This chapter is a bit darker than the last few but I deliberately wanted to mix it up a bit. After all, life’s not all beer and skittles.
Thanks as always to my Beta MinistryMalcontent (sorry for the number of errors in this one, I think I’m regressing!) and to anyone who left a review. Thanks for the feedback, guys.
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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: 153600; Chapter Total: 19391 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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Ginny sat herself down on one of the chairs arranged around the kitchen table at the Burrow and sipped her tea. Her mother bustled about preparing dinner while providing a constant commentary on the activities of various family members. Ginny had made the mistake of not visiting her mother for a fortnight with the results that she was now being treated as the long lost daughter and being forced to listen to every tiny detail of what her father and brothers had been up to. She wouldn’t have minded so much other than she had talked to most of them herself over the last week anyway. That her mother did not approve of her career was not exactly a secret but Ginny was not too concerned. Her mother had not approved of any of their chosen jobs other than Percy’s and he had turned out the worse of any of them, not that Ginny was stupid enough to rub this fact in her mother’s nose. Molly Weasley was currently giving a detailed description of the latest adventures of her favourite subject, her granddaughter. The family had collectively breathed a sigh of relief when her brother Bill and his beautiful wife Fleur had presented Molly with her first grandchild. Unfortunately, the honeymoon period was over and Molly was back on the case of her other children demanding that they settle down and start work on producing further babies for her to fuss over. As it was only Ginny’s brother Charlie and herself who didn’t have long term partners they were catching the brunt of her mother’s lectures. Ginny was starting to remember why she was visiting less and less these days. “I mean, Ginny, I know you are only young, but you would be amazed how fast time can fly. If you wait until you’re finished playing Quidditch to find yourself a young man, all the good ones will be taken. You won’t be playing forever, my dear. You do have to think about your future!” This was a familiar speech and Ginny had heard it many times before. Her mother seemed to think she could just pop into a shop and find a ‘decent young man.’ Perhaps if they had a sale on, she could pick up two in one go. Her mother had not finished however. “Whatever happened to that nice Tyrone boy you were seeing? Perhaps you should give him a call sometime. I never understood why you two split up. You could invite him over for lunch sometime.” Ginny groaned, she had gone over this a million times and it never seemed to sink in. When Molly was in this mood nothing could distract her. Ginny wouldn’t put it past her to try and track Ginny’s ex down herself and invite him over. This needed to be stopped and as much as she didn’t want to drag Harry into this so early, she had no choice. “Mum, I have told you. Tyrone is in the past and I have no intention of ever seeing him again. Besides, I’m seeing someone at present, anyway,” she added the last part quietly but the effect of her mother was instantaneous. Molly turned and looked at her daughter sternly. “How long has this been going on? Who is this person you’re seeing and why haven’t you said anything before? Honestly, Ginny, some girls talk to their mothers you know!” Ginny met her mother’s gaze unflinchingly. “You do not control every aspect of my life, Mum! I’m a big girl now and I can see who I like, when I like! I do not have to keep you informed of every boy I go out with you know.” Ginny instantly regretted her choice of words which made it sound like she went out with a different bloke every week, or at least that’s how her mother would interpret it. She decided to pacify Molly slightly. “Look Mum, I haven’t mentioned him because we’ve only been going out for a few weeks. It’s still early days. But trust me, he’s a really nice guy and I really like him. It’s just a bit too soon to start bringing him home to meet everyone. Sweet Merlin, if I ever want to chase a bloke off, all I have to do is introduce him to my brothers, so I am certainly not going to do that to Harry at this point in the relationship.” Ginny explained, hoping her mother would understand. “So this young man is called Harry, is he? So what does he do for a living?” she sighed, noting that her mother had not acknowledged her reasons for not introducing her boyfriend yet. Her mum was now going to start interrogating her for details. “He…works for the Ministry, Mum,” she replied, which was true. Ginny knew full well that if she just blurted out that she was dating the Harry Potter she would not be believed and it would be assumed she was hiding something. She would just try to put the best spin on all information she provided. “Not a Quidditch player?” her mum replied sounding surprised. “Well, I must say that’s a nice change. Is it a good job he holds? Does your father know him, or Percy? Does he come from a good family? Would any of your brothers know him from school?” Ginny started to wonder how long it would be before her mother brought out the thumbscrews and really started the questioning. “Mum! Stop bombarding me with questions! No, to my knowledge none of our family knows him, not from the Ministry and he never went to Hogwarts.” The latter information caused Molly to frown. “Yes, he comes from a very good family although he has very few relatives, and finally, and this will be the last question I answer about him: he has a very good job. Interrogation over!” Ginny sat back and tried to keep her temper in check. In some ways she and her mother were very similar, their tempers being the prime example. “Well, that all sounds well and good. I just hope to invite him over sooner rather than later. Unless of course you’re ashamed of your family or something?’ Molly looked at her challengingly. Ginny ground her teeth. “No! Look, I just said, I’ve only know him a few weeks!” Just enough time to shag his brains out but not enough to expose him to my idiot brothers, she didn’t add. “Humph! Well, I shall be looking forward to meeting this Harry sometime soon anyway.” Ginny breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the conversation. She had a nasty feeling that Harry would indeed have to meet her family ‘sooner rather than later’ and she was dreading it. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP The night was cold and Harry could clearly see his breath in front of him. He would have to be careful of that, he thought, as he ducked behind the low dry-stone wall. He shifted slightly to allow Suzie more cover as she threw herself down next to him. Looking over, he saw Malcolm and Robbie dive behind the wall on the opposite side of the five-bar gate. So far, so good. Gripping his wand tightly he began casting spells to detect any wards or protection spells. The instant he had cast the first one a faint pinkish glow surrounded the gate. “Just a detection spell on the gate. Can’t see any other wards out here. We’ll go over the wall,” he whispered to Suzie who nodded. A second later they both rolled over the top of the wall, laying flat so they would not silhouette themselves against the night sky. They sprinted towards the farmhouse, which was around twenty yards beyond the wall, and flung themselves to the left of the front door. His other team members ran past, heading for the back door to take up a similar position. He again cast a detection spell at the front door and this time found a rather nasty curse on it. Damn, he thought, this would take a few minutes to take down. Suzie behind him had seen the curse and waited before casting the anti-Apparition and anti-port-key wards she had been preparing for fear that they might be detected. Harry was no curse-breaker, but he could handle most of the common wards and defensive hexes, so he managed to remove the curse from the front door within about two minutes. Turning, he nodded to Suzie who completed casting the wards. No sooner than she had done so then they heard shouting within the house. Their targets were alert and knew they were coming. Without further hesitation he cast a blasting spell on the door and it blew off its hinges sending a shower of splinters in all directions. Harry barely paused as he ran into the house. He was vaguely aware of the sound of a similar detonation coming from the rear of the house which signalled Malcolm and Robbie’s entry as well. He ran along the hall and paused outside a door which he thought would lead to the front room. Suzie drew level with him and she raised her wand at the door. A second later it blew inwards and they both dived into the room. It was fortunate both he and Suzie had chosen to dive low on entry, as Harry caught sight of a dark red spell shooting over his head. If he had remained on his feet, it would have hit him squarely in the chest. A quick scan of the room revealed their quarry, both of whom were sheltering behind a sofa with their wands still trained on the door. Harry rolled and started casting stunning spells at the couple, who ducked their heads behind the sofa. Suzie by now had moved to the right, so they could catch the hiding pair in a crossfire as soon as they showed themselves. Harry paused with his wand trained at the spot where the heads had vanished. “Carlo and Lyra Jones, this is the Auror Department. You are both under arrest. Throw out your wands and stand with your arms raised,” Harry shouted, but received no response. He would have to force them out from behind the cover and a couple of mid-power blasting spells should do it. He was about to cast his spell when Robbie entered through the doorway. At the sound of Robbie’s footsteps the couple darted up from behind cover and started to cast their own spells. The woman was instantly knocked out by Suzie’s stunning spell but the man began to cast. “Avada…” he began. Harry knew he had only a split second to react. The blasting spell was already on his lips and he cast it directly at the man. In his panic to protect his team he put more power behind the spell then he intended. The curse hit the man high on his chest, just below his neck. The power of the spell threw him back. He impacted solidly against the wall and slowly slid down. As his body slid to the floor, a trail of blood was left against the wall. Harry rushed forwards and saw the deep hole in the man’s chest. He hadn’t intended it, but he had killed him. Robbie came up behind him and also caught sight of the corpse which had been Carlo Jones. “Sweet Merlin! Thanks boss, that bastard had me right in his sights.” He slapped Harry on the back lightly and turned away, clearly un-nerved at how close he had come to death. Harry turned and looked back at the body. For a second, a battle raged within him as a million conflicting emotions battled for control within him. In the end relief won. Robbie was unhurt. None of his team was hurt. He was unhurt. Harry felt a strange surprise at that last thought. He never thought of himself as a hero by any means, but he did acknowledge that he had a