Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Ginny Weasley
Genres:
General
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:
Published: 08/05/2003
Updated: 09/12/2004
Words: 181,356
Chapters: 34
Hits: 75,719

Broken Fate

Qwi_Xux

Story Summary:
In a future world ruled by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the next generation travels back in time in an attempt to change fate. SPOILER WARNING: Takes place after Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 22

Chapter Summary:
The future: where Voldemort and his Death Eaters rule. In a desperate act, the children of the Trio, Ginny, and Neville travel back in time in an attempt to stop their future from becoming a reality. (H/G, R/Hr)
Posted:
04/04/2004
Hits:
1,879
Author's Note:
Thanks so much to


Chapter Twenty-Two ~ A Change of Plans

"The spy has to be someone in the Order. Only the people here know who you are, Jamie." Shay stood in front of the Christmas tree with his arms crossed. Will could tell that while Shay sounded angry, he was mostly just worried. Very worried--though he doubted anyone who didn't know Shay as well as he did would notice.

Jamie looked over at him from her position on the floor, where she was leaning against the wall. "That doesn't explain why Voldemort doesn't know about you and Will, then! If someone in the Order is giving him information, wouldn't Voldemort have been told about all of us?"

"I don't know!"

"Listen, however Voldemort learned Jamie's identity, there's nothing we can do about it now," Will said reasonably. "We have to move forward and figure out where to go from here."

"Well, she certainly can't stay here!" Shay snapped. "If Voldemort has his Death Eaters out looking for Jamie, we can't take that chance. What if one of the Order is working for Voldemort and decides to nab her?"

"Wouldn't they have done that already?" Jamie asked.

"I doubt it. You haven't been alone at all during the holidays. But once we all go back to Hogwarts, there's no telling what might happen. You can't trust anybody," Shay said.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Jamie asked.

Will thought that both of them had a point. Shay was right; Jamie couldn't be left alone, but... "Shay, there are some people we can trust. The Weasleys...Remus..."

"Look, this isn't just about me. My mother's in danger now, too, all because of me," Jamie put in.

The sound of someone clearing their throat came from the doorway, and all three whirled to see Harry and Ginny standing at the entrance to the room. "It's not your fault, Jamie." Ginny said, stepping into the room.

Will's jaw almost dropped when he saw that Harry and Ginny's hands were entwined, and he heard Jamie draw a sharp breath.

"Jamie," Ginny said, ignoring their looks, "none of this is your fault. You're not making You--Voldemort--come after me, or after you. We both just have to be careful."

Shay snorted. "Easy enough to say." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Until we find out how Voldemort learned about this whole situation with you three--" he nodded at Harry, Ginny, and Jamie "--you can't be sure you're being careful."

Jamie took a deep breath and said, "I should...I should leave. I could probably find somewhere to hide...you know, not tell anyone where I am. I could..." Jamie trailed off miserably.

Will understood what she was feeling. She was tired of hiding in the shadows, tired of running... She had just found a place to belong, and she didn't want that ripped away from her.

Shay frowned. "That won't solve anything."

"It would temporarily!" Jamie said. "It would get me away from...from where I could hurt anyone."

Shay snorted. "That's stupid, Jamie. You'd be in more danger if you just ran off by yourself."

"What did Dumbledore suggest?" Harry spoke up.

Shay shook his head before Jamie could answer. "Dumbledore can't keep her safe," he snapped. "He was dead in the future, if you'll remember. He couldn't even keep himself safe!"

"He's alive now, though," Harry spoke up. "I mean--"

"You, of all people, can't tell me that Dumbledore can protect Jamie," Shay cut him off. "How many times did Ron and Hermione tell us the stories about what happened to you during your school years? Did Dumbledore protect you from Quirrell? No. Did he protect you--either of you--" Shay motioned to Harry and Ginny "--from Tom Riddle? How about from--"

"Dumbledore's not omnipotent," Ginny interrupted. "But he is a very powerful, very wise wizard, and he deserves to be treated as such. You can't blame him for the things that have happened to Harry--or me, for that matter."

"You're telling me to trust someone who didn't notice that you were being possessed for nearly a year?" Shay asked Ginny.

Ginny drew back sharply, and Jamie snapped, "Seamus!"

"Leave Ginny alone," Harry grated out. "Dumbledore has always come through for us--he's made mistakes, yes, but show me someone who hasn't!"

"Look, we'll deal with this," Shay said angrily. "You just worry about yourselves. This is none of your business. You--"

"It is my business! She's my family!" Harry said, jabbing his finger in Jamie's direction.

