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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: 153593; Chapter Total: 16159 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Down at the bottom again. |
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Chapter 12 — The Seven Deadly Sins "Oh Merlin, Harry, this place is wonderful. It’s like someone let a Muggle wander around Hogwarts for half an hour and then made him design a pub!” Ginny giggled. Harry nodded and looked around at the gothic mirrors and furniture. A large display of what appeared to be potion bottles was housed in a glass cabinet nearby, and the subtle backlighting gave the stone walled room the feel of a dungeon. Of course, they were sat in the basement of the pub, so in a way it was a dungeon, but a very fun one. He briefly wondered why all their favourite pubs had basements. They were having a great day so far. Due to the Harpies unexpectedly high league position, their game scheduled for that day had been pushed back to mid-week so Wizarding Wireless Network could broadcast it live. Gwenog Jones, obviously not wanting to mess with a team that was working so well, had uncharacteristically given them the day off. Ginny had, therefore, been able to spend the night at Grimmauld Place. They had treated themselves to an extended lie-in and a late breakfast. After lounging about for the rest of the morning, Ginny had grown restless and they had decided to go out. After a light lunch at their favourite Italian restaurant, they had decided to hit a pub. Ginny had expressed a desire to go somewhere they had never been before and Harry had remembered someone telling him about this place on Cannon Street. It had been a good choice. They had felt at home as soon as they walked in the horror themed pub and they followed their natural instincts and headed down to the dark, sinister basement. The pretty Goth barmaid had recommended the cocktail menu and Ginny had squealed with delight when she saw they offered a range called ‘the seven deadly sins’. She immediately decided they should sample all seven, although Harry suspected they would need to be carried out of the place if they succeeded, judging by the ingredient list. They decided to tackle the list two drinks at a time and were now tucked away at a small table in an alcove with a ‘Gluttony’ and an ‘Envy’ each. “You do realise we are going to be pissed out of our heads by four o’clock, don’t you?” Harry said, taking the first sip of his ‘Gluttony’. It was very fruity and he could definitely taste the peach schnapps underneath the orange and cranberry juice. He smacked his lips in appreciation. “That good?” Ginny asked with amusement. Harry nodded enthusiastically. “I guess I’m just in the mood for a pub crawl. I was all geared up to play Quidditch, and now the game’s cancelled I have too much nervous energy. Besides, are you complaining about spending the day in a pub with me?” “Yeah, like I’m going to do that!” he replied with mock indignation. By now Ginny had also sampled the ‘Gluttony’ and seemed equally impressed. “I just want to have a really good time today, and since it’s going so well so far, I see no reason not to continue. After all, it’s not every day I get to wake up curled up with my handsome boyfriend, get a great wake-up shag and then have a huge yummy breakfast just brought to me while I laze about.” She looked just like the cat that got the cream. “Besides, if the rest of the cocktails are as good as this one, you won’t be getting me out of this place for the rest of the day!” Harry laughed and together they finished off their first drink before moving onto the ‘Envy’. He didn’t like this one quite as much, but Ginny enjoyed it. He just wasn’t that keen on Crème de Menthe, he guessed. They chatted and relaxed as they drank, knowing they had the whole day to waste, which was a luxury for both of them. Their drinks consumed, Harry headed to the bar to get the next two cocktails on the list. While he was there, an idea formed in his head. Returning to his seat, he placed a ‘Sloth’ and a ‘Greed’ in front of his girlfriend as he decided how to phrase his idea. “Ginny, the Quidditch season’s going to be over by the end of the month, isn’t it?” he asked. Ginny just nodded, obviously distracted by the baileys, kahula, vodka and amaretto mix of the ‘Sloth’ which she was sucking up her straw with enthusiasm. He’d forgotten how much she liked the creamy baileys drink; she really must be part cat, he thought. “Do you have anything much planned for April?” he continued. This comment seemed to attract her attention as she looked up at him with interest in her eyes. “Nothing much, Harry. Why do you ask?” “Well, I was thinking we could go away on holiday somewhere for a week,” he suggested. A wide grin split Ginny’s face. “You mean a proper holiday? Just the two of us, no work, no family or anything?” “Yeah, I thought it would be nice,” he replied. Ginny just leaned forward, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward so she could give him a long, passionate kiss. “It sounds more than nice, Harry, it sounds bloody