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Carpe Diem!
By M_And

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Category: Potter’s Affairs Challenge 2008-4
Characters:All, All
Genres: Drama, Fluff, General, Humor, Romance
Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 23
Summary: Harry’s been lying low at the Burrow the summer after he vanquished Lord Voldemort. He was prepared to die to save the Wizarding World. What he wasn’t prepared for is what would happen if he lived. What should he do about school, his fortune, and the young woman he loves? This piece was written for the Potter’s Affairs Challenge 2008-4.
Hitcount: Story Total: 6394



Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
AN/: I want to thank my Beta Jezz Jamer, for turning around a story in record time. Thanks JJ for your hard work, I appreciate it! I also want to thank my lovely wife for her help with this story-Thanks JA for your patience and support, and thank you for helping me with editing it.

I hope you all enjoy the story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!




ChapterPrinter


Carpe Diem!


The late July sky was a brilliant blue, with not even a puffy white cloud to mar its azure beauty. It had been an absolutely perfect summer, weather-wise. Somehow that seemed fitting after coming out of the long cold winter that had been Lord Voldemort’s reign of terror. Life was finally beginning to move at a statelier pace from the hectic confusion it had been earlier in the summer. The celebrations and funerals that had gone on for weeks after the fall of Voldemort had finally come to an end a few weeks back. The survivors could now finally begin the healing process and move forward with their lives.

For Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, the boy who lived…twice, and all around hero, the process of moving on was something of a scary proposition. You see, Harry had never expected to live past his final confrontation with the aforementioned Lord Voldemort. So it was with some relief, anticipation, and a fair amount of trepidation that he faced his future.

Harry sat brooding by an old gnarled willow tree down by the pond beyond the Burrow. The pond’s surface was a bright green with the duckwort that covered it, while insects flew acrobatically above its verdant surface. Harry thought he could be quite content to stay there all day. If it weren’t for the nagging voice in his head telling him that he really needed to make some plans about his future, he’d have been happy to indulge that temptation. But ever since the Final Battle, Harry knew that life was too short, too precarious to put important decisions, and people that mattered to him, off.

That had been a hard lesson for him. But the deaths of Fred, Remus and Tonks and so many others had made that lesson brutally clear. The problem however lay with the fact that he had no idea whatsoever where to start. He had never been able to focus on the future when he always had Voldemort standing before him. Then after having seen Snape’s memories in the Pensive, he didn’t even think he’d have a future.

His Uncle Vernon had certainly done nothing to help prepare him for an adult life, and as great an experience as Hogwarts had been it hadn’t either. Preparing a child for adulthood is the provenance of parents. Of course Voldemort ruined that for him as well.

He thought of asking Bill or Mr. Weasley. They were men of the world, and clearly knew how to take care of their families. But he just didn’t feel right bringing this to them. For starters, some of his questions had to deal with his apparently large fortune. Then there was the embarrassingly huge amount of rewards and gifts from everyone who wanted to thank him for ridding the world of Voldemort. As if others hadn’t played important roles in Riddle’s downfall. The Weasley’s had never been rich, and he felt like he’d somehow be rubbing their noses in his sizable fortune if he went to them with this. Finally there was Ginny. They had not gotten back together yet. What if they never did? What if Ginny wouldn’t or couldn’t forgive him? That would only make an awkward situation worse.

Harry swatted at a pesky gnat when a sudden terrifying thought hit him. “Teddy!” he moaned in dismay. “Oh sweet Merlin! I completely forgot I’m Teddy’s godfather! Oh bloody hell! Now what am I supposed to do?”

“I wondered how long it would take you before that crossed your mind,” an amused feminine voice said from above him.

Startled, Harry looked up to see Ginny sitting on a tree limb above him. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts and an emerald green tank top. Her bare feet were swing idly as she watched him; her pale arms and legs lightly freckled like her face. Harry noticed, though he didn’t think Ginny knew he noticed, that she always managed to wear something green, and usually emerald green at that. Whether it was hair ribbons, shirts or sweaters, socks, he’d even seen her paint her fingernails green. He decided green must be her favorite color, though he didn’t exactly know why. Maybe it had something to do with her love of gardening. Ginny always likes to spend time puttering in her mother’s flower garden.

“How long have you been up there? Harry asked her, annoyed at himself for not having heard her approach.

“Awhile,” Ginny replied casually, grinning at his discomfiture. “Long enough certainly to watch all the various thoughts you were having play across your face. Harry, do me a favor will you? Don’t ever decide to make a living as a poker player. You don’t have the face for it,” she giggled at her jest.

Very funny Ginny!” Harry grumped back, clearly not amused. “This is serious Gin! I completely forgot that Remus and Tonk’s made me Teddy’s godfather. I have no idea what to do! All I know of parenting comes from your mum and dad, and I’ve spent precious little time with them. The only other example I have to work with is the Dursleys. They’re not likely to win any awards in Witch Weekly for their efforts in parenting!” he snorted derisively.

“Well don’t worry too much Harry,” she said with an amused expression. “It’s not like you have to raise him all by yourself.”