"She might be your blood, but you were never there for her!" Shay shouted. "You can't--"

"STOP IT!" Jamie jumped to her feet. "Stop it, stop it! This is my problem, and I'll deal with it!" She turned and ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Shay looked ready to storm after her, and Will quickly stood to his feet. "I'll go talk to her." He left the room before anyone could argue, following Jamie up the stairs. He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced over his shoulder to see Ginny climbing the stairs. "Is it all right if I come with you?" she asked quietly. "I'd like to talk to her for a moment."

Will studied her for a moment, then nodded. They found Jamie in her room. Ginny pushed the door open, and she and Will walked in. Hermione was still asleep, her covers pulled up over her shoulders. Molly's bed was empty. Jamie was at the bottom of her bed, throwing clothes into her open trunk.

"James?" Will asked cautiously, trying to keep quiet so he wouldn't wake Hermione. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving!" Jamie hissed furiously. "I'm leaving! I'm not going to put anyone else in danger! I'll go somewhere Voldemort can't find me, I'll--"

To Will's great surprise, Ginny burst out laughing. Hermione didn't even stir. Ginny walked forward, and Jamie stopped what she was doing, looking startled. Ginny reached into Jamie's trunk and pulled out a handful of clothes, a smile on her face. "Sometimes I think you and Harry have far too much in common."

"What...what do you mean?" Jamie asked falteringly.

"I mean that you both have this guilty conscience, where you think everything is always your fault. 'I did this, I caused that, if I hadn't been there, if I had made this choice instead of that one...' Did you know that last Christmas Harry almost ran off because he wanted to 'protect' us? He might not even realize I know about it, but I do. He was afraid he was being possessed by You-K...by Voldemort, and he wanted to run away to save us."

Will certainly hadn't known this. "He did?" he and Jamie asked together.

Ginny sat on Jamie's bed. "Yes, he did. He wasn't being possessed, of course, but the fear was enough to make him think he had to leave." She motioned Jamie to sit down beside her, and Jamie slowly sat. "This isn't your fault, Jamie. You being here doesn't make this your fault. And it's not just your problem to deal with alone. You have friends and family to stand with you and help you face this."

Jamie's shoulders sagged. "I don't want to leave," she said miserably. "I mean, I don't mind leaving Grimmauld Place, but I don't want to leave your parents, or Molly, or..."

"I know. And we'll try to help you work something out."

"I'm sorry about what Shay said. He's just worried, and he lashes out when he's upset."

"I've noticed," Ginny said drily. "It's all right, Jamie. I was just surprised by what he said--I'm not used to having my possession by Voldemort thrown in my face. But I can see his point of view." She stood up and placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Don't run off, all right? We'll work something out--both of us, because I have some things I'm going to have to deal with, too."

"G-Ginny," Jamie's shaky voice stopped Ginny on her way to the door.

"Yes?"

"Are you and...you and Harry...you know? A couple?"

Ginny gave a rather amazed smile, and when she spoke, her voice was happier than Will had ever heard it. "Yes." Still smiling, she walked out the door.

Jamie sighed and turned to Will. "What am I supposed to do, Will?"

"Wait to talk to Dumbledore--he said he might have some suggestions for you later."

Jamie nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I hope they're good suggestions."

Will squeezed her shoulder. "We'll come up with something, James." He paused. "Will you be all right? I'm going to go find Molly."

Jamie nodded, and Will left her in the room and went back downstairs. Shay and Harry weren't yelling at each other anymore, which was a plus. In fact, Shay was nowhere to be found. Harry was sitting on the couch with Ginny, and they were talking quietly. Will left them alone and went to see if he could find Molly.

He located her at the kitchen table, eating porridge that someone--presumably Remus, since he was the only other person in the kitchen--had made for her. "Morning," Will said.

"Good morning, Will. Would you like some porridge?"

"Sure." Will retrieved a bowl of food and sat down across from Molly. She was coloring with her new markers, and as soon as Will sat down, she pushed two finished drawings across the table to him.

Will picked them up and looked at them. They were both pictures of Kreacher--which didn't surprise him. "Moll, have you been following Kreacher around again?" Will asked, half to himself.

"She was," Remus said. "I had to coax her out of the boiler cupboard. Kreacher was having fits that she was in his 'bedroom.'"

Molly pushed the drawing she had just finished coloring over to him. He looked at it. Sure enough, it was her rendition of Kreacher. He looked at them again. In all three pictures, she had made his hand a gray circle. Raising his eyebrows, he passed them back to Molly. "These are very interesting, Molly," he told her honestly. "Why don't you finish your porridge?"

