Intertwined

    Two years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry Potter wondered what his life would have been like if Voldemort were still alive. Would he have continued fighting? He knew why he had done what he had done, but now all that mattered was getting a good night's rest. He had been out of the spotlight since disappearing into Muggle London several months ago; keeping contact only by Muggle means and almost completely ridding himself of magic. He rationalized this by saying it was to keep his sanity and he would return after he felt secure. Shortly after midnight, Harry sat on the couch and looked for something interesting to watch on the telly. It was not unusual to hear noises outside, he did live in a busy neighborhood after all. The neighbors usually received visitors at this hour and he assumed that the knocking was coming from their door.

     When the knocking didn't go away, he realized that the knocking was coming from his door. Rising from his position and yelling that he was coming, he peered through the door hole, wondering who could be there at this hour. He recognized the top of the head; it was obviously a Weasley by the red hair. When he opened the door, he was pleasantly surprised.

    "Ginny? Is that you? Oh Ginny!"

    "Hello Harry."

    "Wait, how do I know you are who you claim to be?" Harry had become suspicious after Voldemort's defeat, knowing that the remaining Death Eaters were out to get him.

    "I sent you a silly Valentine when you were twelve. I hid from you the whole summer before that. Your godfather is Sirius Black and can turn into a Grim. Your father was an animagus. What else?" A small whine coming from Ginny's direction caused Harry to divert his attention away from the youngest Weasley at his doorstep. It was at that time that he saw the little bundle in Ginny's arms. Shock washed over him and the questions just rolled off his tongue.

    "Where have you been for the last four years? What is that in your arms? Have you even gone to see your family yet? How did you find me? I don't use magic and have wards all around me, how?" he babbled on and on, until Ginny opened her mouth to answer all of his questions.

    "It's late Harry, and I'm exhausted. I'll answer the simple questions now and explain everything to you in the morning. I found you using this," Ginny held up a necklace that Harry had given her for her seventeenth birthday. "Do you remember this?"

    "How could I forget? But that doesn't answer how you found me. I should be unplottable, untraceable, and completely hidden."

    "I'm sorry. You're the first person I thought of going to. You're the only one who would listen to my story without judging me first. I used this necklace to find you. Don't tell me you've given up magic too?"

    "Well, most of it. How much news have you heard in the last four years?"

    "Hold on, I'm getting there. I know most of what has happened, filtered of course, since I've been in New York and since I've left. That's about all I'll tell you about those four years for now. Other than this little bundle of joy: my daughter Cassie. Say hello to Uncle Harry, Cassie." At this, Cassie cooed before falling back to sleep.

    "Who's is she?" Harry asked as politely as he could.

    "Please, Harry, I promise I'll tell you. I was just wondering if you'd allow us a place to sleep for the night. I have everything I need for Cassie and myself in my bag."

    "Gin, it's late. You can stay, but only because I'm too tired to argue with you right now. There's a spare bedroom upstairs on your left. You're welcome to use it for tonight, but we'll see how much longer you can stay after you tell me everything in the morning." Ginny hugged Harry as best as she could and planted him a quick peck on the cheek before heading up the stairs. Harry shook his head and wondered why he had agreed to let her stay here. What had compelled him to say yes? Sure, she was like a little sister to him, but why had she chosen him? She had an extensive family that had grown a bit in the past four years. Maybe it was because she had known that he would be the only one who would react this way. Ginny had an uncanny way of reading his mind and knowing his reactions before they happened.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    The next morning, Ginny woke up and checked on Cassie, before heading downstairs. She was surprised that her little daughter was able to handle it so well, but she knew that it was because Cassie was identical to herself, who handled most situations rationally. When she had reached the kitchen, Harry had already made toast and a pot of coffee.

    "How did you know these were my favorite things?" Ginny asked him.

    "I spent a week in the US. Most of them drink coffee and I figured you would have blended in well. You wouldn't have wanted any of us to find you; you had hid so damn well. What were you hiding from Gin?" he asked, not beating around the bush and wait for Ginny to tell him everything at her own pace. She had promised she would tell in the morning and it was morning now.

    "Where do you want me to start?" Ginny seemed apprehensive at telling this story, she assumed Harry would not want all of the details.

    "The beginning is the best. And don't leave out too many details, after all, I want to be able to understand everything too," he urged, wanting her to start soon. She took a deep breath before beginning.

    "Five years ago, I was just eighteen and fresh out of Hogwarts, when I met him. He was every girls' dream and I was lucky to have landed such a guy. Rich, handsome, but far out of my reach. Circumstances had brought us together and we could not be apart," she paused here, unsure of how to answer what was coming.

    "So who is this amazing mystery guy?"

    "Harry, don't interrupt, let me finish. He was Draco Malfoy." Harry coughed on his coffee and barely swallowed.

    "Draco Malfoy? The Draco Malfoy? The one who cursed your brother and whose father is responsible for the Chamber of Secrets? That Draco Malfoy?" Harry would never be able to understand Ginny's logic, or the way she liked to spring things on people.

