Harry and Ginny try to reconnect with her parents and Dumbledore.
I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I had so many ideas how it should progress and none of them seemed to work well together. I would like to thank my Beta, Leif for his help and quick work.
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Love Enough for Both | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:All Genres: General Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 356 Summary: Harry heard a goblin speaking and he came out of temporary stupor. He was surrounded by witches and wizards all staring at him. The most shocking thing was he had his arms around someone. Who was she and how did they get here? Hitcount: Story Total: 215239; Chapter Total: 8520 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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The hazy morning light shone through the windows of the ramshackle house by the village of Ottery St. Catchpole revealing a short plump redheaded woman rushing about her house cleaning. She donned a well-worn dressing robe as she cast Cleaning Charms. Dust was disappearing out of corners of the rooms and furniture was fluffing itself with each wave of her wand. She would occasionally return to the kitchen to attend to the breakfast that she was preparing for her husband. Molly Weasley was nervous about today: Ginny was coming home. It had been almost two years since she disappeared from the kitchen with her brother Bill. Molly stopped everything that she was doing and stared at the exact spot that her daughter had disappeared. Their house was Warded to prevent people from Apparating in and out of it, but somehow she had and took her brother Bill along too. It was an incredible display of magic for a fully qualified witch. Ginny had only been ten at the time, which made it impossible to believe. The anguish that she felt seeing her youngest disappear in front of her resurfaced. She had never felt such anger before. With each passing day, after learning that she had run off with Harry Potter and Bill, her anger and resentment grew towards the boy that everyone else considered a hero. None of them had their ten-year old daughter stolen from them by him. Molly could feel her emotions towards Harry Potter swirl out of control, so she went back to work cleaning the house. She checked on the eggs and bacon for Arthur. They were done, but Arthur wouldn’t be ready to eat for another hour. She cast a Charm on them to keep them warm, before returning to cleaning the sitting room. Everyone had always thought it had been Arthur that wanted a little girl. He did want a girl but not as much as she. She wanted to be there for her as Ginny went through her teenage years. She could offer her advice and comfort as she dealt with teenage crushes and heartaches. Molly loved her boys, but there was something special about a little girl. Ginny wasn’t a girl anymore either. She was a full grown woman, married, and she was actually only eleven years old. She had been around magic all her life and she still thought it strange what happened to her daughter. Magic shouldn’t be able to make one grow overnight, but her Ginny did. Molly hoped that she and Ginny would have a year together without the interference of the boys. Molly could never spend as much time with her daughter as she had wanted. There were always the boys there to attend to and discipline. She even worried what type of girl Ginny would become. She collected bruises and scabs on her knees like other girls collected dolls and stuffed animals. Reaching out, Molly opened the door to Ginny’s bedroom. She didn’t even remember walking up the stairs. The room remained the same since the day she left. It took Molly almost a month before she could go back in there. She waited until the boys had left for Hogwarts. Then she sat down on Ginny’s unmade bed and cried for most of the day and several days after. Arthur would even find her in here lying on the bed clutching the threadbare quilt that Ginny used when he came home from work. The bedroom was now cleaned every week like the rest of the bedrooms in their house. Even though no one had used it since that day, Molly looked at the thin layer of dust on the chest of drawers and the odd shaped desk that Arthur had built for his girl. Taking out her wand, she quickly Charmed the dust away. She went over to the already made bed fluffed the pillow and tucked the covering back in place. “If you plan on Ginny staying overnight, you will probably need to expand the bed,” said Arthur from the doorway. She glared at him before responding. “You seem rather comfortable with the fact that our eleven year old daughter is sharing a bed with a boy.” “You know I wasn’t…, Molly,” replied Arthur. “…until I saw them together. They love each other and he shows respect for her.” “He is always touching her,” she snapped at him. It bothered her that Harry was always holding her hand or placing an arm around her shoulders. It seemed as if they couldn’t be in the same room together without him touching her. “She initiates the contact too. Would it be so upsetting if Charlie or Bill was treating a girl that