| Firecrab
Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: melbourne
Posts: 887
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Chapter Eighteen
“What?” Harry said “But then she’d – she’d be” no there were times when it could skip, but it was almost impossible if one of your parents was magical.
She stood up “I’ve been away from our world for a long time Harry, I took Sophia to America to get away from it all before - before it got too much, she’s not magical at all, I don’t use it – she doesn’t know about that world, the war, the pain the problems magic has caused me. I met her step father there, we married and came back, I knew I didn’t want to come back into your world, there was too much lost – but I never tracked him down, I didn’t want to tell him, we’re happy”
“You can’t deny what you are for ever”
“You don’t know me”
“I know what you are, your own daughter doesn’t”
“I’m not a witch, that part of me is dead”
“What’s your name?”
“Wendy Davis”
“What’s your real name?”
“Gwendolyn Whyte”
“Black and Whyte” Harry muttered
“He made that joke too” she said with a small smile,
“You’re a witch Gwendolyn Whyte and you can’t deny that – how did Sophia end up a squib?”
“Don’t call her that, she’s normal, not being magical is normal”
“You sound like my Aunt”
“And”
“I hate my Aunt”
“You know who killed them didn’t he?”
“Voldemort killed my parents, but he didn’t kill Sirius”
“Who did?”
“Bellatrix, his cousin – how have you avoided this for years – living in a magical village?”
“I placed a spell blocking all forms of magical media, I’ve stopped my house, myself and anything to do with me being recognised by the ministry, there are ways to avoid it – I’ve changed my name, my life no one knows”
“No one but me and I’m famous in my world”
“Don’t tell me there was another war”
“You didn’t notice the signs; you didn’t notice the destruction or my face on the papers as we were murderers on the run”
She looked at him “We?”
“Myself and my fiancée”
“You’re the Harry that saved her last night and I didn’t see it before”
“Yes, but how did you not see, even in muggle papers”
“I don’t buy papers, we don’t have a TV – Sophia has these things I won’t have anything to do with it”
“Are you going to tell her about our world?”
“No, she doesn’t need to be exposed to that, she’s not magical at all, and she doesn’t need to feel like she’s missing out on something”
“Does she know Sirius was her father?”
“She knows my husband isn’t, but she thinks of him that way, Sirius didn’t know”
“Her name is Sophia Black”
“Her name is Sophia Davis, Sirius didn’t want to know me and he didn’t want to know her”
“He would never have left you two”
“You didn’t know him well”
“I did, he became the father I never had, he was my Godfather, I had two years with him before he was taken and he left me everything because you didn’t tell him he had a daughter”
Just then the front door opened and she walked in with a school bag on her back and uniform on “Hey mum” she plonked the bag on the floor and walked into past them into the kitchen. She stood there, paused and then came back out – “Harry?”
“Hey” He waved, “Happy birthday”
“Thanks – you’re early though”
“Yeah about that – I can’t make it, so I thought I’d come round and have that drink now” he smiled
“Sure, you know what lets go out, I’ve got time before the party right?” she asked her mum,
“Yes, not long though”
“We won’t be, I’ve got an appointment I need to keep” Harry said looking at her,
“Sure” Sophia smiled “I’ll just get changed, I only have to wear this for a few more weeks and my half days make it even less” she walked up the stairs throwing her bag on her shoulder,
“You won’t tell her?”
“That’s your job” Harry stood up “I knew Sirius just as you did, he was a good man, if he knew – if he knew he would have been a great dad, you just didn’t give him a chance”
“He wouldn’t have wanted to know, he just wanted to fight”
“And he did until he was set up for murder and jailed for twelve years”
“That’s why he never made any contact… he never tried because – what have I done?”
“You should never have shut yourself off from our world, you’ve lost more then you’ve gained”
“I still have my family”
“And I do to now, I’ve been without and it’s made my life miserable, now I have a fiancée, a baby on the way and I’m finally not alone anymore – you’ve taken away someone important from her life and she doesn’t even know it!”