    "Yes, Draco Malfoy. We immediately realized that if we wanted to be together we could not live here. He would have become a Death Eater and I would have had to fight him. So we ran. Our families would never have accepted the other in that short amount of time and it didn't matter that we had to leave everything; we've been in hiding for almost four years. We left the day after we were married in the Muggle World with Andromeda and Ted Tonks as our witnesses."

    "Wait, wait, back up a second. It's 'Ginny Malfoy' now? And Andromeda knew and never told your mother? I just don't believe Andromeda to keep such a secret from Nymph either," he muttered to himself when Ginny began again.

    "No, it's Ginny Weasley now. We divorced after a nasty fight, but that will come later. Yes, Andromeda had to keep it a secret. After all, she was our Secret Keeper. We feared for our lives. After we got settled in New York, life moved on and we dealt with as little magic as possible, but of course it was hard for two purebloods to completely rid ourselves of magic. One year into our marriage, we were blessed with a beautiful son, whom we named Orion Arthur Malfoy, after both of our families. Orion was one of Draco's grandfathers; I never remember how many greats it was. Anyways, we raised him fine, agreeing on everything. We chose Blaise Zabini to be Orion's godfather. Life was fine and it didn't matter that we were still in hiding as Voldemort could still come after us. It was only after we learned that Voldemort had been defeated, when our problems began. He and I argued over everything. I wanted to come back so Orion could meet his grandparents. Draco wanted to stay in hiding, with only Andromeda coming to visit, as she continued to do so. Little Cassiopeia Molly Malfoy was born about a year ago, in fact she just celebrated her first birthday two weeks ago. We chose you to be her godfather. Last night was the last straw between Draco and me. That's when I finally decided enough was enough. He'll be returning shortly, I imagine, announcing Orion as the Malfoy heir, while Cassie's name will be changed to Cassandra Molly Weasley. Does that answer your questions?"

    "Most of them. But why me? Why not your parents, as it was obvious they were part of your argument. And why Blaise as Orion's godfather and me as Cassie's?" Harry continued to question Ginny, still confused. There was a lot of information for him to take in at once and he had so many questions still to ask her.

    "Like I said, you're the only one who I trusted enough not to yell at me. I know it was irresponsible of me, but I was in love. I thought love conquered all, but it's not true and here I am. Blaise was chosen in part because he was Draco's most trusted friend and because he was the only one we both could agree on. Draco also knew how much I wanted you to be a godfather to a child, so I hope you'll accept this," she sighed, relieved to tell someone the story. She had kept all of her emotions inside for the last few years.

    "Ginny, I'm honored, but why Andromeda? Your parents would have kept your secret. Even I would have done it for you."

    "But Harry, would you have done it for Draco? Draco didn't, and still doesn't, trust any of my family. I don't trust most of his family, but I would put my life in the hands of Andromeda, as would he. Plus we were living as Muggles in New York. We had to make sure that we found someone who would be able to sneak away to visit us and inform us without drawing attention to herself. Ted and Andromeda were the only relatives Orion and Cassie ever met. But now will be the hard part. Draco and I agreed not to have any contact. I put myself in a difficult position, didn't I?" She cupped her face in her hands and leaned on the table. Harry moved towards her and put his arms around her gently, not knowing how else to handle the situation.

    Screams came from upstairs and snapped Ginny out of her trance. She dashed up, knocking Harry over as her motherly instincts took control. Harry came with her, as he wanted to get a good look at the little girl that was now living with him. At midnight, he was unable to get a close look at her.

    When he walked into the room Ginny stayed in, he saw a transformation from the stuffy old guest room into a playful baby's room. Ginny was singing softly to Cassie, rocking her back and forth. She turned around and offered Cassie to Harry. He reached out for her, his eyes opening wider as he took in Cassie's beauty.

    "Oh Gin, she's a miniature version of you," he said softly. He played with her soft red curls and tickled her, making little Cassie smile.

    "Yes, except for her eyes, exactly like her father's. Just like how you're a miniature version of your father except for your eyes," Ginny said with pride in her eyes. Ginny sat down on the bed she had transfigured as Harry played with Cassie, almost as though Cassie was his own child.

    "One last question," he added, when he began to rock Cassie back and forth to get her to fall asleep. "What's going to happen to you and Cassie now?"

    "First, I'm going to go home and just introduce my daughter, Cassandra Weasley. No one will know her father. If they ask, I'm just going to lie and say I don't even know myself. They're going to ask where I've been and I won't lie about that either. I've been in New York as a Muggle for four years now. That's all they need to know. Harry," Ginny looked at him pleadingly, "you won't tell them, will you?"

    "If it's what you want, then no, I won't tell them. But when Cassie's older she deserves to know the truth. I assume we'll be hearing about the new Head of the Malfoy family and his new heir. You did know that Lucius died just after Voldemort was defeated, right?" he almost couldn't believe that he was agreeing to Ginny's scheme. Lying to his two best friends and also his adopted family? It would be a hard task and he did not know how long he'd be able to keep it up.

