Opening Author's Notes

This contains spoilers for every book but shame on you if that still applies.

I'm only going to say this once. I do not own the Harry Potter Universe. That honor belongs to JK Rowling.

A lot of good things have happened with this story. GiseleWeasley is currently working on translating this story into Portuguese, Xvega is working with the Italian translation, Ginny374 with the French translation, FabyDePotter with the Spanish translation, and ChrissiTine with the German translation. The Merrell's, who first read my story on another fansite, are currently working on an audio translation.

The story has even spawned a couple stories implanted in the universe I "created" starring Lily II and Hermione. Additionally, B-Dub33 has done an illustration for the first chapter.

My Betas (GinnyGuerra and EmeraldFire512) and I worked extremely hard on making this as close to perfection as possible. We labored long hours in making sure all spelling/grammar is correct, all sentence/paragraph structures sound readable, all canon/information is accurate, all characters sound, say, do, and act to how JK Rowling envisioned them, even as many British terms as I possibly could, and just about anything else you can think of.

That doesn't mean this story is flawless. If you notice typos, bring it up. If you find mistakes, show me where. If I use an Americanism you think I should change, don't hesitate to tell me. If a character acts odd, let me know. ALL opinions are welcome. If you think I should change something, provide me with enough evidence from the books and a logical explanation and I will take your idea VERY seriously.

This story was written before December 1, 2007. All information provided by JK Rowling BEFORE that date was used in this story. I had to guess on a lot of things. With additional information revealed, it will become a never-ending task to keep updating new revelations. With that said, I will NOT keep altering my story, therefore much of the later chapters have become SU, which means Sensible Universe. (For more information on the SU, visit the FAQ section.)

If you are a first time reader, I hope I can capture your interest. If you are a repeat reader, welcome back and enjoy the changes.

And now without further delay, I present you with the first installment of:

In the Words of Ginevra Molly Potter

Chapter One

Harry Potter and the…

When JK Rowling first came to my husband eleven years ago with her idea, I was skeptical. It wasn't the first time someone had talked to Harry about what had happened so many years ago, and it wouldn't be the first time a writer had called upon him to double-check a fact for a textbook. This was different. This woman, this Joanne Rowling, wanted to have extensive interviews over a series of months, picking his brain for every little detail, every little morsel of information, and create the biography of the Boy-Who-Lived. She stated the public had a thirst to know and it would sell, she claimed, faster than any book in the history of publications.

As we sat across from the woman, Harry said very little. I tended to the tiny boy who had come into the world less than three months prior. Little Albus cooed in my arms. He was such a beautiful creature. His eyes were emerald, just like Harry's, just like the mother Harry had inherited them from. And already in his first couple months of life, I could tell he was going to have a personality similar to Harry. After all, they were both infatuated with the same witch, thank you very much.

I glanced at Ms. Rowling. She was a charming woman. She hadn't presented the idea as a get-rich-quick scheme or disrespected the past events, and she seemed genuinely convinced people needed to know about Harry's life. I admired her patience. It was astounding how she sat there so long, waiting for Harry's response to her offer.

I took Harry's hesitation as an opportunity to steal a glance at his face. He had that look in his eyes, in which the weight of the world was on his shoulders, a look I had not seen in many years. I could tell he might be considering it, but disliked the idea of such attention as the book would receive. The man was always hesitant to talk about the events, because they were intertwined with so much loss he felt was his fault… Cedric… Sirius… Dumbledore… Fred.

I don't want you to think we tiptoe around the subject. Far from it. For Merlin's sake, we literally are the most talked-about family in the Wizarding world. It would be impossible to avoid the past like that. And we have decided as parents that we don't want anyone but us telling our children about what happened. We make sure James, Albus, and eventually Lily know what their parents had to go through to find peace.

This was different, and I knew those things were racing through his mind faster than a speeding broomstick. Talking to admirers was unavoidable, but they asked the easy questions. Talking to me was comforting since I asked the intimate questions. Talking to his children was a necessity, but they only asked innocent questions. Talking to an author would be difficult because she would be asking the questions that hurt, that dug up the pain. Oh yes, this was different.

Harry didn't decide then. He asked Joanne if she could bear to wait a few days before he answered, which she happily obliged. He spent the next few days in a different world. When James wanted to ride with his father on a broom, Harry, who is usually very excited that his first son was taking an interest in Quidditch, declined. When I offered him a chocolate frog, he half-smiled and mumbled he wasn't hungry.

