she'd fight for Luna after what happened. It still felt like someone was kicking her in the stomach every time she remembered Luna being pulled off the train. And she knew what that felt like, thanks to the Carrows.
Ginny was about to go to her bedroom for another restless night of sleep when a knocking at the door startled her and both her parents. Her dad had his wand drawn, and both she and her mother were gripping theirs tightly behind him as he opened the door. Her eyes widened, seeing Lupin and Tonks on their doorstep. They weren't welcomed in yet, though. Her dad's wand was still firmly pointed at them both.
"Last Christmas, you and I had a private conversation with Harry Potter. What did it concern?"
Ginny remembered everything about that Christmas, including witnessing that conversation, but she didn't know what the correct answer was. The corners of Lupin's mouth twitched. "Harry's… rather astute distrust of Severus Snape."
Apparently that was the right answer because her dad pointed the wand at Tonks now. He apparently didn't have something ready to ask her though, so Ginny stepped forward. "The summer before last, we had a conversation about boys, and we made a deal. What was it?"
"A deal I kept, mind you. We agreed not to give up on our boys," Tonks answered with a fond look up at Lupin, who looked happier than Ginny could remember seeing him.
"You didn't keep the part about the double wedding though," Ginny joked, rushing forward to hug Tonks, positive that it was safe now.
Tonks laughed. "Sorry, I just couldn't wait."
As Ginny hugged her, she realised that something was different. She stepped back and glanced down, shocked to see a not so small bump at Tonks' midsection.
"You– you're–"
"We're pregnant!" Tonks exclaimed. Her mum took Ginny's place in hugging Tonks happily before escorting her to the sofa while her dad proudly clapped Remus on the back and shook his hand, inviting him inside and closing the door behind him.
Lupin smiled as he sat next to Tonks, and Ginny immediately took the spot on her other side. "How– when–" she gasped, still in shock. It was hard to believe Tonks was pregnant for several reasons, not least of which was that they were in the middle of a war.
Tonks grinned cheekily. "Well, you see, Ginny, when a man and a woman love each other very much…"
Ginny flushed, and everyone else laughed, even Lupin, which Ginny rarely heard. Tonks wrapped a caring arm around her though. "We're about six months in. Not much longer and Baby Lupin will be here," she said with excitement evident in her voice. It was hard to think they were making a mistake, considering the timing, with how happy they both were.
"Do you have any names picked out yet?" Ginny's mum asked curiously.
Tonks looked up at Lupin, who shrugged, still smiling at her. "Not yet. We think the right name will come to us eventually. Maybe we could name the baby Ginevra if we have a girl," she said cheerfully.
"Merlin, no. Just name her Ginny. Spare her the trouble of having people actually calling her Ginevra," Ginny suggested, speaking from extensive experience. Her mum didn't seem to agree with her, but everyone else seemed to get a kick out of it.
"So other than this fantastic news, what brings you by?" Ginny's dad asked.
"I couldn't let Ginny go back to Hogwarts without seeing her at least once over her break. Even though this one didn't think it was safe," Tonks said, jerking her thumb towards Lupin.
"It wasn't safe, but I'm very glad we came anyways. We'll call it an early birthday present," he replied easily.
"Oh, right…" Ginny said with minimal enthusiasm, not relishing being reminded of her impending return to Hogwarts.
Tonks looked at her for a moment. "Can we go to your room?" she asked suddenly.
"Er– yeah, we can," Ginny answered, standing up from the couch and leading Tonks upstairs without sparing a glance for her parents' likely worried expressions.
Once they were sitting next to each other on the bed, Tonks spoke again. "Tough year so far?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Did you really just ask me that?"
Tonks raised her hands innocently. "It was just a question."
"Yeah, Tonks. It's been a really tough year. You don't know what it's like there now. I miss my friends. I miss…" Ginny couldn't bring herself to say it.
Tonks put a hand on top of Ginny's. "At school… Remus and I have heard some things about the Carrows–" Ginny involuntarily flinched at the mention of the name she'd mercifully gone almost two weeks without hearing.
