Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Chapter 14 - Wedding Plans

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When Harry and Ron passed through the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry found the Gryffindor common room warmer than usual. Near the fireplace sat the auras of Parvati, Lavender, Gabriella, Hermione, Ginny and Dean. Towards the back, Neville was helping Patrick and a few others Harry had yet to recognize prepare for their Herbology exams. Evidently, the exam involved a burning plant of some sort, perhaps fireseed, Harry thought, since there was a billowing cloud of smoke, glowing with the energy that had created it, that hung over the group and nobody seemed to mind.

Harry, his mind fractured at the moment, brought his attention back on Patrick. The smoke was clouding his ability to see the auras of those at the back table, but the filtered light emanating from Patrick was the same as it had been since Harry first met him after the accident - blue and green. Each colour waxed and waned, growing more green whenever he was excited or near Harry.

"Patrick?" Harry thought silently to himself, but the thought was short-lived.

"Harry! Ron!" cried Dean. His voice brought Harry's attention back to the group about the fireplace. The call sounded like a plea for help, as if Dean felt, at the moment, like a rat trapped in a snake's cage. He was beginning to stand when Ginny grabbed his arm.

"Oh, Dean," she said breathlessly, "isn't it beautiful?" Hermione was projecting an image of a young woman in a white wedding dress. The girl stood suspended in the middle of the five students and modelled the dress she was wearing, slowly turning in all directions so that everyone could see, everyone that is, except Harry.

"Er... yeah, great," muttered Dean miserably, sinking back onto the couch.

"I don't know, Gin," said Lavender cautiously. "I think the train's a little long."

"Lavender's right, Hermione," added Parvati. "You don't want to deal with all that dragging behind you even, if it's levitated."

"You could have fairies carry it."

"I kind of like it," Hermione said as she held her hand to her chin and tapped her cheek with one finger. "But I think the second one..." Dean let out an audible groan, but the girls ignored him while Hermione began to flash through model after model, dress after dress, as if thumbing pages of a book. It was only then that she noticed that Ron and Harry had entered the common room.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. "You're just in time." Dean's eyes grew wide and he shook his head as subtly as he could to warn them off. Ron caught it, but Harry did not. "We were just looking over dresses when--" She stopped herself mid-sentence, noticing the expression on Ron's face. "What's wrong?"

Gabriella stood and came over to Harry. "You both look like someone died. Did Filch catch you sneaking into the kitchens again? Out with it... what happened?" Ron looked at Harry, and Harry looked blankly above the girls.

"Nothing," they said simultaneously.

Gabriella patted Harry's cheek.

"Nothing?" she said, sensing the swirling swarm of emotions that must have shown like a beacon for everyone to see. "Would you like to join us?" she asked. "We were just--"

"No thanks," interjected Harry. While he had grown accustomed to seeing students from other houses in the common room, he had completely forgotten that the girls were going to get together this evening to discuss Hermione's wedding plans for the summer. "I need to get ready for the Potions exam tomorrow." Ginny stood, looking at Harry.

"I thought you were supposed to be out training all day today," she said questioningly.

"I was."

"But you're squeaky clean," she replied sceptically. "You know, if you weren't working out in the forest today, we could have gotten at least three hours on the pitch."

"I was in the forest today!" Harry exclaimed. "Besides, you know I can't Seek. Not like this." He waved his hand in front of his eyes.

"You're the team captain! It's your responsibility to--"

"These aren't your robes," interrupted Gabriella, rubbing the cloth in her fingers. "These are new."

"Dumbledore cleaned him up," offered Ron. This was followed by a chorus.

"Dumbledore?"

"Well, er... he and Dad were at Hagrid's and--"

"Dad?" asked Ginny. "Dad's here? Why didn't he say he was coming to school? Where is he?" It felt, suddenly, as if sharks were beginning to circle Harry and Ron.

"Well, he only had a minute," said Ron, stepping closer to his sister. She had risen to her feet and Dean took the opportunity to quickly dart away and head toward the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitory. "And he needed to see Harry, so I took him over to--"

"So he saw you, but he didn't have time to see his only daughter?"