"P-p-porridge?" someone yawned. Will glanced over to see Tonks stumbling into the kitchen.

"You're up awfully early," Remus said from over near the stove, where he was preparing a pan of eggs.

"Didn't go to...s-sleep," Tonks yawned again. She grabbed a bowl out of the pantry and headed for the stove. "Duty. Order. All night," she mumbled. As she was walking to the stove, she tripped. She caught herself on the edge of the counter, but the bowl went flying and shattered on the ground. "Oops. Reparo."

Remus chuckled. "Go sit down, Nymphadora," he said.

"I told you not to call me that," Tonks said, in a tone of voice that led Will to believe this was a common debate. She turned and headed for the table, plunking down beside Will.

Shortly after arriving in Grimmauld Place, Will had sought out Tonks to apologize for breaking her undercover operation with Voldemort. He hadn't been sure if she would be angry now that she knew the truth, but to his surprise, she had only grinned at him. "From everything Dumbledore told me, blowing my cover might have saved my life. Hearing that in the future, I had disappeared--killed by Voldemort, no doubt--and been accused of murdering Albus Dumbledore...well, it wasn't quite what I'd envisioned my future being like." Her face had taken on a more serious look and she said, "Now, I realize you could have gone about things differently, so that my cover wouldn't have been blown...but I understand why you did it the way you did. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same in your place. Don't think on it a bit more, all right?" She had always been very friendly to him, which he was grateful for.

"Don't get any ideas," she told him now, a grin on her face. "He's the only one who gets away with calling me that. And that's only because he met me when I was five, and I couldn't argue with being called Nymphadora then."

"Don't believe her," Remus said. "She could argue just fine."

Will blinked as the image a five-year-old with spiky pink hair came to mind. "I didn't know you two had known each other that long."

"Well, I only met her a couple of times, when Sirius took us along to visit his Aunt Andromeda," Remus said, dumping some of the eggs onto a plate. "And I saw her again at James' and Lily's wedding, when she was...what? Seven? Eight?"

"Seven and a half," Tonks confirmed. "I was the flower girl."

Will blinked again. "I didn't realize you had ever met Harry's parents."

"Oh, yes. James and Sirius liked to throw me back and forth to each other through the air. My mother just loved that," Tonks said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, they only dropped you once," Remus pointed out, ladling out a bowl of porridge.

"Twice. You were only there once. I think that's why I ended up being so clumsy," Tonks said consideringly. "I hit my head a wee bit too hard on the falls."

Remus laughed, plopping the bowl of porridge and plate of eggs on the table in front of Tonks. She yawned her thanks, and dug into the food. The doorbell rang, and Remus frowned, moving toward the hallway, but Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from down the hall. "I've got it!"

Remus brought a plate of eggs and a bowl of porridge over to the table and sat down. He and Tonks engaged in a lively conversation, but Will only paid it half a mind, the other half fixed on the predicament unfolding in the Order. His thoughts--and Tonks' and Remus' conversation--was cut off when Mrs. Weasley's loud voice echoed through the house. "TWO MONTHS? TWO MONTHS?"

Tonks winced. "Somebody's in trouble. Glad it's not me."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO REACT WHEN MY SON TELLS ME HE'S BEEN MARRIED FOR TWO MONTHS--OH, FINE THEN, A MONTH AND A HALF!?"

Will froze with a bite of porridge halfway to his mouth. One of the Weasleys had gotten married? But...in the original timeline, Bill had been the first to get married...and Ron was the only other boy to marry; everyone else had died or disappeared before they had the chance...

"MUM!" the voice that shouted in response belonged to either Fred or George. "I SAID CALM DOWN!"

"AND I SAID DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, FRED WEASLEY! YOU TWO! KITCHEN! NOW!" Mrs. Weasley's voice got louder, and a moment later, her red face appeared in the doorway. Trailing behind her was a nonchalant-looking Fred, and a very nervous-looking Angelina. Mrs. Weasley didn't even acknowledge those sitting at the table; she simply pointed an angry finger at two stools and snapped, "Sit." Fred remained standing, but Angelina immediately sat, holding tightly to Fred's hand.

Molly quickly slid off of her seat, ran over to Will, and climbed into his lap. He held her, wondering if he should get up and leave the room, but very curious as to what was going on. He finally decided to stay where he was.

"Explain," Mrs. Weasley said in a tightly-controlled voice. "Now."