“What are you on about Miss Weasley?” Harry asked, knowing that she was trying to take the mickey out of him.

“ Well he’s got his grandmother, and of course my family will help. And then there’s his godmother,” she replied nonchalantly.

“His what?” Harry spluttered.

“His godmother,” Ginny answered back. “You did know that Professor Lupin and Dora had chosen a godmother as well for little Teddy, didn’t you?”

“No. This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Harry said with a nagging suspicion.

“Well they did,” Ginny said brightly.

“And?” Harry asked expectantly.

“And what?” Ginny threw back, grinning cheekily at him.

“You…ugh!” said an exasperated Harry. He took a deep breath knowing that she was having way too much fun at his expense. “And who is said godmother?” Harry grumbled out between clenched teeth.

“Oh,” Ginny said innocently, “well that would be me.”

Harry sat there gaping at the beautiful redhead before him, unsure if she was kidding or not.

“Shut your mouth Harry, you’re attracting flies,” she teased, smirking at him.

His mouth closed with an audible click of his teeth. He buried his head in his hands. “Great! Now what I am I supposed to do?” he thought to himself.

He and Ginny had not spoken much since the Final Battle, and when they did it usually led to a spectacular row. Ginny had not quite forgiven him for leaving her behind this past year, or for breaking up with her, even though neither of them wanted to do that. And when she found out he really had walked past her on the grounds on his way to let Voldemort “kill” him…well she almost succeeded where Voldemort had failed so many times. She had hit him with so many hexes and jinxes that only her father stepping in between them saved Harry from some form of permanent spell damage. After that episode, Harry was pretty certain the youngest Weasley wanted nothing to do with him.

“Poor Harry,” Ginny said without an ounce of sympathy in her voice. “You won’t be able to leave me behind this time will you?”

“Ginny,” Harry growled, warning her to stop.

Ginny wasn’t having any of it. She climbed down from the branch and stood in front of him. “Guess you’re going to have to deal with me after all Harry,” she said with a dangerous tenor to her voice.

Harry stood up, his face a thundercloud. That’s all the farther he got.

“Petrificus Totalus!” Ginny yelled, flicking her wand at Harry to complete the spell.

Harry looked at her indignantly; actually grateful that she’d apparently cast a silencing charm on him as well, otherwise she would have heard him call her some unflattering names.

“You listen to me Harry Potter, and you listen good!” she screeched at him, clearly hacked off again. “First off, get it through your thick skull; you will stop pushing away people who care about you! Let us help! Second, sooner or later, you’re going to have to pluck up the courage to talk to me and explain everything that happened to you. I have a bloody right to know! There isn’t anyone who was more worried about you than I was…and then to see you…” Ginny’s façade was crumbling as her anger gave way to hurt and despair. She wrapped her arms around her chest, as her body started shaking from her uncontrollable sobs. She turned and fled back to the house and up to her room.

Among everything else he was feeling, Harry was now horribly ashamed of what he’d apparently done to Ginny. They’d talked so little since the end of the war, and that was mostly arguing. He now realized that he’d hurt her and he suspected he had also given her a good scare as well. As he struggled to try and see things from her point of view, he realized that she had in fact not moved on, that she still had strong feelings for him, and he’d scared the hell out of her.

For some strange reason that made him feel a little better, not scaring her, but that she still cared for him. He was beginning to hope now that she still wanted to be with him, and that maybe…maybe things would work out yet.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After about five minutes, Harry heard someone approaching. He suddenly felt himself released from Ginny’s handiwork. Arthur Weasley walked up to him, a sympathetic smile on his face.

“Harry my boy,” he said in a fatherly tone, “we need to have a little talk. Ginny’s the fastest wand this side of…well you, and you seem to have a real talent for making her angry. Not a good combination son,” he said, clapping Harry affectionately on the back.

“Yeah, I know sir,” Harry replied ruefully. “I just…well you see…” Harry shoulders slumped, and a defeated look came over his face. “I can stand up to the scariest dark wizard in centuries, but I’m absolutely terrified of talking to Ginny.”

“Why on Earth are you scared of Ginny, aside from the obvious?” Mr. Weasley said with an amused tone.

“Well sir, I don’t know how much she’s told you, but we dated for a couple of weeks at the end of my sixth year. I think we both were pretty happy about it,” Harry said pausing.

“And then…?” Mr. Weasley prompted.

“And then, at Professor Dumbledore’s funeral I ended it with her.”

Mr. Weasley gave no indication of what he thought of that admission.

Harry, unable to ascertain Mr. Weasley’s feelings, grew more nervous. “I didn’t want to, and I know she didn’t, but I was scared. I was afraid that if Voldemort found about our relationship, he would use her to get to me. I knew if that happened, we’d have lost. I’d have done anything to get her back, even if it meant trading my life for hers.”

“I see,” said Mr. Weasley contemplatively. “Do you love Ginny?”

The question caught Harry by surprise. He knew that he did, but he’d never told her yet, and was more than a little shocked that her father suspected. He admired the older man’s perception. “Yes,” he replied simply, “more than anything.”