“I’ll tell her, give me time to – I can’t just spring it on her, on her birthday”
She went quiet as Sophia came down the stairs
“Hey – you ready?” Harry asked,
“Yeah, let’s go” she smiled and fished out her purse, phone and keys from her school bag “See you in a bit mum”
“OK sweetheart”
They walked talking to a café, Harry could see the similarities now, the long brown hair, the smile even the eyes.
“Yeah, things kind of got complicated but I didn’t want to let you down” Harry smiled “My fiancée kind of found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to tell me” he shrugged,
“What – whoa – congrats – I mean that’s -”
“Yeah I know”
“So Harry’s going to be a daddy”
“Uh huh”
“Indulge me with the details then, you gotta be happy even if you’re surprised?” She said as he opened the door for her and walked into the café,
“I am, it’s a shock, it’s more a shock she was scared of telling me”
“She had her reasons I’m guessing, it doesn’t make sense she wouldn’t tell you, your way to much of a nice guy”
I’ve killed people, I hate people, I’m not so nice came to the front of his mind but his mouth said “You don’t know me that well”
“My mum seems to”
“Yeah I found out something about her – she knew my parents, apparently we played in the garden together at some point when we were kids” he said laughing and sitting down at a table, “She recognises me because I look like my dad”
“That’s weird – I mean we’re were in America when I was a kid”
“I don’t think it was a lot of times”
A woman came over with a smile and a note pad, “Happy birthday Sophia!”
“Thanks”
“So who’s your friend?” she looked at Harry, he glanced at her blush,
“Harry, this is Maria she runs this place, Maria this is Harry – he saved me last night”
Harry cringed “Way to embarrass me”
“You did but, you pulled me out the way of a car”
“Looks like you found yourself a hero”
“He’s getting married Maria, he’s just having a drink with me cause he can’t stay for my party”
“Married – you’re only about twenty” Maria said with a smirk “I think someone’s fibbing”
“Actually I’m seventeen” he said with a small smile and took out his wallet “And this is Ginny my fiancée” he showed her a muggle picture of her waving at the camera the wind blowing red strands of red hair around her face framing the picture,
“She’s lovely” Maria smiled “I almost can’t believe it”
“Let’s see” Sophia reached for it and a coin fell out onto the floor, “She’s beautiful, how did you manage to get her?”
“Her brothers my best friend” he shrugged “And I’ve saved her life a couple of times too” he smirked but she reached down and picked up the coin.
“What’s this?”
His eyes widened “Just a collectable coin” he reached for it and she handed it over “I keep it for good luck” he put the galleon away and Sophia asked for a strawberry milkshake and Harry asked for a coffee,
She glanced at him “You worn out?”
“Just a little” he sat back in the chair “It’s a lot to take in”
“I can see there’s something else with you its strange”
“Hmm, I don’t know – what is it?”
“You’re worried”
“I am, huh”
“Ha I may not know you that well but I can tell your face easily, that wrinkling in your forehead gives it away”
He touched his forehead self-consciously, his hair moved and she spotted the scar,
“What’s that from?”
“The house – when it landed on us”
“Oh – it’s weird, the shape”
“Yeh, the lightening bolt, at least it’s something cool”
“Not something lame like a square”
“Right” he laughed,
“Sorry – my mind went blank” she giggled shaking her head “It’s hard to think under pressure”
“Yeah, I know what you mean” his thoughts drifted to Ginny and how she would have done it to get that bruise up her side, the purple and pain she was in…
“Harry – Harry are you ok”
He looked up “Yeah”
“Look you shouldn’t be here, you should be with her”
“I don’t think I want to go back there for a while”
“You could tell me what’s happened; you don’t have to ever see me again after this”
He was still staring at her in silence when Maria brought over there drinks, she smiled up at Maria and she left before asking what was going on and turned to Harry again,
“Course I wanna see you again, hell I saved your life you’ve got to at least be my friend”
“You don’t live round here”
“It’s easier then you think for me to get here” he muttered,
“Why do you say stuff like that?”