Less than a moment later everyone was talking at once. Ron and Harry were being bombarded with questions about everything from the Minister's visit, to why Dumbledore needed to conjure Harry new robes, to what pattern Ron thought would be nice for the new china.

Unexpectedly, there was a loud explosion from the back of the room that caused everyone to shriek. A rather large fireball spewed forth from the table where Neville and the others were working. It was Neville who stopped it from lighting the whole place on fire by casting a squelching charm.

"Damn it, Patrick," Neville said irritably, while a few of the other students laughed, "I told you not to mix fireseeds with dittany powder! If you do that in the exam tomorrow, Professor Sprout will fail you for sure."

The commotion that had surrounded Harry, quickly gathered about the back table and the scorched faces that stood there. Harry took the opportunity to follow Dean's footsteps up the staircase. Near the top he heard a rather dejected Patrick apologize, but what he saw was a bluish aura beaming with pride. Then Harry noticed Patrick flash him a thumbs-up from within the long sleeve of his robe, a signal that no one else could see.

"Sorry, Neville," said Patrick with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm just no good at this kind of stuff. I'll be lucky to make it to the third year at this rate."

Gabriella looked back toward the fireplace to find Harry and, before she could find where he was, Harry disappeared into the boys' dormitory. Inside he found Dean, belly down on his bed, reading a book about Quidditch. He loved the game so, it was a shame he wasn't any good at it. He looked up as Harry entered.

"Are they gone?" he asked. "Did you have to blow them all up?"

"Well, I--"

"Because that'd be fine by me, Harry. I was about to blow myself up if I had to look at one more china pattern." He looked back at the book and turned the page. "Talk about pressure... blimey." He turned another page. "I mean... I love Ginny and all, but does she actually think I'm going to ask her to marry me?" He turned another page clearly not having read the last. "So... last year... yeah, maybe. But that's your fault." Dean looked up, pointing a finger at Harry.

"Me?"

"Well, I mean, I was in a battle -- fighting you for her. You know. That sort of thing, well... it gets a guy in the mood. But this stuff downstairs... wedding dresses, and colours of table cloths, and..." Dean sighed. "Talk about deflating." Without looking back down to the book, he turned another page. Then, quite suddenly, Dean groaned and turned over on his bed, placing the open book over his chest. "Merlin, I love her." There was silence and he sighed again. "She's been my world. She brought me back after the accident." Dean held his hand up, flexing the fingers in front of his face. His soul had been reconnected to his corporeal form and Ginny had been there every step of the way. "She didn't need to do that."

"She loves you," said Harry, walking over to his bed, taking off his new school robes and putting on a loose pair of jeans. "Face it, Dean, you're her world too."

"I just don't want to be thinking about marriage while I'm still in school," answered Dean, sitting up on the edge of his bed and facing Harry. "There's enough to be getting on about without having to worry about in-laws... china patterns..."

"...children," added Harry quietly.

"Merlin, no," shot Dean. "I can't even imagine. But then Ginny's handy with a sheathing charm. We're careful... you know?" Harry nodded as a knot twisted in his stomach. "Can you believe Neville and Helen?" continued Dean. "Neither one of them used any protection their first few times. Hermione found out and had a fit."

"Hermione?" queried Harry.

"Well, I told Neville that he was being an idiot. I told him how Lee Jordan told me that Fred told him that George hooked up with some girl in Hogsmeade last year and wound up with a case of runespoor warts. Had to go to St. Mungo's to get them removed. Can you believe it? Yeesh." Lee covered his crotch with his hand and grimaced.

"But why Hermione?"

"If you want to know any spell, charm, or hex to get the job done, Harry, who do you go to? Hermione." Harry looked a bit disgruntled and crossed his arms. Dean sensed Harry's pride and added, "After all, everyone knew she and Ron were together since the fall of last year. She knew how to be safe, and Neville sure wasn't going to talk to Ginny."

