|
Remember | ||||||
|
Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama, Romance Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 410 Summary: The summer after the Chamber of Secrets was hard on everyone. How come no one can remember what happened? Prior to starting his seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry realizes he is missing some memories from his second year. Together with Remus Lupin, Harry sets out to discover what happened. He hopes to find out about that pretty red head he has been dreaming about as well. Hitcount: Story Total: 353582; Chapter Total: 8613 Awards: View Trophy Room |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
Ron was watching his sister pace outside the hospital wing when Bill and Professor McGonagall hurried up to them. "Mr. Weasley, what happened?" Professor McGonagall asked in concern. "I'm not sure, Professor," Ron said hesitantly. "We were all watching the skeleton show and the next thing I know Ginny is calling my name. When I looked over, he was kind of slumped over the table. He said he was hurting and when I helped him to the Entrance Hall he passed out." "We were just watching the show," Ginny said quietly. "We were watching the show and he started complaining of pain." Ron watched as his oldest brother approached his sister, "Did he have anything to eat or drink, sweetie?" Ginny looked up as though she was trying to remember. "I think he was d-drinking one of those black, smoky drinks." "Did you see anyone near your table, Mrs. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked. "I don't think so," Ginny said in a soft broken voice. "I wasn't really paying attention to our table. We were watching the show and he was laughing and we were having a good time." The door to the Infirmary opened and Madam Pomfrey looked straight at Ginny, "Mrs. Potter, you can come in now." As Ginny flew through the door, the others followed at a more sedate pace. Ron watched as Ginny curled up next to Harry's bed, holding his hand. The three staff members paused short of the bed and watched the young couple. Madam Pomfrey looked over at the two professors. "He appears to have been poisoned, but I don't detect any common poisons in his system. Shortly after he was brought up here, he started vomiting. I think he has gotten most of it out of his system." "Will you be able to identify what he was given?" Bill asked in concern. "I should be," Madam Pomfrey replied. "Are you certain it wasn't an accident?" Professor McGonagall asked. "If it was an accident, I would expect more students coming in with similar symptoms," Madam Pomfrey said. "There are no other students here." "I didn't see anyone else who looked sick," Bill admitted. Madam Pomfrey moved off and she was sitting next to Ginny talking softly. "Ron, did you see anyone around their table?" Bill asked softly. Ron shook his head, "No, I wasn't watching the whole time, but from what I remember since the show started they were alone at their table." The brothers looked up when Ginny called, "Dobby!" They watched as a small elf popped up next to their sister. "Miss Ginny," Dobby began. He gasped when he saw his hero. "Harry Potter." "Dobby," Ginny said firmly to get the little elf's attention. "We think Harry may have been poisoned at the Halloween feast. Can you go to our table and see if there is anything left that he may have eaten or drank?" Dobby nodded and popped away. He was back within a few moments with an almost empty cup of the black smoky juice. He held the cup out to Madam Pomfrey, "This cup has something else in it." "Are you sure it was Harry's cup?" Ron asked. "You didn't even ask where they were sitting." Dobby drew himself up, "Dobby is certain, Harry Potter's Wheezy. House elf magic knows." Madam Pomfrey had already started an incantation over the cup. Seconds later ingredients were writing themselves in the air in golden writing. Grape flavoring Frozen Ashwinder eggs Rose Petals Crushed Quartz Honey Sugar Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Vanilla Ginger Ale Dragon's Blood Ron looked over at Madam Pomfrey, but she was already busy in her potions cupboard pulling ingredients. With a flick of her wand, she lit a small fire under a cauldron already sitting on the counter. Looking over at his brother, Ron whispered, "Do you know what that is?" Bill looked over the ingredients carefully, "I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like a poison. Crushed quartz, rose petals, and frozen Ashwinder eggs, that seems more like a love potion." "That's what it is, Mr. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said briskly as she moved over to Ginny. Kneeling beside her she said, "Mrs. Potter, I need to obtain a few drops of your blood." Ginny nodded and Madam Pomfrey pricked Ginny's finger and gathered a few drops of blood in a vial before waving her wand over Ginny's finger and healing it. She carried the vial over to the now simmering cauldron and added the blood. She efficiently mixed and tended to the potion until she seemed satisfied. Using her wand, she poured a light pink potion into a small vial. Carrying the vial over to the Potters she said, "Mrs. Potter, your husband was given a rather powerful love potion. It is quite potent and unfortunately it seems to be made properly. I believe that your bond negated the effects of the love potion and that is what is making him sick." Ginny cleared her throat, "So that means that he won't be under the effects of the love potion?" "No, dear," Madam Pomfrey said gently. "Your bond is exceptionally strong, from what I can tell. I don't believe it is possible for a love potion to work on either of you." Ginny nodded as she wiped her eyes. Madam Pomfrey placed her hand on Ginny's shoulder and squeezed gently. "He will be fine, dear." Looking over at Ron, Madam Pomfrey said, "Mr. Weasley, can you come and lift him up for me?" Ron hurried over to Harry's bedside and lifted his head. Madam Pomfrey poured the potion into his mouth and with her wand induced him to swallow. Ron gently eased him back down on the pillow and