wonderful!” Harry smiled broadly, happy that his suggestion had gone so well. They started discussing where they could go, while Ginny finished her ‘Sloth’ (and most of Harry’s somehow). Their ‘Greeds’ were finished before they came to any consensus. Neither of them wanted the hassle of arranging overseas travel on such short notice, but they differed on where they should stay in the UK. Ginny wanted somewhere by the sea although Harry thought the weather wouldn’t be warm enough to enjoy it. “Doesn’t matter, Harry,” Ginny dismissed his complaint. “Just imagine lots of romantic, windswept walks along deserted beaches, before heading back to make passionate love in front a roaring fire.” She sighed at the idea. “Right, I’m getting the next round. I don’t like the way that slutty barmaid has been eyeing you up.” As Ginny stomped off to get their next round of cocktails, Harry considered the images she had placed in his head: a quiet, romantic little cottage overlooking the sea under a tumbling sky, just the two of them in some perfect little corner of the country. It sounded very appealing. He was reminded of Bill and Fleur’s house which they had visited for dinner several times and was not surprised that Ginny seemed to have the same ideas as her eldest brother as to what was a desirable location. His thoughts were interrupted by Ginny’s return bearing a tray of drinks. “You know, I think I like your idea, Ginny,” he confirmed. “A nice little cottage by the sea somewhere for a week sounds great.” Ginny smiled victoriously. “Of course, all my ideas are great, haven’t you figured that out yet?” she then surprised Harry by placing three glasses in front of him. “There were three left on the menu for us to try so I thought we might as well get them all together,” she shrugged. “So what have we got this time?’ Harry asked. “Well, this one is ‘Wrath’, this one is ‘Pride’ and this one…’ she leaned forward so she could whisper in his ear, “is Lust”. Harry sucked in a quick breath at her husky tone. “I’m definitely going to have to try that one,” he growled in reply. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP De spite the fact it was a Monday morning, Harry was in a very good mood. His weekend had been sensational. Saturday had been great fun even though their pub crawl had never made it past the first pub. After trying all seven cocktails, they had each ordered a pitcher of their favourite one, ‘Sloth’ for Ginny, ‘Lust’ for him: the vodka, Malibu and cranberry juice mix really hitting the spot. In the end, they both got so drunk Harry had to resort to Rescue Plan No 1 (stagger into a quiet alleyway and call for Dobby to come and get them). Normally Harry was proud of his ability to navigate round London off his tits, but this really had been a step too far. Sunday was a recovery day, mostly spent in bed although they did take a memorable bath together in the afternoon. After relaxing most of yesterday, Harry felt refreshed. He had popped into work briefly on Sunday evening to book his week off, much to Malcolm’s surprise as he had weekend cover duty and had not expected to see Harry. On his return home, he and Ginny had curled up with the holiday section of the Sunday Prophet trying to find a cottage to rent for the week. They had found something which sounded just right and made the arrangements immediately. Harry would now be counting down the days before his holiday. To make his day perfect, Robbie had just presented him with this week’s copy of the list for inspection, which Harry had crumpled into a ball and thrown back at him with delight. Shortly after, Malcolm rushed in and hurried over to his desk which surprised Harry. Malcolm was never late and the man looked…excited? He wondered what was happening. “Robbie, Suzie, have you give Harry this week’s list yet?” Malcolm asked as soon as he sat down. “Yup,” Robbie confirmed, “just to have it crumpled up and thrown back at my head.” He glared at Harry with disgust. “Damn!” Malcolm cursed. Everyone turned to look at him. Seeing he had everyone’s attention, he explained his frustration. “I think I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough. Harry’s been moaning that we’ve not been using our investigation skills when putting the list together, right?” Robbie and Suzie nodded. “Well, I’ve done just that.” “But how?” Suzie moaned. “We have so little evidence to go on, and Harry’s been giving nothing away. Even staking out his house was useless.” Harry looked sharply at Suzie who turned bright red. “It was only for one afternoon, Harry. Your house is really well warded, isn’t it?” she mumbled with embarrassment. Harry just scowled. “Ah, but Harry has given something away!’ Malcolm cried in triumph. “Yesterday, while I was on weekend cover, Mr Potter came into the office and booked a week’s holiday in early April.” The team all looked at Harry in shock. ‘You’re actually taking a whole week off?’ Suzie asked wide-eyed. “You never take more than a few days off at a time!’ “Exactly, Suzie,” Malcolm continued, obviously excited. “So why now? My guess is that so he can take a break with his mystery woman.” ‘Okay, makes sense, but how does that help us?’ asked Robbie in frustration. “Ask yourself, why now? Why is he taking a holiday in early April? Harry has so much holiday time untaken he could book a break any time, so why early April? Could it be that his other half is only able to get time off now?” Malcolm pondered. “Possibly, but I still don’t see how it helps us,” Robbie protested. “First rule of investigation; compare all the evidence available. If we assume that April is the first time Harry and his lady can get time off together for a holiday, we can also assume that they must have some problems matching up their diaries. So, when is the only other time that he goes out of his way to get off?” Malcolm asked. The team looked blank for a second before Suzie piped up. “Saturdays! Harry tries to get some Saturdays off. But not every Saturday by any means, so how is that helping?” she looked confused. “Let me present my evidence.” Malcolm stood and paced in front of the desk doing his best Sherlock Holmes impression. “Mr Potter has a girlfriend who has become available to take an extended break from early April. He also sees her some Saturdays but not others. Now, that last bit had me confused for a while, but then it occurred to me maybe I was looking at it backwards. Maybe it was not a matter that the girl in question was available on certain Saturdays but that she was in fact working and Harry was going to watch her work on certain Saturdays!” Harry drew a breath, certain that Malcolm had worked it out. The others still looked blank however. “No, sorry. I’m still lost. Why would Harry go and watch this girl work?’ Suzie asked. Malcolm picked up a copy of that day’s Daily Prophet which was lying on the desk. “I ask you, what major spectator event will stop at the end of this month?” he turned the Prophet over so the back sports pages were displayed. “Quidditch!” Robbie nearly shouted. “But that still doesn’t fit!” protested Suzie. “They play Quidditch every Saturday. Harry’s been at work loads of Saturdays!” “True, and you would also think that a well-known face such as his would have been spotted attending Quidditch matches up and down the country, wouldn’t you? But suppose he only went to matches where he could hide away in a private box?” “He’s only been going to the home games!” Robbie groaned, the penny dropping at last. “I therefore put it to you, Mr Potter, that the young lady you have been seeing all these month’s is a professional Quidditch player!” Malcolm addressed Harry with a smug grin. Harry’s first instinct was to give nothing away, but he had been moaning at them for not using their brains and Malcolm had done exceptionally well putting it all together. Slowly and deliberately, Harry started quietly clapping Malcolm, while the others gasped in delight. “This is great! It really narrows the field!” Robbie cried. “Well, I’m not finished yet,” Malcolm replied smugly. “I made a note of all the Saturdays Harry took off and compared it to the league fixtures list. Now, the league was already well underway before Harry hooked up with this lady, and nothing is one hundred per cent, but judging from the home fixtures our mystery girl plays for Pride of Portree, the Holyhead Harpies or the Magpies. Pride has only a couple of female players, and neither are good bets in my book, so I’m guessing it’s the Magpie’s or most likely the Harpies.” As the team excitedly grabbed the paper’s sports pages in search of team reviews and player names, Harry reflected that his relationship with Ginny was soon going to be out in the open. On the whole, he thought, he was actually rather glad. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP It was some time later when everyone was packing up to go home that Suzie cornered Harry and asked for a quiet word. Despite his surprise, Harry led her to one of the interview rooms so they would not be disturbed. “What’s wrong, Suzie?” he enquired with concern. “Do you have a problem?” “Well, not so much me as...look, Harry, do you think it’s such a good idea, dating a Quidditch player?” Suzie asked with a frown. Of all the things Harry had suspected she might bring up when she asked to speak with him, this was not one of them. “I don’t understand, Suzie. What do you mean?” he asked carefully. “It’s just that, let’s face it, professional Quidditch players are not known for being responsible, intelligent members of society, are they? More like wild party animals!” Harry grinned. “Well, I have my moments too! But seriously, Suzie, you shouldn’t cast them all in the same light. That’s just stereotyping them all. The girl I’m seeing, yes, she does have a bit of a wild side to her but that’s kind of what I needed. I needed someone to break me out of my shell and learn to have fun occasionally. Think of how I was before I met her. I was working myself into the ground, even you were on at me about it! She taught me there’s more to life than just work, she’s good for me.” Suzie looked frustrated. “That’s good, Harry, and I’m really glad that you finally started taking my advice. But what I’m saying is that just