Harry wasn't certain how to take that. He hadn't had a clue until last Christmas that Ron and Hermione were together. Yet, everyone else seemed to know. Furthermore, he was pretty sure that last year Tonks had used her Metamorphmagus skills to take on the appearance of Helen so that she could sneak into Gryffindor tower with Neville. It brought up memories... bad memories. Suddenly, going to talk to Hermione about anything didn't seem like such a good idea. Harry began to drum his desk with his fingers, then crossed his arms and just looked down at the floor. He could see the auras of the living organisms that his mates had tracked in under their shoes. Maybe Aunt Petunia wasn't such a crazy bat after all - at least as far as wiping one's feet at the door was concerned.

"What's up, Harry?" asked Dean. "Why are you so wound up anyway?"

Barefoot and shirtless, Harry walked over to the window. Christmas was a week away and, sadly, no snow had yet fallen. The grounds below and the surrounding forest glistened brightly in Harry's blindness. He placed his left hand on his chest, just above Asha's heart, the stone that even now sat hidden within him. Focusing high above the treetops, he found nothing but blackness. Late in the evening, clouds had moved in, covering everything in a dark blanket through which no stars shone. He peered at the same quadrant of sky in which he knew Ebyrth hung, growing ever closer. He closed his eyes and dropped his head heavily against the glass window.

Voldemort's cloak should have been destroyed by the water from the falls, but it hadn't. Why? Was it the Horcrux Draco thought it was, or simply an object of power that Lucius craved? There was a spy in the castle, probably within Gryffindor or Slytherin that had given up Blaise. He was now under a Death Eater's Imperius curse. Who was the spy? Could they have turned Patrick too?

It wasn't enough that war was raging in Eastern Europe and would soon grace the forest about Hogwarts, if not the castle itself. Now there was a child. Could it really be his? That was a stupid question. Of course it could be; the timing was near perfect and they had been... well, stupid. It was just before the Halloween feast. Harry was going to tell Cho about Gabriella... let Cho know that they couldn't be together, that Gabriella was the one he truly loved. But then she touched his arm... the look in her eyes. Even now, the memory sent a tingle down his spine and made his insides quiver. Neither of them were in the right frame of mind, but they both knew what they wanted. Now they were both paying for it. At least Cho was. Harry began to wonder... if the child was Harry's, did Anthony know, or was Cho simply using him?

Harry shook his head, trying to clear his muddled thoughts. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe Anthony was the father. But the vision... Gabriella's vision that both he and Hermione shared. He'd seen a child. Gabriella saw her own death and yet Harry saw life. He thought it was their child, his and Gabriella's. Now, Harry wasn't so sure.

The window was cold and a shiver ran across his body. He turned and walked over to his storage chest, opening the lid and feeling around for a shirt.

"Harry?" Dean asked. "I know something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Tell me, Dean," Harry said as he found a shirt. He began to fumble about for a pair of socks.

"Yes?"

"Ah..." Harry held up two socks. "Do these match?"

"Kinda," answered Dean, looking at a black sock and one that was, maybe, a dark navy blue.

"Good... good," replied Harry and he slipped the shirt and socks on. He sat back on his bed and put on his boots without saying a word.

"Harry?" asked Dean probing. "Where are you going?"

"Accio cloak!" Harry called with his right hand in the air, fingers outstretched for a catch. His cloak flew into his face. "Almost," Harry muttered. He stood and put the cloak on and then slipped his wand into his sleeve before stepping toward the door.

"Dean," he said, "please give my apologies to Professor Snape. I'll miss the exam tomorrow I'm afraid. It's sad really. Since the Joining, I think I had a pretty good chance of acing it. Severus, after all, shared a bit of himself with me that night." Harry rubbed the scar on his right arm.

"Slow down, mate," said Dean, taking to his feet. "You can't just go off--"

"Whew! I made it!" cried Ron, jumping into their room. "I never thought I'd get Hermione's attention. I finally had to go in through the backdoor, if you know what I mean." He tapped his head. "She'll be up in a... Whoa. Where are you going?" he asked Harry.

"Actually, Ron," Harry began, "I was just telling Dean that--"

"What's all this about the Horcrux?" asked Hermione as she entered the room.

"Shhhh!" cried Ron and Harry simultaneously, ushering her inside.

"You found it?" she asked in a near whisper.

"Maybe... if you can believe Malfoy," answered Ron.