"Are they hurting you?" Tonks asked quietly.
Almost imperceptibly, Ginny nodded, but before Tonks could say anything, she said, "Mum and Dad can't know too much about it. They won't let me go back, and that'll get us in more trouble."
Tonks' expression was pained. "What… you don't have to talk about it, if it bothers you. But how bad is it?"
Ginny bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the urge to downplay the severity of the danger. She couldn't tell her everything though. Tonks probably cared about her too much to let her go back to school if she knew just how bad it was. "They… detentions were replaced with Cruciatus sessions," she said quietly.
In all the years she'd known Tonks, Ginny hadn't ever seen a more horrified expression on her face. She was relieved she hadn't mentioned the specialised attention she'd received from them in the first term, positive that would've made things even worse for Tonks.
"This is what war is, right?" Ginny asked when Tonks couldn't say anything. "I'm taking your advice and trying to help at Hogwarts."
"Ginny, nobody's asking you to put yourself in a position to–"
Ginny cut her off hotly. "Nobody had to ask me to do anything. Nobody asked you to become an Auror or join the Order. Nobody asked my family to join. Nobody asked the trio to… I'm going to do whatever I can. If I stay away, they'll come for us. If I go and don't do anything, I'm worried more people will get hurt or join their side because it's safer. I can't let either of those things happen. So I have to do this."
Tonks stared at her, looking almost impressed by her fierce defence of the actions that had led her to this point. "They've hurt you," she said quietly.
Ginny grimaced slightly and cast her eyes down towards the ground. "They've hurt a lot of us."
"But you're still going back."
Ginny nodded, resolute even though she was terrified of the danger that awaited her.
"I'm proud of you."
Ginny looked back at Tonks, almost wondering if she'd imagined those words, but Tonks' face was shining with something that could only be pride. "You're so brave, Ginny. And I'm proud of you," she repeated, wiping her eyes. Ginny wasn't sure she'd ever seen Tonks cry before.
She cleared the lump out of her throat. "I– you started it. Brave Auror and all," she responded quietly. The next thing she knew, she was hugging Tonks fiercely, not sure when she'd see her best friend and sister again. Not sure if she'd ever make it through the next two terms to see her baby. She'd try her damnedest though because she was as proud of Tonks as Tonks was of her, and she couldn't wait to see her as a mother.
"Tonks' birthday is tomorrow," Ginny said suddenly, surprising Harry, who had been looking at her with a bit of concern written on his face. "The seventeenth of January… that's her birthday."
Harry's expression transitioned from concern to empty sadness. "She would've been… twenty-six?"
Ginny quickly swiped at her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, she would've," she responded in a thick voice.
Harry surprised her when he said, "We should go see her tomorrow. And Teddy and Andi."
Ginny nodded and leaned against him as tears fell now. It was too much to bear, being reminded of Teddy and Andi both losing someone so important to them, even more important than Tonks had been to her.
She sobbed almost uncontrollably, overwhelmed with grief she hadn't felt in months. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she realised some time later that she was in a bed with Harry, in a small room that looked like their bedroom in Weymouth. He must've changed the pub to a bedroom without leaving the Room of Requirement. Eyes still stinging with tears, she curled as close as she could to him, holding him as tightly as he was holding her until she was claimed by sleep and inevitable nightmares.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry slept fitfully through the night, in part due to his own nightmares and in part due to him waking every time Ginny unconsciously thrashed or groaned against her nightmares. He did his best to comfort her, stroking her hair and kissing her head, and he hoped it helped some at least. As grief-stricken as he was, his heart ached for her even more, knowing how close she'd been to Tonks. Ginny didn't talk about Tonks very often, but when she did, her love for her friend was obvious.
