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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Humor, Romance Warnings: Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 277 Summary: A freak accident clears the name of Sirius Black who then takes over the welfare of a young Harry Potter. A hideous discovery convinces Sirius Hogwarts is too dangerous for the young boy. Years later a lonely, over-worked Harry meets a young lady who will change his life and actually allow him to have a little fun. If only his fellow Aurors could work out who he was dating. Hitcount: Story Total: 153619; Chapter Total: 16494 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: At the bottom again |
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Chapter 11 — Hot Dog! Despite the fact that a weak January sun was doing little to raise the temperature, Harry was surprised at the number of tourists milling about. He and Suzie had just left the underground at Waterloo station and crossed the road heading towards the river. On the far bank he could see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, exactly the sort of tourist traps he was looking for. They were looking for a pair of con-artists who were using magic to confuse and then steal from Muggles. The pair operated in crowded tourist-filled areas and, while they were quite subtle and never attracted undue attention, some of the spells they used had caused some nasty reactions to their victims, a few of whom had suffered permanent damage. It was for this reason the Auror Department had become involved. Harry had sent Malcolm and Robbie further east and they should be patrolling around the Tower of London by now, while he and Suzie operated around the Thames. They had just now reached the river and started headed east, with Suzie complaining continually. “My feet are killing me, Harry, and its freezing. How far have we got to go?” Suzie wasn’t used to wearing Muggle clothing, although Harry had complimented her that she looked good. She could, however, have picked a somewhat warmer jacket and investment in some gloves, a hat and a scarf would have been a good idea. Harry suppressed a laugh. He was warm in his black leather jacket with a hoodie underneath, and well, you always learn from your mistakes, he thought. “The plan, my freezing little friend, is to carry on along the South Bank past the Tate Modern, cross over on the Millennium Bridge and head back along the North Bank for a while. We’ll swing out a bit then and head over to Covent Garden, before turning back along Whitehall. A nice bit of walking will warm you up,” he grinned at her. Suzie however was appalled. “That’s miles, Harry!” she exclaimed. “Are you an Auror or not?” he chastised her quietly. He thought he heard her mumble something about being an Auror, not a slave, but she didn’t push it. They continued to walk along the riverbank scanning the crowds for their suspects without luck. A little further up, Harry spotted a hot dog stand and decided to give Suzie a little break. After all, it had been a while since breakfast. “Tell you what Suzie, we’ll have a quick sit down on one of those benches over there. I’ll even buy you a hot dog, can’t say fairer than that, eh?” He wasn’t graced with a reply as Suzie just trooped over to the bench indicated and flung herself down. Harry went up to the stall and purchased two hot dogs with onions and ketchup. He moved to sit down next to Suzie and handed her one of the dogs while he tucked into his enthusiastically. She was not so impressed and regarded the snack with distaste. “Wow, Harry, you really know how to treat a girl. I hope you take your mysterious girlfriend to nicer places then this,” she griped. Harry snorted at this. He had indeed taken Ginny to a very expensive restaurant some months ago where she had spent most of the evening complaining about the miserly portions she was being served. To make up, he had taken her to a steak house a week later where she proceeded to eat most of a cow by herself. She made no secret as to which of the two establishments she had preferred. Come to think of it, Ginny would have been quite happy sitting here snacking on hot dogs, he thought. In fact, she would probably have stolen half of his by now. Merlin, he loved that girl. Harry suddenly stopped mid-chew at that thought. Love? Did he really think of Ginny like that? He had signed the note that accompanied his Christmas present ‘all my love,’ but that’s how you signed off letters like that, wasn’t it? It didn’t really mean anything, even though he had taken hours deliberating over the wording, did it? So, how did he really feel? Did he really love Ginny Weasley? Mentally, he slapped himself hard. Of course he bloody loved her. He had probably been in love with her within an hour of meeting her. So why hadn’t he told her? Duh! He was scared of getting hurt again. Of falling in love only to have his heart broken into a million pieces once more. So he had moved cautiously, never revealing too much of his