Family Ties

Dear Mrs Heaton

My name is Dean Thomas, I am a fifth year Gryffindor student at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

I grew up in London, with my mother and a man who, until quite recently, I believed to be my father. However it has come to my attention that my real father is someone else.

I don't quite know how to phrase this, so I'll just say it. My father was Gary Heaton, your brother. I am your nephew, which makes my fellow Gryffindor Lee my cousin. Professor Dumbledore asked that I write to you before I said anything to him about it, and I have kept to that.

I realise this will come as a great shock. However, I hope I can meet you soon. I look forward to your owl.

Yours Sincerely

Dean Gary Thomas

Those hundred and thirty-nine words took Dean and Ginny the rest of the evening to write. They were sitting on the grass beside the lake early in the morning of the last day of term, looking out for Helios to take the letter, as he was still out hunting. When the owl arrived, he landed on Dean's shoulder and gave his earlobe an affectionate nip.

He was just tying the letter to Helios' leg when he heard a wild cackling and yelping coming from the direction of the front door, he paused and looked up just as Ginny started laughing hysterically. Peeves the poltergeist was chasing Umbridge from the castle, whacking her with a long stick and a sock with something heavy in it.

Dean laughed along with Ginny. "You can't sneak out of Hogwarts with Peeves around!"

They watched Peeves chase her all the way out the front gates, where she Disapparated. Dean finished tying the letter to Helios and whispered to him, "As quick as you can, boy." Helios hooted softly in a comforting sort of way and took off. Dean stood and offered a hand to Ginny. "Breakfast?"

* ~ *

All that day and night Dean worried about the letter - wondering if he'd get a reply before the summer holidays started. He watched the windows a lot - in case Helios returned with a reply. Ginny, of course, noticed his worry and did everything she could to distract him. They went for a long walk around the lake and she tried to teach him to play chess better, but then they had to pack to go home before the feast, so she was forced to abandon him.

Dean packed with care; the chess set was not the only thing of his father's he had removed from the room. He had also taken the glass ball of the solar system, the yearbooks and the broken wand. He was determined to take it to Diagon Alley to find out if it could be repaired.

He met Ginny in the common room and headed down to the leaving feast. Dean wondered what Dumbledore would say in his speech, if he would say anything about Ginny, Harry and the others storming the Ministry. The Great Hall was packed out, decorated in blue and bronze to celebrate Ravenclaw's winning of the house cup.

Dean sat down with the rest of the Gryffindors, between some fourth and fifth years, so Ginny could be with her friends. The hall was unusually loud, people were delighted to be out from underneath Umbridge's control, and yet they were also scared as Voldemort had been confirmed as alive in the Daily Prophet.

Silence fell suddenly as Dumbledore stood up. "Another year has passed. A dark and difficult year for us; who have always declared that Lord Voldemort had risen again. The entire Wizarding world knows it now, and we are once again at war. I urge you all to be careful over the summer months away from Hogwarts, and ask you to be vigilant when in public. We must stand united in the bonds of friendship, we must trust each other in the troubled times that lie ahead. Many of you have already suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort and his followers, and it is a sad fact that more will follow. Stand true to what you believe in, whatever you may face."

Dumbledore paused and looked around the hall. "It is my understanding that many of you know that six of our students left this school and went to the Ministry of Magic last week."

The silence in the hall deepened further. Ginny grabbed Dean's hand under the table, he could feel her shaking. "These students are responsible for alerting the world to Lord Voldemort's return, for this, I honour them. However, what they did there need not be discussed here. The feast awaits, enjoy!"

Ron was sitting five seats up, but Dean was past caring now, he wouldn't have to see him for two whole months after tomorrow. On the downside, he wouldn't see Ginny for two whole months after tomorrow. He was looking forward to the train home, he and Ginny were planning on sharing a compartment - Seamus and Anna were going to join them.

By the time the feast was over, everyone was much too full and sleepy for anything else but bed. However, he and Ginny hung back so they were almost the last Gryffindors to leave. He made sure Ron and Hermione left in front of them, looking worried because Harry hadn't appeared at all.

They walked back up to the common room unhurriedly, hand in hand. The common room was deserted and Dean was sad to be leaving it again. This year had been undoubtedly hard, between exams and the revelations about his family, now he'd just gotten his first girlfriend and wouldn't see her for two whole months. He walked her to the door to the girls' dormitories. She looked into his eyes and squeezed his hand. "I'm sure she'll write back tomorrow."

He blinked a few times, ignoring the tell tale sting. "I hope so. I can't stand not telling him." She leaned up and kissed him softly, once, sending tingling shivers down his spine.

"She'll write, Helios will be back with her reply tomorrow morning, you just wait." She squeezed his hand once more and headed up the stairs.

* ~ *

The next morning was chaos in Gryffindor tower, with people still collecting stray belongings to pack. Dean had already packed everything except Helios, who still hadn't returned. Dean almost gave himself neck strain looking around at the hundreds of owls that had arrived that morning, but Helios had not been one of them.

He hauled his trunk downstairs with a heavy heart. He'd just gotten to the bottom of the stairs when a surprised voice said, "Why didn't you levitate it down the stairs?"

Dean turned to see Lee Jordan behind him with raised eyebrows. "You know the 'no magic' rule doesn't start til you get back to King's Cross."