"Malfoy?" asked Dean. "Not Draco? I thought he was--" Gabriella entered the room.

"What's going on?" she asked. Then, looking at Harry, she queried, "Where are you going?"

Harry, who had leaned against the wall near the door, began tapping it nervously with his fingers. He glared at Ron. "Great plan, mate."

"Well," said Ron, "I tried to--" Harry held up one finger to his lips and Ron lowered his voice. "I tried to--" Harry shook his finger at Ron. There was a bit of a rumble and Ginny burst through the door.

"What's up?" she asked. Then she noticed Harry. "What's with the cloak?" Harry crossed his arms.

"Bloody hell," he whispered.

"Is that what's got you so agitated, Harry?" Dean asked as Ginny slipped into his arms. Then he turned to her. "Did you know Draco was alive?" It was a question she didn't expect and it caught her off guard. Her eyes shot immediately to Ron and the look gave her away at once.

"You did!" cried Dean. "How could you not tell me? Did you all know?" Harry could see the fire building in Dean's emotions. Nobody said a word. "How long have you known?"

"Get over it, Dean!" Harry snapped. "Draco wanted it secret and we're keeping it that way. We know because we were there. Ginny knows because her brother has a big fat mouth." Harry gestured at Ron without looking his way. "Draco's heart is here at Hogwarts, Dean. Until we can clear his name we can't make him out as a fugitive."

"Clear his name?" said Dean. "He was... he is a Death Eater."

"He saved my life, Dean," interjected Ron. "That you do know. That I've told everyone. But my word isn't enough to keep him out of Azkaban. I should know, the Minister's my Dad and, no, he doesn't know about Draco either."

Those words cooled Dean's fires, if only a smidgen, and his hands found his pockets. There was a moment of silence and then he turned to Ginny, reached out and took her hand.

"You know, Gin," Dean said gently, "if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, we can't be keeping secrets from one another. Secrets... they... they sour souls and twist trust. If you'd have just told me to keep mum, you know I would have. All you had to do was ask. You know that... don't you?" Ginny reached over, gently touched Dean's cheek and kissed him.

"I know," she said softly. Then she held him tightly in her arms. "I'm sorry."

"Well... good," said Harry uncomfortably, thinking about his own secrets. "Erm... Ron, tell your Dad that we can have the ceremony with Voldemort's cloak this Saturday after exams."

"But that's three days, Harry," Ron said, "isn't that too long to--"

"Right," cut in Harry, "so that's why you... all," he waved toward the group, "can figure out how we get the cloak tomorrow night. I'll meet you at the entrance to the Ministry at midnight. Have the plan ready and I'll help you however I can." He grabbed Gabriella's hand. "Come with me." They had started for the door when Hermione grabbed the back of Harry's cloak, stopping him in his tracks.

"What do you mean? Where are you going? Your Potions exam is tomorrow." Harry turned back, his face stern but his eyes blank.

"First, I'm going to see a friend of mine in Ravenclaw, and then... then I'm going to France."

There was a collective, "What!?" from everyone but Ron.

"It's one secret I'm afraid," said Harry, raising his hands to quiet his friends, "that needs to be kept... at least for now." Again he took Gabriella's arm. "Come on." Everyone turned to Ron as Gabriella and Harry left the room. Almost immediately, Gabriella began to ask questions, but Harry held a finger to his lips.

"Not here... not now," he whispered.

They were about to clear out through the portrait of the Fat Lady when Lavender stopped them near the fireplace.

"So I guess Hermione's done looking at dresses for the night?" she asked.

"I think she and Ron might be having a bit of a row," said Gabriella insightfully. "She's definitely done for the night."

"Ooooh," hummed Lavender as she cast a gossipy glance toward Parvati.

"Men," said Parvati flatly. Gabriella simply nodded, taking Harry by the arm and walking out of the Gryffindor common room.

The two didn't speak until they reached the staircases. It was quiet, with only a few students roaming about. Most were likely studying for tomorrow's exams. The others were either heading toward or returning from the library. The two found themselves alone on the staircase as it slowly began to slide into place. Finally, Harry gathered the courage.

"Did you know...?" he began cautiously. "Did you know about Cho?"