feelings to her in the belief he was protecting himself. And sitting here on the bench, eating the last of his hot dog, Harry knew with one hundred per cent certainty that his caution was absolutely useless. He was head over heels in love with Ginny, which meant she had the power to crush him like a bug with just a few words. But would she? How did she feel about him? His heart assured him that she felt the same way and he should declare his feelings to her immediately, but his brain urged him to be careful, that doubts still remained. Harry struggled with the conflicting thoughts for a second. Should he say nothing? What if Ginny was waiting on him to express his feelings. What if she got fed up waiting and gave up on him? Panic! No, stop, don’t panic! Compromise, that was what was called for. He doubted he had the bottle just to just walk up to her, look her in the eye and tell her he loved her, but maybe he could be a little more subtle about it. Perhaps, he could just drop it into the middle of a conversation or on the end of a farewell, like it was no big deal. He could get her used to hearing it from him before they got into the implications of what it actually meant. The more Harry thought about it, the more he liked that plan. He got to tell her how he really felt in a low risk way. He couldn’t wait until he saw her tonight to put the plan into action. With a happy smile he glanced over to Suzie who was holding her half-eaten hot dog and looking miserable. ‘You going to finish that?’ he asked. With a disgusted look she handed him the rest of her snack. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP Some hours later, Harry was sat on the sofa in Ginny’s flat with his feet up. The magical conmen had been caught by Robbie and Malcolm, but they had neglected to tell Harry and Suzie until they arrived back at the Aurors’ office. By that time, the two of them had walked all of Harry’s intended route much to Suzie’s obvious distress. To him, it had been an enjoyable stroll around London, but to Suzie it apparently had been some sort of forced march. At the end of her shift she had stalked off muttering something about a long hot bath and an early night. Harry could only laugh at how much the average witch or wizard hated any form of exercise. As he relaxed, he glanced over at Ginny who was currently propped up against the far arm of the sofa. She had a small stack of letters next to her and was reading one of them intently. In her hand was a quill and a sheet of parchment rested on the sofa’s arm. Harry could only shake his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that you actually answer all of your fan mail yourself,” he said. She looked up from the letter for a second. “Well, not all of it. The public relations office vets the more extreme ones; you know, the marriage proposals or the ones where blokes have included photos of their body parts.” Harry shuddered at the thought, which caused her to laugh. “Apparently the public relations girls have a board somewhere with all the best photos on it.” “That still doesn’t explain why you’re answering the rest yourself, or why you’re doing it now and ignoring me,” he griped. “Oh, poor neglected Harrykins,” she teased. “Be a big, brave boy and Ginny will play with you soon. Seriously, I normally do this back at the training ground but I’ve got a bit behind after the holidays. I won’t be too much longer. You must get lots of fan mail yourself, don’t you answer yours?” “I never even see it. It’s all redirected to some blokes in a department at the Ministry who deal with it. I do seem to get a lot of cursed letters or one’s with love charms on them. They tend to go from one extreme to the other. But no, I’ve never even read a fan letter, let alone replied to one. It would just seem...strange.” “Yes, well, I try and answer all my mail. It’s just the kind, warm-hearted person I am!” she joked. Harry immediately saw the opening for him to put in action his plan. “That you are,” he agreed, before quietly adding, “and that’s why I love you.” Harry held his breath. The last statement had come out a little more intensely then he had intended and he waited for a response. He kept his eyes fixed on his feet, not wanting to look like he was fishing for a comment, but silence reigned. Okay, he thought, that’s good isn’t it? She hasn’t blown up at me or started a ‘Harry, I’m flattered but…’ line, but he was a little hurt that she hadn’t said anything. Perhaps, wrapped up in her fan mail, she just didn’t hear him? He risked a glance in her direction. Ginny was staring at him wide-eyed, the letter she was reading dangling precariously from her fingers. So much for subtlety, he thought. “Harry, do you mean that?” she asked with a shaking voice. His first instinct was to play dumb and ask ‘did I mean what’ or to make it into a joke. But just looking into Ginny’s eyes, he knew he couldn’t do that to her. She deserved the truth and a straight answer. “Yes, I mean it. I love you, Ginny,” he told her. He noticed his