Harry spun though the fireplace and landed with a bump in the Weasley’s kitchen. His hair was even messier than usual, and his glasses were broken again. He looked solemnly at his in-laws all sitting around the table and then his face split into a grin. “It’s a girl!” he cried. “We’re calling her Lily Luna.”

“Merlin, that was quick!” Hermione said enviously. “Ginny only went into labour three hours ago.”

“Yep,” agreed Harry. “She’s an impatient little thing, just like her mother.”

“And grandmother,” muttered Arthur under his breath. He walked to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out a bottle of elf-made wine. Reaching up to the top shelf, he carefully brought out their best glassware and began to fill the glasses. “To Lily Luna,” he said. Everyone raised their glasses to the newest Potter.

***

“How are you feeling, Ginny, dear?” Molly asked sympathetically.

Ginny, who was nursing the newest addition to the Potter family, looked up and smiled. “Exhausted, happy and, surprised!” she replied.

“Surprised?”

“I thought I’d be like you and have six babies before I got my girl,” Ginny said, smiling impishly. “Although, I think I’d have given up after this one anyway.” She gently touched Lily with her finger, ruffling the fine red hair that was already apparent on her daughter’s head.

“Weasley red,” Ginny said.

“Evans red,” said a voice behind them, as Harry arrived back from the Burrow.

“Prewett red,” declared Molly firmly. “Lily Luna looks just like Gideon. If she takes after him in other ways, she’ll be a right handful.”

***

A year later, Ginny Potter sat in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place and sighed. What she really wanted at this precise moment was more sleep, but she knew that Harry would be getting up for work soon, and her sons would be charging down the stairs demanding breakfast. She looked down at Lily, who was finally sleeping in her arms, and wondered if she could risk laying her down in her bed. She could hear the little girl’s snuffly breathing and prayed she’d soon be over this particular cold. “It’s not been a good winter for you, has it, poppet?” she whispered. “All these colds and precious little sleep for either of us.”

She heard a sound at the door as Kreacher crept in. “Would Mistress like her breakfast now?” he asked quietly.

“A cup of tea would be wonderful, Kreacher. Thank you,” she murmured, smiling.

Kreacher busied himself with the breakfast preparations as she sat and waited for the house to come alive.

“How long have you been up?” asked Harry as he walked into the kitchen. He helped himself to a cup of strong coffee from the pot Kreacher had just placed on the table. Ginny just shrugged. Harry crouched down beside her. “You should have woken me up. I’d have sat with her. You look shattered.”

“You’ve got work,” Ginny replied, yawning. “Besides, I don’t think I could have got back to sleep. Lily’s been waking every hour as it is.” She paused and touched her daughter’s dark red hair with her little finger. “Does she sound all right to you?”

Harry looked puzzled at her question. “What do you mean?”

“Well, she’s quite noisy, don’t you think, for someone who’s asleep?”

Harry moved his chair closer to Ginny’s and bent his head down. He could hear Lily almost snorting as she breathed. He grinned. “She just takes after her Uncle Ron, that’s all. Godric, that boy could snore for Hogwarts!” Ginny didn’t smile. “Relax, Ginny, she’s got a cold and she’s probably just blocked up. Can’t you give her some Pepper-Up Potion or something?”

“I gave her some earlier, but it doesn’t seem to have done much,” she replied, yawning again. “Perhaps Mum’s got something better. She was always dosing us up with things when we were kids.”

Harry stood up and grabbed some toast. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “I’ve got a meeting with Kingsley about Pius Thicknesse’s parole application.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, and then stroked Lily’s hair. “Send an owl if you’re worried about her, yes? I can always re-arrange.”

Ginny nodded and watched as Harry picked up a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the kitchen fireplace. The flames turned emerald green. “Ministry of Magic!” he said as he stepped into the grate. As he spun round in the fire, some dust clouded the air and Lily started coughing.

