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Author: Erica Evans Story: Secrets That Were Kept Rating: Young Teens Setting: AU Status: WIP Reviews: 0 Words: 38,764
A/N: This story was already archived at GT.net, so if it seems familiar that's probably why. Disclaimer: Basically if you don't recognize it, I own it. And if you do recognize it, then it belongs to J.K. Rowling. "Calm down, Harry!" Ginny grinned, patting his arm. But Harry couldn't calm himself. They were walking through King's Cross Station, anxiously awaiting the return of their two oldest sons from Hogwarts. Their daughter, Reagan, was chattering away at a million words a minute. "And then, Mum, can James take me on his broom? If we go to Grandmum's can he help me with Quidditch?" Reagan looked eagerly at her mother. "Reagan, for heaven's sake, calm down!" Ginny sighed as they approached the barrier between Platform 9 & 3/4 and the Muggle train station. "You're as bad as your father." Reagan grinned and looked lovingly at her father. She pushed her deep brown hair out of her face and moved next to him. Harry smiled and put his arm around her. "Hey Dad?" Reagan said. "Yeah?" Harry said, not glancing down at her. "Daddy, please look at me when I'm speaking to you!" Reagan said and tried her hardest not to laugh. Harry gave in and looked at his daughter. He noticed, as he had many times since he had first held her, that his daughter had his mother's emerald eyes. Harry had never seen his mother in the flesh, but Reagan's eyes were an exact replica of every photograph he had ever seen of his mother. "Yes, my darling daughter?" Harry asked, adding his own tone of mockery. "If I make the house team next year, can I get my own broom?" she asked. "We'll cross that bridge as we come to it," Harry said and Reagan took this as a yes. Harry had never denied her anything. Harry stood with his wife and daughter and they waited nervously together. His two sons were due back any moment. True, he had seen them last at Easter, but that was nearly two months ago. He sighed and glanced at Ginny. She smiled back weakly, displaying her restlessness. Ginny always tried to be the composed one. She slipped her arm into Harry's and they watched the barrier to Platform 9 & 3/4. After a few more sighs from Harry and tons of more questions from Reagan, the Hogwarts students began to file slowly out of the barrier. They watched as the students passed through into the Muggle train station and smiled as they greeted their own families. Finally, Harry saw the familiar head of his son, bobbing among the crowd. "Honestly, Paul, I don't think you should be taking love advice from your uncle again," a dark haired boy said, laughing at the red haired boy walking with him. "Hey, he's your uncle too! But you're probably right, Darenn," Paul replied, laughing. "Next, he'll have me tempting my crushes with Canary Creams or something." The two boys laughed as they pulled their trunks along behind them. "Hello boys," Harry said. "Have a nice trip?" "Yeah, Dad, it was wonderful," Darenn said sarcastically, giving his father a hug. "You know, six hours on a train, yeah, loads of fun!" "And I swear, it gets longer every year," Paul said, hugging Ginny. "Hi, Aunt Ginny. Have you seen my father?" "No," she replied, looking around. "But did I hear that you were taking love advice from a Weasley?" She asked, eyeing him. He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I asked Uncle George how to get a girl to notice me. He sent me Filibuster Fireworks. And all that got me was detention." He grinned at this and Darenn tried not to laugh. Where's you're brother?" Harry asked, looking around for his other son. "Oh, he's coming," Darenn replied. "He had to help everyone off the train first. You know, do Prefect stuff." Harry smiled. Darenn had just finished his second year at Hogwarts. Both of their boys looked like him. Darenn had his father's messy black hair; however, he also had his mother's eyes and smiled with them as she did. "You know, it wouldn't be a bad thing if we got a Prefect out of you too, you know," Ginny teased, nudging her son. "Yeah, yeah," he said laughing, "I know, Mum." "At least your parents are subtle about it!" Paul exclaimed. "If I don't get excellent marks on, well, everything, then I think I'd be afraid to show my face at home again." "Now, Paul, Hermione isn't that bad," Ginny said, ruffling his hair. "Oh, I know...but my father is another story. I mean, it's not as if he was a stellar student or anything." "Well now, I do remember Ron being able to do some pretty complicated charm work in our seventh year," Harry said, thinking back. "Well, that was only because Hermione was tutoring him," Ginny explained, glancing at Harry. "Yeah, tutoring all right," Harry muttered. Ginny giggled and elbowed him. "Harry, don't go there!" Ginny hissed. "Oh, I see my dad now," Paul exclaimed, standing on his tip toes. "See him, over there, trying to get through those Muggles?" Harry looked and sure enough, Ron was blocked by a large group of Asian Muggles taking photographs left and right. Paul ran off to meet him but the tourists stayed right in his way. He wasn't able to get around them and Harry tried not to laugh. "So, what is so funny?" someone asked and Harry turned to see his eldest son standing before him. James was almost as tall as Harry. He smiled at his son and gave him a hug. "Welcome back," he said. "Oh, James, we're so happy that you boys are home now," Ginny said kissing their cheeks and pulling them into a hug. "Really, Mum, we've only been at school," James laughed. "Yeah, you saw us at Easter," Darenn said, smiling. "Wait a tick, who is this darling beauty standing behind Mum?" James questioned, teasingly looking surprised at the sight of Reagan. "Well, well, well, isn't that our wee bitty sister?" Darenn