voice shook a little as well. Suddenly, he was struck by a red missile which launched itself at him. He felt Ginny’s arms wrap around him as letters, quills and parchment flew in all directions. “Oh, Harry, I’ve been dying to hear you to say that to me!” She sounded close to tears, which was not like her at all. Harry felt her press her lips against his urgently and he returned the kiss with all the passion he could muster. He briefly pulled away from her. “So, do you…do you feel the same?” he asked nervously. “Of course, Harry. I think I’ve loved you since the day I first met you.” Her smile was like a spectacular sunrise. “But…why didn’t you say anything?” he asked. For a second Ginny looked embarrassed. “I just wasn’t certain that you felt the same, Harry. Sometimes you can be so closed-up emotionally and for a long while I couldn’t figure you out. Recently, I noticed you’ve opened up a lot more and we’ve seemed so close, but I didn’t want to push you. Bit stupid, really,” she admitted. “Well, I’ve been stupid not admitting how I feel for so long. Guess we’ll just have to be stupid together, then.” He smiled at her, stroking her hair. “Yes, together. I love you, Harry.” “I love you, Ginny,” he pulled her to him and kissed her. No more fan mail got answered that night. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP A small blue haired bundle of energy streaked past Ginny’s legs before she could react. A split second later her boyfriend followed with his arms outstretched in attempt to catch the blur that had just zoomed past her. She could only laugh at his attempts. Ever since they had started dating, visits to Harry’s godson had been a regular event. Ginny had been impressed at the care and attention he lavished on the small boy and the close relationship he had developed with the child’s grandmother, Andromeda. Ginny had loved Teddy from the moment she met him. He was an energetic, mischievous boy with a cheeky grin and the ability to turn his hair any colour he wished; a gift inherited from his metamorphmagus mother. He was exactly the sort of boy she would want her sons to turn out like. The fact that she would have sons, and hopefully daughters, was not in doubt, after all she was a Weasley and producing children was what they did. Of course, this imaginary family was some way off in the future yet as Ginny fully intended to make the most of her Quidditch career before motherhood, despite what her own mother might think. The fact that she had only recently found a man with whom she would want to start a family was another factor, but this did not diminish in any way the absolute conviction she had that she and Harry would do so one day. In the last two months, since Harry had told her that he loved her, their relationship had risen to even greater heights. Before then, they had been great together, but since something else had just clicked between them, like they both knew that the other was ‘the one’ and that they would be together for the rest of their lives. Right at this moment, her life was near perfection. She was playing great and the Harpies looked set for their highest league finish for years, although the top spot sadly looked slightly beyond them. Off the field she was happier than she could ever remember, Harry fulfilling her every wish for a boyfriend. Whether in the bedroom (or bathroom, living room or one occasion some bushes in Regent’s Park) or one their nights out (they had even gone night clubbing, dragging George and Angelina along) or just being her best friend, Harry was all she could want. If there was a single wrinkle in the ointment, it was her relationship with Andromeda. Teddy’s grandmother was a powerful, haughty witch who slightly intimidated Ginny. She always seemed to be looking down her nose at her. Although she was at all times polite and proper, Ginny just had the feeling the woman didn’t like her. When she had voiced her concerns to Harry he had dismissed them, stating Andromeda always came over as distant and cold, but underneath she had a heart of gold. Ginny was unconvinced and doubted Andromeda even had a heart, irrespective of what it was made from. Harry returned, rousing her from her musings, carrying a giggling Teddy. Today they would just be going to the nearby park for a while before returning for tea. Ginny was just about to collect her coat when she received a shock. “Harry, why don’t you take Teddy to the park by yourself today? It would give me the chance to sit and have a chat with Ginny and get to know her better,” Andromeda announced. Ginny was instantly suspicious and silently implored Harry to insist she accompany him. Unfortunately, their psychic connection must have been on the blink, as he agreed that it would be a wonderful idea and headed out the door with an excited Teddy in tow. Ginny stared at the closing door as if it was the door to a prison cell closing, locking her in. She quietly groaned. “Come through, Ginny dear, and we’ll sit and have some tea,” Andromeda commanded. At least it