***

“Merlin, you look rough!” said Ron as Harry walked in after his meeting with the Minister. He wasn’t wrong. Harry had dark circles under his rather red eyes and was unshaven. “Night on the town, or something?”

Harry grimaced. “I don’t think I’ve had a night out for weeks.” He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “It’s Lily, she’s not very well so she’s been up a lot in the night.”

“Nothing serious, I hope?” replied Ron, frowning.

“Nah, they all get these coughs and colds at that age, don’t they? Godric, I remember James seemed to live off Pepper-up Potion when he was small,” said Harry, yawning. “It would just be nice to have a decent night’s sleep again. How are Rose and Hugo?”

“Disgustingly healthy,” replied Ron. “Hugo is not only walking, but running rings round his sister. Monstrous appetite, too. Can’t think where he gets that from.” Ron sat back in his chair grinning with pride at his rambunctious son. A sudden noise from the fireplace caused both men to turn around, surprised to see Ginny’s face appearing in the fire.

“HARRY!” she cried, her voice thick with fear. “Oh, thank Merlin you’re there. You must come home!”

“Ginny, calm down! Just tell me what’s wrong!” demanded Harry.

“It’s Lily,” she cried. “You must come back, now, Harry. She can’t breathe.”

Harry needed no more urging. Grasping his wand, he turned quickly on the spot and Apparated home.

“Ginny, is there anything I can do?” asked Ron desperately.

“Err, I-I-I don’t know,” Ginny replied, clearly in shock.

To Ron, who had never seen his sister anything less that decisive, this was an indication of how serious things were. “How about I take the boys off your hands?” he said quickly. “Hermione will look after them, or I’ll bring them here with me.”

Ginny nodded and then disappeared from the hearth.

***

“Keep calm, Lily, darling,” whispered Harry urgently, “we’re going to get you to St. Mungo’s very soon.” He held his year-old daughter in his arms carefully, afraid that if he squeezed her too tight, it would somehow make her worse. He could hear great rattling breaths coming from Lily’s mouth, and she gazed at him with wide-eyes �“ so like her mother’s. Ginny was frantically checking through spell books and baby books, looking for a charm that would soothe her child, and calm the rapid breathing that caused her chest to rise and fall. “Ginny, there’s no time! We must get her to St. Mungo’s. They’ll know what to do. Just grab some of her clothes and let’s get there.”

Ginny stopped her frenzied search and looked at Harry. She could see Lily’s stomach moving in and out as she gasped for breath. There was a blue-ish tinge to her lips. “Give her to me, and I’ll go by Floo now.”

Harry handed over his precious daughter and watched as Ginny ran to the fireplace. “St. Mungo’s!” she screamed as she stepped into the flames.

***

“You must help me,” Ginny cried to the Welcomewitch. There was a queue of people waiting to be assessed but Ginny barged her way to the front, ignoring the gasp of annoyance from the witch in a purple hat who appeared to have been involved in a fight with a Kneazle. “It’s my daughter, she can’t breathe.”

The receptionist gave a cursory glance at the toddler, preparing to make them wait, but did a double-take. Lily’s great gasps of breath silenced her momentarily, and then she sprang into action.

“Can you tell me what’s she ingested -- a plant or a Potion?” she asked urgently.

“Nothing,” Ginny cried. “I’m very careful to keep all potions charm-locked away.”

“Plants, then. Do you have anything poisonous in the house?”

“No, nothing poisonous. Please, I must get her to a Healer,” Ginny demanded. She looked round to see Harry pounding up the corridor. In her arms, Lily was getting worse; the rattling breaths tugged her chest up and down as she fought for breath. “My daughter needs help, now!”

“The trouble is, dearie, I don’t quite know which department to send you to,” replied the Welcomewitch calmly. “Try Magical Bugs on the second floor in case it’s contagious.”