sat down across from his sister in silent vigil. After speaking to Professor Fedorov, Bill quickly Flooed over to Grimmauld Place to talk to Remus. He found him in the kitchen. Remus gasped as Bill explained to him what had happened, "Is he okay? Can I see him?" "You can see him in the morning," Bill replied soothingly. "It's going to be a Hogsmeade weekend. Professor Fedorov decided he didn't want to announce them ahead of time, he will announce it at breakfast in the morning. I will talk to Harry and Ginny. I'm sure they will be happy to meet you at the Three Broomsticks or where ever you want to meet them." Sinking back into his chair, Remus nodded, "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to meet them for lunch." He paused, "Or would they like to come here for a late tea? That way they could go to Hogsmeade and then come here for a visit with their friends." "That's a good idea," Bill said slowly. "Let me run it by Professor McGonagall, if she thinks it's a good idea I'll send a message with Fawkes." Both men turned as Hermione entered the kitchen, "Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. Would you like me to come back?" "No, that's ok," Remus replied. He quickly explained what had happened as well as Bill's suggestion. "That would be wonderful to see everyone," Hermione said with a smile, but she quickly turned serious. "Do you know who gave him the love potion?" Bill shook his head, "The most likely suspect is Susan Bones, but we don't actually have any evidence that she did anything. No one remembers seeing her near the Potters or anyone actually. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott both remember her at their table during the Skeleton dance." "But Harry is okay, right?" Hermione clarified. Bill smiled, "He's fine. Madam Pomfrey was able to whip up an antidote quickly once Dobby brought the glass with the love potion." "Dobby? The house elf?" "Yes," Bill replied. "I guess Harry and Ginny ran into him and he wants to help them. He told Ginny to call him anytime she needs anything, so she called him and he was able to locate the glass very quickly. It's a good thing she thought of that, I don't know that any of us would have been able to figure out what glass Harry used so quickly." Hermione frowned, but didn't say anything else. Bill stood, "I will let you know the plan in the morning." After Bill left, Hermione walked over to the stove and fixed both herself and Remus a cup of tea. Remus jumped slightly as Hermione brought the tea over to the table. "Are you okay, Remus?" Hermione asked gently. Remus sighed, "I'm fine. I just…He has been through so much this year, I was really hoping he wouldn't have any problems at school." He laughed shakily as he spooned some sugar into his tea, "I guess he wouldn't be Harry if he didn't run into problems." Hermione smiled, "He wouldn't. At least he did better than Ron on love potion." "Ron was given love potion?" "Last year," Hermione explained. "A girl called Romilda Vane was trying to give Harry a love potion. She had hidden them in some chocolate cauldrons, but Ron ate the sweets instead. Harry said it was actually kind of scary how Ron was suddenly going on about how much he loved this girl that Harry wasn't even sure Ron knew." She sipped her tea before continuing, "Unfortunately they ended up in the same place, the hospital wing. Harry took him to Professor Slughorn who made him an antidote, but he then offered the boys a drink of ale that turned out to be poisoned." "Oh, I remember hearing about that," Remus said. "Molly told me about it. It happened on his birthday, right?" Hermione nodded, "Yeah, his seventeenth birthday and he spent it in the hospital wing. Let's hope he has better luck this year." ________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________ Ivan Fedorov sank down into his desk chair, deep in thought. An attempt had been made on the life of arguably his most well-known student. He had truly hoped he had taken all of the appropriate precautions to avoid this type of incident. He was glad that Bill Weasley had offered to take care of notifying Potter's next-of-kin, he did not enjoy that sort of confrontation. He reviewed the file that had been provided for him on Susan Bones. Her aunt, Amelia, had been the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until her death the previous summer and her uncle and his family had been killed by Death Eaters in the 1970s. Her parents were adamantly opposed to the Dark Lord and Susan herself had been one of the original members of Potter's defence group, Dumbledore's Army. Susan had briefly dated Potter the previous autumn, but Ivan had heard it was believed a love potion had been used. A knock on the door roused him from his thoughts. Straightening in his chair, he called out, "Enter!" Professors McGonagall, Weasley, and Sprout entered the room accompanied by Susan Bones. Professor Fedorov eyed the young girl as the quartet arranged themselves in the chairs in front of his desk. She was not what he expected. While not beautiful, she was a pretty, slim, red-head. "Miss Bones, do you know why you are here?" Professor Fedorov asked. Susan raised her head, revealing tear-filled eyes, "No." Professor Fedorov made an impatient sound, "I have a hard time believing that, girl." Susan shot a look at her Head-of-House looking for some guidance. Professor Sprout smiled encouragingly at her, "Susan, if you know anything. now would be a good time to say so." As the adults watched, Susan seemed to lose her bravado. She shrank back into her chair, "I guess I'm here because of what happened to Harry." "Do you know what that is?" The headmaster questioned. "He looked like he was sick," Susan replied quietly. "I saw Ron help him out of the Great Hall." Another knock on the door heralded the arrival of Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, he brought with him a rack of potions. Susan paled when she saw what was in his hands. Setting the rack on the Headmaster's desk, Kingsley said, "I found this in her trunk. From the pictures on the vials, I would say they are a variety of potions. I have confirmed that several of the vials are the same type of love potion administered to Mr. Potter tonight, I will have the rest of the potions analyzed at the Ministry." The colour drained out of Susan's face as the Auror spoke, tears started pouring down her face. When Kingsley turned towards her, she burst out crying. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him, I just…I just wanted him to love me. She told me it would be okay. It didn't hurt him last time, why would it hurt him now? All I needed was some time with him and he would have realized we are meant to be together. She promised." Kingsley knelt down by the distraught girl, he remembered Susan as a cute little pig-tailed girl who had loved to visit her aunt and bring homemade treats into the Ministry. "Who promised, Susie?" "P-pan-" Susan broke off as she began to have difficulty breathing. She started wheezing and her lips started turning blue. Kingsley sprang into action. He and Professor Sprout lifted the girl and after throwing a handful of powder into the Floo, he yelled, "St. Mungos!" The trio disappeared into a flare of green flames. _______________________________ ________________________________________ _____________ Minerva and Bill left the Headmaster's office together, both a bit shaken over the events of the evening. While everyone agreed that Susan was probably going to implicate Pansy Parkinson, the Headmaster did not think they had enough evidence to accuse her of any crimes. He rationalized that they were already keeping a close eye on her, so they would not change the plan. "I need to go down to the Hufflepuff common room and speak to Miss Bones's roommates," Minerva said with a sigh. "Pomona will likely be at St. Mungo's for most of the night." Bill nodded, "I need to go check on my sister. If you need me, send a Patronus." When Bill entered the hospital wing a few minutes later, he found that Ron had returned to Gryffindor Tower, leaving Ginny at Harry's bedside. He approached his sister and kissed her on the top of the head, "How are you holding up, sweetie?" "I'm better," Ginny replied. "He's not in any pain anymore and he hasn't thrown up again." Sitting down at her side, Bill explained what had happened in Professor Fedorov's office. Ginny sighed, "I wouldn't want her to die, but she needs to be punished. It's bad enough she tried love potion last year, but she knows he is married now. What could she hope to accomplish?" "I don't know," Bill said with a sigh. "She kept saying 'she promised' over and over. I'm not sure she was in her right mind." Looking over at Harry's bed, he enlarged it with a wave of his wand. "Why don't you get some sleep, love? I've added some security charms to the infirmary so you will be safe here." Ginny nodded and hurried to change while Bill sat with Harry. When she returned, she hugged her brother and slipped into bed with her husband. Harry automatically tightened his arms around her when she lay her head down on his chest, wrapping her arm around his chest. ________________________________ ________________________________________ _________________ Harry opened his eyes slowly, he immediately recognized the hospital wing. Looking around, he could tell it was still early morning. He groaned slightly as the events of the night before came flooding back to him. He could feel the familiar warm weight of Ginny across his chest. With a smile, he tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Opening her eyes, Ginny smiled up at her husband. Raising up on one elbow, she gazed down at him, "Are you feeling better, love?" Harry returned her smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm feeling a little better." He laughed, "I bet a kiss would make me feel even better." Laughing, Ginny leaned down and kissed him softly. She had intended for it to be a brief kiss, but Harry threaded his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. She moaned softly against his lips. He lifted her slightly so she was lying fully on top of him. "Harry," she whispered. He looked around the room quickly and with a wave of his hand he settled back on the pillow, "No one will bother us now." "Are you sure?" Harry murmured his reassurance against her skin as he kissed his way down her neck. She sat up and straddled his hips. With a seductive smile, she slowly unbuttoned her pajama top as Harry ran his hands up her thighs watching her every move. Tossing the shirt behind her, she lifted her hips for a moment while she shimmied out of the pajama bottoms. She leaned down over him and kissed him deeply as she began working on his shirt, quickly divesting him of his clothes. Once they were both naked, he tried to flip them over, but she resisted. "No, baby. Let me do this." Harry was helpless to resist his wife's whispered plea and let her direct their lovemaking. Afterwards, she snuggled down on his chest while Harry pulled the sheets up over them. Before relaxing with her, Harry waved his hand and released the charms he had used to close off the hospital wing. Together the young couple drifted off to sleep. ________________________________ ________________________________________ _________ It was several hours later that Harry was released and the young couple made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. A very relieved Ron greeted them. "Are you okay?" He asked as they sat down together. "I was really worried about you last night." Harry smiled at his best mate, "I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey was able to administer the antidote and our bond actually fought off the effects of the potion. That is what made me so sick." He shot a teasing look at his best friend, "I didn't even hit my best mate." Ron blushed, but laughed, "It wasn't my fault I hit you, I was under the effects of a love potion and you questioned my love for her." He glanced down the table at Romilda, "Stupid cow." Harry laughed as he watched Ron load his plate with bacon and sausage. Ginny wrinkled her nose at his breakfast, but thankfully bacon was no longer