Most of the time, when Tonks and Remus were on Harry's mind, he was thinking about how sad he was for Teddy, who was growing up without parents. It was almost easy to forget that there were other people who'd been incredibly close to Tonks and dealt with more conscious grief, especially Andi and Ginny. Harry realised as he lay in bed, unable to fall asleep after Ginny woke him again, that he didn't even know Remus' birthday. He'd been close to his former professor, but it wasn't possible to compare their relationship to Tonks and Ginny's. Still, he missed Remus, as a mentor and as a friend. He missed Tonks too. It was so easy to feel relaxed and happy when Tonks was around. It was no wonder she and Ginny had been drawn to each other.
Harry thought back, as painful as it was, to the days after the battle. The day that he and Ginny had first met Teddy was one of the happiest days of his life, but they'd cried so much. Ginny had been inconsolable, and he hadn't been too far from that himself. It wasn't right that they'd been so young and had a whole life ahead of them with their son, and it was all stolen from them.
Tonks was twenty-five. Remus had been born around the same time as his parents, which meant he was thirty-eight. He'd always seemed so much older, except for the few times Harry saw him happy with Tonks. He'd have given anything to be able to see them still being happy, celebrating Tonks' birthday today. Instead, Tonks never got to see her twenty-sixth birthday. It wasn't fair.
Harry must've dozed off at some point because he was woken by Ginny turning in the bed. He blinked his eyes open and saw her staring at the ceiling.
"D'you think they can see us? After they're gone?" Ginny asked quietly.
Harry blinked again, trying to wake his brain enough to properly consider her question. He rolled on his back too, holding her hand as he looked up at the ceiling with her, as if the answers were stored somewhere up there.
He responded in an almost equally quiet voice, measuring his response as he wrestled with thoughts of an afterlife that he'd never properly put together. "I– I kind of think so. I like to think it anyways. My– it's not really happy, but that night… when I used the Resurrection Stone… my parents knew what I'd been doing. They knew what was going on. And when I saw Dumbledore, after… I dunno if it was real or not, but he knew what had happened too."
He felt Ginny turn again, so he looked down at her, meeting her gaze. He could see a tear in the corner of her eye, leaking out as she looked at him. "I think they can too," she agreed.
They lay like that for a while, neither having the energy to get out of bed and actually begin what was sure to be an emotionally taxing day. By the time they finally got out of bed and dressed– the closets in the room had been magically stocked– it was too late to get breakfast. They weren't bothered by that though. Neither of them had much of an appetite, and they weren't eager to visit the Great Hall today either.
They went through the normal procedure of signing out with the book McGonagall kept outside of her office, and then they walked the cold, hard path to the gates. Harry could see the top of the phoenix statue peeking over the crest of the hill that held their tree, and he felt his chest tighten slightly, reminded in yet another way of the horrific night that had cut so many young lives short.
Like they'd planned in the Room of Requirement, they apparated to a field near Andi's house and slowly walked for about ten minutes until they reached her front door. Ginny seemed a little hesitant now that they were actually here, so Harry took the initiative to knock on the door. He thought he heard voices inside and gave Ginny a perplexed look that she returned before the door opened.
Andi was standing there, looking like she'd been crying, which wasn't a surprise at all. When she saw them, she started trying to smile, but it turned into a fresh wave of tears. It was different, seeing Andi overwhelmed with her grief when he'd been amazed by her strength every time they'd interacted after the battle, but he imagined that she'd been like this far more often than she'd ever let on.
She hugged them both. "Thank you for coming," Andi said in a shaky voice, almost like she'd invited them and they weren't arriving unannounced. After a rather long time spent hugging on her doorstep, she let them go and wiped her eyes, still smiling at them. "Come in, please."
They followed her, through the door and into the cosy sitting room, when Harry saw something that made him instinctively reach for his wand. Sitting on the sofa, holding his godson, was Narcissa Malfoy.
Next to him, it seemed that Ginny had a similar reaction, stiffening as soon as they entered the room. Narcissa looked up from Teddy, fixing a cold gaze upon them. After a moment, Andi seemed to become aware of the tension between them because she cleared her throat.
"I suppose you already know each other."