Taking Lily from Ginny, Harry sprinted along the corridor and up the rickety stairs until he came to the Abraxas Malfoy Ward �“ Magical Bugs and Contagious diseases.

A Healer dressed in lime-green approached him.

“My daughter,” he said panting hard, “there’s something wrong.”

The Healer took Lily from his grasp and placed her on a nearby bed. Harry and Ginny followed her. “Tell me what happened, Mr Potter.”

It barely registered with Harry that this witch knew his name; he was, after all, still recognised in the wizarding world over ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts. He looked at Ginny who was clutching his arm, white-faced with shock at the sight of her year- old daughter lying on the huge bed, her stomach hollowing out as she fought for breath.

Ginny swallowed as she tried to compose herself. “She’s been ill with a cold, that’s all, but then this morning she seemed to be coughing more. I mean, that’s normal, isn’t it? We have two other children; they get colds.” She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it away from her face. “Then, this morning, after Harry had left for work, I went up to her room and she was making this strange rattling sound as she breathed. I thought she’d be fine....” Ginny’s voice trailed off to barely a whisper.

The Healer felt Lily’s head and began to strip away her clothes. “No fever, no sign of a rash,” she said to herself. She pulled out her wand. “Anhelos!”

Harry and Ginny watched in amazement as Lily’s breathing began to slow down. She gave a cough and a little gurgle and then a smile appeared on her face.

“She seems fine now,” said the Healer. “Perhaps it was just some food stuck in her throat. I’ll be back in thirty minutes to check, but you can probably take her home.”

Ginny picked Lily up and began cuddling her. “You gave us quite a scare, Lily Luna.”

Harry leant in to embrace both his girls and heaved a sigh of relief �“ his fears unfounded. Lily looked up at both her parents and smiled widely, giggling at all the attention. Then she coughed again. Harry listened in disbelief as she began to wheeze. “Come back,” he cried to the Healer. Instantly she returned and took Lily from Ginny’s arms. She signalled to a nurse to help her.

“Anhelos!” she incanted, more firmly this time. Lily’s breathing slowed a fraction but they could all see the blue tinge returning around her lips.

“What’s wrong?” cried Ginny, desperately. “You said it was food stuck in her throat.”

The Healer looked up from Lily’s bedside. “Mr Potter, can you and your wife wait outside? I think this is only upsetting your daughter. We need space to work.”

“I’m not leaving my daughter!” cried Ginny. “I’m her mum; I need to be with her.”

Harry looked from his daughter to his wife and then to the Healer. He took Ginny’s arm. “Come on. Let them get on with their job, darling. We’ll wait over here.” He walked to the far side of the ward, not leaving the room but standing back to give the Healer space. She nodded abruptly and then returned to Lily. The nurse walked quickly out of the room and returned with another, older, Healer. He approached Lily and began to examine her. He placed his hands on her chest for a few moments and then bent his ear to her mouth. He whispered something to the nurse and she walked over to the Potters.

“Healer Pye has asked me to take some details,” she said to them. Harry and Ginny nodded distractedly. “Has she ingested anything poisonous?”

“I’ve already answered this,” replied Ginny, impatiently. “Any harmful Potions are charm-locked away.”

“Could anyone else have opened the cabinet, Ginny?” Harry suggested. “Perhaps James --”

“Harry, I know you think James is a genius, but he’s only five. Besides, Mum showed me the Locking-Charm and it was how she kept Fred and George out of her cupboards,” she snapped, looking angry at the suggestion. She looked back at the nurse. “All she’s had is some Pepper-Up Potion about eight hours ago.”

The nurse ticked something off on her clipboard. “How long has she been unwell?”

“Err, three days,” replied Harry. “Her breathing’s only just got this bad, though. My wife thought she sounded noisy this morning, but it wasn’t like this. I just thought she was blocked up.” He turned to Ginny. “I’m sorry; I should have listened to you this morning.”

“What’s her blood status?” asked the nurse.