"Well, Mum, it's like this," Fred said evenly. "Remember when the Quidditch stadium in France was blown up?"

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"Well, Angelina was supposed to be at that match, but she went to Hogwarts to watch their first game instead. She had written to tell me she was going to the match, but never wrote to tell me she'd changed her mind."

Angelina nodded and chimed in, "So when it was attacked, Fred thought I had been there." She drew a deep breath. "When he found out I was alive, he...he told me that it had taken that to make him realize how much he didn't want to lose me."

Despite herself, Mrs. Weasley's face softened a bit, and Will was a bit surprised. It was strange to hear about Fred being so serious...

"So he asked me to marry him..."

"Let me guess. He convinced you to elope with him, because he didn't want to wait," Mrs. Weasley said waspishly

"Pretty much," Angelina admitted. "I didn't care about having a big wedding and inviting a lot of people, honestly. I was worried about you, and the rest of the family, but Fred convinced me...so we married mid-November, and I wanted to tell you right away..."

"But the Appleby Arrows--Angelina's team--had to go on tour right after we married. I went with her, and we wanted to tell you in person, so we decided to tell you as soon as she was back in Britain...I spent a lot of time on tour with her, while George and Lee manned the joke shop. I came back here for the first part of Christmas, then Apparated to Germany to spend the other half with Angelina," Fred said. "This is the first chance we've both been here, together."

Mrs. Weasley planted her hands on her hips, glared at Fred and Angelina, and finally sighed. "You should have told me earlier," she said, sounding very disapproving. "I don't know what you were thinking! Eloping! I mean--"

"It was my fault," Fred said cheerfully.

Angelina hit him on the arm. "It's not all your fault. I agreed, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I can't help it that you lose your mind when I'm around," Fred replied. "Natural Weasley charm, you know."

Angelina rolled her eyes, then looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner, Molly."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "I should have expected that Fred wouldn't do anything normal in his life." She frowned. "But you're at Grimmauld Place," she said to Angelina, as if just realizing it. "That means..."

Angelina nodded. "I was actually told about the Order--and joined it--before Fred and I married. Fred approached Dumbledore about telling me because if we were going to marry, then--"

"Dumbledore knew you were going to marry?" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

Fred coughed slightly. "Actually, Mum...he officiated the wedding."

"WHAT? And he didn't--" Mrs. Weasley cut herself off and closed her eyes tightly. She opened them and managed a smile. "Angelina, dear, I truly am happy to have you as a daughter, please don't think otherwise. It will just take me a bit to get used to...this."

"I understand. And thank you, Molly." Angelina shifted nervously. "Um, there's more."

Mrs. Weasley's expression turned dangerous again. "More?"

Fred and Angelina exchanged glances, and then Fred said, "Angelina's pregnant."

Will's mouth dropped open, and he stared from Fred to Angelina and back.

"PREGNANT?" Mrs. Weasley's yelled, sounding more shocked than anything. Angelina winced, and Fred nodded. "FRED WEASLEY! How could you--I mean, that is--how do you expect to--how can you be a father?"

"Well, Mum, when two people fall in love--"

"Fred!" Angelina interrupted, an appalled look on her dark face.

"You--I--" Mrs. Weasley closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, then pinned Angelina with her stare. "And you're playing Quidditch in your condition?"

"No, Mum. She just found out, and she's taken a leave from the Arrows until after the baby's born," Fred said.

Mrs. Weasley stared at Fred and Angelina for a moment. "Just wait until your father hears about this!" she snapped. "Married! Pregnant!" She whirled and bustled over to the stove, banging pots and pans around. She finally turned again, pinned Angelina with a stare, and said, "How are you feeling?"

Angelina looked surprised at the question. "Um...fine. A little tired, I mean, and rather queasy, but nothing I can't handle. Though I admit that the eggs in the kitchen smell horrid."

An almost sympathetic look crossed Mrs. Weasley's face. "Come along, then, and we'll move to the sitting room to talk. I'll make you a cup of tea, all right?"

Angelina nodded, and she and Fred headed out of the kitchen. Will heard Fred whisper, "I told you, Ange. She'll get over it, and besides, she'll be thrilled to have a baby around again."

Will watched them go, his mind full of thoughts. Jamie was the only living cousin he had ever known; there had been one other Weasley child born, to Bill and Fleur. The baby--a little girl--had been murdered when she was only a year old, and Will hadn't been born until years later. Ironically, the little girl had been Shay's cousin as well, through Fleur.