way?” “Like that would ever happen,” snorted Molly. Her two oldest boys didn’t seem to have any interest in one girl. They are both older than when Arthur and she married, and yet they seemed to want to remain bachelors for the rest of their lives. Arthur had crossed the room and placed his hands on her shoulders and tried rubbing them to get her to relax. All the hurt and anger was welling up inside of her again. She knew she was being unreasonable, but her daughter was taken away and her eldest son had been complicit with keeping her hidden from them. “If only they had lived here, instead of hiding from us. I don’t understand why they had to go and hide from everyone.” Arthur stopped rubbing her shoulders for a second. “I supposed it was because we wanted them to break their soul bond.” Molly stood there staring at her daughter’s room. “What did they expect?” “That we support her,” whispered Arthur. “Can we try to do that?” “I’ll try, but it isn’t natural. They should still be small and going to Hogwarts.” “I can’t explain how they grew like they did, but they seem to be getting a good education. They are taking their OWL’s; pretty impressive since they are only twelve and eleven.” [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Ron Weasley stared at Harry, Ginny, and their two bodyguards approaching him at the Gryffindor breakfast table. They looked out of place. It wasn’t only their clothes, which weren’t regular robes, but it was their overall appearance they seemed more like Ministry officials rather than two people taking their OWLs. “They never go anywhere alone. Why is that Ron?” asked Hermione Granger. “Don’t know, why don’t you ask them?” growled Ron. He cared for Hermione and her constant inquisitive nature, but she was becoming annoying. “I was planning on doing that,” she replied. Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas laughed at Hermione’s comment. Before anyone else could make a comment Ginny and her entourage sat down across from them. It had become a routine that they would come to have breakfast with them before taking their exams. “Where is all the food?” asked Harry. “Ron ate it all,” laughed Seamus. Ron glared at Seamus. He was going to say something, when there was a loud pop. A House Elf wearing socks, lederhosen, and a green felt cap was standing in front of Ron holding a platter filled with breakfast food. It was the oddest thing he had ever seen. “Here is food for you and your Mistress, Harry Potter, sir,” squeaked the House Elf. Ron leaned back away from the House Elf which appeared in front of him on the table. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Hermione was beside him opening and closing her mouth like fish out of water. “What, don’t I get some?” asked Sirius Black. “Sorry sir, but I serve the great Harry Potter.” “Dobby, you don’t need to do this. There was food down there,” Harry said pointing to a platter of food on the other side of Dean. The House Elf’s shoulders slumped. “I is sorry. Should I punish myself?” “No!” shouted Harry and Ginny together. “Put the platter down and sit down and join us for breakfast,” said Ginny. Ron stared at her. He could not believe that she would say that to a House Elf. They were to serve wizards and witches, not eat with them. “No, Dobby already ate. I shall wait for you at home.” He sat the platter down in front of Ginny and Harry and disappeared. Ron sat there and stared at where the House Elf had been. Everyone else seemed to be in shock at the appearance of the crazed House Elf, but Ginny and her entourage. “Oh, croissants with strawberry and cream cheese filled crepes,” said Ginny, as she grabbed the unusual breakfast foods. Harry and the other two also grabbed food off the platter. Ginny looked at him. “You can have some too, Ron. Please, there is plenty for everyone to tuck in.” Hermione grabbed one of the crescent shaped pastries off the platter. “Thank you, they are even warm.” “What’s wrong Ron? I’ve never known you not to be hungry.” Ginny teased him. “What are those things?” He never liked strange looking food. “Oh, try the croissants, they are delicious,” insisted Hermione. She was tearing off pieces of the pastry and eating them with smile on her face. Ron picked up the funny shaped pastry. It gave under his fingers and hardly weighed anything. He took a big bite of one. It was light and airy and seemed to melt in his mouth. He finished it in three bites. “There isn’t anything to these things. They are all air.” “Oh Ron,” laughed Hermione. “They are supposed to be light and delicate.” “Is everyone ready to go home for the holidays?” asked Harry. “Yes, it is about time,” replied Ron. Everyone else said they were ready. Hermione sounded a bit sad, as if she wanted school to last forever. “We have our last OWL this morning then we will be going to the Burrow,” Ginny said happily. “If everything goes well, we will be at the platform of the Hogwarts Express when it arrives in London. Harry has never seen it before.” She was smiling at Harry. Ron was still having a difficult time thinking of her as his little sister. She looked so mature and nothing like the specky little annoyance she was growing up. “Which OWL