“What in the name of Merlin does that have to do with anything?” exclaimed Harry angrily. “Or are we only allowed on the Abraxas Malfoy ward if we’re purebloods?”

“You misunderstand me, Mr Potter,” replied the nurse, stung by his vehemence. “We treat everyone here, regardless of blood, but I need family background. For instance, is there any Muggle blood in your daughter?”

“Yes,” replied Ginny. “Harry’s mother was Muggle-born.”

They looked over the nurse’s shoulder to see Healer Pye approaching them. He took the clipboard from the nurse and scanned the answers. Harry glanced over at Lily, who appeared to be wearing some form of the bubblehead charm. Swirling around inside the bubble was a light mist �“ like a gas. The first Healer was pumping something into the bubble at regular intervals and Lily seemed to be breathing slightly easier. Healer Pye smiled at them, indicated the door, and asked them to follow him to his office.

“I’ve managed to stabilise your daughter,” he reassured them as he led them out of the ward. He stopped at a red door, decorated with children’s pictures, and opened it. He sat behind a battered, mahogany desk, piled high with paper and files. Harry and Ginny pulled up two chairs and waited for him to speak. He turned first to Ginny.

“I don’t know if you recognise me, Mrs Potter. It has been a few years, now, but I was the Trainee Healer who treated your father when he was bitten by a snake.” He smiled ruefully. “I don’t think your mother was very pleased with me.”

Ginny nodded. “Yes, I remember. Weren’t you into Muggle remedies or something?”

“That’s right.” He leant back in his chair, placed his fingertips together and looked at them both. “In those days I was, perhaps, foolish to attempt something as ridiculous as stitches on a snake wound and I was severely reprimanded. However, Muggle medicine still fascinates me and I’ve become something of an expert at St. Mungo’s. They call on me when they’re unsure of the diagnosis �“ especially in the case of people with Muggle blood.”

“What does Lily’s Muggle blood have to do with anything?” Harry asked impatiently.

“Because I believe your daughter is suffering from a Muggle condition called asthma, which affects the lungs. It’s on the increase in the Muggle world so it’s only natural that it would eventually spread to the wizarding world.”

“You mean it’s contagious!” gasped Ginny. She turned to Harry. “The boys, we must get them here, immediately!”

“No, no, Mrs Potter,” said Healer Pye. “You misunderstand me. Asthma isn’t contagious. It’s a breathing condition. Your daughter’s lungs are unable to work properly. It could be an allergy to something, or it could be because of the cold.”

“Asthma,” said Harry quietly. He stared into the distance as a memory flashed through his mind.

Dudley running to catch him one summer. Harry sprinting away, and Dudley barely able to break into a run. He’d stopped halfway around the park and had doubled over. Fat and unfit, Harry had always thought.

“Is there any history of asthma in your family, Mr Potter?” asked Healer Pye.

Dudley wheezing. Dudley with rasping breath.

“I’m not sure,” Harry replied, sounding vague. “I need to talk to my cousin.” He shook his head trying to remove the pictures of his childhood out of his head; it was Lily they needed to concentrate on. “Is my daughter going to be all right?”

Healer Pye leant forwards. “She is stable for now, Mr and Mrs Potter, but I’ll need to keep her in for a few days. This may be the only incident she has. Unfortunately, at this young age there’s no way to predict the severity or frequency of the attacks. If she has more attacks then my advice would be to seek outside help.”

“Outside help!” exclaimed Ginny in alarm. “What do you mean?”

“Mrs Potter,” he replied gently, “although I have an understanding of certain alternative practices, I am not an expert. Lily may need help from the Muggle world.”

As Healer Pye’s words sank in, Ginny gazed straight ahead. She was calmer now. Lily was in the best place possible and she may not have another attack. This could well be the only incident, Pye had told them.

“I’d like to go back and sit with Lily now,” she said as she stood up. “I take it no one is going to object. She is my daughter after all.” She held out her hand to Harry. “Are you coming?”