“I knew you did son,” Mr. Weasley said warmly, “but I wanted to make sure you had admitted it to yourself.”

“So what do I do now?” Harry asked, not quite able to meet the elder Weasley’s eyes. “I’m in love with a girl who’d just as soon hex me as look at me, I don’t know what I want to do with my life, don’t know where I want to live, I’ve got rewards and gifts that I don’t deserve and don’t know what to do with, and two family fortunes and no clue how to manage them. If ever I needed my parents it’s now,” Harry said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Well Harry,” Mr. Weasley said while gripping Harry’s shoulder, “I hope you know that you can always look to Molly and me when you need the comfort and advice of parents. I know we’re not your birth parents, may their souls rest in peace, but Molly and I look at you and Hermione of course, as our own. We are so proud of both of you, and there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for you, son.”

Son. Suddenly Harry heard the term of endearment differently for the first time. He impulsively stepped forward and hugged this man who had done, and risked so much for him. The Weasley family truly had given everything to his cause, including one of their own. Harry knew right then that he’d never look at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the same way again.

“Dad, I need your advice,” Harry said shyly, letting the Weasley patriarch know how he felt about him.

Mr. Weasley thumped Harry on the back while he tried to check his emotions.

“Well son,” he said with his voice sounding a little rough, “judging from what you’ve said and what I know of your situation, the first thing I’d do if I were you is try and make things right with Ginny. All the other stuff is meaningless without someone you love to share it with. And unless I miss my guess, I’d say that some of your other decisions might depend on her. As for the money management problems, well that’s a nice problem to have. I have a friend who works for a firm that specializes in estate and wealth management. Never needed his services myself, but we’re old school chums. His name is Alex Jadeswidth. He is a partner in the firm Smythe & Barnaby, an old Wizarding Financial Advisory firm. If you want I’ll arrange a meeting with him for you.

“That would be brilliant,” Harry said with some relief.

“As for your future,” Mr. Weasley continued, “well I have some ideas that may help you if you’d like to hear them.”

“Please!” Harry responded enthusiastically.

“First, go back to school. Take the time to finish school without any pressure from the outside world,” Mr. Weasley advised. “It’ll give you time to reacquaint with Ginny. You will have the time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, and what you’d still like to do. Most importantly, you’ll have time to finish growing and maturing. To give yourself the time you need to sort through things, you know?”

“I’d already about half decided to owl Professor McGonagall to see if I could go back and finish my NEWTS, but I think a lot of what you’re saying is sort of helping me to see I ought to stop procrastinating.”

“Always said you had a sensible head on your shoulders my boy,” Arthur said expansively. “As for what to do with your life…well that’s always tricky isn’t it? How many adults get into their middle years and still don’t know what they want? All I can tell you Harry is that what ever you do, stay true to yourself.”

“Ginny says you have a noble streak as wide as The Channel!” he chuckled. “She says you suffer from a compulsive need to save the world. My Ginny’s quite the spitfire she is.” He said laughing.

Mr. Weasley looked Harry in the eye before continuing, “Harry, you have a great capacity for love and for giving of yourself, and you’re noble, those are very endearing traits. If I was in your shoes, with the resources at my disposal that you have, well…a clever boy like you could probably find a way to combine all that to make himself and a lot of other people very happy.”

“I’m not quite sure I follow you, Dad,” Harry said a trifle confused.

Mr. Weasley gave him a warm smile and put an arm around his shoulder has he steered him towards the house. “I’m sure if you think about it, and reflect on what we’ve talked about, and look inwards at your heart, and most importantly remember what makes you so special, what your unique traits and gifts are, you’ll understand.”

They had almost reached the house when Arthur stopped him. “Now, first things first, go talk to Ginny. Make things right with her. Most of all Harry don’t walk away without telling her how you feel about her.” He gave his shoulder a gentle shove towards the door.

“What? You mean now?” Harry asked panicking.

“Carpe diem Harry!” he said vigorously, “Seize the day!” And with that he prodded Harry through the kitchen door.

Oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The Burrow always had a relaxed, calming quality within its ramshackle walls, and worn yet comfy furnishings. Currently, two of its occupants were feeling anything but relaxed and calm. Harry eventually found himself outside Ginny’s bedroom door. Gathering what little was left of his Gryffindor courage, he rapped his knuckles on her door.

“Go away Harry,” Ginny’s muffled voice responded from inside.

“How’d you know it was me?” he asked.

“You’re the only one who knocks,” came her barely audible response. “Everyone else just walks in.”

“Oh,” he croaked out. He leaned his forehead onto the door. “Ginny, please let me talk with you a minute. I’ve got some things I really need to tell you.”

Silence greeted him.

“Please Gin,” Harry pleaded.

“Fine,” came her mumbled reply.

Harry walked into Ginny’s room for only the second time in his life. It had changed. The room had clearly not been spared when the Death Eaters raided the Burrow during Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Her posters of Gwenog Jones and of the Weird Sisters were gone. There were scorch marks on the wall where they had been. It didn’t take much imagination for Harry to guess what had happened to them.