I wasn't offended that he kept to himself, because I know it can only last a day or so before he seeks my counsel. He has always been like that. He needs to gather his thoughts before approaching someone with a decision like this.

"Ginny," he said quietly two days after Joanne left, as I placed Albus in his cot. I kissed the sleeping angel on the forehead and turned around to face my husband. He reached for my hand gently and led me to sit on the bed beside him.

"Been thinking, have we?" I asked him.

He nodded, looking down at my hand entwined with his. "Do you… do you think I should…?"

I had known the question was coming, and I had thought about it just as much as Harry had, between giving the boys their baths and tidying up the house. I reached up and parted his hair, revealing a lightning-bolt shaped scar that haunted him when he was younger. "When is the last time this hurt you?"

Harry looked inquisitively at me, and although not quite sure of my intentions, decided to play along. "Over eight years ago... In the battle for Hogwarts…"

I slowly traced the mark with my index finger. "People know what this is. They see this scar and they're reminded of all the good things you've done, and what you had to go through to bring us peace."

My hand took a different course and I placed it over his heart. I could feel the muscle beating rapidly. Strange that I have this effect on him even after all these years. Pressing lightly against his chest, I said, "But they don't know what this is."

He smiled at me, and this time, my heart raced. Strange that he still has that effect on me after all these years, too. "And Harry, only you can decide if it's important for others to know what was in your heart during those years. I will support you either way."

"But the attention it will bring me…"

I laughed. "Harry, has a day gone by that someone didn't immediately recognize you? How many times have complete strangers thanked you?"

He shook his head, and I could tell he was beginning to grasp what I was saying. "I don't want people to think I am bragging, because…"

"You're not," I finished for him.

"Exactly," Harry said. "I didn't do those things to be the best, or to be famous, or to... to get the girl…" His eyes twinkled as he mentioned me indirectly. "I did what I had to do to protect the people I love, so nobody would have to suffer under the hand of Voldemort again..." Eight years later and the man still can't keep a tear from forming in the corners of his eyes. "I did what anybody would have done."

So modest, my husband. Not just anybody would have stepped up to do what he did. I gave him the look he's so familiar with, the look he understands as we've already been through this part of the conversation and my opinion has not changed. Instead of repeating myself, I wiped the tear from his cheek, and said, "Then that's what they need to hear."

He was silent, and I knew he had reached his decision, and as hard as it was going to be, he was going to share his story. I looked admiringly at him, trying to decide whether it was his eyes or his smile that I first was enamored with. I placed a hand on his cheek ever so delicately and leaned in to kiss him. I swear I still get the same feeling from kissing him like I did when we kissed for all of the Gryffindor common room to see.

He pushed me back carefully, and asked in a whisper, "Are the kids asleep?" I glanced over at Albus and nodded. "Good," he replied. "I want to show you just how much I love you."

He invited Joanne back the following day. She was ecstatic to hear Harry had agreed. They immediately skimmed over his life for a few hours right there in the kitchen. I fed them, refilled their drinks, even joined in multiple times to add my two sickles. It was a scene that happened three times a week for a year.

I originally was expecting one large book, but it took me by complete surprise when she penned seven novels, the last four exceeding 600 pages each. The public latched on to the stories like they were sweets, and I would say every family in our world had a copy of the series. Even Harry seemed pleased, though he tried his best not to show it.

Closing the final book, I wiped tears away from my reddened eyes. Despite the fact I had gone through everything in the books, I still cried. Harry stroked my hair and smiled. He had been waiting for me to finish for days now and was excited that he finally had the chance to ask how I felt about them. "Marvelous," I said, in a soft reflective voice. "Were you happy with the outcome?"

Harry shrugged slightly, and I gave him a curious look. "Well," he started. "Overall, she did an amazing job, but I thought she could have included more…"

"More what?"

Sheepishly, he looked at me. "You."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh Harry, you're sweet, but they wanted to hear about you and your victory. I am happy with the attention I received… and the ending I alone have." I grabbed his collar and kissed him hard.

A soft moan escaped his mouth. "Maybe…" he mumbled. "Maybe one day, you can write about us. You know, fill in the missing blanks. Our love story. The girls will just eat it up…" And I kissed him harder, making him forget about his proposal, at least for the time being.

