A Future Threatened

A Future Threatened

by Winnie Matthews

* * *

Chapter Eight

The knock came at Susannah's door when she was looking through some books that she had found in the library at the house. She had hoped that maybe one of her grandmother's books might help in trying to figure out where to find the next of the Horcruxes.

Hermione was standing in the door when Susannah turned around and she smiled at the other girl pleasantly. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she said and Susannah cocked an eyebrow, confused. "About doubting you. I mean, you came all this way just to save Harry's life and all you've gotten in return is suspicion and distrust." She paused and then grinned. "Well, except from Harry."

Susannah shrugged. "It's okay, Hermione," she said, as if it didn't matter. But in truth, it did. Especially since she hadn't given them any reason for them not to trust her.

But the look in her aunt's past self startled her. She had never seen that expression on Hermione, not in this time. Not when she was looking at Susannah.

Suddenly, Hermione closed the door and looked around at Susannah, frowning slightly. "Susannah," she began, looking unnerved, "listen, I have to ask you something and I need you to answer with the truth. It's the only thing that will give me peace of mind."

Bewildered as to what she could be wondering, Susannah shrugged. "Okay," she said, not knowing at the time that this would change everything and possibly jeopardise everything.

Watching the younger girl with understanding in her eyes, Hermione asked in a quiet voice in case Ron and Harry had left the kitchen, "Are you Harry and Ginny's daughter?"

* * *

"She just attacked him without reason, Harry, and you're still defending her!" Ron snapped as Harry took a bite of the late supper/early breakfast that Hermione had made. Susannah had declined from eating, saying she wasn't hungry, and went upstairs to do more research. Not long after, Hermione had gone to talk to Susannah.

"Actually, Ron, I think that Jeremy made the first move," Harry said tiredly as he took the plates over to the sink and began to wash them. Personally, he thought that Susannah had ever right to defend herself the way that she did. It wasn't as though she had used an Unforgivable--or even tried to, as he had done on two occasions.

"Not the point," Ron grumbled, looking disgruntled with Harry's argument. "Harry, she attacked my own son, that I just found out that I had, and then she just went off and left him there, without any thought as to whether he might be hurt or not."

"Do you remember how we got away from the dementors?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. Ron hadn't trusted Susannah since she had arrived here and his opinion of her was slowly declining.

Ron actually looked surprised that he had asked that. "What are you talking about?" he wanted to know. "I thought you cast the Patronus Charm to send them off. At least, I was pretty sure--no, actually, I know that I saw the Patronus when we were there."

"Maybe Hermione cast it," Harry said, frowning slightly. Neither one of the girls explained in full what had happened while they were at the shop. In fact, they hadn't explained much of anything that had happened.

"Or maybe Susannah did some Dark Magic that sent them off," Ron said coldly.

Harry wiped his hands on the dishtowel, shaking his head. Whatever else that Susannah might be, Harry thought, she wasn't a Death Eater. Of that, he was certain. But he did want to know who she was. Somehow, he thought that particular knowledge would stop Ron's accusations of her.

* * *

"What?!" Susannah exclaimed, barely able to keep from shouting. But Hermione quickly put a silencing charm on the door before returning her attention to the younger girl, whose green eyes were wide with shock. "What did you say?"

"Are you Harry and Ginny's daughter from the future?" Hermione repeated her question. The girl's face had already answered the question--as well as her reaction--but Hermione needed to hear it from Susannah.

Susannah slowly lowered her eyes and nodded miserably. "Yeah, I am, Auntie," she said weakly and Hermione grinned at hearing that affectionate term used for her. But then her smile disappeared when she remembered the ghost of the boy.

"And the ghost in the shop, Susannah?" she asked. "I saw him. Who was that? The one that you called Sirius? Was he . . .?"

"He was my brother," Susannah said bitterly. "My twin, even though we only found out about each other when we were eleven. He was killed on Voldemort's orders about three months ago," she added, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Susannah and Sirius," Hermione said with a grin, trying to put a light on the conversation. "No wonder Ginny chose those names. They both begin with an 'S.'" Seeing this wasn't helping to improve Susannah's mood, Hermione placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Susannah," she said, "you need to tell your dad who you are."

"No!" Susannah snapped, green eyes blazing with fury, all sorrow gone from her eyes. "No, I'm not telling him, Hermione. And you can't tell him or Ron, I've worked too hard to get to this point. The more people who know, the more chance Voldemort has of finding out who I am. And that's bad news for all of us."

Hermione had to admit that she did have a point. But not telling Harry . . . it seemed wrong. "But I think it might be a dead give away when Ginny gets pregnant with you," she said.

"Ginny is already pregnant with me," Susannah said wryly. "I was conceived at Bill's wedding, the night that Mum lost her virginity to Dad. She should be . . ." She paused, thinking it over. "Oh, about three months pregnant, now, I'd say. She'll go into labour on May 31^st of next year and give birth on June 1^st."

"But wouldn't that make you and Sirius . . . late, then?" Hermione said, doing the quick math in her head.

Susannah grinned and nodded. "It's just like you always say, Aunt Hermione," she said wickedly, "I always come when I want to. That and Sirius wouldn't get out of my way. He was born first."

Hermione chuckled, then shook her head. "As fascinating as this look into the future is, we're getting a little off subject here, young lady," she said, trying to scold her niece a little bit. "Listen, you've got to tell Harry, at the very least. You told me."

Susannah sighed, looking defeated. "Okay, how about this?" she said, a thought striking her. "If you promise not to tell Uncle Ron or Dad about this, I promise that when Dad finds out that Mum is pregnant, I will tell him that I'm his daughter. Can you live with that?"

Hermione considered it. "Seems fair enough," she agreed, sticking out her hand. "All right, it's a deal." Susannah shook her hand. "But if you don't tell him after he finds out, then I will."