Ginny lay on the bed on her side, hugging her pillow to her chest. Her normally bright brown eyes were dull, red-rimmed, and puffy. Her fiery red mane was disheveled. She wouldn’t meet Harry’s emerald gaze.

Harry moved over and knelt in front of her, gently stroking his hand through her glorious hair. After a few minutes of this he carefully gathered her in his arms and held her while she cried brokenly into his chest. Harry’s own throat felt constricted from the effort of holding back his own emotions.

Sometime passed before Ginny’s tears ran their course, Harry just held her and whispered soothing words into her ear as he waited for her anger and grief to wind down. Eventually she quieted, allowing Harry to continue to hold her while he caressed her back.

Still holding her close, he began to talk quietly, telling her everything. All that had transpired from the time he learned the contents of the Prophesy to his desperate walk into the forbidden forest. He left nothing out. She deserved the whole truth and would accept nothing less.

“When I was waiting for Voldemort to…kill me, I thought of only one thing,” Harry whispered to her, his voice thick with emotion. “I thought of how wonderful it was to kiss you. My last thoughts were of how much I would miss you and how much I love you. When Dumbledore told me I had a choice between going on and going back…even though I knew my parents, Sirius, and Remus were waiting for me…I don’t know…I thought of you and realized that if I could finish off Voldemort then maybe we could be together, you know? The possibility of being with you brought me back. I vowed to myself that I was going to get you back…”

Ginny looked into his eyes, “Or die trying?” she finished for him, a trace of heat in her voice. “Harry, I thought you really had died!” she almost yelled at him, her small frame trembling in his arms.

“I’m so sorry Gin,” he said trying to comfort her. “I never meant to put you through all that. “But I had to…”

“Hold on!” Ginny said startled, as dawning comprehension of what Harry had said a few moments before registered in her brain. “Did you…erm…did you say that you…” Ginny was struggling to get her brain to respond, but her shock was robbing her of her wits. “Oh hang it all! Did you just say that you loved me?” she managed to squeak out.

“Well…er…” now it was Harry’s turn to be flustered. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Then looking into her wondrous warm brown eyes, Harry smiled at her. “Yeah Gin, I did. I love you more than anything. I’m pretty much completely head-over-heals in love with you. I came back…well, I…I couldn’t stand the thought of being without you.”

Ginny looked at him with her heart in her eyes. Then she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce, passionate kiss, which he enthusiastically returned, once his mind caught up with her lips. When they finally pulled slightly apart, Harry looked at her in astonishment.

“Wow!” He said with a foolish grin plastered to his face. “Now that’s what I call a kiss!”

Ginny returned his smile, resting her forehead against his chin. “That was just…amazing,” she sighed contentedly.

Her face turned more somber, as she looked up into Harry’s bright-eyed gaze. “Harry I’m sorry I’ve been…you know…difficult the last few months. It’s just that, well…I was so scared when I saw Hagrid carrying your limp body…I just kind of lost it. Ever since then I’ve been teetering between anger and fear. Anger at you for leaving me, for dying, for…I don’t know, some of it I can’t seem to put into words, you know? Then there was fear. Fear at thinking I would never see you again, at thinking that maybe you didn’t want to be with me, that I wouldn’t get to tell you how I really feel about you. I love you too Harry, I always have.”

Harry placed his hand on the side of Ginny’s face, and tenderly caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Ginny, I think we both have things we’re sorry for, and things we both regret. Maybe we just need to figure out how to forgive each other and move on. For my part, I’m sorry for what I put you through, and I just hope that someday you’ll forgive me.”

“Harry, you know I forgive you. I’ve been an insecure, overly sensitive…well let’s just say I’m not proud of how I’ve been behaving,” she said ruefully. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Gin, your behavior is perfectly understandable. It’s been one hell of a rough year, on both of us. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to forgive luv.”

Ginny threw her arms around Harry’s neck and buried her face in his chest, hugging him fiercely. Harry responded wrapping his arms tighter around her shoulders and laying his cheek on her head. Neither could tell how long they remained that way. Finally Ginny pulled back far enough from Harry so she could speak clearly.

“Erm Harry,” she began timidly, “does this mean that we’re back together again? I mean…everything we’ve said and all, the kisses, the hugs…Oh bloody hell! I don’t know what I mean!”

Harry chuckled at Ginny’s choice of language. “Gin, I most definitely want to get back together. If you remember, you’re why I’m here at all. I can’t envision my life without you in it. In fact, I need to make some decisions regarding some things, and I’d like you to be apart of that process. So if you still want me, then I’m all yours!”

“Oh sweet Merlin!” Ginny sighed in a mixture of relief and joy. “Yes Harry, I want us to be a couple again. But I want a promise from you Harry,” she said looking at him with a dead serious expression on her face.

“Name it Gin,” Harry responded confidently.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll never go off and leave me behind again!” she said vehemently. “I don’t think I could take it if you left me again.”

