Parallel

CHAPTER 17: AFTERMATH/TALK WITH STUDENTS/POSTGRAD WORK

Ginny was eventually given a clean bill of health, but still needed bed rest for a time to regain her strength after being hit with such a powerful spell. It wasn't until she was asleep, though, and Harry and company were sitting around her bed, Harry holding one of her hands in both of his that Madam Pomfrey quietly approached Harry with what she hoped would be good news.

"Mr. Potter, your wife should recover fully, but I found something I think you should know," the Hogwarts nurse informed him.

"She's pregnant," Harry blurted out before the nurse could.

"Yes," came the reply. "How did you know?"

"I found out before this confrontation--but she insisted on accompanying us," he explained.

"That was a very dangerous thing to do," the nurse admonished.

"I know, but it wasn't my decision. We all tried to stop her, but Ginny would have none of it."

For a time there was stunned silence, then Madam Pomfrey spoke again. "Your wife must love you very much indeed if she was willing to risk both her life and that of your child in order to remain by your side in such a dangerous battle."

How well I know, Harry thought even as he raised Ginny's hand to his lips and kissed it, then placed it on his cheek. I have never deserved her love for me ... but nonetheless I could not be ... happier that it is indeed me that she loves. I can only pray that she never stops.

Some hours passed and both Ron and Hermione were becoming sleepy; however, they were still reluctant to leave Ginny's side. However, both Harry and Madam Pomfrey insisted that they do so in order to get the proper rest. The majority of their work was done, but they still had to find Nagini and destroy her before they could rest easy, even for a little while.

Of course, there would probably always be Dark witches and wizards, but as long as Voldemort was out of the picture, and Harry and his fellow Aurors remained vigilant, there shouldn't be too much danger of another Voldemort coming to power. Until then, they would take care of themselves, make sure they were sufficiently rested, healed and fed in order to be ready for the next phase of their quest.

Both of Harry's friends gave him their own form of comfort and encouragement before leaving, however --Hermione with a kiss on the top of his head and Ron with an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Technically Harry too was exhausted, but refused to leave Ginny's side; finally Madam Pomfrey suggested that a curtain be pulled around her bed for privacy and he join her there. At least that way he could get some rest and still remain with her as he obviously wanted to.

Ginny did not wake up until well into the next afternoon; Harry was still with her but had managed to get some rest in the meantime, so he was sitting beside her again, holding her hand, when she opened her eyes. Ron and Hermione had returned around ten that morning and were once again on the other side of her bed. All were watching her as she awakened; the first face she saw was that of her concerned husband.

"Harry," she murmured quietly, weakly reaching up to briefly caress his cheek.

"Gin. Welcome back, luv. Don't try to do too much yet. Madam Pomfrey says it'll still take a while before you're fully recovered. That Imperius Curse is a very strong spell and you got hit with a full dose."

"Is ... the baby all right?" she asked.

"The baby's fine," Harry assured her. "Now I think you should acknowledge your brother and sister-in-law. They've spent almost as much time sitting with you as I have."

Ginny weakly turned her head on the pillow to face Ron and Hermione, trying to reach for one of their hands but not quite making it. Hermione covered the rest of the distance. "Just take it easy, Ginny. We'll be here for as long as you need us."

"That goes double for me," Ron put in.

"Thank you ... all," she murmured quietly. "I ... appreciate it, but you didn't have to ... do it."

"The hell we didn't," Ron threw back. "You're my sister ... my only sister ... and you're carrying my niece or nephew. I'm bloody well going to see to it that you come through this healthy in spite of your insistence on going where angels fear to tread."

"And you're my friend, Ginny." Hermione tightened her grip on Ginny's other hand; Harry was holding the other one. "I don't want anything more to happen to you."

"I'll try not to ... let anything else happen," Ginny promised, but just the same, all knew that if a situation like this should rise again, they would do it all over again in spite of the dangers involved as long as it meant their fighting side-by-side for the cause of justice.

Harry had naturally informed the rest of the Weasleys and they were on their way here right now, or more specifically, Arthur and Molly. The rest of Ginny's brothers simply sent their love and best wishes for her speedy recovery since they could not come personally.