Feeling a headache coming on, Will pushed thoughts of Fred and Angelina out of his mind and picked at his porridge.

~*~

Jamie remained alone in her bedroom for the remainder of the morning. Hermione came upstairs to check on her when she learned what was going on. Jamie appreciated it, but she felt the need to be alone at the moment. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with the situation she had been placed in, and it was frustrating.

Her solitude was interrupted when the door burst open and Shay stormed in, slamming the door shut behind himself. She started to open her mouth to protest his entrance when he slapped a newspaper into her hand. He held a second newspaper, but didn't give that one to her.

Feeling suddenly very nervous, Jamie looked down at the paper--the Evening Prophet, which had come out last night. Her jaw dropped when she saw the headline on the front page.

THE SECRET WORLD OF HARRY POTTER: FUTURE FATHER?

When we think of Harry Potter, we think many things, writes Rita Skeeter,

special correspondent. The Boy-Who-Lived has been through much in his short life--

the death of his parents, being slandered because no one believed his tale of You-

Know-Who's return, and now, the biggest twist of all.

Last night, new information came in that there is a girl who has traveled back

to this time from an unknown year. Her name is Jamie Potter, future daughter to

our much-loved and celebrated Harry Potter. According to this information,

Miss Jamie Potter's mother is none other than Ginny Weasley, daughter of

Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

On top of that, reliable sources have confirmed that on August second of

this year, an unauthorized Time-Turner was used. The Ministry of Magic

did its best to cover this up, as the perpetrator of this crime was never

found...perhaps until now.

Jamie Potter has apparently been staying with her parents over Christmas

holidays, but it is unknown where she has been residing these past five months.

The article continued, talking more about Harry and Ginny and their relationship--which was embellished a great deal, and was way out of proportion. It made Jamie flush to read it, and she wondered with mortification if Harry and Ginny had read this article yet. She looked up at Shay, horrified. "How could..."

"Here," Shay said through gritted teeth, giving her the second newspaper.

Jamie wasn't sure she wanted to open it. She gingerly flipped open the paper and stared in disbelief at the front page of this morning's Daily Prophet. A full-colored drawing of her face took up half the page, and the other half was taken up with an article labled: JAMIE POTTER: ALL THE FACTS. Jamie quickly read the article; apparently, the Prophet had drawn her picture after talking to Stan Shunpike. "I saw 'er on the Knight Bus last August, and told 'er she looked just like 'arry Potter, didn't I, Ern? When I saw the Evening Prophet las' night--well, I knew she 'ad to be 'arry's daughter!" The article also said that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had confirmed her existence. "I'm sorry, but this is a very delicate matter. I'm not at liberty to divulge too much information. Rest assured that Ms. Potter is in very capable hands."

Jamie shook her head, clutching the newspapers tightly in her hand. "How...how does Minister Fudge know that I'm here?"

"Ask Dumbledore," Shay said through gritted teeth. "He's downstairs, and would like to talk to you. He told us that after seeing last night's article, Fudge contacted Dumbledore asking for confirmation of this rumor. Apparently your uncle Percy told Fudge that it was true. Dumbledore said he had no choice but to tell the Minister the truth."

Jamie winced. "However the Prophet got this information...it has to be the same person who's spying on the Order...this newspaper doesn't make any mention of you or Will or Molly..." She still didn't understand how Voldemort could know about her, but not any of the others. "Dumbledore didn't tell Fudge about the rest of you, did he?"

"No." Shay's tone of voice suggested that was the only smart thing Dumbledore had done.

Jamie bit her lip, trying to sort all of this information out. "Rita Skeeter...that name sounds familiar."

"She was the reporter that can turn into a bug," Shay said, his eyes still sparking. "Remember? Hermione blackmailed her for a year..."

"Oh, yeah. I think I remember something about that," Jamie said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Well, she couldn't have turned into a bug and sneaked into the house. She doesn't have access...does she?"

"No. I asked."

Jamie studied Shay for a moment. He was positively ready to explode. "Well..." She couldn't think of anything to say. I'm sorry? She folded the newspaper up and clutched it tightly. "Well...I suppose it doesn't matter where I go now, does it? Everyone knows about me anyway." She cleared her throat. "I...I guess I should go talk to Dumbledore..."

"Dumbledore. Yeah. Some help he's been!"

"Shay, he's doing his best!" Jamie said.

"Well, it looks like his best isn't good enough!" Shay snapped. "Otherwise the Order wouldn't be in danger, would it?"