added, still grinning from ear to ear. Harry thought he heard a hint of Fred and George in him as he tried not to laugh. "You know, Miss Reagan, if I'm not mistaken, I would have to guess that you have wonderful brothers," James started. "Yes, two wonderful, loving brothers who missed you very much," Darenn continued. "And I would suspect that these brothers might have..." "...I dunno, maybe brought you back..." "...Something that you can only get in Hogsmeade..." "...That just happens to be your favorite." "But wait, did we leave those on the train?" James asked, looking at his brother. Darenn looked sheepish. "I think we ate them," he whispered. "Oh," James said, looking back at Reagan as her face fell. "Well, then these will have to do." He pulled a bag of chocolate toffees out of his robes and handed them to her. Reagan's face lit up. They laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Come on boys," Ginny said. "Yeah, lets get you all home," Harry said, taking Ginny's hand and leading them out of the station. ~~~~~~~~~ "Well, you accomplished one thing," Ginny stated as she began to clean up the kitchen. "And what is that?" Harry asked, charming the sink to scrub the dishes. "Your boys certainly have your Quidditch obsession," she said, throwing her auburn hair back out of her face. "My Quidditch obsession?" he asked playfully. "I believe you were as much involved as I was." "Yeah," she laughed. "But not as much as Reagan is." Harry laughed at this comment as well. "I bet she's glad to have them back," Harry said, pulling his wife close to him. He loved these moments they spent together. "She's had only us to talk to all year long." "Yeah, think how bored she must have been," Ginny giggled. "Just think, next fall she'll be leaving us too," Harry sighed. "Why did our children have to grow up?" Ginny asked, looking up at Harry. "Beats me," he shrugged and Ginny laughed. "Come on, lets get this done so we can go to bed," she said teasingly, which made Harry groan. He went back to the sink and started to dry the dishes by hand, hoping it would speed things up. ~~~~~~~~ "Someone knocked on the door, Reagan," James said, looking up at her from his book. "And..." Reagan replied. She looked up from her own book, which she had been fully engaged in, and stared at her brother. Her brothers had been home for two days now and she was beginning to wish for the silence again. "Well, go get it," he ordered. "I don't have to," she said, sitting up. "Why don't you go and get it." "Because I'm reading for school. And besides, I'm a Prefect and I don't want to," James said, grinning. She loved her brother to death, but sometimes he was so infuriating. "You know your 'Prefect' nonsense doesn't work at home," Reagan stated. James shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his book. "You're hopeless," she huffed, getting to her feet. She headed towards the front entrance hall and opened the door. "Hello," a young woman said. She looked to be about twenty and had dark brown hair that fell on her shoulders. And Reagan could tell she was American. "Hello," Reagan responded, curious. "May I help you?" "Yes, uh, is your father here?" the woman asked slowly, clearly not quite knowing Reagan's relationship to Harry. "Oh, yeah," Reagan replied and opened the door for her to come in. The woman walked into the house and closed the door behind her. She followed Reagan into a sitting room off of the entrance hall. "If you wait here, I'll go and get him," Reagan said and left the room. The woman glanced around, trying to take in as much as possible. She approached the mantel which was adorned with picture frames, many of them full of people with red hair. There were a few with just three people, a red haired boy, a bushy haired girl, and a boy with messy black hair. She smiled and glanced at another frame that held an older picture of a family. There was a dark haired man and an auburn haired woman holding a baby. The mother was trying to make the baby wave. There were some older wedding pictures and some newer ones as well. She stopped at a picture of a tall, dark haired man clutching the shoulder of a young man with a pointed birthday hat on his head. "Hello," Harry said, coming into the room. The woman turned around and stared at him. "I'm Harry Potter. My daughter, Reagan, told me you wanted to see me?" "Oh, I um, yeah, I did want to see you," she stammered. Harry looked at her and she smiled. She looked oddly familiar to him, but she was American, and he had never met anyone from America before. "Harry, I heard a knock..." Ginny said as she came into the room. She stopped at the sight of Harry and this woman staring at each other. "Harry?" she asked uncertainly. "Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said quickly. "This is my wife, Ginny. Ginny, this is..." Harry stopped when he realized that he did not know this woman's name. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Julian," the woman said, extending her hand. Harry shook it apprehensively and then Ginny did as well, still looking uncertain. "Nice to meet you, Julian," Harry said. "Consequently, Julian what?" Ginny asked. "Oh, um, about that..." Julie replied sheepishly, "That's why I here, really." Harry and Ginny looked at each other and then back at Julie. She sighed and sat down on the couch. "Are you all right?" Ginny asked, sitting across from her on another couch. She was as cautious and curious as Harry was, but there seemed to be something wrong with this woman. Harry was silent as he sat beside his wife. "Can I get you anything?" "Oh, I'm all right, this is just sort of...odd to say. I should have owled or something but I had to come and see for myself." She paused and looked up at Harry. "My name is Julie Potter. Harry, I'm your cousin."
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