Harry noted the way her voice cracked as she said this last bit. He looked down into her amazing chocolate eyes and willed her to see his sincerity. “Gin, I have absolutely no problem making you that promise. I’ve come to realize that it is you who completes me, and I could no more leave you now, than I could leave an arm behind. I promise you that from this point forward, we do things together. Deal?”

She smiled contentedly up at him, knowing that he had been completely honest with her. “Deal!” she said enthusiastically.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Harry’s and Ginny’s birthdays went by quietly. This was the wish of the teenagers, as neither had a burning desire to have a big party. Somehow, a big celebration following all that had occurred at the beginning of summer seemed out of place. They actually settled on a joint family party at the Burrow, much to Molly Weasley’s chagrin. Bill and Fleur came, as well as Charlie and his new girlfriend, a strikingly beautiful looking Romanian woman by the name of Nadia Vladskyia. Her dark hair and eyes gave her an exotic look not unlike that of Cho Chang’s. Percy brought his fiancée Penelope, and George came with his on-again-off-again-currently-on-again girlfriend Katie Bell.

The lone exceptions to family and significant others came in the form of two friends and their dates. Luna, who was escorted by Dean Thomas, and Neville who came with Hannah Abbot. All in all, everyone had a wonderful time, and the guests of honor were not overwhelmed with people.

Over the week since Harry and Ginny reconciled, the young couple had spent as much time as they could together, most of it dreaming about their futures, a novelty that up until now Harry could not do with any serious intent. There was also a great deal of planning as Harry had received several letters by owl post requesting meetings be set up regarding various details of the aftermath of the war. One meeting, which Harry knew was coming, was his meeting with the Goblin Board of Directors at Gringotts. He suspected that the time had finally come to pay the piper as it were with regards to the breaking-in of the bank, and then the subsequent breaking out. The other meeting was with the Director of the Magical Exchequer, Stephen Forbershire and the newly elected Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt. The recent elections for the vacated posts at the Ministry of Magic having removed the “Interim” prefix from Kingsley’s title. Both meetings were to be held the following week.

The Ministry meeting was no doubt concerning the ridiculous response of both the Ministry and the Wizarding Public with regards to the “Spoils Of War.” Something Harry felt he did not deserve nor did he want any part of. The Ministry was hell bound and determined to force Harry to accept ownership of the seized Death Eater properties and assets. The Wizarding Public was equally insistent upon rewarding their hero with various gifts. Harry had been basically laying low out of the public eye for a while. During this time the Ministry had temporarily managed all these assets, but the administrative manpower could no longer be spared.

Harry noted one interesting coincidence. He was asked by both parties to bring legal and financial advisors with him. Knowing absolutely no one who did these things, Harry found himself taking Mr. Weasley’s offer of assistance. Mr. Jadeswidth came to the Burrow to meet briefly with Harry, and assured him that he would be happy indeed to assist him. He also offered to call upon an associate who specialized in Wizarding Financial Law, a Mr. Duey Skrewmanhow. Messrs. Jadeswidth and Skrewmanhow advised Harry that they should meet before getting together with the Ministry or Gringotts. Mr. Jadeswidth was especially concerned that Harry develop some sort of plan for how he wanted to manage what promised to be a sizable fortune. They were set to meet later in the week, giving Harry sometime to mull over his options. The problem was Harry still didn’t know what those options were.

After stewing over it for several hours, Harry knew that he needed advice, so went looking for his surrogate parents. Not finding them in the house he stepped out the kitchen door to see them seated on a swing that was hanging from the limb of an enormous oak tree that was over by Mr. Weasley’s shed. Bill and Fleur were sitting in a couple of lawn chairs by them, and Ginny was seated on the ground, with her back leaning against the ancient tree. He walked over and sat down next to Ginny giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She responded by resituating herself so that she was seated between Harry’s legs, and using his chest as a backrest.

“Comfy Gin?” Harry teased.

Ginny smirked at him as she hit his stomach like she was fluffing a pillow. This elicited a grunt from Harry. “Now I am,” she said as she leaned back and grabbed Harry’s arms to wrap around her.

“I pity you Harry,” Bill said in mock commiseration. “Not sure why you would want to saddle yourself with such a foul tempered witch as my sister, but I’m glad she has someone to pick on other than her poor abused brothers.

This earned him an indignant glare from Ginny.

“Well, I didn’t know what a right beast she’d be when she got all worked up. Arthur, I don’t suppose you have another model I might try out. This one’s rather ill-tempered,” Harry said winking at Ginny’s parents.

“Sorry dear,” Molly said joining in. “You’ll just have to do with the one you’ve got. I’m too old to make another.”

“Hello!” Ginny protested. “Still here!”

“I suppose I could make do with this model, even if she does have a sharp tongue,” Harry continued, taking the mickey out of Ginny. It was a rare moment indeed as it was usually the other way around.

“Prat!” Ginny said in a playful tone, conceding the point for the moment.

As they all sat in companionable silence, enjoying the perfect summer evening, Harry contemplated how to ask what he needed. He finally decided to just fumble his way through it. “Mr. Weasley…”

Arthur looked over at his raven-haired boy with a raised eyebrow.