"We've met," Harry replied in a slightly sharper tone than he'd intended, doing his best to keep his twitching fingers from drawing his wand.
"Several times," Narcissa added disdainfully.
A million thoughts were swirling in Harry's head. He knew that she was Andi's sister, but he thought they'd cut off communication a long time ago, when Andi was kicked out of the family for marrying Ted Tonks. Narcissa may have saved his life in the forest, but that didn't make her a good person. It just made her a desperate mother and a good liar. And he didn't forget, as he sensed Ginny's shallow breaths next to him, that she was married to the man who had forced Tom Riddle's diary into Ginny's life.
"What is she doing here?" Ginny asked, openly glaring at Narcissa, possibly feeling threatened or worried about her holding Teddy.
"I am her sister," Narcissa replied with even more bite in her voice now.
Andi sighed, like she'd expected this. "Narcissa and I… have been trying to work on becoming sisters again. She came by today for the same reason the two of you did."
Ginny seemed to remember that they were there because of Tonks, not Narcissa Malfoy. "Oh. That's…" she trailed off without saying what that actually was.
"You can take your godson. He's not fond of me," Narcissa said, almost turning her nose up at Teddy, which made Harry's blood boil. He was incredibly proud of his godson for being a great judge of character though.
Ginny didn't need a second invitation to immediately lift Teddy from Narcissa's arms, cooing at him to make him stop fussing instantly. Harry bit back a laugh as he thought he saw Ginny smirking at Narcissa as Teddy giggled at her while his hair turned red.
"How are you doing, Andi?" Harry asked, somewhat aware that this was a loaded question that might backfire terribly, but he was desperate for the tension to break somehow.
Andi sighed again and smiled a little at him. "I appreciate you asking that after seeing me break down on the porch, Harry."
He felt a little flustered, not meaning to remind her of that. "I just–"
Andi shook her head and continued smiling at him. "It's okay, Harry. Truthfully, I'm doing better because you're here. All of you," she added, glancing at Narcissa as if to say that they should try being welcoming to her. Harry understood that in theory. He just didn't know how to actually go about doing it.
"We couldn't miss being here," Ginny replied, in a much softer tone than she had spoken with earlier.
Andi began crying quietly again, and Harry found himself wondering how it was possible that she could be okay with Narcissa being in her house, even if she was her sister. For all any of them knew, Narcissa or her husband could've been responsible for Tonks' death. He didn't think she was a killer, but it didn't make him feel any less uneasy about her presence on the sofa.
None of them said anything for a while. When Teddy dropped off into sleep, Andi made to take him to his nursery, but Ginny immediately stood up, likely eager for a chance to escape for a couple of minutes. "Don't worry, Andi. I can take him," Ginny assured her before hurriedly leaving Harry alone with Andi and Narcissa.
He was surprised when Narcissa spoke. "I suppose you'll want me to thank you for keeping me out of Azkaban."
Harry frowned, not understanding her meaning for several seconds before he remembered. He'd given a private testimony to the Wizengamot before her trial over the summer.
"I didn't do it to be thanked," he replied neutrally, wondering now if he'd made the right decision.
"You shouldn't have done it at all."
Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because I wanted the Wizengamot to know the truth about everyone. They made their decision, not me."
"And I'm the faithless wife who avoided prison."
"You can't be bloody serious!" Harry exclaimed angrily, mad that she'd brought this up at all.
"Please," Andi interjected, no longer crying. She wore a look on her face that almost reminded him of Molly breaking up the petty squabbles of her children, particularly when they were younger. "Narcissa, I won't allow you to speak to Teddy's godparents like that in my house. If you want to be in Azkaban so badly, I'm certain there are crimes you could confess to any time you pleased."
Harry hid his smile, very impressed with Andi shutting her sister up like that. "My apologies, Andromeda," Narcissa said in a steely voice that unnerved him.