Harry’s eyes were trained on the floor but he looked up at Ginny’s question. “Err, yeah. I’ll be along very soon. I... err... need to contact the office about something.” Ginny frowned. “And I’ll check with Ron that the boys are okay, all right.”

Harry stood up and pecked her on the cheek. She squeezed his arm and walked out the door, back to the ward. Harry did not follow but sat back down. There was a pause.

“You have something you wish to ask, Mr Potter?” asked Healer Pye.

“You asked about family history,” replied Harry. “My mum was Muggle-born but, as you know, she died very young, so I’m not sure if she was affected. I could ask my cousin �“ he might know, I suppose.” He paused and began fiddling with his wand trying to clean an invisible speck of dirt from the end. “I-I-I think he may have this. I keep thinking about us when we were growing up. He was a big boy �“I mean really big �“ and he couldn’t run as fast as me. I thought it was funny at the time, but his breathing �“ Merlin, he sounded like a warthog. B-but I can’t remember him taking medicines or anything.”

Augustus Pye leant back in his chair. “Many children grow out of this condition, Mr Potter. Some have one or two incidences as a baby and then nothing ever again ... or it recurs when they’re teenagers. Perhaps your cousin was one of them. Which of his parents is your blood relative? You might get more answers from them about your mother.”

“Dudley’s mum, my Aunt Petunia, was my blood relative,” Harry replied quietly. “But she died a few years ago.”

He’d been to see Petunia just before she’d died. Harry had watched as the woman who had once so rigidly controlled his life had lain in a hospital bed with a mask across her face. She was weak from recurring bouts of bronchitis, they said, and now it had developed into pneumonia. Vernon had held her hand and talked to her as she laid there. Harry had never seen his uncle look more lost. There was none of the bluster that Harry remembered and none of the fury that Vernon had directed at people like Dumbledore and Mad-Eye. He’d looked worried, sad and human.

“My Aunt died of pneumonia,” Harry said at last. “I didn’t want to say in front of Ginny, but it affects the lungs, doesn’t it?”

Healer Pye sighed. “Yes, I believe it does. How old was your aunt when she died?”

Harry closed his eyes as he tried to block out the image of Petunia clutching at his hand and gasping out the word ‘sorry’ to him. He swallowed. “She was forty-two,” he replied.

***

Ginny sat on the hospital bed with Lily and stroked her soft red hair. Although she was breathing more easily now, Lily was still unsettled. She hated the bubblehead charm across her face and kept trying to tear through it. The nurse had been trying to keep her arms by her side and had just brought out her wand declaring that a slight body bind charm may fix the problem, when Ginny brought her own wand out. She climbed onto the bed herself, held Lily’s hands in her own and told her that if the nurse dared use any spell that wasn’t medically valid, then she’d unleash a bat-bogey hex. The nurse had eyed Ginny’s wand and, remembering how fiercely Mrs Potter had played Quidditch, had lowered her wand.

“Lily, darling,” whispered Ginny as she rocked her. “Try and sleep, sweetheart. Husha, husha, husha.” Ginny could feel tears burning her eyes as she tried so hard to hold them back. Lily gave a gentle yawn and slowly her eyes began to droop. Ginny snuggled down on the bed next to her and watched as her chest rose and fell, rose and fell at a normal pace.

“How is she?” said Harry softly. Ginny looked up; she hadn’t seen or heard her husband enter the room, so intently had she been watching her child.

“She’s doing very well, Mr Potter,” said the nurse stridently. “I expect she’ll be out of here soon, won’t you, Lily?” The nurse stepped towards the bed but Ginny glared at her and she stepped away. “Healer Pye will make the final decision, of course.”

“How are you, Ginny?” said Harry as he sat on the chair by the side of the bed.

“Tired and worried, mainly,” whispered Ginny. “What were you talking to Pye about?”