are you taking this morning?” asked Hermione. “Arithmancy,” said Harry. “I find that subject very interesting,” said Hermione excitedly. Ron watched as Hermione chatted animatedly about some boring subject like Arithmancy with Harry and Ginny. It didn’t seem right. He knew about the soul bond and how it changed Ginny. She was so different. She was so damned near perfect. She was smart, pretty, and wealthy. He started to remember all the doubts that led him to writing to Tom bubble up to the surface of his thoughts. He was Ron the gangly dull little brother. He had always been comforted that Ginny would be younger than he, but she appeared to be more Bill or Charlie’s age than his. How was he supposed to compete with her and the rest of his family? Bill was the smart and talented Cursebreaker for Gringotts. Charlie was the Quidditch star and rugged strong dragon tamer. Fred and George were the masters of pranks and mischief. Percy was just Percy the Prefect, always perfect and proper. What could he ever do to distinguish himself from the rest of his family? The only thing they seemed to say was he can out eat the rest of the family. That certainly would not impress everyone, especially Hermione. He looked at the bushy-haired witch sitting beside him. She was actually very cute even with that overbearing know it type of personality that was uniquely hers. Why would she ever look at him? He didn’t know why she was paying any attention to him now. It was he that set the basilisk on her. It was Ron’s feeling of inadequacy that allowed Tom to take control of him. He trusted Tom at first. When he finally realized Tom wasn’t a friend, it was too late. “Ron,” said Ginny just above a whisper. She had reached over and placed a warm hand on his forearm. “Is everything all right?” Ron was caught off guard by her sudden attention. He could feel his face get warm from embarrassment. She stared at him with concern in her eyes. She reminded him so much of their Mum at that moment. He noticed she even had the same color of eyes. He was caught between being embarrassed and comforted by her touching him in public. “Yeah, yeah, I’m brilliant,” he said too brightly. “All right, just know that we are here for you,” she said softly, as she pulled her hand away. Ron felt strangely disquieted when she took her hand away. That was the second time that Ginny calmed him by touching him. He remembered waking up in her arms in the Chamber. He wasn’t afraid or tired, until she let go of him. He had forgotten about Tom coming to life while she held him. It seemed like a strange thing to feel but he could actually feel himself getting stronger before he came out of the trance. It was like he was actually fighting Tom for his life. The sound of Harry talking brought him out of his trance. Ron saw them getting up to go take their Arithmancy OWL. Ginny smiled at him. “See you later, Ron,” she said. “If not before you go then we will be there at London.” Ron didn’t know what to say. “Yeah, sounds good, see you then.” It was a feeble response but at least he responded. He could feel Hermione looking at him with that questioning expression of hers. “What?” he asked her. “What is wrong?” “Nothin’ is wrong,” he huffed. “Ron you got very distant with us. What were you thinking?” questioned Hermione. Ron didn’t want to discuss his feelings with her. He wasn’t even sure what he was thinking about or how he was feeling. He sure didn’t want to get into a discussion with Hermione here in the great hall. “I wasn’t thinking about anything,” he replied. “After all, I am Ron Weasley and I am famous for not thinking.” Everyone around them snorted and laughed at his self-deprecating humor, but not Hermione. [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] “I want them banned from the grounds! Forever!” demanded Severus Snape. Severus Snape was standing in front of Albus’s desk in his traditional black robes, but these had splotches of bright colors all over them. It seems that Peeves had appeared with a Muggle device called a paintball gun that shot pellets of brightly colored paint at people. He had attacked the Slytherins as they left the school for the train. He even pelted Severus with them, and hit him on his nose. It was now bright red making it appear even larger than before. Albus had to control his laughter. The charges against Peeves were serious, but Severus still looked like a clown in some dark sinister circus. “I shall investigate,” replied Albus. “Investigate? There is no need to investigate. It is obvious that Black and Lupin gave Peeves this weapon. They should be brought up on charges and thrown into Azkaban. That is where they belong,” Professor Snape hissed venomously. “Did anyone see them giving Peeves this weapon?” “There is no need for that. This is just the type of childish immature prank that they are so famous for. Ban them from the school premises, if you won’t send them to Azkaban,” Severus demanded. “I will speak to them and determine if they are responsible for Peeves having possession of that gun. Until I make that determination, please try to enjoy your holidays, Severus.” Severus stood up as straight as he could and stared down his