Ginny reentered the sitting room trepidatiously, looking like she wished she was still in the nursery with Teddy. Conversation was minimal for a while after that, and Harry could've cried with joy when Narcissa finally decided to leave. Andi saw her out, and Harry and Ginny exchanged a relieved look before Andi returned, looking more drained now than she had before.
She practically collapsed on the sofa. "I'm sorry about my sister. I guess she meant well, being here today, but it's… difficult, knowing she was on the other side that night. We've seen each other a few times over the last couple months, but things are usually uncomfortable like that. She's just not the same— actually, I'm the one that's not the same, I suppose."
"We don't get to choose our family," Harry said grimly, thinking that he'd have chosen no family over what he'd gotten stuck with as a child.
"No, we don't. I suppose that's why I'm trying to give her another chance," Andi responded, and Harry didn't have the heart to say that he wasn't suggesting that she should keep trying to mend her relationship with her sister.
After another silent pause, Ginny said, "Tonks probably would've kicked her out."
Andi laughed. "You're probably right about that. I doubt Nymphadora would've allowed her into the house at all."
And just like that, they were able to talk normally about Tonks. There were tears shed by all of them, but there was a lot of laughter and smiles too. It was difficult to think about Tonks and not smile. She'd been a force of joy, and it only seemed right to remember her through happy memories.
Teddy woke and needed to be fed an hour or two later, but then he joined in on the joyful laughter as well. Of course, he had no idea what they were laughing at, but he was happy to join in all the same. And Harry couldn't help but notice how much he looked like Tonks, with his heart-shaped face and wide grin, when he laughed. He could almost imagine that she was here with them, enjoying her birthday like she deserved.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
It wasn't the visit that Ginny had expected. She'd thought that her head might explode when she walked in to see Narcissa bloody Malfoy holding her godson. At least she'd rectified that situation very quickly, thanks to Teddy being an excellent judge of character. It had just been so uncomfortable, and Ginny couldn't help but wonder why Andi was letting Narcissa be in her house on today of all days, when Narcissa was part of the force that was responsible for Tonks missing her twenty-sixth birthday.
As soon as she'd had the chance, she'd left the room and placed a very tired Teddy in his cot. She definitely took her time returning though, and then she lingered outside the door to the sitting room, hearing the end of an argument between Narcissa and Harry. She didn't hear everything, but it almost sounded like Narcissa was mad at Harry for her not being in Azkaban. For likely the only time ever, Ginny found herself agreeing with Narcissa on something. She hadn't felt like Narcissa had deserved a positive testimony from Harry, and it seemed like she felt the same.
Narcissa couldn't have left any sooner, and then they were all finally able to relax and have a much more normal, tearful, and happy visit. By the time they needed to be leaving to return to Hogwarts, Ginny felt thoroughly cried and laughed out. It was the perfect tribute to Tonks.
"Thank you again for coming," Andi said, smiling at them both as they stood on her doorstep once again.
"Of course," Ginny replied. "Like I said, we wouldn't have missed being here."
"We're really glad we came," Harry added.
Andi pulled them into another tight hug that reminded Ginny of her mum's hugs. "Be safe getting back to Hogwarts," she instructed, reminding Ginny even more of her mum.
They promised they would, and then they set off, walking towards the town centre to visit the church before returning to school. Ginny thought she must've still been thinking about her mum too much because the woman approaching them on the opposite side of the street looked an awful lot like her mother. As they grew closer, Ginny wondered if she wasn't imagining it.
"Mum?" Ginny called.
"Ginny? Harry? What are you two doing here?" her mum asked, rushing over to hug them both and check to be sure they were alright.
"We were visiting Andi, Mum," Ginny answered once her mum released them.
"Oh, that was so sweet of the two of you. I'm sure she was happy to see you."
"Is that where you're going?" Ginny asked.
Her mum nodded. "I told her that I'd make her dinner tonight so that she didn't have to worry about it. You two could stay if you want," she added hopefully.
Harry shook his head, frowning disappointedly. "We've gotta get back before the curfew for weekend trips."
"Oh. Well, you two get back to school safe then. Will we see you next weekend?"