Jamie pressed a hand against her forehead. "Shay, I'm not going to get in an argument with you right now. We can talk about this later. Right now, I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can get some of this sorted out." Still holding the newspapers, she quickly headed for the door.

Shay, tight-lipped, followed her. "This discussion isn't over, Jamie."

"No, it's not," Jamie replied, beginning to feel rather irritated. All right, so this was partly her fault--Stan Shunpike had seen her, after all--but she wasn't the one betraying information to the Order! "It's never over with you, is it?"

Shay grabbed her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks before she could open the bedroom door. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Jamie sighed and met his eyes. "It means that you are going to go over and over this and beat it to death, and there's absolutely no point in that, because we can't change what's happened!"

"If Dumbledore--"

"This isn't Dumbledore's fault, either," Jamie interrupted. "Stop passing blame around, Shay. There's a leak in the Order, and that's how this happened. So Dumbledore hasn't been able to track the leak yet. Neither has anyone else! Ginny said it--he's not omnipotent! You're doing the same thing that you do with--" Realizing she was getting herself into the argument she had wanted to stay away from, she fell silent.

"I'm doing the same thing that I do with what?" Shay demanded.

"Nevermind. I'm going to talk to Dumbledore." She tugged on her arm, but Shay didn't let go.

"No; you tell me what it is you think I'm doing this time. Because it's always something, isn't it, Jamie? I'm always doing something that's not good enough for Jamie Potter."

That comment stung, and Jamie stared at Shay in disbelief. "Shay, you know that's not true."

"Oh, really? You certainly think I'm--"

"I think you're being angry with everyone and everything!" Jamie cut him off in a loud voice. "That's what it always is with you, Shay! Something goes wrong, you're angry. Someone messes up, and it's their fault, you can't ever forgive them."

"That's a bunch of--"

"It is not. You're doing it right now, with Dumbledore, and he didn't even do anything wrong! You can't ever let anything go, can you, Shay? You don't do it with Will and me as much, but you do it with everyone else! Like this morning, when you were fighting with Harry about Dumbledore--you told Harry that he might be my blood, but that he was never there for me. What does that tell you?"

"That it was the truth," Shay gritted out. "Your dad got himself killed on a suicide mission, and your mum went right along with him! It was all well and good for them, but they never watched anything you went through because of it! They never saw you hurt because you didn't have parents! They--"

"They were trying to save the world, Shay," Jamie said, her eyes stinging with tears. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt like crying, except that she suddenly felt she saw Shay with a crystal-clear understanding. "I knew that. I didn't understand it until I got older, and then I had to accept it. They loved me, and that's why they did what they did. They didn't want me to be in danger anymore."

"Hell of a lot of good it did," Shay said bitterly.

"Your father did the same for you," Jamie said quietly. She braced herself, knowing the reaction that would cause, but also knowing it had to be said.

Shay dropped her arm, his face hardening and his eyes boring into her. "That isn't your business."

"Oh? You mean that you can worry about what my father did and didn't do, but I can't worry about yours?"

"I don't want to talk about this!" Shay snapped, reaching for the door handle.

Jamie stepped in front of the door to block him. "You have to talk about it sooner or later."

"No, I don't! Now move!"

"No." Jamie stubbornly met Shay's furious glare.

"Jamie, so help me--"

"What? Are you going to curse me?" Jamie asked defiantly.

"Damn it, Jamie! Move!"

"No! This is about your father, Shay. It always has been...at least, that's what it's rooted in. You have to face that."

"No, I don't!" Shay shouted.

"Then when, Shay?" Jamie demanded, her own voice raised. "When are you going to deal with this? It's been too long already! You've been carrying this your entire life! I know; I was there! I saw it! I remember the day your mother died--"

"Shut up, Jamie!"

"--you didn't cry at all. You looked so angry. You didn't say a word all day. But something happened that day, Shay. You closed yourself off to the rest of the world. You hid."

"I did not HIDE!"

"Yes, you did!" Jamie retorted. "You're still hiding! You refuse to have anything to do with Neville Longbottom, because you blame your dad for your mum's death! You think that if he had been with your mum instead of out trying to save the world, he would have been there to help your mum later on!"

"She was all alone!" Shay raged. "He went out to go protect everyone else, and he died! He was never there for her, and she needed him! That's what I saw, Jamie! I saw her holding his picture and crying; I saw her being lonely and in pain; I saw her continuing to fight to protect me and to make sure what he died for wasn't in vain, but it all failed anyway! His death was for nothing, and all it did was rip my mother's heart in shreds! And yes, maybe if he had been there for her, she wouldn't have died!"