“Right…sorry,” Harry stammered. “Erm…Dad,” he continued, “I could really use some advice on what you think I should do about Gringotts, and maybe some suggestion on what to do career wise.”

“Are you referring to breaking ento and zhen out of zhe bank ‘arry?” Fleur asked.

“Well yeah, I mean they’re probably in a right state after a stunt like that. I guess I’m a little concerned at the fine or penalty they may hit me with,” Harry responded.

“I wouldn’t worry about that Harry,” said Bill confidently. “Gringotts isn’t about to do anything that might cause you to withdraw your gold.”

“Why would they care whether or not Harry pulled his accounts?” Ginny asked, confused.

“Because Pumpkin, between the Potter Family inheritance, and the Black Family inheritance, Harry is quite possibly the wealthiest wizard in all of Europe,” her father supplied. “I don’t know the exact values, but both the Potters and the Blacks go way back in history. They are, or were, the oldest and wealthiest of the Wizarding families, and Harry here is heir to them both.”

“Yeah but I still don’t follow as to why Gringotts would care? It’s not like it’s their money,” Ginny replied, still puzzled.

“Aside from the money they would loose in interest from investing that fortune, there’s the Goodwill with the public that would be badly damaged if they are seen to be mistreating the “Hero Of The Wizarding World,” Bill said in answer to her question. “There are other Wizarding Banks in Europe, but Gringotts has had a strangle hold on the British Market for centuries, and the Goblins aren’t about to do anything that would endanger that. There are two other issues at stake. One is that, with Harry’s money in house, it keeps Gringotts solvent. Banks routinely use client’s assets to invest in other ventures to make a profit. That’s where clients make their returns or interest, in addition to the profit the bank makes. They need money for investing, and they need to keep a fair amount in reserve for withdrawls. Gringotts takes it a little further though. They engage in arbitrage.”

“What’s that Bill?” asked Harry.

“Well, it’s a somewhat shady practice of investing assets or securities in one market, and selling those same assets or securities in a different market. The individuals engaging in this practice hope to profit off known differences in the price of the assets. Harry provides them with huge amounts of capital in which to enrich themselves. They’re not about to tick Harry off.”

“I’m not sure I like the Goblins using my family inheritance that way. What happens if the arbitrage scheme backfires?” Harry asked slightly disgusted.

“They write it off as a capital loss against your account. It all hinges on a little known clause in Gringotts account contracts. That unless specified, Gringotts assumes you want them to actively manage your accounts. That’s how they can get away with that, but there’s also another little known clause in the contract that they try very hard to keep quiet. If you give up control of your assets to some entity to manage, then Gringotts cannot touch your assets. They cannot use them to invest with; that becomes the responsibility of the appointed designee. Not only that, but they are then required by treaty with the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic to have the amount of gold on hand in that account to cover the value of it.”

“So let me get this straight, in order for Harry to keep the Goblins from using his money as capital in some shady investment deal, he’s got to give up control of it? That’s hardly fair!” Ginny complained.

Bill gave her a wolfish grin. “Well little sister, that all depends on who he gives up control to. Harry, as the noble and self-sacrificing chap we all know and love, is there by any chance some good cause or charity you’d like to help in let’s say…a philanthropic manner?”

“Well…sure I guess,” he said slightly confused with the direction this was going. “Ginny and I had thought about helping out or even funding the building of a Wizarding Orphanage. I also would like to help some of the muggle born families get back on their feet after what Voldemort did to them. And I suppose I’d like to set up scholarships to Hogwarts for families that can’t afford to send their kids there. There’s other stuff too, but it’s really just ideas we kicked around. But how’s that got anything to do with what we’ve been talking about?”

Bill gave Harry a direct, considering look before presenting his suggestion. “Harry, Dad and I have talked a little bit about your situation. I hope this isn’t presumptuous on our part, but I talked with Alex Jadeswidth and Duey Skrewmanhow on your behalf…”

“Hold on!” Harry began to protest.

“So that they could prepare for contingencies if you decide to do certain things,” Bill said cutting through Harry’s objection. “Wealth like yours means you never have to go out and get a conventional job like everyone else. You are secure. You can have anything you want as long as you don’t let anyone take it from you. That’s the real key, is you seizing control and doing what you know to be right. Managing your fortune could be a full time job if done right. What I’ve been leading up to is the idea of creating trusts. You establish a trust for some purpose. You fund it with the assets in your account. That causes the creation of new a account with a new vault in Gringotts. But here’s the catch, by naming your own board of trustees, and your own financial advisors, you effectively call the shots on how the money is handled, not the Goblins. Because it is in a trust, they can’t touch it. The best part is you can appoint yourself as executive officer, and direct the trust to pay you a salary, along with whoever else works for the trust.”

Harry was slowly starting to comprehend Bill’s suggestion.