"Cho Chang?" Gabriella asked blankly.

"Yes, Cho Chang!" Harry snapped. "How could you not know? You two were inseparable at the end of last year. She helped you through exams. Merlin, you spent more time with her than with me. How could you not know?"

The stone staircase came to rest against the wall. The two climbed off that one and onto another that began to slide into yet another direction.

"So we're going to see Anthony," Gabriella said knowingly. Harry said nothing, wishing only that the staircases would move more quickly. "Tell me Harry, are you still so jealous?"

"Jealous?" Harry asked angrily. "Jealousy has nothing to do with this. I have a right to know!" His last words were loud and reverberated off the stone walls.

"They have a right to their privacy, Harry," Gabriella replied with an edge in her voice. "They have a right to keep the Daily Prophet out of their lives. Frankly, I don't see how it's any of your business. It's clear Cho knew what she was talking about when she asked that I keep this from you. She said you'd react this way."

They turned and began to make their way up to Ravenclaw tower. A third year Ravenclaw joined them on the moving staircase upward. Harry moved close to Gabriella, failing miserably at keeping his voice hushed.

"None of my business? None of my business?!"

"Yes! None of your business! They were stupid, Harry," Gabriella said struggling to maintain her composure in front of the third year, although Harry could sense the anger building within her. "It was a mistake, a mistake that Anthony's wizard enough to set straight. Can't you see that he's trying to do the right thing by caring for what will soon be his family?"

At this, the third year Ravenclaw looked back over his shoulder at Harry and Gabriella. Gabriella flashed him a look that put the boy's nose back into the book he was reading. The stone staircase came to a halt and the boy stepped off, followed by Harry, but Gabriella grabbed his arm.

"What do you intend to do?" she asked. "Confront him? Hex him for getting your... your mistress pregnant? If that's what she was. You hardly carry the more noble ground."

Suddenly, Harry realized that Gabriella knew, but didn't know. She knew that Cho had had a child, but she didn't know that Harry could be the father. He stopped and leaned against the banister. The delay was just long enough that the staircase began to move again.

"She was not my mistress," Harry said quietly to the darkness. "I... I was not myself last year. You know--" Gabriella put her hands on Harry's shoulders.

"I know," she whispered sadly. Harry turned to face her.

"I've only ever loved you," he said.

"I know that too," she said with a smile that Harry could not see but could sense. She kissed him gently on the cheek and pulled him close. They held each other that way for some time and when the staircase came to a stop Gabriella moved to get off, but Harry stood still.

"I'm not jealous because of Anthony," spoke Harry to the open air before him. "It's just that... Icouldbethefather," he said softly.

"What?"

"I could be the father," he repeated, stepping close to her. "It wasn't Anthony that was the stupid one; it was me - Halloween of last year. Cho's child... it could be mine."

Harry waited to see the reaction, but none came. The news had no effect on Gabriella's aura. Either she knew already, or had suspected all along, or the news simply didn't affect her emotions.

"I see," she finally whispered. "That muddies things a bit, doesn't it?"

"I need to ask Anthony where she is," he said firmly. "I need to see her; I need to know."

"It seems to me," Gabriella said slyly, "that, for someone who's not supposed to know anything, you know quite a bit already. You know there's a child. You know she's in France."

"La Mure," added Harry.

"Then you know all there is to know, Harry. The town's not that large and a few well placed questions will get us to where we need to go."

"Us?" Harry asked.

"Don't be silly," answered Gabriella. "It's far too dangerous for you to leave the castle alone. Besides, Professor Snape has already released me from tomorrow's exam for--"

"--for high marks," interrupted Harry. "Yeah, I know. I know." He paused for a few moments and then shook his head. But before Harry could say a word, Gabriella began.

"Harry," she said gently, holding her hand to his face, "I don't care how well you can see what others can not." She took his hand. "You're blind. It makes a difference. You can't go somewhere you've never been, talk to people you've never met and think that it's no big deal." There was another long pause.

"Cho's bodyguard is a Death Eater," Harry said, more to himself than to Gabriella.

"You're joking, right?"