“N-nothing,” said Harry with a start. “I was checking on the boys and the office, like I said.”

“Harry Potter, I’ve known you for eighteen years and although your ears don’t go pink like Ron’s when you’re not telling the whole truth, I do know when there’s something going on. So tell me.”

Harry groaned. “Not now, Ginny. I want to talk to Dudley first.” He leant back in the chair, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Ginny glared at him unrelentingly. He sighed. “I think Dudley may have had asthma when he was younger, okay?”

“B-but he’s okay now?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah, last time I saw him he was as healthy as a Hippogriff. He’d even lost some weight,” Harry replied jokingly. Ginny snorted slightly.

The young female Healer came to the bed and leant in to Lily. “What are you doing?” asked Ginny as the Healer took her daughter from her arms and Lily began to wake. “She’s only just gone to sleep.”

“According to Healer Pye she needs dosing every hour,” explained the Healer calmly. “Please, Mrs Potter, if she doesn’t get treatment every hour then her breathing could get worse.”

Lily started to cry again at being woken up but her breathing remained stable. In resignation, Ginny stood up and let the Healer get on with administering the medicine. She clutched at Harry’s hand and he squeezed back. “She’ll be okay,” he murmured. “They know what they’re doing.”

“Do they, Harry?” questioned Ginny in a low voice. “Or do you agree with Pye that we’ll have to seek Muggle help?”

They watched the Healer as she strengthened the bubblehead charm. Lily, now tired and grumpy, was fighting the mask. Ginny walked over determinedly. “I won’t interfere, I promise, but can’t you see that she’s calmer if I’m here and that has to be better than using a body bind on such a young child.”

Ginny stared into the Healer’s pale blue eyes and saw a look of resignation, so she sat down on the bed and lifted Lily onto her lap. She could see Lily’s wide, scared eyes and she wanted to weep. I’m your mum. I should be able to protect you. “Husha, husha, my pet. This nice witch is going to make you all better.”

At the sound of Ginny’s soothing voice, Lily began to calm down. She stopped flailing her arms and looked into Ginny’s eyes. I’m not lying, am I? Ginny tried to convince herself. She will get better.

***

Two days later, Healer Pye gave Lily the all-clear and pronounced her fit to return home. Ginny wrapped her up warmly, and, taking no chances with the inclement weather, she leapt into the main St Mungo’s fire landing back at Grimmauld Place.

She could hear the boys racketing around the living room, almost before she landed and could hear her mum bellowing at them to calm down. Harry was by the fire as soon as she landed and took Lily from her.

“Hey, how’s my special girl?” he said lifting her up on his shoulder. Lily was coughing slightly and he looked at the Floo dust settling in the room. “She’s coughing again. Are you sure she’s okay?”

Ginny looked across anxiously. She’d spent two nights in the hospital with Lily and neither had been able to grab much sleep. What she wanted most of all was a hot bath and a good night’s rest but James and Albus were running forward to greet her almost knocking her over in their exuberance. She hugged them intensely �“ she’d missed her boys terribly �“ then answered Harry. “Healer Pye assures me she’s fine but has said we’re to go back if we have any concerns.” She glanced at her mother who was peering across at Lily. “Hi, Mum, thanks so much for all your help.”

“What are grandmothers for, dear?” Molly said proudly. “Now then, James, Albus, let’s get your lunch and let mummy relax for a while.” She walked off to the kitchen and they followed eagerly behind.

Ginny sat on the sofa and Harry joined her, still holding Lily. “So,” she began, “have you seen Dudley?”

Harry was staring down at Lily, who was still coughing. “I called him and I’m going to see him tomorrow.” He paused. “Are you sure she’s okay? She’s coughing again.”

Ginny looked around the room and her eyes rested on the fireplace. “It’s probably just the dust,” she said and picking up her wand she siphoned it up from the air. She looked across at Harry and stopped; he’d turned pale. “What’s the matter?”