“Son,” Mr. Weasley said in a kindly tone, “Remember when I said that if you examined your heart, and truly tried to think of what makes you special, then a career path that fits who you would be obvious? Think of it Harry, between your fame, and your wealth, you have a chance to really reach out and touch a lot of people’s lives in a very positive way. You have a chance to lead by example and do some things that I’m sure will make you feel good about yourself everyday of your life. And unless I misread the signs, the same would be true for Ginny. No father could hope for more for his children.”

Harry looked towards Bill and then at Mr. Weasley. He was deeply moved by the length they had gone to on his behalf. Well, he’d show them. There were ways he could reward and thank them that would still allow everyone’s dignity to remain intact.

He looked towards Ginny who had a magnificent smile on her face. He thought that he could live off the radiance emanating from that smile. He turned back to the oldest Weasley sibling. “Bill, that is a bloody brilliant suggestion!” Harry said enthusiastically as he rushed forward to wrap the big red head in a bear hug. Then he let go of Bill and bent over and wrapped Fleur in a hug, giving the part-Veela a platonic peck on the cheek, which elicited a lovely blush from the former Tri-Wizard’s Champion.

“Now, just a quick kiss from a Veela for extra zest, hmm Mr. Potter?” Ginny said, only partially teasing.

“Not at all Miss Weasley!” Harry said roguishly. “You would be my extra zest!” Then he picked her up off the ground and silenced her squeals of laughter with a rather passionate kiss.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Septembe r first rolled around and Harry and his friends found themselves in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Ron and Hermione were sitting next to the window gazing into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the presence of their friends. Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna were all sitting together chatting companionably and catching up on the summer’s activities.

“So Harry, I read that article in the Daily Prophet about you establishing those Trusts,” Neville said with admiration. “I thought that was absolutely incredible. I really thought the names were great too-The Lily and James Potter Trust for Orphaned Children. I mean honestly, what a great tribute to your parents.”

“Thanks Neville,” Harry said somewhat bashfully. It felt great to be able to do so much good, but Harry still had to work on not feeling overly modest every time someone complimented or praised his efforts.

“I really liked the Fred Weasley Memorial Trust,” Ginny said with a little catch in her voice.

“Yeah that was bloody fantastic mate,” Ron chimed in. “I mean imagine it, a trust dedicated to helping young wizarding entrepreneurs start their businesses. Absolutely wicked!”

“I understand that you’re going to have Dennis Creevey be the first recipient to be awarded a grant from the FWM Trust Harry,” said Hermione. “I think that’s great. I’m so happy for him.”

“Yeah, he’s going to open a new wizarding photography shop in Hogsmeade,” Harry replied wistfully. Collin Creevey’s death was still a sore point with Harry.

Ginny, sensing Harry’s mood pulled him to her and gave him a brief kiss.

“Oi!” yelled Ron. “How many times must I say it? No kissing in front of me! I’d rather see two Death Eaters go at it than my baby sister and my best mate.”

“Ron!” Ginny said threateningly. “Don’t make me hex you into next year!”

“You don’t want to do that,” said Ron with an air of confidence he didn’t really feel.

“And why’s that?” his sister asked.

“Because maybe I’ll just let you tell Harry what you did to his favorite T-shirt,” Ron replied smugly.

“Gin?” Harry asked looking at her questioningly.

“Thanks a lot Ron!” Ginny spat, blushing a fine shade of Weasley red. She turned to look at Harry, a guilty expression on her face. “I sort of stole your T-shirt, and I erm…well…I sort of use it for a night shirt.”

“I see,” said Harry thoughtfully. “Would you also, by any chance have taken said shirt because it happened to be bright green; and exactly matched the socks you nicked from my room a couple of weeks ago?”

“My feet get cold…” Ginny clapped her hands over her mouth realizing she’d just been caught. Harry arched his eyebrow at her and failed to stifle a laugh at her expense. She blushed even deeper-if that was possible-and slapped Harry’s shoulder. “You big prat!” she yelled as she watched her boyfriend, her brother, and her friends howl with laughter.

“I thought it was quite sweet of you to establish the Remus and Dora Lupin Memorial Trust for Homeless Wizard and Witches,” Luna said, effectively taking the heat off her friend. “Poor Professor Lupin never had a place to live on a steady basis. I’m glad that he is being honored in this way,” said Luna with out a trace of her usual flightiness. Of course the effect was slightly ruined when her friends looked at her because her wand was still tucked casually behind her ear, and she was holding her copy of the Quibbler in her habitual manner, upside down.

“Well,” Harry said a bit sheepishly, “the Ministry went a bit barmy giving me all those Death Eater estates and houses. Plus they also gave me all the seized gold from their vaults. I just figured that I would never want to live in those places, so why not use the money to fix them up, and run them as shelters. That way they’d at least be serving a useful purpose. And the best part is that the people staying there can help with upkeep and the maintenance and get paid for it.”

“So where do you want to live Harry?” Neville asked curiously.