Just then, the door banged open and Molly Weasley ran up to her daughter's side. "Ginny, darling! How do you feel?" Harry moved aside to make room for her; Arthur joined her a moment later after a brief conversation with his son-in-law as to his daughter's state of health.

"Fine, Mum," Ginny assured her. "Don't worry."

"Don't worry! How can I not worry when you insist on following Harry into battle despite the fact that you're pregnant?"

"The battle's over now, Mum," Ginny said. "We won. Voldemort is dead ... and the Death Eaters are either in Askaban or dead. Particularly the one who shot me. Harry got him."

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that," Arthur put in. "May I now assume that your quest is over, Harry?"

"Not quite. I still have to find Nagini and destroy her." Harry got down on one knee beside the head of Ginny's bed and put a hand on her shoulder to let her know he was still there. She smiled softly at him, then returned her gaze to her parents' concerned faces.

"But that can wait for a while, can't it?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"For a while," Harry tentatively promised. "But probably just long enough for Ginny to be fully recovered. I don't want Nagini to slip through my fingers if I can help it."

Arthur and Molly both looked frightened for their youngest child's safety, not to mention that of their unborn grandchild, but knew that nothing, not even pregnancy, would stop her from accompanying her husband on whatever quest he decided to embark.

"Meanwhile, we have obligations to fulfill right here. Remember our postgrad courses and our promise to give a talk to the students here about our adventures," Harry reminded them.

"Merlin, that's right," Hermione remarked. "We'd better get moving on them as soon as possible in order to be prepared for anything else that might crop up ... and figure out what we want to discuss with the students."

The warning had been lifted from the school and classes had resumed once the battlefield had been cleared of any and all residue, both magical and physical. Harry looked up at his closest female friend and best mate's wife. "I thought it might be a good idea for us to have a question and answer session, at least for the first part of it, to find out what the kids are most curious about concerning us and our adventures."

Hermione thought a moment and found nothing to object to in Harry's suggestion so she nodded and smiled in agreement. Just the same, she was sure that many of the students would be curious as to what had happened during the battle, so they had better be prepared to answer any questions they might come up with. For the time being, however, all that was necessary for them to do was take care of themselves, both emotionally and physically.

* * * * *

Since their postgraduate work wasn't due to begin for several days (McGonagall had mentioned that it might take up to a week), Harry and company decided to arrange a time to meet with any and all interested students and have a talk with them about their adventures (and mis-adventures). After the students gathered in the Great Hall, the four began with the aforementioned Q&A session to find out what the students were most interested in hearing about.

The top subjects were as follows (not necessarily in order):

Most memorable Quidditch moments; what happened during the Triwizard Tournament; how the four met and became friends; how their romances began; what was it like to fight the Dark Lord; a general idea of what occurred during the latest (and last) battle; the Yule Ball in fourth year; each one's first date (when, who with, what happened); a memorable time with Malfoy and company and finally, what it had been like for them as first-years.

Of course, there were other things the students were curious about, but these were the first ones to come to mind. Harry had passed out papers to them, asking them to write down what they would most like to hear about, then pass them back and they would choose which ones via a show of hands. Whichever one garnered the most votes, it would be discussed first.

The final tally for each was out of 105 students (35 from three of the houses and all the years), twelve chose #1, what was it like to fight Voldemort; ten chose #2, what happened at the Triwizard Tournament; eight picked #3, a general idea of what happened in the most recent (and hopefully last) battle; six picked #4, the Yule Ball in fourth year and what happened there; four chose #5, a memorable time with Malfoy and company.

The rest had varied amounts, ranging from four to two votes. However, all concerned were convinced that they would be lucky to get through half of what was listed. Some of the things had been pleasant, some of them horrendously traumatic, particularly the number one choice. However, Harry could see in the children's faces how much they wanted to hear all about it, so he would have to somehow dredge up the strength and give them what they wanted.

He sighed, not fond of the idea of recalling any of the times he had fought Voldemort. On the other hand, it had been said that it could be therapeutic to talk about a personally traumatic experience, if one could manage to bring themselves to do so, so he decided to begin the actual discussion by relating what had happened near the end of the Triwizard Tournament seven years back--the year Voldemort had been reborn.