making her nauseated. She told Ron everything Bill had told her the night before as Harry prepared her a bowl of porridge before helping himself to a bowl of corn flakes. Kissing her husband on the cheek, Ginny turned her attention to her breakfast and the three ate in relative silence. Breakfast was in full swing when Professor Fedorov stood to get everyone's attention. "Good morning, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the feast last night. I would like to thank our Head Boy and Head Girl for their hard work in planning our feast and entertainment." He paused briefly while the students cheered their thanks. Once the students calmed down a bit, he continued. "I would like to announce a special treat for all of the students. We have arranged for a Hogsmeade weekend for all students third year and above." He held up his hands to calm the excited room, "While we want everyone to have a wonderful time, I would caution you that these are dangerous times we live in. There will be teachers as well as Aurors stationed in the village this morning. If you are ordered to return to the school, I want everyone to return quickly. Do not delay. All students must leave the village by 4 pm. We want to ensure that everyone is back in the castle by the time it is dark." As the Headmaster sat down, the noise in the hall increased dramatically as everyone started making plans for the day. Ron turned to Harry, "Did you know about this?" He shook his head, "No, Professor Fedorov wanted to keep the dates under wraps until the last minute. I knew he was planning a Hogsmeade weekend, but I didn't know when." "I can't wait!" Ginny said. "This should be great fun. I've never been on a Hogsmeade weekend before." Ron looked at her in confusion, "I thought you went to Hogsmeade this summer when we were staying here." Ginny shook her head, "I did, but this is a Hogsmeade weekend. It's different." Turning to her husband, she said, "Sweetie, I'm going to go take a shower and get ready, okay?" "No problem," Harry kissed her quickly and watched as she hurried out of the hall, his eyes glued to her swaying hips. He jumped when Ron cuffed him on the back of the head, "Oi, Potter! Eyes back in your head please. I don't even want to know what you are thinking about my sister with that look on your face!" Harry laughed at tossed a piece of toast at his best mate, "I'm sure you don't!" He turned to Neville, "Do you want to join us?" Neville shook his head, "No, I told Hannah I would wait with her. She's really upset about Susan. She thinks she should have been able to do something to prevent it." "I don't think she could have," Harry said. "She did tell us Susan had some potions, none of us realized that Susan was going to do anything. I mean she hasn't even tried to talk to me this year, I was hoping she'd gotten whatever it was out of her system." "I know," Neville replied. "I tried to tell her that, but she was still upset." "If there's anything I can do, let me know," Harry said. Neville laughed, "Go to Hogsmeade and have fun with your wife," Harry laughed as Neville got up and waved to them. There was a rustle of wings and Hedwig fluttered down on the table beside him. Harry reached out pleased to see his owl. "Hi, girl. Do you have something for me?" Harry offered her a crispy piece of bacon and some pumpkin juice as he ran his fingers down her chest. After butting his fingers with her head, Hedwig offered her leg and Harry took the letter from her leg. With a gentle nip to his fingers, Hedwig took off to the owlery. Harry opened the letter, quickly scanning the content. He smiled as he finished the letter and handed it without a word to Ron. Harry, No word from St. Mungo's yet. I spoke to Professor McGonagall and you, Ginny and Ron have permission to spend the weekend at Grimmauld Place. If you would like to spend the morning in Hogsmeade you may, but Remus is expecting you after lunch. Come see me after breakfast and I will have a Portkey for you to use. Have fun and be careful! Bill __________________ ________________________________________ ________________________ It was with a great sense of excitement that the older students gathered before the gate, waiting as Filch grudgingly checked to ensure that everyone had the proper permission to leave. "I don't have a permission slip for you, missy." Filch said gleefully when Harry and Ginny arrived at the front of the line. "She is legally an adult," Harry said with a touch of anger in his voice. Ginny was very excited about the visit to the village, he really didn't want Filch ruining any of the day. "Is there a problem?" Professor McGonagall asked as she made her way to the front of the crowd. "She doesn't have permission," Filch repeated stubbornly. Professor McGonagall fixed him with an icy glare. "As I believe Mr. Potter just reminded you, both he and his wife are legally adults and do not need additional permission to visit the village." "Yes, ma'am," Filch replied stiffly, waving the couple through the gates. Harry waved at Professor McGonagall and received a slight smile in return. Once Ron, Seamus and Demelza had joined them, it was a high-spirited group of Gryffindors setting out for the village. "So where do you want to go?" Harry asked Ginny as they walked hand-in-hand down to the village. "Honeydukes," Ginny said immediately. "Good call, Ginny!" Ron called. "I need a refill on my stash of sweets." As they headed into Honeydukes, Harry watched in amusement as Ron and Ginny explored the shop together. "Ginny," Ron called, "you need to check these out." He was pointing to the display of fudge. "You always liked fudge, right? Remember how Mum used to hide them from us before Christmas?" Ginny laughed, "Do you remember when Charlie found the whole stash and tried to eat it all? Mum was so angry." The sibling were laughing so hard, Harry could not understand the half words they were saying back and forth. Something about gnomes and attics. He smiled watching them, he was glad to see Ron and Ginny repairing their relationship. Ginny had told him that she and Ron were very