felt like a command to Ginny. She followed the older witch into the living room. Once seated and equipped with a cup of tea and a rich tea biscuit (she would have preferred a mug and a chocolate hobnob) Ginny waited for Andromeda to start the conversation. “Ginny, my dear, I’m so glad we have this chance to chat. We really haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and have a nice talk, have we?” the intimidating witch began. “No, we haven’t, have we?” Ginny agreed, wondering what this would be leading up to. Andromeda must have read her mind because she suddenly came straight to the point. “I’m going to be totally truthful with you, Ginny. When Harry brought you to meet me that first time, I didn’t like you and I didn’t think you were right for Harry.” Andromeda’s face was expressionless but Ginny felt her face flush with anger at this cold pronouncement of her unworthiness. She was about to retort but a raised hand stopped her. “You will note, Ginny, that I said that those were my opinions when I first met you. Since then, I have warmed to you somewhat, but I still have some concerns. How long have you and Harry been together now?” she asked. “Seven months,” replied Ginny surprised at how fast that time had gone. “That long, really? Well, frankly, at the start I didn’t think you two would last more than a couple of months. I’m afraid professional Quidditch player is not a profession that inspires confidence in my book. I thought within a few weeks you would be off with some other man who could offer you a good time. Harry, after all, can be a little intense at times and I thought you were too flighty to handle that. And after the mess caused by that cursed Sharon girl I didn’t think Harry could take another heartbreak.” Ginny really didn’t know how to reply to this and kept quiet. “You didn’t know him back then. After the war, he was a complete mess, and so was I, to be quite frank. We clung to each other and it took a long time to heal. It took years for Harry to be able to maintain a normal relationship. After that dreadful Muggle girl he was nearly back to square one. Harry has been so good to me and Teddy, and I couldn’t stand to see him hurt again. I thought...I was afraid that you might hurt him.” Ginny fought down her mounting temper. “I would never hurt Harry! I...” Ginny began, but again Andromeda cut her off. “Again, I must stress that that is what I did think, Ginny, but recently my opinion has changed. Not only have you been with Harry for some time now, but your relationship seems to be growing stronger all the time. Harry, well, he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him and you’re good for him. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I was wrong about you and I’m sorry. I’m just a bit overprotective of Harry, I suppose.” Ginny was brought up short for a second. That this aloof, distant witch was apologising to her was a shock. Her first instinct was to snap at the woman for her cold shouldering of her, but she held her tongue knowing the Andromeda was just about the only family Harry had and she didn’t want to create problems with her. She bit down her sharp response. “Thank you, Andromeda. I appreciate your honesty and I understand your need to protect Harry, I really do. I wish you’d had a bit more faith in me from the start, but maybe we can start over. After all, we do have something in common. We both love Harry.” Andromeda nodded and for about the first time ever she smiled at Ginny. “Please, call me Andi,” she replied. Ginny smiled back. The last wrinkle had apparently been ironed out. AN Chapter 11 already, and quite a fluffy chapter by my standards as well. You will note that the Harry in my story only starts analysing his own feelings if prompted to do so by some external factor. To be fair to him, he does then usually address whatever issues he has, thus making him a far better person than 99% of the male population (myself included). There, that will get the female readers on my side. I wanted to bring Teddy and his grandmother into the story at some point, but my first attempt at doing so was predictable, soppy rubbish (thanks so much to Mrs Brennus for pointing that out to me). I therefore tried to come up with a new approach and thinking about it I couldn’t really remember too many stories where Ginny and Andromeda have a conversation. Personally, I quite like how the chat turned out, but now wish I’d worked something about their ‘difficult’ relationship into the story earlier. Oh, well. BTW, my mega-beta MinistryMalcontent expressed his horror at Harry having onions and ketchup on his hot dog. As I explained to him, I rather suspect the ‘meat’ element of a British hot dog (and I use the word ‘meat’ more in hope than anything else) may not be of the same quality you would expect stateside. It’s generally advisable to try and mask the flavour as much as possible therefore. Besides, at least we don’t put chilli or sauerkraut on our dogs. |
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