Professor Potter

Chapter 55

Chapter 55 

It was late in the afternoon when Harry arrived home after the eventful day in the forest. He was feeling fairly relaxed having spent a couple of hours chatting with Hagrid, drinking two cups of tea and finishing off the small store of butter biscuits from Angelina's. He promised to replenish his friend's supply before the week was out. Kreacher bowed him into the house and he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. It wasn't too long before Ginny walked in. 

"Welcome back, sweetheart. How did your meeting with the Centaurs go? Anything interesting?" 

"Oh, you could say that," Harry replied with a grin. 

Harry had only told Ginny that he was meeting the Centaurs to discuss the cavern. He hadn't made any mention about the nature of the subject to be discussed. She sat down next to him and said, 

"Alright, then. Let's hear all about it." 

Harry began to describe the opening of the meeting and it quickly became apparent that Ginny was none too happy with what she was hearing. As Harry reached the end of Celstus' denunciations she was scowling. 

"Let's just stop here for a moment," she said quietly. "Are you telling me that you went to this gathering knowing that this was going to happen?" 

"Well, I didn't know exactly what was going to be said and who was going to be saying it but I had the general idea that some of them weren't happy." 

"I see. Alright, keep going." 

Harry continued, describing the more dramatic episodes involving the dragon and the weather and then his private discussion with Celstus and its effects. He finished by telling about his departure, minus what Felena had said. He decided Ginny probably wasn't in the mood for that. He did include his chat with Morgotta and his time with Hagrid. 

"So, that's it," he said. 

"Well," she began with a curt nod, "at the least the day ended on a high note. With Hagrid I mean. Now perhaps you'd care to explain why you thought it was necessary to keep this from me?" 

"I didn't. I just told you all about it," Harry replied. 

"I meant before you went up there and you bloody well know it." 

"What? I was supposed to tell you a week and a half ago that some of the Centaurs think I'm going to go the way of Voldemort and let you simmer about it? I seem to recall someone, several someones in fact, keeping things from me so I wouldn't worry about them. It's the same thing." 

Ginny leaned away from Harry so she could look him straight in the eye and say with some vehemence, 

"It is most certainly not the same thing. Back then, as now, you had far too much to be concerned about. The things we didn't tell you were those that you couldn't have done anything about anyway so why let them distract you? This is different. This family and its welfare are my responsibility. I should know about the things that cause you trouble or will make you unhappy. That's my job. I don't need to be protected from it." 

Harry knew that from her posture, expression and tone of voice that this was not an argument he was going to win. This was his wife in full 'I'm as stubborn as any Weasley ever born' mode and he was wise enough to know not to push. 

"Alright, I get the message," he replied straight faced. 

"Well, I should hope so," she said. "Dinner will be in an hour." 

She stood up and left the room muttering to herself about who was going to look out for him if not her and what ever happened to no secrets. Harry sat calmly and listened as her footsteps faded away before he started laughing, quietly.