"Yep, Teddy's supposed to be with us next weekend," Ginny replied, already looking forward to it.
"That's good, dear. We'll see you then. I love you both," she said, kissing them both on the cheek before giving them one last hug and setting on her way to Andi's house again.
"Busy day for Andi," Harry commented as they neared the church.
"She probably needs the distractions," Ginny said, thinking that Andi would probably be far worse off today if she'd been alone with Teddy.
Harry nodded but didn't say anything more, seeing the graveyard next to the church. Ginny felt her eyes stinging as a lump swelled in her throat. Harry held her hand tightly as they walked into it and found the familiar spot they'd visited several times over the summer.
"I miss them," Ginny whispered, feeling a tear falling now. She'd laughed a lot today, remembering Tonks, but even though it helped with the pain, it didn't fully take it away. Staring at the cold reality of the loss of Tonks brought all the pain back and made Ginny feel weak and helpless.
Harry continued holding her as she closed her eyes tightly before reopening them to see the epitaph she'd chosen for Tonks all those months ago that made her feel somewhat warmer inside, even though it still hurt to see. Sister to All.
The day after her fifteenth birthday, Ginny was by herself, flying around the orchard, hoping someone else, namely Harry, would come out to practise with her. She had a feeling that he wouldn't though. He'd seemed tired and moody at breakfast this morning, like he'd had nightmares instead of peaceful sleep. She felt bad for him; he'd seemed much happier yesterday, playing Quidditch and then sitting by the stream. Her face reddened as she remembered the gift he'd given her, and she was suddenly grateful that nobody else was out here.
"Nice shot!" someone called as she fired the Quaffle through the far hoop. She turned around and saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the orchard, waving at her.
Ginny collected the Quaffle and flew over, landing right in front of Tonks, who was smiling happily at her. "Happy Birthday! Sorry I missed it yesterday– I was working a double shift," Tonks explained, but Ginny waved her apology away before hugging her.
"Thanks, Tonks," Ginny replied, grinning when she saw the small box Tonks was holding in her hand. "Is that for me?"
Tonks snorted. "Well, it isn't for your brother."
Ginny took it from her outstretched hand and eagerly opened it. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't a strip of parchment with a single word written on it. She looked up at Tonks, who was grinning impishly.
"What is 'Pressimino'?" Ginny asked, very confused by the word on the parchment she was holding.
Tonks laughed and pumped her fist. "I knew it!"
"Knew what?" Ginny asked, still not understanding what this was all about.
"That the educational system has failed you, like it's failed many girls your age," Tonks replied, switching to a much more solemn tone very quickly, even though her eyes were still twinkling mischievously.
"Okay… so it's a spell. What does it do?"
"This isn't just any spell. This spell is the single most important spell that a witch can know. This is the spell that makes sure you have fun without worrying about any problems in nine months."
"In nine months… wait a second. This isn't–"
"Happy Birthday! I got you a contraceptive spell!" Tonks declared proudly. Ginny could feel her cheeks and ears reddening, even though she couldn't help but laugh at Tonks' delivery.
"Tonks, you know I'm not–"
Tonks just held up her hand. "I don't know anything, and I'm happy to leave things like that. But I also know that you're a teenage girl in a boarding school with a boyfriend. No offence to your mum, but I kinda guessed she hadn't told you about this, so I thought someone should, just in case you need it."
Ginny shifted awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable thinking about the fact that Tonks had done this with Dean in mind. "Er– thanks, I guess," Ginny said hesitantly, appreciating the gift enough even if she didn't love thinking about needing to use it.
Tonks laughed again before handing her a second box. Ginny was surprised but excited to open this one, although she was a little wary that this one might contain some other sort of spell that she'd feel awkward knowing about. Instead, she was relieved and delighted to find that the box was full of Exploding Bonbons.
"No way! Thanks, Tonks! Harry gave me some of these yesterday, but we already ate most of them, so–"
"Hang on," Tonks interrupted with a knowing grin. "Harry gave you a gift?"