distinct habit of putting other people’s safety above his own. If asked, he would have replied that it was his job, but in his heart of hearts he knew it was just the way he was made. He thought back to a dark graveyard six years before and how he had dived in front of another Avada Kedavra spell to prevent it hitting his beloved godfather who had not seen it coming. He had done it without thinking; a purely instinctive reaction. In the end it had been a godsend as the curse had destroyed a small part of Voldemort’s soul which had resided, unknown, within Harry, making him an unwitting Horcrux. He had, however, for a short while been dead and had met his mother at the gateway between worlds. That statement sounded ridiculously simple but was the truth. It was a secret he had told but a handful of people. He had been given a choice then, standing before his dead mother, whether to return and carry on the fight or to continue….on. In the end he knew he had no real choice. As much as he wanted to remain with his mother, he knew she would have been disappointed in him if he had remained. So he returned to continue the fight with Voldemort and ultimately won the war. Of course, when Sirius had realised what he had done he nearly killed him permanently but that was another story. The sudden thought that he had been worried about his own safety so much caught him by surprise. He thought about it and was surprised that he was surprised; after all, he had no death wish. He didn’t want to be killed and never had. But something had changed and he could feel himself tremble at relief that the encounter was over. Had he lost his nerve? He didn’t think so, after all he had just charged into a room he knew contained two armed dangerous criminals without hesitation. He looked over at the inert body of the deceased man’s wife and briefly thought about her reaction when she awoke to find her husband dead. And then it hit him what had changed. In his mind’s eye he saw a faceless man explaining to Ginny that he, Harry, had been killed while on duty. He saw the imaginary Ginny break down in tears and fall to the floor weeping. Harry had no idea if Ginny would have reacted that way or even if her feelings for him were that deep but a small, selfish part of him hoped she would. He had only known her for three weeks but already he knew he was falling in love with her. That was what had changed. For the first time in a long while Harry had something to live for. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP Snuggled into the very comfy sofa that sat in front of the roaring fire in the main sitting room of Harry’s house, Ginny felt very relaxed. She sipped at the glass of red wine that Dobby had brought her and sighed with contentment, this was definitely the life. The only wrinkle in the ointment was the absence of the homeowner himself, as had he been cuddled up next to her then Ginny would have thought the whole situation perfect. Having spent the day drenched to the skin on the training pitch as the cold autumn rains pelted down, she had looked forward to spending the evening having dinner with Harry. Unfortunately, on her arrival Dobby had greeted her with the news Harry had been delayed at work, but would be there as soon as possible. In the meantime, the little house-elf had gone out of his way to make her comfortable, seating her by the fire, bring her wine and enquiring after any further requirements she might have. The warm fire and the bottle of wine were more than enough for the moment and she wiggled her toes at the flames happily. Normally being stood up by a man would have infuriated her but Harry had let her know he was delayed and taken steps to see she was looked after so she forgave him, or at least until the wine ran out, anyway. She had managed to demolish most of the bottle when she heard noises from downstairs. A voice sounding like Harry’s spoke, but Ginny was much too comfy to go down and greet him. He was late so he could come to her, she decided. She also made sure to pour the last of the wine into her glass as she was in no mood to share. As soon as Harry entered the room and sat down beside her, she realised something was wrong. His eyes had a haunted look to them and he appeared worn out. He had thrown himself down on the sofa at her feet and kicked off his shoes. He looked hopefully at her glass. “Any of that wine left?” he enquired. A wave of guilt passed over Ginny and she made to pass over her glass but he waived her away. Calling to Dobby, Harry asked him to bring another bottle up and Ginny remembered that the place had a wine cellar. Wine never lasted long enough in her flat to warrant a special place to keep it. Soon Harry had his own glass in hand and he drained it in one before refilling it. Ginny eyed him with apprehension. “Bad day, Harry?” she asked. “Yeah, definitely, how ‘bout you?” he replied without emotion. “Err, pretty bad. We were training outside all day and it rained constantly. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wet and cold. Still, your fire is lovely and warm. The wine’s pretty good too. Are you okay?” she asked, increasingly concerned at Harry expressionless appearance. “Not so good. I had to kill someone tonight.” The quiet, simple way he said this sent chills down Ginny’s back. Surely he was joking, wasn’t he? “You had to …what?” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice. “We were on a raid this evening. A farm up in the Cotswolds. We heard a couple of wanted criminals were holed up there, nasty pair, husband and wife team. Robbery, kidnapping, assault — they’d done it all. We broke in and had them pinned down under cover. I was about to cast a blasting spell to force them out when the man jumped up and tried to cast the killing curse at one of my team. I hit him in the chest with my blasting curse and killed him instantly.” His voice was completely flat. “Oh Merlin, Harry, how awful! You won’t get into trouble, will you? That would be so unfair!” Ginny put down her glass and threw her arms around him. He at least leaned into her embrace and gently rubbed her arm. “No, Ginny, the Head Auror has already reviewed my pensieve memory of the incident and cleared me of any wrong doing. I don’t regret it either. If I hadn’t reacted instantly, Robbie would have been killed. Once you start trying to throw Unforgivables about then you take your chances. Of course, his wife was crying her eyes out, but she wasn’t above casting a nasty curse or two herself. Hell, the ward they placed on the front door would have killed anyone who touched it dead. It’s just…..” his voice trailed off. “What Harry? What’s really troubling you?” she encouraged him. ‘I’m sick of it, Gin. I’m sick of killing. I’m sick of being forced to take someone’s life because they made a stupid bloody choice. There just doesn’t seem to be an end of it. I kill Voldemort in the hope the evil stops, but his Death Eaters keep going, so I kill the Death Eaters and then some new bunch of thugs pop up and I have to start fighting them. It never stops. Evil is eternal and unstoppable.” Ginny’s heart broke at his misery. Harry had told her that it seemed he had been constantly fighting since he was eleven, no wonder he was sick and tired of it. A surge of anger went through her at the thought of the stupidly evil person who had forced Harry to take his life by trying to kill someone Harry cared about. Damn him, whoever he was. She ran her figures through Harry’s hair, trying to will her comfort into him. “You keep fighting evil, Harry, because you are brave. It’s just not in your nature to stand by and let innocent people be hurt, so you stand up and fight. Of course you’re upset at being forced to do these things and that’s the difference between you and them, you care! Oh, Merlin, listen to me, like I know how any of this feels. I’m just a bloody Quidditch player. You’re the one who makes a real difference, the one who keeps people safe and protects us. Thank you for doing that, Harry.” She bent down and gently kissed his cheek and a smile came on his face for the first time since he entered the room. “Ginny, you should know, I’ve killed….I’ve killed quite a few people. I sometimes worry what my soul must look like with all that blood on my hands. But I swear, Gin, I never killed anyone who wasn’t trying to kill me or someone I cared about first.” He appeared desperate to confess this to her. Of course he had taken life, everyone knew the stories, but she had never really thought what it meant. It seemed a heavy burden to bear, but with a sudden burst of determination she decided to help him shoulder the burden. Damn them for making him suffer like this, but if they thought they were going to break her Harry, then they hadn’t reckoned on Ginevra Molly Weasley! “I know, Harry, you just don’t have it in you to kill without good reason. But you’re strong. I can feel it in you, your strength, and if you need anyone to lean on, then I’m there for you. Just tell me what you need and I will give it to you.” She leaned over and captured his lips with hers. He responded tenderly and wrapped his arms around her. “Sweet Merlin, Ginny, I’m lucky to have found you,” he whispered as they broke the kiss, “but you do understand what you’re getting into, don’t you? You know how dangerous my job is, and that one day someone maybe knocking on your door to tell you I’ve been killed.” Ginny’s reaction was instant and violent. She pulled away and punched Harry hard on the arm. “Don’t you dare talk like that! Don’t you ever even think like that! You are the most powerful wizard of the age and if Voldemort couldn’t finish you then some half-arsed criminal twat isn’t going to do it. You will do your job, lock up the bad guys and then you’re going to come home and shag me senseless, got it?” she yelled. Harry chuckled. “That sounds like a pretty good day to me. Seriously, though Gin, something a bit weird happened to me today. After….it all happened I felt really scared. I mean…that’s normal, someone was killed and any of us could have been too, but I was scared that I would have lost something. I know our relationship is new, but you’ve come to mean so much to me over so short a time. I was terrified that it could have all stopped. That if I died I would never get to hold you again, never kiss you, never make love to you. I’ve never felt like that about anyone before.” Ginny looked into his eyes and they were shining. Her mouth felt very dry for some reason. “Not even for that Muggle, Sharon?” She hated herself for asking but for some reason she had to know. “No, not even for her,” Harry confirmed, still looking her directly in her eyes. “Then like I said, you’ll just have to do your job and then come back to me, won’t you?” She kissed him again. “Okay, Potter, here’s the plan. You and me are going to curl up on this very comfy sofa and drink the rest of this wine. When we’ve finished that you are going to carry me to your bedroom and make passionate love to me for the rest of the night. Got that?” “What about dinner? Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, looking a bit concerned. “Hungry yes, but not for dinner,” she whispered into his ear. Harry smiled and reached over to kiss her again. He decided to carry out her plan exactly as instructed. He was well trained after all. |
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