“Well, after the meeting with Gringotts a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that there are two estates that I knew nothing about. One of them is near Godric’s Hollow. It’s the ancient Peverell Estate. I think it would be bloody brilliant to live there someday. But it needs a lot of work. It doesn’t look like anyone’s lived there since old Ignotus himself. The one that I think we’ll live in after school is done is the old Potter Estate in Wales near the town of Llanelli, overlooking Carmarthen Bay. It’s actually in great shape. There’s still a bevy of house elves that live there. They must have belonged to my family. Anyway, they’ve been keeping the place up.”

“I’ll be wanting to talk with you about those elves,” Hermione said pointedly.

“Don’t worry Hermione, I already plan on working something out with them.”

Harry looked over at Ginny who had a slightly wide-eyed, speculative look on her face. “Everything okay Gin?”

“Harry, can I speak to you, alone?” Ginny asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

They got up and walked the length of the train before finally finding the only other empty compartment. They stepped inside and shut the door. Ginny pulled the curtain across the door’s window, and cast locking and silencing charms.

They sat down next to each other. Harry pulled Ginny close to him and wrapped her in his arms. They sat for some time watching the Scottish countryside pass by them, the rhythmic clanking of the train’s wheels causing an almost hypnotic trance. Finally Ginny shifted so that she could see Harry’s face.

“Harry,” Ginny began shyly, “when you were talking to the others about where you want to live, I couldn’t help but notice that you said where “we’ll” live after school. Who did you mean?”

Harry took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. He gave her a reassuring, albeit nervous smile. “Well, this isn’t exactly how or when I planned to do this, but honestly…”

“What Harry?” asked Ginny with a hint of nervous fear in her voice.

Harry got up and knelt on one knee before her. Ginny looked at him like she’d never seen him before. Harry reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a small square box.

No way! He can’t be doing what I think he’s doing! Ginny thought to herself in shock. Only a moment before she was about half afraid Harry was going to leave her again.

“Ginny, you know I’m rubbish when it comes to trying to find the right words, but here I go anyway. I’ve been in love with you for some time. The memory of that kiss you gave me on my seventeenth birthday sustained me for a year. I think that’s when I first knew for sure. The memory of that kiss convinced me to come back from the dead for you. I know I’m not perfect. I know I still have things to work through, but I’d really like to do all that with you by my side. I love you Ginevra Weasley. Will you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?” Harry opened the box, which contained a single diamond stone set with two smaller rubies, and two emeralds on either side of it. The band was made of white gold.

“Oh sweet Merlin!” Ginny whispered as she brought her hands up to hold Harry’s face. Tears were falling freely down her face. A mixture of disbelief and joy alternately flashed on her beautiful lightly freckled face. Then as the realization sunk in, she launched herself at Harry, kissing him with all the love she could put into it. It was heady and sweet, long and hard. Harry thought his lips might be bruised, but he’d gladly deal with bruised lips for kisses like that from her. Nothing could ever top that!

When they finally pulled apart, Harry swallowed a deep breath and smiled an almost giddy smile. “So I take it that you consent?”

Ginny laughed and hugged him again until he was sure a rib creaked. “Yes you daft boy! Oh Harry, you’ve made me so happy!”

“I’m glad Gin. I’m pretty happy myself,” he said a bit roguishly. She smirked at him and embraced him yet again. They spent the rest of the trip quietly talking about the future that was becoming more and more a sure thing.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Harry was sitting in Charms Class reflecting on the state of his life a week later. The celebration of their engagement in the Gryffindor Common room after the Welcoming Feast would become the stuff of legends years down the road. How Neville and Ron got ahold of the Ogden’s Fire Whiskey he never did find out, but Harry, along with the older students, consumed great quantities of it.

So much was consumed that when a knock sounded on the common room door, they almost missed it. Standing outside were none other than the seventh year Slytherin class. Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, and even Draco Malfoy all stood there looking more than a little nervous. It was Blaise who finally broke the ice.

“Sorry to interrupt, looks like a great party,” he said nervously. Look…we just want to say that we are going to make every effort to change things within our house. Some of us were never in with Voldemort, some were,” he said meaningfully, “but it’s over. We just want to move on and put our house’s past disgrace behind us, and try and make something we can all be proud of.”

The Gryffindors’ looked at Malfoy and Goyle during this last remark, gaging their sincerity to Blaise’s words.

“To do that, we would like to make a fresh start with you lot. Sort of let by-gones be by-gones. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to work with you to make that happen,” he finished. Then he stepped forward and held out his hand, offering both peace and friendship.

Everyone looked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was those three more than anyone else who bore the brunt of the hardship over the past year. It would only happen if they let it happen. The trio looked at each other and nodded to one another briefly. Then Harry stepped forward and shook Blaise’s hand.

Who would have thought it possible? Maybe it was all whisky induced after all.

Harry’s attention came back to the classroom where he heard Luna’s voice.

“Really…a nargle ate my homework,” she said by way of explanation for her missing assignment.

Harry chuckled to himself. “Well,” he thought, “some things haven’t changed.” And the Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived-Twice, The Savior of the Wizarding World, relaxed and settled into what would become easily the best year of school he ever had.

As Harry considered Mr. Weasley’s advice, carpe diem, and putting it in the context of all he’d been through, he thought maybe they were words he could live by.



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