close growing up. While Bill was her confidant and protector, Ron was her friend and playmate. Ginny straightened up, "I think it would only be nice to get Charlie some fudge, don't you agree?" Ron's eyes lit up, "That's a great idea. Do you remember what kind it was?" Looking over all of choices, Ginny said, "I'm pretty sure it was the walnut fudge." "I think you're right," Ron concurred, waving over the clerk. "Can we get a pound of the walnut fudge?" Ron asked. "Wait," Ginny said. "I want half a pound of the pumpkin fudge and half a pound of the plain fudge also." "Why?" Ron asked. "Because I want some fudge," Ginny said. "you wouldn't want to deprive your little nephew some fudge would you?" Ron rolled his eyes, but he smiled at the thought of becoming an uncle. After the clerk boxed up their selections, they headed over to the novelty sweets counter where Ron tried to talk Ginny into blood-flavored lollipops. She ignored her brother, but did leave the shop with more Chocolate Frogs for Ron and Sugar Quills for Ginny. Nudging his sister, Ron gestured to where Charlie was watching the students. He seemed to be attracting quite a bit of attention from the female students. Ginny laughed and headed over to her brother. Together they presented the fudge to Charlie. He started laughing and hit them both on their arms. It didn't stop him from tucking the fudge into his robes. Ron and Seamus headed over to Zonko's while Harry, Ginny and Demelza headed for Gladrags. As they entered the store, Demelza headed directly for a display of new arrivals. Harry again just watched as the girls looked at the jumpers and Christmas dresses. "Can I help you, sir?" Harry turned to find a young blonde clerk standing next to him. "Excuse me?" "Can I help you?" she repeated. "We have quite a selection of shirts and jumpers that would…accentuate your…attributes." Harry back away from the almost predatory look in the young woman's eyes. "N-no, I'm just here with my wife." The clerk looked at him in disbelief before glancing down at his hand. Harry made sure his wedding ring was visible to the girl before heading over to Ginny. She had been watching the whole exchange in amusement, when he arrived at her side she smiled up at him before leaning up and kissing him. "Having problems, love?" she laughed. "That girl was flirting with me," Harry whispered. "Why?" Ginny and Demelza both started laughing at the look of confusion on his face. "Sweetie, you are…you are very good looking and if I may say so very sexy. She was just admiring that." Harry blushed and shook his head, "I really don't understand girls." Demelza started laughing, "It really is a good thing you are married, Harry." Shaking his head, he looked around trying to change the subject, "So what are you two looking at?" "Actually, Ginny and I were just saying that we should have a Christmas party in the tower before the holidays," Demelza said. "So I thought that we should get new Christmas dresses." "A Christmas party?" Harry said. "That would be fun." "It would," Ginny said. "But I'll be huge by Christmas. I wouldn't know what to get." An older clerk approached them, "Can I help you?" Harry looked up and nodded, "My wife was looking at the Christmas dresses, but she needs some help with what size to get." The clerk turned to see Ginny fingering a beautiful emerald green dress. As she looked over Ginny and noticed the slight bump, she nodded in understanding. "Of course, dear. How far along are you?" "I'm about twelve weeks now, I figure I will be about eighteen weeks when we have the party," Ginny said softly. Nodding, the clerk pulled out an emerald green dress similar to the one she was looked at, but cut differently. "This has more of an empire waist which works well with pregnancy. It has some of the same embellishments and detail work of the dress you were admiring." She held it out to Ginny, "Why don't you try this on, dear?" Demelza grabbed a sparkling gold dress and said, "Come on, Ginny. Let's go try them on." He walked around looking, the clerk said, "If you are interested, these jumpers might work well for your wife." Harry looked over where she was pointing and had fun choosing a few jumpers and tunic style tops for her. He quickly asked the clerk to wrap them while Ginny was still in the changing room. The sound of Ginny calling his name, had him crossing the shop once again. He smiled as she turned in place for him. "You look beautiful," Harry said. He reached out to touch the dress, "I like this…stuff. I can't remember what she called it, but it looks really nice." Demelza came out in her shorter gold dress. Harry nodded, "You look nice, Demelza." "Do you think Seamus will like it?" Harry looked at her in confusion. Why did girls ask questions like that? Seamus liked her right, what difference would a dress make? "Umm, yeah. I'm sure he'll like it." As Demelza went back into the dressing room, Ginny's sigh caught his attention, "What's wrong, baby?" She blinked and turned away from him, "Nothing, really." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, "I know you're upset, what's wrong?" She leaned into him, "I'm just being a bit silly. I know this dress is nice, a small part of me just wishes that I could fit into my first choice." "I know, baby," Harry said. "But you are going to look absolutely gorgeous and sexy in that dress." He kissed her again to emphasize his point. "You'll fit into a tiny, slinky little dress next year if you want to, but I think you are amazing no matter what you wear." Ginny beamed up at him and kissed him quickly before returning to the changing room. Once the girls were finished shopping, Harry paid for all of Ginny's purchases including a nice jumper for Hermione and one for Tonks. Demelza hurried off the join Seamus, while Harry took Ginny on a tour of the town. She laughed at the coziness of Madam Puddifoot's with its smiling pumpkins and cozy black kittens. Harry had her laughing so hard she was almost in tears as he recounted his disastrous date with Cho in his fifth year. He did reduce her to tears when he showed her the