because this girl has helped break you out of the funk you were in, that doesn’t mean that she’s your perfect partner. Now, I’m assuming that this Quidditch girl is fun and I guess she must be pretty, but all I’m saying is be careful. A pretty face is not the best basis for a long term relationship, Harry, there has to be more.” Harry was starting to get a little angry but held himself in check, after all Suzie had no idea who Ginny was or what she was like. She was just assuming what her personality would be judged on her profession. “What qualities do you assume my girlfriend lacks, then?” he asked trying to keep his voice friendly. “There needs to be a connection, shared goals and values. Harry, you have devoted your life to fighting evil and making the world a better, safer place, not knocking little balls around from the back of a broom!” The tone of her voice left Harry in no doubt as to Suzie’s true opinion of Quidditch players. “You answer to a higher calling. You deserve someone who will support you, and understand what you’re doing. Someone you can talk to about real issues and will love you for what you are, not just for the publicity you will generate when you turn up at some bloody party!” Harry bristled; Ginny couldn’t care less about publicity and had been more than happy to keep their relationship secret. More to the point, he had talked with her more than anyone in his life and about everything; from the importance of breaking down blood prejudice in society to what the best flavour of ice-cream was! It didn’t matter. Ginny was smart and funny and she was his rock. She would support him through anything, unless he was being a prat, of course. Then she would give him a swift kick where it hurts most, but so much the better. She kept him on the straight and narrow. “Suzie, I don’t know where you’re getting these ideas, but the fact we have kept our relationship quiet for eight months now should be evidence enough that she’s not after me to get her name in the papers. She’s also very intelligent and very kind. She comes from a loving family and she’s very grounded. You really don’t have to worry.” “Okay, Harry, it’s just I remember how you were after you broke up with that Muggle girl. It broke my heart to see you in so much pain, and I just don’t what to see that happen to you again.” Suzie stood to leave before pausing and putting her hand on Harry’s shoulder. “And just remember, Harry, she’s not the only girl out there. There are other people out there...people who care about you just as much and have more in common with you.” She rubbed her hand over his shoulder. “Just remember that,” she whispered, before turned and walking out the interview room without a backward glance. Harry sat in near shock for a while. What had just happened? Had Suzie just made a pass at him? He considered the matter for a second; she had always taken a very active interest in his welfare and always wanted to be partnered with him. She had always been very caring and supportive, but she had never given the impression of being interested in him in that way and frankly he wasn’t interested in her that way either. But all that stuff about him being with someone who shared his goals and understood him? And that final comment about there being people who cared about him? It certainly sounded like she was putting her name forward. He shook his head. Frankly, it didn’t matter. He loved Ginny and only viewed Suzie as a good friend and colleague. If it was a pass at him, it must have been the worst timed one in history, just as his relationship with Ginny had moved onto a higher level. He didn’t want to be with anyone else and was completely certain she was the one. Suddenly, Harry felt like a lightning bolt had hit him. Bloody hell, she was the one! He didn’t want anyone else, he wanted to be with Ginny for the rest of his life and he wanted the world to know. A determination came over him and he knew exactly what he must do; the forthcoming holiday would provide him with the perfect opportunity, but first he had somewhere he had to visit. A little trip to his family vault at Gringotts was required. AN Oh, we’re nearly at the end now. Only one more chapter to go. I have, however, officially, decided to do a sequel (provisionally entitled ‘The Oath’) and have four chapters written already. I will probably wait until I finish the whole story before I start posting it because I like to see how it sits together once finished. So, Harry and Ginny in a pub again. Shocker, eh? Yes, the place is real and I will award a virtual gold star to the first person who can name it. The cocktail range is deadly, literally. Mrs Brennus and I did attempt to work our way through all of them one happy Saturday afternoon. Frankly, I can’t remember if we succeeded or not. Thanks as always to MinistryMalcontent for his work in sorting me out. My commas are increasingly in the right place but my apostrophes have gone to pieces, damn it. He also pointed out a rather large error I made towards the end. The plot bunnies of doom strike again! |
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