Harry finally swallowed hard and squared his shoulders, opening his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Finally Ron patted his shoulder reassuringly, then Hermione squeezed his hand encouragingly. However, it was what Ginny did that helped motivate him the most: she put an arm around him and squeezed him, then stood on her tiptoes to brush her lips across his right ear and murmur, "We can make it through this if we draw strength from each other, my love. Take my strength."

Harry looked up at the sea of expectant young faces waiting for him to speak, spread out like a living blanket before him. Suddenly he had a brainstorm and began looking for the boy he had met earlier--the boy who had reminded him so much of himself. Finally he located him in the front row center, not twenty feet away. Harry's eyes met those of the boy and then he spoke.

"Sorry to take so long to get going. Bear with me. I ask only one thing: would the boy in the front row center seat please stand up and introduce himself?"

The boy seemed frozen for a second, then made himself stand up. "M-my name is James ...Adolphus ... Black," he finally finished after a long pause, during which he had swallowed hard and drew himself up to his full height. "I'm a first-year Gryffindor."

Upon hearing that, all four of the friends looked at each other. Dear gods, was it possible? Had Sirius not been the last Black after all? Harry had to find out. Was this boy Sirius's son? If so, who was his mother and where was she now? Had Sirius known of his son's existence? If he had, it was a secret Sirius had never shared, not even with Harry, even as close as they eventually became ... but why wouldn't he?

Surely he would know how happy Harry would be to know that Sirius had not been totally left out of the romance and children game. Sirius was dead, however, and since there was unlikely to be anyone left to ask about it, it was highly probable that the full details of same would remain a mystery for all time. That is, unless Sirius's former lover was willing to talk about their one-time relationship and how it had come about.

"May I ask your parents' names?" Harry asked, as gently as he could because he could see how self-conscious, if not totally petrified, the boy was.

"My mother's name is Rose ... she's a witch. I was told that my father's name was Sirius. I was also told that he was a ... great wizard, a member of an ancient ... and very noble pure-blood family. My mum and dad parted before I was born. I never met him, never knew him, although Mum told me that she kept him ... up-to-date on me from the moment I was born. Pictures, letters ..." Young James swallowed hard and made himself continue.

"They had been ... engaged when my mum became pregnant with me. I was told later that my dad had been accused of ... killing several people and had been put into Azkaban ... the wizarding prison. She had ... wanted to visit him there, but he had told her he didn't want her anywhere near such a ... horrible place. She could never ... bring herself to marry anyone because of this and raised me virtually by herself. Then, just recently I heard that my dad had ... died a few years after escaping from Azkaban."

Was murdered, is more accurate, Harry thought, and it was my fault. I in effect lured him to the Department of Mysteries to be the sacrificial lamb for Voldemort and his ilk! It was best for the boy if he didn't know that, however. Surely what he already knew was tough enough for an eleven-year-old to deal with without piling more on top of it. But it might make the boy feel better if Harry could manage to tell him that Sirius had been his godfather. He made a mental note to seek the boy out at the first opportunity and tell him, especially of where the name "James" had surely come from: Sirius's best friend, Harry's father. "Where were you born, James?" Harry asked, even more gently ... and the answer he got was even more of a shock.

"Godric's Hollow, the Muggle village ... They have a ... small wizarding population. However, we live in a small flat in the ... North London suburb of ... Hampstead now."

Hampstead! In spite of himself, Harry felt as though he had been punched in the stomach and all the air forced out of him. Hampstead was less than five miles from Grimmauld Place, the site of Sirius's family home! Had Sirius known how close his son was to him? If Harry had known this before, he would have seen to it that the boy inherited a share of his father's estate upon Sirius's death.

However, in the wizarding world, it was forbidden to bequeath anything to an illegitimate child, and Sirius had surely known this, so he had left it to Harry, his godson. Just the same, Harry was seriously thinking of approaching James Black's mother at some point and offering her some of her late lover's fortune, if only to help her son ... Sirius's son! He even considered telling this Rose, Sirius's former lover and the mother of his son, all the details of Sirius's having been framed for murder, then giving her the option of telling young James the full story at her discretion.