large red nose at Albus. It was almost comical to see. “I will try,” Severus said forcing his voice to be amiable. Albus Dumbledore took a deep breath and tried to clear the image of Severus Snape and his cloak of many colors, before looking over the exams in front of him. Harry and Ginny seemed to have passed their OWLs with high marks. He had hoped that they would have struggled with some of them. So he could convince them that they needed his tutoring, but that didn’t happen. He was emotionally torn between being happy for them and concerned because he didn’t have more control. He realized that he can be overly controlling of people around him. He never felt that it was wrong for him to be that way, because he was always the most intelligent person in the room. He was beginning to feel like he no longer was, or some secret has been kept from him, which was extremely maddening. The Weasleys and Potters were both intelligent families. However, he had never seen this level of intellect before in either family. Now he has two people who are exceeding even his accomplishments while he was a student. He could not have passed these exams in his second year, let alone his first like Ginny Weasley did. He realized that he thought of her as a Weasley not a Potter. If he hadn’t seen them in Gringotts before they disappeared, he would have never believed them to be Harry and Ginny. He had never heard of a magical bond making people grow physically before. He has been trying to find information on soul bonds for the past two years. He has found nothing but the mention of their existence in the past. One of the resources he found mentioned that soul bonded individuals have a history of personal troubles and many die young or remove themselves from society. Albus had concerns about them growing so fast. Could they continue to age rapidly and die an early death because of the soul bond? If they did, could Harry defeat Voldemort before his demise? The door to his office opened interrupting his thoughts as Professor McGonagall entered with Harry. Albus was surprised to see that he was alone. It was the first time he had seen him more than ten feet away from his wife. “Headmaster, Mr. Potter wanted to see you. I thought that you would also want to talk to him,” said the stern Transfiguration Professor. “Yes, I would. Thank you, Minerva,” he said as he stood up from his desk. He created a chair for Harry to sit in. “Won’t you have a seat, Mr. Potter.” “Thank you, sir,” Harry said. Albus stood there and watched as Harry casually sat down and stared at him. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” “I would like to talk to you about Voldemort and fulfilling the prophecy,” he said calmly. Professor McGonagall gasped when Harry said the name. Albus glanced over at her, thinking that she really needed to get over that fear. “Professor McGonagall, that will be all,” he said dismissing her. She stared at him for a second before leaving. “Harry, I would advise you not to discuss the prophecy in front of other people.” “Why? I didn’t say what the prophecy revealed.” “If people find out that you have been named in a prophecy…,” “They will know that Voldemort came to kill me that night,” Harry cut him off. “They will know that Voldemort fears me. Are you afraid that Voldemort might realize that I know about the prophecy the same as he does?” “Harry, it is in the best interest of the magical society to keep the prophecy a secret,” he chastised the boy, while standing over him. “Is it really? Why?” “Because it is,” he stated. “You don’t know what magical society is like. I do. If they know of a prophecy it will not help us.” “You don’t trust Professor McGonagall?” asked Harry. “I thought she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.” Once again, Harry caught him off guard. Albus did not appreciate this young man surprising him and changing the direction of the conversation. “Did Sirius and Remus tell you about the Order?” “Yes, they told me about it,” he replied. “I was wondering if it is still active.” “There is no need for it,” Albus replied. “I can assure you that when the time comes that the Order is needed again, I will get it organized.” “Then you believe that Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters have all been caught,” Harry said staring at him. Albus’ anger was rising at this line of questioning. “That is not your decision. I am the leader of the Order.” “Yes, you are,” replied Harry forcefully. “I thought the Order of the Phoenix was formed to fight against the dark forces of Voldemort. There are still known Death Eaters roaming the streets. You know that he isn’t completely dead, and yet you sit there and wait until he gets organized before calling in the Order to stop him and save innocent lives. “You know as well as I do that he is coming back. Why not get ready for him and his followers?” insisted Harry. “The last time, he was cutting your group down as you were getting organized. Stop him from doing that this time. “We may be able to determine where a couple of his objects are hidden by following his minions. Sitting back idly not doing anything isn’t productive. If we can destroy all of the