All Good Things

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Part Three: In the Hands of Babes

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Ginny giggled as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was a nervous habit, she knew, but it was comforting none the less. Harry smiled at her and she couldn't help the blush that rose in her cheeks. Ron glared in her general direction and she stuck her tongue out at him. Ever since that night at the graveyard, she and Harry had kept in contact with Sirius, something that not even Ron and Hermione knew about, and they were busy planning their next escape to meet Harry's Godfather.

"Well, we can't do it tomorrow night, 'cause Ron wants to have practice, so I think it'll have to be tonight,"

"Tonight?" she asked, a little shocked at the short notice. "How will we be able to let him know in time? He might think we're death eaters and accidentally kill us or something."

"Gin," Harry raised his eyebrows sceptically, "considering that we have a key and you make enough noise to raise the dead, I really don't think he could mistake us for death eaters."

"I do not make a lot of noise!" she yelled, causing half the common room to laugh at her.

"Sure you don't, Ginny." Seamus winked. "But I can help you put that to the test later if you like." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively and she giggled, a plan forming in her mind at the look on Harry's face.

"I don't think you could keep up with me, Seamus." She smiled sweetly. "From the way Parvati tells it, you're a in and out kinda guy."

"Ginny!"

She rolled her eyes and turned to Ron. "He started it."

"And I'm finishing it!" He turned to glare at Seamus. "She's my little sister, and I don't want you, or anyone else," his eyes danced momentarily in Harry's direction, "anywhere near her."

"Ron!" Her eyes flashed dangerously as he turned to look at her, and she didn't miss that he gulped. "I think you had better stop planning out my life! If Harry and I wanted to run off and have a million babies then it would be none of your business!" Ginny wasn't sure, but she thought Ron might have dislocated his jaw, and his eyes were pretty much falling out of their sockets. A small part of her was aware that the entire common room was snickering and had, therefore, heard the entire conversation, but she didn't really care and with the volume her voice had reached, she couldn't really expect anything else.

"Now, if you'll excuse us." Ginny stood up, pulling Harry with her, although she didn't really have the courage to look at him. "Harry and I are off to find somewhere quiet and secluded to make a start on all those babies." With that, she ignored Ron's outraged splutter and pulled Harry to the common room door, stepping out and walking straight into Professor Dumbledore.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, Mr Potter, just the people I was looking for."

Ginny looked up at the headmaster wide-eyed before turning to Harry. He was staring at her with a bit of a smirk, but there was a blush on his face and she knew he was still thinking about the scene that had just occurred in the common room. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and the two looked back up at him.

"If you have a moment out with your busy plans for this evening, I would like a word with you both in my office."

Ginny nodded dumbly and she felt Harry squeeze her hand. She was mortified, there had been a definite glint in the headmaster's eyes as he had spoken and there was no doubt in Ginny's mind that the 'plans' he'd been talking about were those she had just yelled at the entire common room. She scrunched up her face, wishing she could crawl into tiny hole and never come out. She heard Harry snickering and turned to him, glaring with all her might but he simply smiled widely at her and it wasn't long before she was smiling as well. She noted that his cheeks were as red as she knew hers were and that gave her some comfort, although he hadn't been the one that had informed Gryffindor Tower that they were away to find someplace to have sex. Just the thought that Professor Dumbledore knew what she had said made her cringe.

"Peppermint Pods!" With a start, Ginny realised that they had reached Professor Dumbledore's office. She allowed Harry to pull her up the stairs, only now aware that he was still holding her hand. She smiled at the thought and her smile widened into a grin of glee when Harry dropped her hand and crossed the room to give Sirius a hug. She stood back a little and waited until Sirius looked her way before walking across the room and hugging Harry's Godfather tightly.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked.

"We were coming to see you tonight," Harry said, and Ginny saw him smiling at the fact that she had yet to let go of Sirius.

"Things have got a little complicated, Harry."

Ginny pulled back at the tone of his voice and she turned to Harry, an identical look of confusion and worry on her face as he wore on his. Sirius sighed and indicated the soft chairs next to the fire and the three of them sat down, Professor Dumbledore joining them a moment later.

"You Know Who is on the move again."

Ginny felt her jaw tighten and her hands involuntarily began to shake a little. She was sitting next to Sirius and opposite Harry, so she wasn't surprised when it was Sirius that gave her shoulders a squeeze instead of Harry. She took a deep breath and shook her head a little, knowing that she would have to keep it together if she wanted to be a part of this...whatever this was.

"Mr Potter, Miss Weasley, what we are about to tell you must go no further than this room and you must listen carefully." Ginny and Harry exchanged a look but they both nodded. "We have reason to believe that Voldemort will be making a move on Hogwarts,"

Ginny gasped and Harry's eyes widened. "But Professor, how? I mean Hogwarts is protected why would He even try to-"

"Miss Weasley, there is only so much a spell can do. We do not know how, but it has come to our attention that the wards around Hogwarts may indeed, be broken."