When we thought the surprises were done, JK hit us with another one. Less than four months after the series release, she had received permission from the Ministry to attempt a crossover of worlds. She was allowed to take the books to the Muggle world and market them as children's fantasy. To be honest, I couldn't help but laugh at this. The Muggles weren't going to understand these books, and what the people don't understand, they couldn't care less about.

Despite my skepticism, JK Rowling was able to publish the first book in 1997, followed by the remaining six at different times throughout the next ten years. And dear Merlin, was I wrong! The Muggles couldn't get enough of our world. According to JK Rowling, she has currently sold 325 million copies combined. For awhile I would swear she was using magic to make the books more appealing to people, but Harry reminded me this would be illegal. "Inappropriate spell usage against Muggles," he called it.

We sat with Ms. Rowling no more than a few weeks after the release of the final book in our home. Lily was in the next room, most likely sulking that both her brothers were now at Hogwarts.

Joanne looked exhausted. "This has been such a difficult ten years for me," she said to Harry and me. "I had these books done for a decade, and I couldn't let them know what happened. You might find this surprising, but those Muggles are relentless."

Harry nodded. He must have been thinking of his time with the Dursleys. "What are you going to do now, Joanne? Want some more interviews?" he playfully said.

Joanne chuckled. "I told the Muggles I was working on two different stories. I hope they're not expecting anything as good as what we gave them."

"I'm sure it will be grand," I told her. "You're a fantastic writer."

She looked at me approvingly. "So Harry tells me you want to write a companion piece to the novels."

"Did he now?" I asked, looking toward Harry with amusment. I'd have to make sure he would be thoroughly punished for his actions.

"I'm only taking the mickey out of you," Joanne replied. She bit her lip in thought, then proceeded to say, "Although I think it's a brilliant idea. I didn't put nearly as much of you in the story as I would have liked," and I blushed only slightly as she continued, "I hope you understand why I had to leave things out."

"I do," I replied, "but I can't possibly…"

"Nonsense," she retorted. "I was privileged to read a few of the letters you sent to Harry over the years. Quite beautiful, if I may be so bold. The world would be a better place if you let them know how the Chosen One became your chosen one."

I was a bit embarrassed to hear she had read my letters. I hoped she wasn't referring to the letters I sent him back in my second season of playing with the Holyhead Harpies while he was away on Auror business. We were less than two years married and I hadn't seen him for three weeks. The letters aren't exactly fit for young readers, if you understand what I mean. But… I felt honored that such an accomplished writer would pay me that kind of compliment.

The idea was sounding better and better. I directed my gaze toward Harry, who was sipping a butterbeer. Grinning, I said, "Maybe you're right. I bet the girls would go crazy when I tell them about the first time we sha…"

I was unable to finish the sentence. Harry had choked on his beverage and had spit the liquid all over himself. I laughed when his face went as crimson as my hair. Of course, I would never reveal those intimate details, but Harry didn't need to know that. In fact, I rather enjoyed watching MY Chosen One make a fool of himself in front of arguably the best author in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds.

Oh yes, this might actually be fun.

Author's Notes

When I combined the Harry Potter universe with the real-life publication of the books, I ran into a problem with the timeline (which almost caused me to not post this story at all). I made a hard decision and decided to ignore what is obviously known about the series. I need you as a fan to also ignore the timeline in order to make this chapter work. By moving all the events back ten years, I believe it doesn't affect this story or the original cannon in any way. The characters, the events, the emotions, and the personalities are still the same. (The majority of this story doesn't require you to ignore the timeline. Most of the chapters flow as if nothing had been changed.)

To clear things up, here is the new time:

1970: Harry born
1988: Voldemort's defeat in Deathly Hallows
1996: JK Rowling comes to Harry Potter
1997: ALL the books are released in the Wizarding World
...: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone released in the Muggle World
2007: Deathly Hallows released in the Muggle World
...: Ginny starts writing this book (my story) right after the scene in the epilogue

The second issue that needs to be addressed is the epilogue. Does it still happen in my story, because it doesn't make sense with the timeline? YES, it still happens, but we're going to have to say it was added later or just wasn't wanted included in the publication.

If you are willing to shred those tiny bits of canon, then I am ready to take you on a ride I am extremely proud of.

P.S. There is a Frequently Asked Questions section at the end. If you have a question, it might be able to be answered there (although I have NO problem addressing your question directly). Just be warned, some of the question could reveal spoilers for other chapters.