"He's not much of one, but Cho's bodyguard is a Death Eater." He paused, churning the suggestion in his mind. Finally he said, "You're right. I probably wouldn't get a chance to see her... not without help." He squeezed Gabriella's hand. "Besides, you need to be there. I need you to be there."

It took twenty minutes to get what they needed before they could sneak out through the hidden tunnel to Hogsmeade. It took half that time to make it to La Mure. Gabriella was right, Harry would have been lost without her. It was bad enough trying to remember his French; it was worse trying to figure out what hand gesture or facial expression went along with it. Blind, he could detect none of it, but Gabriella was nearly perfect. In fact, Harry began to wonder if she had known the way all along. Finally, knowing that Cho's apartment was just around the block, the two decided to spend the night at a small inn and wait until morning. It was the first time they'd been truly alone since the summer.

Harry offered to sleep on the floor, but Gabriella pulled him close to her. There was a warmth to her touch that meant more to him than anything in the whole world. That night, remembering Dean's words of honesty, he laid his soul bare, telling her everything he knew, everything she'd listen to, including Draco's theory about Voldemort's cloak. Only when he touched on his training with the Centaurs, would she noticeably change the subject. He fell asleep in her arms and woke the next morning the same way. The sun was just breaking into the room as he stroked her long black hair, wondering with some fear what the future would bring.

After breakfast, they walked down the alley toward the small apartment structure that the innkeeper had described to Gabriella. When they finally arrived, Harry covered himself with the invisibility cloak. Gabriella knocked on the door and it opened, held wide by an older man with grey hair and a tired look on his face. There were introductions and Gabriella slipped inside. The door shut before Harry could follow. There was a moment of silence and then squeals of joy. Harry knew the sound; Cho was inside. A few moments later the man left, jingling coins in his pocket. Harry's plan had worked - Gabriella, handing the man a couple galleons, suggested he go to the corner pub for a bite and a beer or two. He hadn't even reached the sidewalk before there was a snap and he had Disapparated. Then the murmurs began; louder, then softer, then louder again. Finally, Harry heard, "Don't be silly." A moment after that, the door opened and Gabriella ushered him inside.

All the while, Harry had seen the auras of the two young women and the older man. He watched as they moved back and forth, and as Gabriella hugged what he figured to be Cho. It had been the first time he had observed a Disapparation without his sight and he noted with interest the sudden burst of energy that accompanied it. But more than anything else, his attention was focused on one thing above all - a dim reddish glow that glimmered from the back of the apartment. Through all the walls it could have been anything - a cat, a dog. But Harry knew, by how well its colours blended with Cho's, what was there.

"Harry?" Gabriella asked to the nothingness before her. Cho stood only a few feet away. Harry sensed warmth mixed with apprehension. As for himself, he could feel the sweat of his palms as he reached up and slipped off the cloak.

"Cho?" he asked to the glow before him. The aura didn't move, the person didn't speak, but the colour began to blanch almost immediately. Then her hand went to her face, covering her mouth.

"Oh, Harry," she croaked. "Tony told me about the accident, about..." Slowly she walked over to him.

"This?" Harry asked, holding his hand near his temples. "It's nothing. Just a bit of glass. Surgery's scheduled for next month; should have me good as new." Cho took his hand and then touched his face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I should have come to visit." She took him in her arms and held him tight. He could feel her shaking in his arms. "I couldn't... I couldn't bear to see you again."

"Great," Harry drawled. "Always good to know you're thought of kindly."

"Harry!" snapped Gabriella shortly. She took Cho gently by the arm and said, "Cho, can we come in and sit?" Cho loosened her grip on Harry and wiped her face with her hands.

"Oh, yes," she said, sniffing, "of course."

The place was larger than Harry expected, compared to what it looked like from the outside, but it was sparsely furnished and what furnishings there were appeared old and tattered. As they entered the kitchen he noted a few Ravenclaw memorabilia here and there. He even recognized a broom, the broom he had bought her last year, propped up in the corner. Cho offered them some coffee, which they accepted, and together they sat at a modest table in the kitchen. There was a little talk about the weather and school.

"Are your exams over?" Cho asked. "Tony has Arithmancy tomorrow."