“Huh”
“You say strange things, a lot like my friends actually”
“Friends – you have friends?” he smirked,
“Don’t change the subject” she said sipping her milkshake as he took a drink from his cup,
“I’m not I’m just surprised you have friends”
“I’m throwing a party in a few hours, of course I have friends – but back to you, my friends are triplets and there all like you, they all say things that don’t make sense”
“It’s just me” he shrugged,
“Right and so, you and Ginny apart from the obvious do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I don’t know if it’s right for me too – she’s – she hasn’t taken the news of a baby well”
“Ahh so you’re here why?”
“I can’t deal with seeing her in the way she is and I wanted to speak to someone completely uninvolved with the mess and I figured I could throw in a happy birthday since I said I’d go back to the house”
“You should go back but if you can’t I guess I shouldn’t say anything”
“That doesn’t make any sense” he sighed “She – she did something stupid, dangerous and stupid and you don’t want to know because I know it will disturb you and ruin your day so I’m going to leave it”
“Tell me”
The fact he could tell her and then wipe her memory came to mind but then he figured the ministry would nab him for performing magic on a muggle – but then technically she did have magical blood running through her veins – he stopped himself thinking about how much he sounded like Voldemort… no he couldn’t tell her,
“Tell me Harry, you can you know, I won’t judge”
“She didn’t want the baby so much she threw herself down the stairs to try and – and”
“HARRY!”
He looked up “Oh erm hey Cara” then he stared there were three of them,
“What are you – oh Sophia you – hold on how do you guys know each other?” said Cara,
“You didn’t mention you know Harry Potter Cara” said Daria,
“Yeah kept that one real quiet” Anna added,
Harry cringed and covered his eyes with his hand “Guys – Sophia”
“Oh yeah, it’s easy to forget muggles don’t know your famous” Daria said rolling her eyes as Cara elbowed her in the stomach,
“Famous – muggles -what – guys I’m missing something huge here”
“Famous at our school” Anna added subtly,
“But your older then him – you guys don’t go to school anymore”
“But we were there for years while he was – is – you are aren’t you?”
“I’m going back for this last half year maybe unless I get offered a place somewhere else” he winked and they knew he meant the ministry,
“So this school you guys go to?”
“Just like any other school, I just play the school sport really well”
“He’s so modest” Daria smirked and got elbowed again by Anna as the triplet that couldn’t keep her mouth shut,
“Daria” Cara complained and sighed “Anyway you still haven’t told us how you two know each other”
“I went jogging last night, forgot I was in the road and he pulled me out the way of a car”
“Not as much of a big deal as she makes it out to be”
“He saved my life, he’s having a drink on me to say thanks”
“No not a big deal at all” Anna smirked and this time it was Daria’s turn to elbow her,
“He’s getting married to a Weasley” She pointed out,
“Hold up, you know his fiancée too?”
“We know of her and her family”
Harry frowned at her, “You sound like a Malfoy when you say that”
“Ouch” Cara said,
“Yeah that’s like comparing us to snakes bile” Anna said crossing her arms,
Sophia looked at them,
“You could have been kinder” Daria added “I mean it wasn’t meant like that”
“And you could learn to take a joke” he said with a smirk,
“We could…”
“We’d better go” Cara added pulling Daria and Anna with an arm each,
“Right, see you later – oh and I know what you weren’t telling me the other day”
“You do?” she looked at him “I mean you found her?”
“Yeah, hiding at her parents, great news hey?” he grinned but his eyes were tinged with worry,
“Yeah, yeah really great” she smiled back,
“Tell!” Anna and Daria said together,
“Oh no, I can’t that’s up to him” Cara said,
“Not yet hey, give it a bit longer right Cara?”