"Broken?" Harry asked, his voice slightly more than a whisper.

"Yes, Mr Potter."

"What has this got to do with us?" Ginny asked, causing all attention to turn her way. "I mean, I know this is valued information but you've always strived to keep Harry away from danger, he always found out stuff like this on his own with Ron and Hermione." She paused for a moment, watching as Harry caught her line of thinking. "I mean, you're telling us something that you would normally want to keep away from everyone, especially Harry, given his tendency to throw himself into danger against He Who Must Not Be Named."

Harry frowned at her analysis of his fights with Voldemort, but nodded all the same. "Ginny's right, you wouldn't normally tell me all this, what's wrong."

Sirius laughed a little and Dumbledore smiled. "I see there is much perceptiveness in you, Miss Weasley, and you are, indeed, correct."

Sirius cleared his throat and Dumbledore nodded, obviously giving him the okay to divulge the information he was about to. "You Know Who is getting stronger. Every day he builds on his power. Harry, I know you haven't said, but you must know this,"

Harry looked reluctant to say anything but Ginny nodded. "Harry's been having nightmares again," she said softly. He smiled at her, thankful that he wasn't the one that had to say it. Saying it himself made it real but Ginny saying it made him realise that it wasn't just real, it was dangerous as well, and he needed that kind of realism given what Sirius was telling them.

Sirius nodded and continued. "We wont be able to stop him."

Ginny turned to him and shook her head. "No, you...you have to be able to stop him...you have to..."

"Ginny, I said *we* couldn't stop him."

Ginny frowned. "Can Harry?"

Sirius smiled. "Not just Harry. You and Harry."

"What?" Ginny asked in wonder.

"No."

Her head swivelled in Harry's direction a glare on her face already. "What do you mean, no?"

Harry shook his head. "It's bad enough that I got you involved this much, I won't let you be placed in more danger."

"You won't let me?" Ginny's voice was taking on dangerous tones and Harry gulped. "Harry Potter, let me get one thing straightened out right here and now. No one, not you, not Ron, not anyone will be letting me do anything. If I choose to help the war effort where I can make a difference then I will do so without requiring your consent, understood?" Harry looked like he was about to protest, but she continued, her voice softer, slightly sad. "Do you ever give me the choice to stop you when you face You Know Who?"

There was a small silence before Sirius spoke. "Harry, you don't really have a choice, you need her for this one."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and smiled sadly at them. "Harry, Virginia, I am loathe to ask any of my students something of this manner, but you may be our only hope."

"What can we do, Professor?" Harry asked, meeting Ginny's eyes with a slight apology. She smiled and they both turned to look at Dumbledore.

The headmaster shook his head slightly and looked into the fire for a moment. "Harry, has anyone ever told you what your parents did for a living?"

Harry frowned. "Er...no, not really."

Dumbledore nodded. "Your parents worked for the Ministry of Magic, Harry. Your mother was an Auror and your father worked in the Department of Defence Against Dark Wizards. Together, they were almost unstoppable; nothing but their friendships and family could stop them from doing their jobs. Unfortunately it was the knowledge of their friends and family that would be their downfall and they both knew it." Dumbledore paused for a moment and Ginny watched Harry carefully, watching his face as he learned about his parents.

"Harry," Sirius caught his Godson's attention and continued from where Dumbledore had stopped. "Before they died, your parents were working on a spell, something that would stop Voldemort and his followers, something that could end it all in one go...but it was never finished."

"Don't you have their notes?" Ginny asked. "Couldn't someone else continue?"

Sirius shook his head. "There were no notes, well, nothing tangible to anyone but James and Lily...or Harry and you."

At this Harry frowned. "But my parents didn't know Ginny, she might not have even been born."

Ginny smiled sadly at him. "Harry, I was born the day your parents died."

"Oh."

Ginny sent him a sad smile before turning back to Sirius. "But he's right, Harry's parents didn't know I existed."

"They didn't need to. Harry knows you exist and that's all that matters."

"But, why me? I mean, why not Hermione or someone else, how do you know I'm the one you need?"

Sirius laughed. "Harry's the one that needs to know it's you, Ginny, not me. I just happen to see through my Godson like a piece of glass, it's you Ginny, don't worry about that."

"But, I still don't understand why-"

"Gin." She turned to look at Harry. "It's you." Harry offered her a smile and she returned it but the confusion was still on her face.

"Okay," she said softly, figuring she could question Harry later.

"Harry, Ginny, I'm not saying this to pressure you, but you have to know." Sirius took a deep breath. "The Ministry is useless and those of us still fighting are getting weaker by the day. We need you, the world needs you to stop this if you can, or at least try. The future may be in your hands."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other with determination and nodded, sharing a sad smile.

"Where do we begin?"

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End of Part Three: In the Hands of Babes

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