"Tony," muttered Harry through gritted teeth. Well... maybe he was a bit jealous of Anthony. "Er... yeah. Gab and I are done for the semester."

"That's great," said Cho softly. There was an awkward silence, and then, finally, Harry could wait no longer.

"I heard... I heard you and, er, Tony were going to tie the knot... get married. I told Gab we should come by and find out when. Ask what you might need to, erm..." He looked around at the shabby furniture. "... spruce the place up."

"Soon," answered Cho without hesitating. "But we're not telling anyone until after the school year. Not even my family. They think I'm here studying art."

"I also heard," continued Harry, not really listening to Cho's words, "that you two had a child; a baby boy is it?" Before Cho could answer Gabriella took her by the hand.

"It's so exciting, Cho!" she said joyfully. "I'm sure you're a wonderful mother. The baby is so lucky to have two such wonderful parents. Both Ravenclaws!"

"Thank you, Gab," said Cho warmly. "T-Tony's been great."

"Can we see him?" asked Gabriella excitedly. "I've wanted to see him so." Cho was hesitant.

"Well," added Harry, "I can't see him, but I have a pretty good idea that he's right through there, isn't he?" He pointed to the back room and swallowed. "I think it's great that you and... er, Tony are doing the... er, right thing. It sure would be great, at least for Gabriella, to see him. Just a peek?"

"He is due to eat breakfast soon," Cho said cautiously. "Perhaps... just for a moment."

When she returned to the kitchen, Cho was carrying a baby boy dressed in a small red jumper. He smiled and muttered a few sounds as she sat him in his chair, offering him a biscuit to chew on. The dull fog of Harry's eyes were focused somewhere above the boy's head, but his mind's eye was captivated on the golden red glow before him. It was brilliant, almost blinding, and Harry wondered if the brightness of the glow was because he was a baby or something more. The biscuit snapped out of Cho's hand and flew into the waiting grasp of the baby.

"Look at that! So soon?" cooed Gabriella. "He's just perfect." And then she began to babble baby talk to the child.

"Yes, he's pretty special," answered Cho.

Harry could sense that she was looking at him, centred on his reaction, but he was at a loss. To know for sure he would have to ask straight out. Now, here they were, and Harry didn't know what to do. He half wanted to poke the baby with a stick to see what it would do.

"Has he," Harry began, "shown any other signs of magic?"

"No. Not really," answered Cho cautiously. "But he can stand with help and he's already tried to walk." She paused. "I think, maybe, he'll be in Hufflepuff," she added wistfully. "He loves it when I take him to the zoo."

"What's his name?" asked Gabriella.

"Jamie," answered Cho.

"After your brother?"

"We just liked the name," Cho said, not committing.

"I have to admit," said Gabriella, "that he's the spitting image of you. And that's a good thing; you're much better looking than Anthony." She laughed and Cho did too. It sounded as if it had been the first time Cho had laughed in quite some time. But then the tone in Gabriella's voice changed.

"In fact, he doesn't look much like a Goldstein at all. You're both so dark, and Jamie's skin is so pale."

"He... he doesn't get out much," said Cho, growing nervous.

"Cho, you know I love you like a sister. Don't you?" Gabriella asked gently. "Well, I think Harry has a right to know. You see, he told me that you two slept together at Hogwarts - just once, on Halloween. Caught in the heat of the moment, I guess." Gabriella took a breath, gathering her strength. "I don't care why it happened. And it doesn't bother me anymore that it happened. The fact is it happened... nine months before little Jamie here was born."

"Well--"

"Cho," Gabriella interrupted. "Harry may have his suspicions, but he can't see what I can, and the eyes never lie. You and Anthony, you both have brown eyes. Both your parents each have brown eyes. It would take a powerful wizard to produce a boy with anything other than brown eyes and the magic would most certainly be to turn the colour of the eyes to his own." Cho said nothing. Harry said nothing. "It's true, Jamie is the spitting image of his beautiful mother. But the eyes... I think he has his father's eyes." Cho remained silent. Once again, Harry watched as her aura blanched.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry blindly. Gabriella took his hand.

"They're green, Harry," she said quietly. "Almond shaped and brilliantly green. Just like yours."