"Thank you for the ... information, James. I will ... get back with you later. Now it's time to start discussing what we came here to discuss. You may sit down." Young James smiled timidly and resumed his seat. "Well, here goes. Better late than never. Some of you may know that You-Know-Who was reborn some years ago. But what you are unlikely to know was that I was there when it happened. It took a servant's flesh, his father's bone and my blood to bring him back."

One child, a young girl who reminded Harry very much of a younger Hermione, raised her hand. Harry bade her stand up and introduce herself. "Araminta Collingsworth. I'm a first-year Ravenclaw. My mum is a witch and my dad is an Auror. This is my question: why was your blood needed, Mr. Potter?"

"Because I was You-Know-Who's sworn enemy, the only one who had ever survived the Killing Curse. You see, he had--killed my parents when I was just a baby, a little over a year old ... and had tried to ... kill me. But instead, the curse rebounded on him and he lost not only his powers but his mortal body as well. After that he ... went into hiding and no more was heard from him until ... seven years ago."

Another hand went up in the second row, a young boy of approximately twelve with hazel eyes and reddish-brown hair. Again Harry asked him to stand up and introduce himself, then ask his question. "I'm Montgomery O'Donnell. I'm a second-year Hufflepuff. My dad is Irish and my mum is Scottish. He is a wizard and my mum is a Healer at St. Mungo's. My question is this: What exactly is the Killing Curse?"

"It is one of the three so-called 'Unforgivable' Curses. They are so named because the use of any one of them is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. The first one is called the Imperius Curse--the Controlling Curse. The second, the Cruciatus, is otherwise known as the Torture Curse. Finally, there is the Avada Kedavra ... the Killing Curse. That's how I got this scar."

Harry moved his thick bangs aside to show the assemblage the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, something he ordinarily didn't care to discuss, something he preferred to hide when-ever possible. But he made an exception in this case in order to drive his point home as to just how horrendous the aforementioned curses could be.

"Shortly before I ... dueled with ... You-Know-Who, he ... got me with the Torture Curse. Let me tell you, I never felt such pain in my life--and hope I ... never do again."

Yet another hand went up, this time belonging to an African-American girl of thirteen which reminded him of Angelina. Harry bade her stand up and introduce herself. "Penda. My last name is the Swahili word for magic and is ... virtually unpronounceable, so forgive me if I don't tell you what it is. I'm thirteen and a third-year Gryffindor. This is my question: Why was ... You-Know-Who so determined to kill you?"

"Because of a prophecy he had once heard that told of a boy 'born as July dies'. Me. July 31 is my birthday. It was also said that the Chosen One, as he was called, would also be born of parents who had already defied him three times ... my parents. It was ... also said that because of this, I had been made ... his equal ... and that neither of us could live peacefully while the other was alive.

"But even though he did not intend it, You-Know-Who inadvertently bestowed on me, his most bitter enemy, the greatest weapon on earth ... the ability to love. That is how I ... ultimately managed to destroy him, because this was 'a power that the Dark Lord knows not'. More on that later, though. Does anyone else have any other questions on this subject?"

Yet another hand went up in the sixth row ... this time a lanky young man of fourteen with auburn hair and green eyes, the same age Harry had been when Voldemort was reborn. Harry thought of Ginny's pregnancy, unable to help speculating on what a son of theirs might look like: most probably very similar to the young man now standing before him. He had to ask her her thoughts on the matter at the earliest opportunity. "I'm Vincent Kingsley, a fourth-year Ravenclaw. My question is as follows: Do you think that hate is all that You-Know-Who ever had?"

Harry smiled sadly. "No ... but it's all he had left. Now, if no one else has further questions, I'll move on to another subject." He waited, but no more questions came. Finally Harry exchanged glances with his wife, then his friends, before clearing his throat and referring to the papers in his hands. "Would any of you object to ... hearing about ... our first dates?"

Technically this wasn't the next in line, votes-wise, but one which Harry found far more pleasant to recall. There were negative murmurs from the Hogwarts student body. "All right, I'll tell about ... mine first."