Ginny blushed again but couldn't keep from smiling. "Maybe…" she replied, not hiding the elation in her voice.
Tonks jumped like a little kid, clapping her hands together before falling back onto the ground, laughing at herself or Ginny or both. "That's brilliant!" Tonks exclaimed from the ground before standing up and dusting herself off. "Only a few weeks of flirting with him and you've already got him giving you a birthday present? He's got it bad, Ginny," Tonks said excitedly.
Ginny rolled her eyes even though she was still smiling. "I don't know about that. And I haven't really been flirting. We're friends."
Tonks waggled her eyebrows. "Yeah, I bet. And you're about to go off to school with him too. I better hear about it when you two get together. Merlin, it's a good thing I told you about that spell before you left!"
"I do still have a boyfriend," Ginny replied, with a little less conviction than she probably should've as her cheeks reddened again at Tonks' implication.
"Mhmm," Tonks answered smugly. Ginny sighed exasperatedly but popped a bonbon into her mouth to keep from saying anything else that might've been incriminating.
"Anyways, since you're talking about our deal… any luck with you and Professor Lupin?" Ginny asked, hoping that Tonks would have good news to report. She was dismayed when Tonks' previously happy expression faltered.
"Let's not talk about it today. One of us is lucky now, and that's good enough for me," Tonks answered before eating a bonbon.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione never did come out to the orchard to play Quidditch. That was fine by Ginny though. She knew there'd be other days to do that, and she was very happy to pass time laughing with Tonks in the shade of the trees. They talked about everything– school, boys, Quidditch, and anything else they could think of. Before they knew it, the sun was setting, and Tonks had to get to the Ministry for a night shift.
"Thanks again for coming," Ginny said after they'd stood up and hugged each other.
"Duh, I had to be here for your birthday," Tonks replied like Ginny was dumb for even thanking her.
Tonks was about to disapparate when Ginny reached out and touched her arm. "And… thanks for the other thing too."
She didn't think she was going to find herself in need of it anytime soon, but, as she'd thought about it more, she'd come to appreciate the fact that Tonks was treating her like a grown up at least. Ginny didn't really have anyone else in her life who would've done that for her since her mum had apparently decided that she didn't need to know. It meant a lot that Tonks had considered that and taken it upon herself to do it, even if it was almost as much a joke as something important to know.
Tonks grinned and shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "No problem. That's what sisters do."
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A/N: First off, I have to apologise to anyone who believed the teaser for this chapter was something else! I do enjoy surprising you all from time to time, and when I wrote the 'We're pregnant' line, even in Ginny's memory, I knew I couldn't help but make that the teaser.
This chapter did end up being quite the throwback to SoR with how sad a lot of it was; I knew that I wanted to include Tonks' birthday happening at some point in the middle of the year (her birthday isn't specified in the books or even on Pottermore). There were two reasons for that. As a look into the writing process, when I outline a book, I identify times that make sense for plot points to happen as well as the order of things that's necessary for plot development. So, for example, Harry had to have his fight with Grimhall before becoming the Defence professor, and something like the Yule Ball near Christmas. Once I've gotten all of those time-sensitive and plot-critical points outlined, I'm left with a set of less overarching plot-related points to fill in some gaps in time. Looking back at the Book 2 outline, a couple of those things include when Harry and Ginny met the Prime Minister and when they met Hermione's family. It just worked out that it made the most sense to do those over Christmas, but that definitely wasn't necessary. Tonks' birthday and meeting Narcissa really could've gone anywhere, but I noticed that I really had nothing in January that was too plot-critical, so Tonks' birthday going there made sense. The more symbolic reasoning is that 17 January is a Capricorn birthday, and Capricorn is represented by a half goat, half fish, which fit in very nicely with Tonks being a Metamorphmagus. But as for the specific date, 17 January is actually just my birthday, and I figured that if I was putting a birthday so close to mine, it might as well be on the 17th. Plus, I love Tonks and am very happy to share a birthday with her!