Horcruxes before he regenerates his body, then he may never come back.” Albus needed some time to think about what Harry had said. He folded his hands behind his back and paced in front of Harry. He could sense that Harry wasn’t lying about anything, but it was still unnerving to have his actions scrutinized. The most frustrating thing was Harry was making sense. It wasn’t that he would reject a good thought just because it wasn’t his, but he didn’t want to give Harry the impression that he was going to relinquish control of the Order of the Phoenix to a twelve year-old. “You seem to think that I haven’t been doing anything but sitting in this office twiddling my thumbs,” retorted Albus. “I have been very active in pursuing possible locations for the Horcruxes, without announcing to the world what I am doing.” “Have you made any progress?” the young man asked. “I do not wish to divulge that information at the present time,” Albus replied. Harry’s face turned a deep shade of red, but he never yelled. He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. “You will not share the information that you have gathered with anyone. Will you?” “It is safer locked away in here,” Albus said tapping the side of his head. Harry glared at him. “You talk about how information will be safer locked away in your head. How you will get the Order reorganized when Voldemort threatens society again. What will you do if you die before those things happen? Do you feel that you are immortal?” Albus was stunned that the boy would say that. “I am feeling rather good. If I start failing, I will make the proper arrangements so we can keep up the battle against Voldemort.” “You seem to feel that you cannot be killed, Professor,” Harry said icily. “I know that I might die, Harry,” replied Albus. His voice was tight as he tried to control his emotions and tongue. “Do you know of any threats against me?” “It only makes sense with me being out of the headlines…,” replied Harry calmly. “…that you will become Voldemort and his minions’ next target. It may even happen inside of this very school. All your research will be useless if it dies with you.” Albus could not argue with Harry’s logic. It was just a bitter pill to swallow. “Are you suggesting that I reveal everything to you? That I make you the leader of the Order?” “I don’t want to be the leader, Professor. I just want to make sure that I can win this fight coming up, and all the other battles along the way.” Harry stopped talking and stared at him before glancing away at the portraits. Albus could see he was becoming emotional about something. “I never intended for you to have to take on so much responsibility at such a young age,” Albus said gently to the young man. “It wasn’t because I wanted to control your life, but to protect you from it.” Harry’s gaze turned back to him and became hard again; whatever was affecting his mood was pushed to the side. “I didn’t need protection. I needed to be educated. We still do. “This prophecy has gone beyond me. It now includes Ginny. If I die, she will quickly follow. That is one of the disadvantages of a soul bond. I am not afraid to die, but I will not allow Ginny to die. There are many things we have learned about soul bonds in the past two years. There are many things we still don’t know or are not sure if they are possible, but we keep on trying to discover the limits and dangers of this bond we have.” “That was one of the reasons why I wanted to break it,” interjected Albus. Harry snorted at his comment. “You could not stop this bond from happening. We were destined. For us to be bonded, we must fit all the criteria. If we are missing one single criterion, this bond never happens. We must want to be bonded, and we must fulfill each other. We are much greater together than apart from each other.” “In what way, Harry?” asked Albus. His professional curiosity was getting the better of him. “You must first gain my trust before I tell you much more, Professor,” replied Harry. Harry looked at his watch. “You have five minutes to make your decision.” “Five minutes? Why five minutes?” he asked the lad. “In five minutes Ginny and I are going to try an experiment. If it works I will be gone. If I don’t gain some level of trust in you, then we may never return. It would be better for magical society if we disappear than if Voldemort captures us.” “Why is that?” Harry stared at him. “I need trust and promises, Professor.” “Harry, we want the same thing.” “Will you work with us and be honest with us?” Albus took a deep breath. He hated making that promise, but he needed Harry to defeat Voldemort. Finally, he saw no other recourse but to make the promise. “Yes, yes, I promise you,” sighed the Headmaster. “Ginny was right again. She said you would come around, but would need to be pressured.” Harry stood up and stepped away from the desk. He extended his hand towards Albus. “Take my hand if you want to hear more and also join in an experiment.” “I want to hear more, but what are you planning to do?” “A soul bonded couple has the ability to ‘pull’ their partner to them by the need to be with them. I did it when we first bonded. I pulled Ginny from the Burrow to