Harry was a very private person and had never found it easy to speak of anything personal, especially where it concerned his love life, but this was a whole new generation--James Black being a prime example--a generation unlikely to be too knowledgeable as to how matters had been in the wizarding world when Harry and company had originally been students here.

"When I was ... fourteen and in fourth year, I ... developed a crush on a ... beautiful Asian girl named Cho Chang. She was ... somewhat older than me, around fifteen, and quite popular. I didn't have the ... chance to date her, however, until my fifth year. We went to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade for the date; it was on Valentine's Day. However, we had ... kissed prior to that, on Christmas Eve the previous year. But our ... relationship didn't last long, and in my sixth year, I ... began dating the girl who eventually became my wife, my best mate Ron's sister, Ginny."

Harry decided not to elaborate on the details of his relationship with Ginny, but would have no objections to either Ron, Hermione or Ginny doing so--at least, not as long as he was there to monitor what they said. "So, feel free to ask any one of my companions questions regarding ... their relationship with me. However, I reserve the right to edit or even eliminate what I deem the most ... personal aspects."

There was deathly silence for a time, then a statuesque girl of fifteen with black hair and brown eyes, not to mention an Hispanic look about her--most likely a fifth-year--raised her hand. As before, Harry had her stand up and introduce herself. "Mr. Potter, I am Maria Elena Velasquez. My mum is an Auror and my dad works at the Ministry of Magic. I'm a fifth-year Hufflepuff. I have a question for your wife."

Harry motioned Ginny to step up beside him; she had been standing close by, but somewhat behind, him most of the time he had been speaking. "What would you like to know, Maria?" Ginny asked with a smile.

"I would like to know when you first realised you loved Harry Potter."

Again, there was a deathly silence for a time while Ginny digested this, then she smiled and said, "I first met him when I was ten years old. For a long time I was too afraid to even speak to him, even though I started Hogwarts the year after him and my brother Ron here." She gestured toward Ron, who was standing near Harry on the other side, his arm around Hermione. "I was eventually advised to get to know other boys, and I did, although Harry was never far from my thoughts ... or my heart." Ginny looked up to smile tenderly at her husband.

"It wasn't until my fifth year that Harry finally noticed me ... but it wasn't until our first kiss the day of the Quidditch Cup match that year that I knew, once and for all, that I loved him. However, we broke up a few weeks later--please don't ask me to elaborate as to just why; it's still a painful subject to me, hope you understand--and he went away for four years to travel throughout England working as an Auror, tracking down Dark wizards and witches for a living.

"It wasn't until just recently that we ... renewed our relationship and soon after that, got married." She kind of wanted to tell them about her pregnancy but wasn't sure if she should; she exchanged glances with Harry and the others. They smiled understandingly but shook their heads. Now wasn't the time. Perhaps later, when her pregnancy was further advanced. Right now, they had more pressing things to concern themselves with, such as their supplemental studies.

A short time later, Harry glanced at the clock on the far wall and noted that it was getting toward late afternoon, close on to suppertime, in fact. "I think we've talked enough for today. Let's all get some supper, then a good night's sleep ... and continue the discussion tomorrow. Any objections?"

There were negative murmurs, then the students filed out of the Great Hall, some in groups, some in pairs, and still others by themselves, the majority of whom smiled and waved to the alumni who had come to visit and talk with them. Harry saw the eleven-year-old James Black leave the Hall, making another mental note to approach McGonagall at the earliest opportunity and see what he could find out about the boy's background before daring to approach him or (eventually) his mother.

Perhaps he could put out some feelers on the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network) and get some answers that way ... or failing that, go to the main Office of Witchcraft and Wizarding Genealogy in South London's Highgate section, reported to make the most detailed family trees in all of England, and see what he could find out about Sirius's family.

For the time being, however, it was best that they have supper, then get busy on their post-grad studies as soon as possible after they had eaten (they had come through earlier that day). Just the same, he had best consider just what else he was willing to discuss about either himself and Ginny or Ron and Hermione and discuss it with them before they resumed the talks with the current crop of Hogwarts students the following day.