“Yeah, wait until it’s certain ok”
He nodded,
“See you later alright”
“Yeah”
“And Harry – take care won’t you” she said walking back, waving with one hand and pulling her sisters with the other,
“Don’t worry, see you later”
“See you later Sophia” Daria added, with a grin,
“Bye guys” she waved in reply, “Now explain Harry” she turned to him firmly and he knew what about,
“Look I shouldn’t have said anything”
“You need someone to talk to and by the sound of things all you’ve got is her family and you can’t tell them anything without it getting back to her, so talk to me”
“She’s just confused”
“Confused enough to know she doesn’t want a baby?”
“She’s thought about it, she wants to do this now, I’m going to help her, and we’re going to be a family”
“Are you sure you want this?”
“Yes”
“But what about her, doesn’t she have a say in what happens?”
“It’s not in her to – to, even if she wants nothing more to do with it the baby will always have me, I can’t abandon my own child and once she comes to terms with it she won’t either”
“You going to be able to support her, your child, you’re still at school”
“I don’t have long left; I have a guaranteed job and money left to me by my parents”
“What about her?”
“She still has this half year and if she wants’ next year too”
“She’s younger then you are?”
“Seventeen in a few months, just after I turn eighteen – don’t say I’ve screwed up both our lives already please” he said taking a sip from his cup,
“I wasn’t going too, it’s just you guys seem to be doing everything so fast”
“Getting married was because I got a second chance at life, I got a second chance to be with her when we both thought I wasn’t going to make it”
“You we’re sick?”
“I got hurt; I died, I was in a coma for a while”
“Why is everything so complicated with you?”
“It would be a lot easier if I could tell you the truth about certain things but I’m not allowed, I promised”
“You promised my mother didn’t you, you know things about me not even I know – you know stuff like what on earth a muggle is?”
“Yes”
“And you and the triplets all have something weird about you – like – like”
“Go on guess, and then I won’t get in trouble”
“No – no - that can’t be – but I’ve seen that gold coin before, the one you said was for luck, my mum had one”
“Yep, with a reason I can’t tell you”
“You’re all part of something, that’s how my mum knew your parents, why can’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“There are rules I can’t break” he pulled out his wand and put it on the table “You’ve seen one of these before though haven’t you”
“My mum has one, it’s in her draws, she doesn’t know I snuck in and opened the box when I was nine”
“You know what it is?”
“A stick” she smirked “Cause you guys are fruitcakes” she smiled “I know you are hiding something”
“Like I said unless you figure it out”
“But wands and cloaks, is it some kind of cult?”
“A bit bigger then that” he put it away and looked at her,
“So that would make you what, a warlock and witch”
“Try again”
“A… A wizard”
“There you go; warlocks are different – more powerful, older and wiser”
She laughed “I know your not joking; I know you’re serious, I believe you but that would make my mum…”
“You’ll have to ask her that question” he replied seriously,
“But my dad he’s not or I would be”
“There are times when it can skip, your dad – your real dad was”
“You know who my father is?”
“I can’t tell you”
“You promised her”
“Yeah, you have to ask her” he stood up “I have to go now, I’m sorry I’m leaving it like this but you should know your dad would have loved you if he had known you”
“Don’t go, tell me more please” she stood up “You can’t just tell me something like that and walk away”
“Happy birthday Sophia, have a great party” he walked, she shouted
“Harry you can’t leave it like this!”
The room went quiet, everyone was staring at the two of them, and Harry turned back to her.
“You know too much already, I shouldn’t have said anything at all its better for you talk to her about it”
“She won’t tell me, you can, you know him – you – you can tell me where he is so I can find him and get to know him”
“I can’t”
“Why not, why can’t I find my dad?”
“His names Sirius Black”
He walked back and hugged her briefly “Thankyou” she kissed his cheek and he walked away, “Harry” she called but got outside and he was gone,
He apparated back to his house grabbed the bags and then went to the burrow. He knocked and heard Ron calling to tell him to come in. He walked into chaos.
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RIP JD Salinger |