me. We want to see if we can break through the Wards over this castle.” Harry looked at his watch. “You have thirty seconds.” “Where will we be going?” he asked Harry. He didn’t think Harry would do anything stupid and lead them into a trap, but he still need to know their destination. Anyone would want to know their destination. Albus wasn’t going to budge from his request, so they stood there staring at each other, until Harry finally spoke. “To the Burrow,” he said. “Ten, nine, eight,….” “Albus grabbed Harry’s hand as he reached ‘two’. [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] The Burrow appeared in front of Ginny as she and Bill Apparated to a secluded meadow above their family home. Ginny could see it through a break in the surrounding woods. She never realized how much she missed seeing the strange building that she called home for the first ten years of her life. “It has been a long time,” sighed Bill. She didn’t dare look at her brother. She could hear the emotion in his voice. As difficult as returning would be for her, it would be much harder on her brother. He had helped her escape and kept her away against the family wishes. Their mother was not one to forget his actions. “If things get too strained, I am leaving,” she told her brother. “I thought you could sense Dad’s acceptance?” He asked her. “It is Mum that worries me. Her overbearing matriarchal attitude reminds me of some despot.” Bill chuckled at her comparison. “I guess you could call that the land of Molly down there,” he said indicating the Burrow. “We are her subjects owing her fealty.” “I guess we should go and address the queen. We are on a time-table,” said Ginny. Bill’s laughter made her relax a little. Being around him the past two years was helpful with her fears and adjustments to being an adult. All her life her mother told her that she would understand things when she grew up. When she matured so suddenly and still didn’t understand why life was ordered like it was. Bill helped her understand that many people accepted things the way they were. There was no great understanding of prejudice and hatred that seemed to separate people into classes, just acceptance that that was the way of it. The home looked exceptionally neat and orderly as she walked towards it. There had always been Wellington boots sitting by the back door. They had been cleaned up now and the garden neatly trimmed. Ginny always enjoyed the chaotic and slightly unkempt appearance of the garden. They had not made it halfway up the walk when her parents appeared at the kitchen door. Both Bill and she stopped walking for a second at the sight of both of their parents staring at them, but they both quickly recovered and continued to walk towards them. Her parents seemed to take this as their cue to also start walking towards them. No one said anything until after she and Bill had been met and hugged by both their mother and father. It was her father that spoke first. “Welcome back home, Weasleys’,” he said light-heartedly. “Come let’s have some tea and biscuits.” The four of them walked into the neat kitchen. The sight of it made Ginny wonder how nervous and upset her Mum was. She could feel emotions pour off her like the waves of an angry ocean. Her father though seemed calmer and more honest with his emotions. After everyone had their tea, he father once again started up the conversation. “What did you think of the OWLs Ginny?” “They were difficult, but I think we did all right on them. Bill, Remus, and even Sirius were good teachers.” Bill and she laughed at her comment. Everyone took the mickey out on Sirius about being a respectable Professor of Transfiguration and Arithmancy. Her father gave them a strange look, but her mother seemed to be smoldering at her comment. “Sirius never thought of himself as the Professor type. He still thinks he is teenager,” laughed Bill. “He is quite skilled…,” “Not better than any of the Hogwarts Professors,” said their Mum sternly. “You could learn a lot more from going to Hogwarts than being tutored on your own. You don’t have Albus Dumbledore to help instruct you. He was the best Transfiguration Professor ever.” The anger washing off her mother made Ginny cringe. It was times like these that made her empathy towards other people was difficult to take. She didn’t need any special powers to know her Mum was angry with them, or her father was anxious about how her Mum was acting right now. It was obvious to a blind man. “Molly dear, Minerva teaches Transfiguration now,” her Dad tried to defuse the situation. “Albus is the ….” “That is not the point,” her Mum stood up and shouted at her father. “Ginny is only eleven, Arthur. She should be in school. Maybe if she was there, Ron would not have — have that terrible thing happen to him. “No, she hasn’t been seen around here for years,” her mother continued to rant. “She went off and got herself married; never asked us if we approved. Who knows, she might even be pregnant by now. We might even have a grandchild. Our son, our eldest son has helped her do this; against our will and our pleadings to bring her back. This world is too dangerous for our little girl to be out there alone. Voldemort