“Aunt Petunia,” he said slowly, “was always cleaning. It was like an obsession with her. I’ve told you how protective she was of Dudley... what if ... all that cleaning and dusting ... were a part of that? What if Lily’s attack was caused by travelling by Floo?”

Harry’s words barely had time to sink in before the flames leapt into life again. Appearing through the fireplace was Arthur. He beamed at them.

“You’re home, Ginny,” he said striding towards them. The dust from his robes clouded the air. Ginny looked at Lily who had turned her head at the sound of her granddad’s voice. She sneezed as the dust tickled at her nose and then �“ Ginny could hardly bear to hear the sound �“ she started coughing again. Ginny watched in horror as her daughter’s breathing started to turn into a wheeze again. In an instant she whipped out her wand and cast a bubble head charm hoping to prevent more dust. Harry began to clear the dust from the air whilst Arthur stood watching in bemusement.

“What’s happening?” he asked. “Have I done something wrong?”

“We think it’s the Floo dust, dad,” answered Ginny hurriedly. “I’ll take Lily upstairs away from here.” She carried Lily out of the room, up the stairs and into the nursery. Ginny noticed with relief how clean it was in here. Kreacher and her mother had been making it especially nice for Lily’s homecoming. She felt something brush against her feet. “Look, Lily. It’s Widdershins.” She bent down to stroke the cat’s ears. Lily was trying to pull at the mask again and crying grumpily, so Ginny removed it and sat her on the floor.

Laughing with delight at seeing her favourite pet, Lily crawled along the floor to catch him. Widdershins, patient as ever, allowed himself to be caught and Ginny watched as Lily buried her face into his long black fur. Lily was chuckling loudly. Too loudly, thought Ginny in alarm. She saw Lily let go of the cat’s fur, still laughing but now the unmistakeable sound of rasping breaths could be heard tearing at her chest. Ginny launched herself at Lily, and Widdershins, scared of the sudden movement, ran out of the room. Lily was staring at her mother, no delight in her eyes any more.

“Harry,” Ginny screamed. “She’s bad again. We need to get her to the hospital now.”

Harry ran up the stairs two at a time. “I thought Pye said she was better.” He sounded angry but Ginny knew it was only because he was frustrated.

“Pye doesn’t really know, does he?” she replied. “He has an understanding of this asthma thing, but no real knowledge. He said as much himself. We have to take Lily to a Muggle Hospital.”

Harry closed his eyes; Ginny saw he was thinking about something. “Hermione,” he said at last.

“What?” Ginny asked. She held Lily upright across her shoulder and moved across to the window, hoping some fresh air could ease her discomfort.

“Ginny, it’s had been many years since I’ve been part of the Muggle world and I’ve never been to a Muggle hospital. Despite everything that went on at Privet Drive, I emerged from there as a healthy boy. I’d be as lost as you in a hospital... but Hermione won’t be.”

***

Hermione, as Harry had predicted, proved to be a huge help. She turned up at Grimmauld Place laden, Ginny was unsurprised to see, with books about asthma. She explained that she’d taken them out of the Muggle Library in Ottery St Catchpole. Ginny quickly explained what had happened with the cat and the Floo dust and Hermione nodded knowledgeably.

“It does say that asthma can be triggered by things like dust, cats and any furry pet really. I do think you need to get her to a hospital. St Mungo’s is just not equipped to deal with this.”

Ginny smiled slightly as Hermione began to take over. She’d recently learnt to drive and had bought herself a car. Ron, she was telling them, refused to go anywhere near it when she was driving but Rose and Hugo loved it and it was the only way she could visit her parents. She had parked near the house and the three of them plus Lily walked across the street. Ginny was amused to see that Hermione’s car was completely unmodified by magic. It even had two child seats in the back. Hermione took Lily from Ginny’s grasp and began strapping her in. “It’s Muggle law now,” she explained. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea to attract too much attention to ourselves. Now,” she turned to face them, “Is Lily likely to perform any magic in front of the doctors?”