    "Draco wanted to attend the funeral. We almost came back, until we heard about the uprising among the remaining Death Eaters. Draco knew no matter how much he wanted to attend the funeral, he couldn't risk my life and Orion's life. Orion's especially now that he was the new Malfoy heir. I was just "Lady Malfoy" now, but Orion inherited millions the moment Lucius died." Ginny was glad that Lucius was dead. Now, he would have no influence over her son, even though she knew that she would not see her son for years, if ever again.

    "How did you survive as a Muggle without any money? I can't imagine the two of you working amongst Muggles, I'm sorry," he laughed as he tired to picture Draco working amongst Muggles. By now Cassie had fallen asleep and Harry put her gently down.

    "Draco made a large withdrawal from Gringotts before we left and had it all converted into dollars, which made us more money than if we had converted it to first pounds and then dollars. We lived comfortably as Muggles, trying not to spend too much because we never knew when we would return to the wizarding world. Let's go downstairs, it's obvious you have more questions and I have a few to ask you," Ginny responded. Both of them headed into the living room, sitting on couches opposite each other. The room was comfortable and had an odd familiarity that Ginny could not place. She kept glancing around trying to figure out where she had seen it last.

    "It's modeled after the Burrow. I have to confess, I have not been a part of the wizarding world much myself. I'm about due for a visit. I'll catch you up a bit on relationships. Most haven't gotten married, they're still waiting I suppose. But Ron and Hermione got married almost immediately after Voldemort was defeated, waiting just enough time to see if your owl would come. They wanted you there Gin, Ron was hurt the most by your disappearance," Harry added with sadness in his voice to echo Ron's own sadness. He fiddled with his thumbs and did not know where else to go. Who else would he have to tell her about? What else didn't she know?

    "I assume you know about Nymph and Charlie, if you've been in touch with Andromeda. Who would have imagined you marrying Nymph's cousin?" The world was full of surprises, he added mentally.

    "Nymph? Is that what she's going by now? Andromeda told us about that, but didn't mention too much. I also know……… about Percy. She only brought the most important news to us, and kept family things to a minimum, knowing that Draco and I only tolerated each other's family slightly." Percy had been killed just before Voldemort's defeat and Ginny was saddened to learn this. Even though she had not spoken to her brother in years, he was still her brother.

    "Yeah, Nymphadora still hates her full name and thinks Dora is too childish and Tonks became too much for her, I guess. Plus I started calling her "Nymph" then Charlie did, and now it's a term of affection for her. Most still call her Tonks though. When was the last time you heard from Andromeda?" he asked, wanting to know how much he would have to tell her. Where were the pictures, he wondered, of the weddings? That would be the best thing to show her.

    "Yesterday, right after Draco and I came out of hiding. She was alone, but Ted probably knows now as well. We let him in, knowing she would not be able to keep a secret from her husband. Are you even connected to the Floo Network?" If he was, she would contact Andromeda right away and let her know she had arrived safely. Andromeda had become a surrogate mother to Ginny while she was in hiding and helped her through both pregnancies and daily life.

    "No. I do have Hedwig though if you need to contact Andromeda, I can see you're worried. It's in your eyes. Does Draco know you came here? and where did he go?"

    "Draco most likely went to Malfoy Manor to greet his mother and introduce the Malfoy heir," Ginny added the last bit with disgust, "and yes, he knows I was going to you if he needed to contact me for any reason, but I doubt it. The argument was not pleasant and I don't think I'll speak to him for years." Harry had leaned back and relaxed as Ginny became more at ease with him.

    "Hedwig's most likely upstairs in the other guest room. Come on, let's write the letter and invite Andromeda and Ted over. But before you do, there's one more thing I have to tell you. Nymph gave birth just over a week ago to a little girl whom they named Lyra. Although there are no more Blacks alive, the tradition still continues," he muttered to himself Harry got up and climbed the stairs, motioning Ginny to follow him.

    "How many guest rooms do you have? Tradition is very important to purebloods, you know that. Draco insisted on naming our children after his mother's parents, Orion and Cassiopeia Black. I liked the names myself." She looked at the Muggle pictures that lined the stairwell and wondered why there were no wizard pictures, when one wizarding photograph caught her eye, "Harry, who are these people, smiling?" It was a wedding picture, but she didn't recognize most of them. They seemed familiar but she couldn't place it.

    "That's my parents' wedding. I have pictures of your brothers' weddings upstairs in my bedroom. Here's a quill and parchment for your letter, I'll leave you be." He moved to walk out of the door, but Ginny grabbed his wrist. "Wait. Stay, Harry, please."

    Ginny sent the letter off with Hedwig but had no idea how to even begin to talk to her own family. Maybe just showing up would be the best. What would her mother say? She began to pace back and forth. What about her brothers? How would they react to little Cassie? Cassie was now her entire life. One day, and already she missed Orion horribly. How would she be able to deal with the fact that she couldn't be there for all of Orion's life? She sat down on the bare floor and cried, not realizing Harry was still there.

    Harry moved over and wrapped his arms around her while she laid her head down on his shoulder. He added, "Gin, I'll be here for you as long as you need me to be." They sat there and only moved when Cassie cried.