Shrieking Shack and told her of his meeting Sirius there in his third year. The two slowly walked towards the Three Broomsticks as Harry told stories from his years of visiting Hogsmeade. Before they entered the busy restaurant, Harry stopped her and pulled her over to one side. "Thank you, love." "For what?" she asked as she pulled her jacket around her more tightly. He smiled, "I've come here with my friends and I've even had two horrible dates here, but this is the first time I've ever been here with someone I love." Her answering smile was so bright, he felt he had to kiss her. He knew he had a goofy smile on his face as he led her into the restaurant. ___________________________ ________________________________________ _________ After lunch, Ron, Harry and Ginny said goodbye to Seamus and Demelza and headed out of town. Once they were out of sight of high street, they walked to an abandoned barn on the outskirts of town. Harry remembered Sirius had stayed here a night or two to be near him. Inside the barn, Harry pulled out the quill Bill had given him that morning. Once everyone was touching the pen, Harry said, "Lupin's School." He tensed as he felt the horribly familiar feeling of being jerked forward and his feet left the ground. After a swirl of colour, he landed. He was happy he landed on his feet, but he didn't have time to contemplate that as Ginny started retching as soon as they landed. Ron jumped back as Ginny vomited. "Eww, Ginny that's gross!" Harry spared the time to glare at his best mate as he gently pulled her hair out of the way. He conjured up a wet flannel that he handed to her. She shakily wiped her mouth as Ron hastily vanished the puddle she had made. "Harry!" Turning, Harry saw his godfather hurrying towards him. When he saw Ginny's face, Remus stopped short. "Ginny, are you okay? You are very pale," Remus said, reaching for her arm. "I'm okay," she muttered. Behind her, Ron mined throwing up and Remus nodded. "Why don't we head to the kitchen? Dora keeps some tea that really soothes her stomach." Remus guided Ginny down the hall towards the kitchen stairs. As Harry and Ron turned to follow, the sound of their names being called stopped them. A mass of bushy brown hair blocked his view as Hermione threw herself at Harry. He caught her in a hug before she turned to Ron and hugged him as well. To Harry's surprise, she blushed and pulled away rather more quickly than she did with him. She looked around the hall, "Where's Ginny?" "She sicked up all over the entry way when we got here," Ron explained in disgust. "Remus took her down to the kitchen." By this time, the other students of the house had joined them. The younger students greeted them, but soon headed back to whatever they had been doing. Dean, Justin and Mandy pulled them into the sitting room. "So how is Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. "Is it really different with Professor Fedorov?" Harry let Ron answer the question while he slipped out of the room and headed down to the kitchen. As he entered the room, he was surprised to see George had joined Remus and Ginny. "I'm fine mate," George answered as he gave Harry a manly one-armed hug. Remus took advantage of the moment to properly greet his godson. "How are you, Harry?" Remus asked anxiously. "I was so worried when Bill told me what happened." Harry sat down next to Ginny, capturing her hand as he did so. He smiled to see she had regained her colour. "I'm fine," Harry said. "Ron and Ginny had me up in the hospital wing quickly and got me the antidote." "So it was that Susan bird again?" George asked. "What the hell, mate?" Harry sighed, "It was Susan. I don't get it. We dated for a few unmemorable weeks and had one less than successful date in Hogsmeade before she got all jealous of Hermione. It certainly wasn't some great romance." "Bill said she may have had some help in believing she could get you back," Remus said. "I don't know why," Harry said with an edge in his voice. "I am married and obviously very much in love with my wife. Why is that so hard to understand?" "Has she approached you at all?" Remus asked. Harry shook his head, "No. We only have Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts together. I usually sit with Ron and Neville in both of those classes." "They haven't heard anything from St. Mungo's yet," Ginny said. "I just want her to stay away from us." Turning to her brother she said, "So how about you, what happened?" George had them laughing with his over the top account of his injuries. Ginny shook her head as she kissed him on the cheek, "So you single handedly fought off over one hundred Death Eaters and rescued twelve beautiful maidens? That isn't exactly the story we heard." George shook his head mournfully, "I don't understand why no one believes me." "Because we all know you too well," Ron said as he and Hermione joined them in the kitchen. "Why don't you three come join us up in the sitting room?" Ron asked. Looking over at his godfather, Harry saw him nod. "That's a great idea, Ron. Why don't you go upstairs? We'll be up in a minute." The teens spent a fun afternoon playing games and listening to the WWN. Ginny and Mandy hit it off well and Colin and Laura soon joined them in a loud game of gobstones. Justin challenged Ron to a game of wizarding chess, leaving Harry, Dean, and Hermione playing a game of Exploding Snap. Hermione and Dean filled Harry in on Lupin's School while Harry told them about the happenings at Hogwarts. Dean rolled his eyes while Harry patiently answered Hermione's many questions about the events of the night before. _______________________________ ________________________________________ _____________ Pansy glanced at her watch, it was almost time. She hurried down High Street to a small shop next to Madam Puddifoot's. It was a small unassuming shop, rarely frequented by Hogwarts' students. Entering the shop, Pansy looked around at the exclusive jewelry shop. It reminded her of Borgin and Burkes for some reason. There was a large display of jeweled daggers and even a few swords. Smaller displays