"Er... yeah... I just... forgot." As Lee walked away, Dean felt so miserable he stayed out of the happy groups of people talking about their summer plans. He sat by the empty fireplace, one foot on his trunk. The happy chatter faded out around him, wrapped in his own depression. It's not fair that I can't tell him, we're related! I'm sure he'd be happy... But would he? Does he even know about his uncle?

Dean went over and over the same thoughts until a cheerful voice cut through his shield. "Missing something?" A loud screech followed this question. Dean looked up - Ginny was standing beside his chair, Helios on her arm. He fluttered onto Dean's shoulder, and nipped his ear in greeting. He had a letter tied to his leg, addressed to him in purple ink. Dean's heart stopped and for several long seconds he just stared at it, then he took it off and ripped it open, reading fast.

Dear Dean

I can't tell you how shocked I was to get your letter. I had no idea that Gary had a child, though I did know he had gotten married not too long before he died. I don't know how much you know of Gary, but he was a hero in the wizarding world, and his death was a tragic loss. My son knows he had an uncle who died at the hands of a notorious Death Eater, though like me he had no idea he has a cousin.

I will be picking Lee up at Kings Cross this afternoon, and I would love to see you, and your mother. I will write to Lee now and tell him about you, he should get it before he gets on the train.

Yours Sincerely

Gina.

Dean felt a happy little bubble rise in his chest that made his head feel very light. She wants to meet me, Lee knows! He looked up at Ginny, fighting back tears for all he was worth. "It's all right, but I can't sit with you on the train home, I need to talk to him."

He was upset about that, since the train journey would have been the last time he got to talk to Ginny until they went back to Hogwarts. She put a warm hand on his and sat down on her knees beside him. "I understand. I'll sit with Ron and the others."

Dean felt a tiny stab of jealousy. She'll be sitting with Harry... But he needed to talk to Lee, he wasn't going to be at Hogwarts next year. And he's family. Dean took Ginny's hand and squeezed it. "Have I told you recently how great you are?"

She smiled at him, "Not recently." She kissed him on the forehead and stood up. "I have to go get my trunk, want to share a carriage down to the train?"

"Sure, hurry up - they're going in ten minutes!"

* ~ *

The carriage journey was some of the best time Dean had spent recently. Since they were some of the first out of the doors, they managed to get a carriage to themselves. He knew he was really going to miss Ginny over the summer, the way she always was able to cheer him up, the way her hair glimmered gold in the sunlight, the way she managed to make him forget the rest of the world existed...

They dumped their stuff in compartments and decided to sit out on the benches on the platform, enjoying the sunshine. Before long, half the school was on the platforms, and Ginny voiced the opinion that she'd better find Hermione or someone to find out where they were sitting. "And I'm going to tell Ron we're together, so you might expect the protective older brother bit if you see him at Kings Cross."

Dean's heart gave a jolt, but he found he wasn't nearly as worried about Ron as he was about Lee. Ginny came back to him as people started pouring on to the train. "We're about halfway down the third carriage, come and find me if you need me."

She squeezed his hand and went to step on to the train. He held her back, she turned around, puzzled and he kissed her, a deep lingering kiss. When they broke apart she grinned at him wickedly. "You know, you will see me again when we get to the station! Don't count on that being the last kiss of the day."

She pecked him again on the lips and climbed aboard. Dean headed for the last carriage, intending to start his search for Lee there. What am I going to do if he's in a whole carriage of people? He need not have worried, he found him in a carriage halfway down the train, alone, clutching a letter and looking very shell-shocked. Dean slid the door open, Lee looked up and for a long moment they just looked at each other. Dean stepped in. "Hi," he said, sliding the door shut behind him.

* ~ *

Dean and Lee talked all the way back to King's Cross, before they knew it the train was slowing down and it was dark. Anything that Lee knew about his uncle, he told Dean. They talked about their childhoods, interests, families, Quidditch and Dean had tried to explain the attraction of football in vain. On the other side of the barrier, Ginny was waiting for him, Dean could see Fred and George and someone he presumed was their mother a little way away. There was a crowd of people not far away to his left, including someone with vivid pink hair. Ginny took Dean's hand as Lee wandered off to talk to the twins. "I take it everything went well?"

"Yeah, everything's going to be great." Ginny leaned up and kissed him. He held her close, wondering how he was going to last two whole months without seeing her. He silently thanked his mother for choosing this year to buy him an owl. At least I'll be able to write to her. He hugged her for at least a full minute, thinking about the long weeks ahead when he saw a familiar figure over her shoulder.

She had put on weight and fifteen years had aged her, naturally, but there was no mistaking Gina, his aunt. He released Ginny, took her face in his hands and kissed her once more. "I'll write to you, Helios is gonna be tired this summer ferrying letters between us."

"Good, cause Errol wouldn't be up to it! Have a good summer, Dean." She squeezed his hand once more, smiling sadly and went to join her family. Before Dean turned back towards his aunt, he caught sight of an annoyed looking Ron looking in his direction.

He looked around for his mother, and saw her standing not far away from Gina, and wondered if that was a coincidence. He walked over to his mother first, and took her arm. "Come here Mum, there's someone I want you to meet..."