“She’s barely one year old, Hermione,” muttered Harry. “It’s not likely to kick in yet, is it?”

Ginny could see that Hermione was itching to remind Harry that Rose had showed magical ability at eleven months (and three days) but she held her tongue and just said, “Good, good, that’s one less thing for us to worry about.”

Ginny nipped in the back seat next to Lily, leaving Harry to take the passenger seat next to Hermione. Lily did not seem to be worse than she had been when she’d grabbed the cat, but her breathing was no better. Ginny touched her cheek and stroked her delicate red curls. “Come on, pet,” she whispered. “It won’t be long now.”

They arrived at the big London hospital about fifteen minutes later. Ginny left Hermione and Harry to sort out the vagaries of the hospital car park ticket machine and ran to the building that said Emergencies. “It’s my baby, she can’t breathe well,” she cried to the receptionist, who was busy tapping at something Ginny assumed was a computer. “I think she has asthma.”

A man wearing white coat heard her cries as he walked by and stopped. “Let me take her,” he said in such an authoritative tone that Ginny complied. She followed him as he strode through some double doors and found a cubicle. “I’m Doctor Harrison,” he said as he lay Lily down on a bed. He quickly removed Lily’s coat, jumper and shirt and pulled out a long tube which split in two. Ginny watched as he placed the two ends in his ears and put the third end on Lily’s chest. He moved it around to her back and listened carefully. “Yes,” he agreed. “Definite constriction in the airways. How long’s she been like this?”

“About three days,” replied Ginny. He raised his eyebrows in alarm. “We took her to a hospital and she was there for two nights. They, um, treated her with some kind of vapour and a mask and then discharged her.”

“And you’ve been continuing the treatment at home, yes?” Dr Harrison asked as he began to fiddle with some buttons on a machine behind the bed.

“N-no, they didn’t give us anything,” stuttered Ginny. She was anxious now, not knowing what was going on and feeling that she was under suspicion from this doctor. “The Healer said it might just be a one off.”

“HEALER?” the doctor exclaimed. “You took your baby to a new-age crackpot?”

“Err,” Ginny stumbled. Merlin, why had she said Healer? She knew it should be Doctor. Hermione had kept telling her in the car not to say Healer.

“His name’s Dr Healer,” she exclaimed, aware that it was a feeble explanation. “Of course he’s a real doctor.”

Dr Harrison raised an eyebrow sceptically; he attached a small see-through mask to Lily’s face and emptied a tiny capsule of liquid into the plastic contraption above her head. Then, he attached the tube of the mask to the plastic contraption and turned on a tap. At once a slight misty vapour appeared through the tube and into the mask. Lily began to inhale deeply and Ginny watched as she stopped rasping and her breathing became easier.

“So, this Doctor Healer,” continued Dr Harrison. “Which hospital did you say he worked at?”

“I didn’t,” replied Ginny, playing for time. “Is my daughter going to be okay?”

He looked at her, as if weighing her up. “Your daughter will be fine,” he said at last. “You should have been sent home with a proper medical regime to wean her off the hospital treatment. Being discharged from the hospital straight back into the family home has caused a relapse.” He paused. “We need some more details though: your daughter’s name, age, address, family history, and which hospital you attended.”

His eyes bored into her. Ginny Potter, former Chaser for the Harpies, who had faced countless Death Eaters and survived the harsh regime of the Carrows, stared back. She resisted the urge to bite her lip, knowing that this would betray the fact that she had no idea how to answer his questions truthfully without giving away that she was a witch.

There was a noise behind them and Ginny could see through a crack in the cubicle curtain that Harry and Hermione were running along the corridor searching for them. “That’s my husband and friend,” she said with relief. “They can answer any questions.”