showed examples of jeweled family crests as well as more traditional bracelets, rings and necklaces. The last display showed blood jewelry, it was here that Pansy had purchased the small necklace she always wore with a vial of Draco's blood. The curtains to the back room opened and an attractive dark haired woman moved to her place behind the counter. "Can I help you?" Pansy nodded and shot a look towards the door. "Yes, ma'am. I believe you have a special order for me." The woman continued to look at Pansy impassively until Pansy discretely lifted her left sleeve to show the mark branded on her arm. The clerk nodded and gestured for Pansy to pull down her sleeve. She opened the counter after using her wand to lock the door, gestured for Pansy to follow her into the back room. Without a word, the clerk pointed towards a door. Pansy brushed by her and after knocking, entered the room. "Sir." Pansy nodded her head. She was still a bit in awe of Draco's father. He had long been a member of the Dark Lord's inner circle and while he had briefly fallen from favour after the episode at the Ministry, he had soon regained his former place at the Dark Lord's side. "Pansy, welcome," Lucius stood courteously as she entered and gestured for her to sit at the small table where he had been waiting for her. "I understand you have news." The girl nodded. "Susan tried to use a love potion on Potter last night. I don't know exactly what happened, but it didn't work. I heard he was in the hospital wing and the blood-traitor weasels were running around upset. This morning though, he was at breakfast with his little blood-traitor whore." Lucius nodded, "Miss Bones, what of her?" "I'm not sure, sir," Pansy said cautiously. "She was not at breakfast and her friend, Hannah seemed very upset this morning. I didn't see Professor Sprout at breakfast either. Susan may have been caught." To her relief, Lucius did not seem overly upset at that prospect. "Not to worry, Pansy. There are plans in place for that eventuality." "Do you have anything else for me?" Lucius asked. Pansy nodded and reached into her bag and pulled out a sheaf of parchment. She had worked harder on this essay than she had on anything she had done for school. "Yes, sir. This is what we have discovered so far. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information, but we are continuing to look. I have asked a few of the more discrete older family members if they have anything in their family libraries." "Good work," Lucius said as he looked up from his perusal of Pansy's notes. "The Dark Lord will be pleased by your work. Let the others know that if they keep up the good work, they might receive an invitation to the Dark Lord's presence of the Christmas holidays. He is planning to mark some of the more helpful recruits." "Yes, sir. Thank you," Pansy said with a hint of pride in her voice. ________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________ Dinner that night was a lively affair and the dining room was full. Remus looked around in satisfaction. Harry was looking good, he was healthy and in good spirits. Ginny had recovered from her arrival and seemed to be enjoying her time with the other teens. Justin was grumbling about his hard fought chess match with Ron. It was apparently a close thing, but Ron had pulled out a victory in the end. Remus turned as the door from the kitchen opened. Dobby and a small female elf, entered the room to clear the dishes. He hid a laugh at the look of disapproval on Hermione's face. She had tried to convince the other students they could do the work themselves and not use the house elves, but none of the other students seemed as bothered by the house elves as Hermione. "Harry Potter, sir! You are better, sir?" "Yes, Dobby," Harry said with a smile. "I'm much better now. Thank you for your help. Ginny told me how much you helped." Dobby beamed at the praise from his hero. "Harry Potter is a great wizard!" Harry blushed. He took a look at the female elf and to his amazement, he recognized her, "Winky? Is that you?" She nodded slowly, "Yes, Harry Potter, sir. It is Winky." He was surprised, the last time he had seen Winky she was a mess. Dirty, disheveled and drinking butterbeer, but here she was in front of him neat and clean in a Hogwarts elf uniform. Winky seemed to understand what he was thinking and drew herself up to her full height, "Winky is a Hogwarts' elf now, sir." "But Winky, you were a free elf," Hermione burst out, obviously distressed that Winky had seemingly given up her freedom. Winky looked at Hermione frostily, "Yes, miss. Winky was a bad elf, but now I's a Hogwarts elf. Professor McGonagall helped Winky." "Professor McGonagall?" Hermione looked horrified at the thought of her mentor enslaving an elf. "That's great, Winky," Harry broke in, not wanting the discussion to evolve into another rant on elf's rights. "Thank you, sir," Winky nodded respectfully. She shot a look over at Ginny, "If miss needs any help at school, Winky can help. Dobby told me he's been helping you. If Dobby is busy, Winky can help." "Thank you, Winky," Ginny smiled. Winky returned the smile, "What would miss like for dessert?" "Do you have any pumpkin pie?" Ginny asked, naming her new craving. "Yes, miss." The two elves popped out of the room only to return moments later with trays laden with after dinner treats including pumpkin pie and treacle tart. "Harry! What have you been doing?" Hermione asked, her displeasure clear. He shot her an impatient glance as he helped himself to a large slice of treacle tart, "Noting, Hermione. Dobby has been helping us out, well mostly Ginny. He'll come and bring her food from the kitchen so she doesn't have to go down there by herself." "He likes to help, Hermione," Ginny said. "He's very sweet. He likes to take care of our room and help me out. He watches out for me. What is wrong with that?" "Hermione," Remus intervened. "I know you have good intentions, but most house elves don't want to be free." He held up his hand to stem the tide of her argument. "Hermione, you cannot help a species that you