There's a few small things from the beginning of the chapter worth mentioning. The first is Djali, the word on the hunchback statue, is the goat from the Disney film Hunchback of Notre Dame. I felt like Quasimodo would've been a little too on the nose haha. Helga Hufflepuff being Welsh is on HP Wiki and noted as being suggested by the Sorting Hat in GoF, that says she was from "valley broad", a reference to the South Wales Valleys. I have no reason to doubt that, so she's Welsh now! And the dragon statue is totally meant to look exactly like the dragon on the Welsh flag, in case that wasn't obvious.
Many of you have caught on to the randomly powerful magic Harry has done over the course of the past 52 chapters, and a few of you even guessed that it had something to do with the Elder Wand, so props to all of you who got that. I liked the idea of Harry being able to have these random bursts of power that were kind of uncontrollable, both because it made for an interesting mystery as well as because it presented an opportunity for him to refuse that power yet again. But even more importantly, his magical ability is a lot more than just that random power, as Dumbledore states, and it was important for him to recognise that his wand wasn't the reason he was becoming stronger.
The last note I have is that I realised, some time after writing Harry and Ginny's first time together at the end of SoR, that I needed to explain at some point how Ginny even knew a contraceptive spell. There was no way in the world I could picture Molly giving it to her, and I sort of thought that the idea of Hogwarts teaching everyone in like fifth or sixth year about stuff like that was something I didn't want to get into lol… Tonks seemed like the perfect person to have given it to her, being an older sister figure in her life who always chafed against some rules.
And that does it for Chapter 18! The term is moving very quickly- we're already going to be in February next chapter! But rest assured, there's still plenty of action, mystery, and, above all, love still to come. Speaking of… it's almost Valentine's Day!
Coming Friday: Toads, Blackboards, and Love: "His hair is as dark as a blackboard."
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Nightwing2013: I love the explanation for how the movie could work with technology that could very feasibly work at Hogwarts! It makes total sense! I'm glad you liked and agreed with Harry's boggart changing... and you're definitely right about how he could fix the wedding fear haha! Interesting observation about what Harry might be thinking about regarding his future. I think this chapter opens the door up even further to careers outside of being an Auror, but, like you said, something drastic definitely could still change his mind. It just remains to be seen if that something drastic does actually happen.
Guest: First off, I'm devastated that you don't know what Mary Poppins is haha... it's a classic! I wouldn't call myself a Snape hater, really. I think I have the sort of view of him that most non-Snape apologists have, that he was a jerk who bullied kids. He definitely had some redeeming qualities with being a spy, but his work as a spy didn't require him to be abusive of his power like he was. Just based on how we see him interacting with other people as a teacher, and the fact that he does try very hard to out Lupin as a werewolf when he substitutes in his Defence class in PoA, him prodding at Ginny about the basilisk feels realistic enough to me. And Harry and Ginny (along with most other students at Hogwarts) would get a kick out of making fun of him behind his back lol. Super interesting point about the scavenger hunt possibly posing dangers for Harry and Ginny. As far as they and McGonagall know, everything is fairly safe, but all it takes is one crazy and skilled person to change that...
KidChaos69: Thanks so much! I can't say I disagree with there possibly being sparks between Mia and Demelza. Something really interesting with creating these characters (and the other OCs) is figuring out where we come in in their story because they all have backgrounds and relationships that predate us getting to know them. For Mia and Demelza in particular, I really liked the idea of them being close friends for pretty much the entire time that they've been at Hogwarts, but that definitely doesn't rule out the prospect of romance between them, just like it didn't for Harry and Ginny or Ron and Hermione. And those are some great movie suggestions! I've got a handful in mind for the distant future, but it's always great to get more ideas because there's some that I think would be an absolute blast to see Harry and Ginny watching (I really think they'd be huge fans of Star Wars lol)
Flutterbye123: Thanks so much! I love Mary Poppins too, so between that and the Hagrid joke, it was a no-brainer to put it in!