Jamie was more than a little surprised by Shay's tirade, but at the same time, she knew what Shay was feeling; she had felt it before, too. Shay needed to say this; had needed to say it for a long, long time.

"So if you want to pour out your heart to your parents, that's your prerogative, but there's no point in it! They both want to become Aurors, Jamie, haven't you heard them? Harry still has to fight Voldemort; if you want to throw your heart at them and get it crushed again, I can't stop you, but I'm damn well not going to stand by and silently watch it happen! And I'm not going to go through that again!"

Jamie reached for Shay and caught his arm. "So what?" she asked, much more quietly. "You're just going to distance yourself from everybody, and try to convince me to do the same?"

"Getting close will only get you hurt."

"Yes, maybe," Jamie agreed. "Maybe Harry will fight Voldemort in this time and lose." Even the thought of that hurt, but she couldn't let it stop her. "But things might be different--didn't we come here to ensure just that? I can't spend my life cut off from everyone, Shay. Maybe it would be safe, emotionally, but it wouldn't change what happens to Harry and Ginny. And if I did, I would miss out on everything else--I would miss out on the love and acceptance, and the friendship and the conversations and...and it's a risk. Life is a risk, but if you retreat from the world, you're going to be so lonely."

"I've been fine so far." Shay pulled his arm out of Jamie's grasp and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You've had friends. You have me and Will, and I think that's kept you from being completely alone, but what if something happens to us? What if--"

"It won't."

"You don't know that. What if I die, Shay? Are you going to turn your back on everyone for the rest of your life?"

"You're not going to die!" Shay yelled.

"Says who? You? I don't want to die, Shay, but death comes to everyone eventually! That's life! It hurts, but it happens! You know that as well as I do! And if something does happen to me--or to Will, or to both of us--I couldn't stand the thought of you pushing everyone away for the rest of your life! You already push me away sometimes, and I'm your best friend!"

For a moment, Jamie was sure Shay was going to hex her; he looked that furious.
But all he said, through gritted teeth, is, "Are you quite finished talking now?"

Jamie felt a sense of defeat; Shay was retreating into himself again. She couldn't let it end like this, though. She sat down on the floor in front of the door. "No."

Shay threw up his hands in exasperation. "What do you want, Jamie!?"

The question gave her pause. What did she want? She considered carefully, and then said, "I just want you."

The answer seemed to throw Shay, and he said, "What?"

"I just want you," Jamie repeated. "I want you to be you, without the mask you try to wear, without the fortress you keep up...I want you to see what an amazing opportunity we've been given--our pasts are remembered, but they're not here. You have the chance to get to know both of your parents--even if Gabrielle doesn't know who you are--and...well, how can you pass that up? Nothing will replace the mother you knew, but she doesn't have to be a replacement; just get to know her as the little kid she is now. You don't know what Gabrielle--or Neville, for that matter--will become, and the same goes for me. I don't know what Harry and Ginny will become--I don't know for sure that they'll get married, even though they're together now. But at least I'm taking what time I've been given and I'm getting to know them. And Shay--I know you. I know you better than anyone, and I know that you're unhappy. You've been dealing with a lot the last few months--Neville, Draco, trying to live a 'normal' student's life--and you're still holding onto everything we've left behind. I did that with Remus, and it didn't work. It took talking to him to realize how incredible this whole experience is--it's like I said at Christmas. We have a second chance. Can't you see what that means?"

To Jamie's further surprise, instead of looking murderous, Shay looked quite taken aback by her answer. He clenched his jaw and rubbed a hand across his forehead. "It means that we might have to go through all of our pasts again."

Jamie took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded. "It's a possibility. But isn't it also a possibility that we might get to see a whole new future take place? I mean, that's why we came back; you have to believe it's possible."

Shay simply looked at her, and then he sighed. "Yes, I thought it was possible--it was the only chance we had."

"Then give it a chance, Shay," Jamie pleaded. "Please. Just give it a chance."

They locked gazes, and finally Shay gave a brief nod. "I can't promise anything. But I'll try."

Jamie held out her hand, and Shay took it and pulled her to her feet. She gave it a squeeze before she let go. "That's all I can ask."

~*~

"Any idea what they're talking about in there?" Ron muttered to Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "I haven't seen Shay come bursting out in a rage, so it can't be too terrible."

"He looked kind of funny when he and Jamie came downstairs. I wonder what they were yelling about."