do not understand nor from what I can tell a species with whom you have not regularly interacted. You cannot impose your values on another species. If you truly want to help the house elves, you need to listen to them. What do they want? Once you discover what they want, you can help them." Hermione didn't respond immediately. She appeared to think over what Remus said before she said, "That does make sense, and I will think about what you've said." Ron looked quite relieved when Mandy jumped in to ask about her friend, Lisa. She was in his Transfiguration class, so he was able to answer her questions. Turning to Harry, Remus asked, "Do you have to return tonight, or can you stay overnight?" "We can stay," Harry said. "That is if you can find room for Ron." "He can bunk with us," Dean said. "It will be like the old days." ________________________________ ________________________________________ _____________ The next morning, Harry decided to make breakfast like he had over the summer. After a quick consultation with Dobby, who was able to supply groceries, Harry decided to make eggs, bacon, and crumpets. Ginny sat at the kitchen table, watching her husband work. "I've missed this," Harry said. "I like making breakfast for you." Ginny smiled, "Well, we already have several alterations to our room. We have a counter and cold cupboard. Maybe we could get a small stove and oven. Ask Dobby, I'm sure he will know if it is possible and how to do it." "That's a good idea," Harry said as he pulled the crumpets out of the oven. The two of them carried the trays of food up to the dining room and put them on the side board. Ginny loaded up a plate and smiled at Harry, "Come with me." With a smile, Harry followed. He didn't know exactly what she had in mind, but if she smiled at him like that he was always happy to follow her. She led the way into the Conservatory. With a wave of her wand, she conjured up a blanket next to the fountain in the centre of the room. "Let's have a little picnic," she said with a smile. He sat down on the blanket next to her and the two of them shared and intimate breakfast filled with laughter and many kisses. Once they'd eaten their fill, Harry lay back on the blanket with Ginny resting her head on his shoulder. "I had an idea for today," Harry said after a few minutes. He turned so he could see her face. "Why don't we go shopping in Muggle London while we are here? We can get you some maternity clothes. What do you think?" Ginny sat up, "Really? That does sound like fun. Do you think anyone else would want to come?" He laughed up at her, "I don't know. Why don't we go talk to Remus?" The couple found him in his study and shared their idea with him. "I don't know Harry," Remus said watching his godson. "It's not entirely safe." "It's much safer than magical London," Harry countered. "It will be a fun afternoon. Who will be looking for us in Muggle London?" Remus looked up from his desk, "I can't stop you from going, Harry, but I also can't allow any of the underage students to leave. I don't have permission from their parents for them to leave the school. If any of the other seventh year students want to go with you, I think it would best if Dora accompanies you." "That's fine," Harry said. After talking to the others, it was decided that Ron would stay with Dean and Justin while Tonks, Hermione and Mandy would accompany Harry and Ginny into London. At Mandy's suggestion, they decided to head for the shops on Oxford Street. One of the first shops they tried was a maternity store. Ginny was quite glad to find cute maternity clothes that fit. Many pregnant witches just wore robes and Ginny didn't want to be stuck in robes all the time. Harry once again stood watch while Ginny chose what she wanted. He got bored after a while and wandered about the store. He paused when he found a selection of bedding for cots. Looking at the sheets with little dancing bears and stars, it struck him suddenly that this time next year they would have two little babies. He smiled at the thought of having babies. Searching more intently, he started looking through the sets that were out. "Can I help you, sir?" Harry blushed, "I was just looking at what's available." "Are you having a boy or girl?" He smiled, "We don't know yet. Our h-doctor said that we can find out next month." "Well, we have plenty sets that can be used for boys or girls," The clerk explained as she showed him a variety of bedding sets. Looking up, Harry could tell that Ginny was still having fun trying on outfits. "I have a question," Harry said hesitantly. The clerk nodded encouragingly. Harry continued, "We are having twins. Is there some special kind of cot we can get or do we just get two?" The clerk beamed, "Twins? How wonderful." She led him over a large desk and pulled out a catalog, "There are several different options. If you have a small nursery, there is a double decker type cot." He was so engrossed in the catalog, that he jumped slightly when he felt two arms wrap around his neck, "What are you looking at, love?" Harry blushed, "I was looking at cots. I asked about cots for twins." She smiled at him and sat down next to him. "This is cool." In the end, they decided to order a double decker cot for Grimmauld Place and wait until Christmas to do any further shopping for their house. Ginny left the shop with several bags and an order for the cot to be delivered in two weeks. Tonks assured them that Remus would take the delivery for them. They spent several hours exploring the shops along Oxford Street. Hermione and Mandy both made some purchases. All and all it was a fun afternoon. They arrived back at Grimmauld Place in high spirits. Hermione and Mandy hurried upstairs to put away their new purchases. "Harry!" Turning, Harry saw his godfather emerge from his study. "We're back, Moony. Safe and sound." "Harry," Remus said again. "I've heard from Bill." Harry felt his good mood disappearing rapidly. Ginny slide her arms around his waist, leaning against him to provide support. "Harry, Susan Bones is dead." |
| Reviews 410 |
Previous Next
|