Hermione shrugged again, though she was bit curious, too. No one had dared go upstairs to interrupt the muffled shouting that was coming from the girls' room, and Will had said it was a bad idea anyway. "They'll work it out. They always do, and they come off better for it in the end. Trust me." When they came downstairs, Jamie had looked very calm for someone who had just been in a shouting match, and Shay had looked...strange.

"It's not fair that Harry and Ginny get to be privy to this whole conversation with Dumbledore, and we're stuck waiting out here," Ron moped.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, it concerns Harry and Ginny. Didn't you see the articles in the Prophet?" She tried to keep her anger in check--anger at Rita Skeeter, who was technically following the terms Hermione had set at the end of her fourth year. Rita had kept her quill to herself for a whole year--save for the interview with Harry that Hermione had requested. Hermione had hoped that would have taught Rita Skeeter a lesson, but apparently, some people never changed.

"Yes, but it concerns us, too! Jamie was our niece in the future! We raised her, didn't we?"

"Ron, be patient. They'll be out shortly."

"I can't believe all those things that Skeeter hag wrote about Harry and Ginny," Ron said, squeezing his hands into fists. "I mean--"

"I know what you mean, Ron," Hermione cut him off. He had been over this several times, and he had only succeeded in getting himself worked up about the situation. She wasn't surprised; Ron had always been protective of Ginny, despite his typical brotherly teasing. She would never forget the look on his face when he had seen Harry and Ginny holding hands earlier. She had reminded him--quite forcibly--that he had been subtley encouraging the two of them to get together since the end of their fifth year.

"But...it's different!" Ron had protested.

"Why? Because they're actually together now?"

"Yes!"

Ron, Hermione had decided, made no sense sometimes. Just a little while ago, Ginny had whispered to Hermione, Ginny had said that she was sure Ron was going to give Harry his 'touch my sister and die' mantra.

"I--" Ron stopped and stood up when the door to the study opened, and Will, Shay, Jamie, Harry, and Ginny emerged. Moments later, Dumbledore followed. He smiled at Ron and Hermione, and then swept out of the room.

"Well?" Ron demanded. "What's going on?"

The others exchanged glances, and then Ginny said, "Jamie's coming to Hogwarts."

Ron's mouth dropped open, and Hermione blinked. "Really?"

Jamie nodded. "We decided that it would be best--Dumbledore said people would be able to keep a closer eye on me if I go to Hogwarts, and since the wizarding world already knows I exist..." She half-smiled.

"It's risky," Harry sighed, absently running his thumb over Ginny's fingers. It still took Hermione aback that Harry and Ginny seemed so comfortable with their new relationship--but at the same time, it seemed so right. "Hogwarts hasn't always been the safest place for us, and it's where Dumbledore died in the original timeline. But I don't think Grimmauld Place is any safer. I'll feel better having her at Hogwarts."

"What about Will and Shay?" Hermione asked, looking back and forth between them.

"We'll still be Will Warren and Shay Long. No one needs to find out we have any connection to the future. People at Hogwarts already know I'm friends with all of you, and they know Shay's friends with me," Will explained. "So..."

"We don't really know what will happen if I go to Hogwarts, but that's kind of the point," Jamie said. "We don't know what will happen if I were to stay here, or go into hiding somewhere else...and I don't want to go into hiding. I'm so tired of sitting around and doing nothing just because I look like Harry."

"Funny...I feel that way too, sometimes," Harry muttered. "It'll be a lot worse at Hogwarts, Jamie--as far as facing the public, I mean."

"I know," Jamie said bracingly. "It's all right. I'll manage."

"Say, did you have to deal with that while you were growing up? The whole 'being Harry Potter's daughter' thing?" Ron asked curiously.

Jamie shook her head. "My...our parents did their best to hide us from Voldemort and his group... That's why the Death Eaters who...um...killed Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione didn't go searching the house for us...they didn't know we existed."

Hermione felt a pang as she realized yet again what Jamie, Will, Shay, and Molly had been through.

"Well, prepare yourself," Harry said with a short laugh. "You're about to enter an entirely different world."


Author notes: Well, Shay and Jamie did it again--took control of the story to have conversations that weren't supposed to be there, that is. The scene between them was NOT supposed to go like that, and at the end of it, I found myself wondering how in the world Shay's issues with Neville got worked into it, but hey...it's what happened, so I thought it best to leave it there. Especially as Shay finally seemed to be making a tiny bit of progress on some of his issues.

Next chapter, we get back to Hogwarts...and further the plot to work our way toward the end of this story...