might be dead, but….” “He isn’t,” shouted Ginny. She was tired of her mother’s attitude. “He isn’t dead, only defeated for now.” “Ginny, you need to be careful,” said Bill. “I don’t care. We need to tell them anyway. Besides, I am tired of sitting here and listening to her rant about me without saying anything. I am an adult now and have the right to make my own decisions. I was technically married when Harry and I bonded in Diagon Alley two years ago. I am wearing rings, but we never had a ceremony. I wondered if we could have one now, but it doesn’t sound like you would be receptive to being a part of it. “Bill has been there for me over the past two years. He has dedicated himself to protect me and Harry. So have Remus and Sirius. We all work together as a team. We don’t give each other orders only advice like friends. I may only be eleven in actual years, but in the past two years I have matured to where people guess I am older than Bill. “We came here today to see if you would like to join us in our fight against the evil that is festering in this country. I feel that Dad would be willing to help, but all I feel from you, Mum, is anger and resentment. “I am not a doll or a plaything that was taken away from you. Your feelings of missing out on my developing years are misguided. I would never have gone to you about any boy problems or any other problems like that. We never had that type of a relationship. I would have been too afraid of being sent to do housework for failing you.” Ginny took a deep breath to calm down. Her mother stared at her in shock. It was obvious that she had surprised her Mum with the knowledge that she had missed out on Ginny’s developing years. The emotion filled room was keeping Ginny anxious and agitated. She could not even tell who it was coming from. It might even be her emotions feeding everyone else in the room and then their emotions inflaming hers. Without even thinking about it, she turned and walked towards her old room. “I need to get away for a minute,” she shouted over her shoulder. As she walked up the stairs away from the kitchen, she could sense everyone’s emotions coming under control down in the kitchen. It had been her that had set everyone on edge. She needed to get away from them to calm down. Stepping in her old room, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. The room looked exactly like she remembered it. It was almost as though nothing aged here in the past two years. The same books sat on her makeshift desk. The same Weird Sisters and Harpies posters were on the wall, only a little more faded. The same worn quilt covered her bed. All the memories of her playing in here came back to her. It was only two years ago, that she was sitting up here imagining flying with the Harpies as they defeated the Cannons by five hundred points. When she wasn’t thinking about flying with the Harpies, she was singing along with the Weird Sisters. The precious memories made her smile. “It’s good to see you smile again,” said her father, from the doorway of her room. “I’m sorry that I got so upset, but I can’t break this bond, Dad. Mum needs to understand that I can’t go back. I don’t want to go back. If you would just take the time to know Harry, you would love him. He is so unselfish and caring.” “He sounds wonderful, pumpkin,” her father said as he walked up to her. “Your mother just cares a lot, and wasn’t ready to give you up to the world yet.” “I know she wanted to be there for me during my teenage years. I am not sure if I would have ever confided in her.” “How do you know that? Did she tell you that in one of her letters?” Ginny smiled at her father. Would he believe what she was about to tell him? “No, I sensed it from her. I have developed what might be called empathy with people around me. In some cases, I can actually tell what someone is thinking. It can create problems when I am in an emotionally charged situation I can become emotionally overloaded.” “Is that what happened downstairs?” he asked her. Ginny ran her hands through her hair as she realized that the intensity of the argument in the kitchen was as much her fault as her mothers. “Yeah, that is why I came up here, to calm down.” “How long have you been like this, pumpkin?” “Since, I bonded with Harry. We each have developed different magical strengths over the past two years. Harry can sense the magic around him as I sense people’s emotions. Where I can walk into a room and feel everyone’s intentions, he can sense what type of a spell a person is casting before they cast it.” “Merlin, you are serious,” exclaimed her father. “Can you tell what I am thinking?” Ginny grimaced. She was not that close to him to tell what he was thinking. “Sorry Dad, Harry is the only one that I can actually do that with. Well, it seems that I can also do that with Mum.” “Is that how you knew about her missing out on your teenage years?” “Yeah, I guess. That just sort of popped into my head,” replied Ginny sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have said that I would have never confided in her. I was just — just so bloody angry about what she was saying.” “Were you serious with what you said in the kitchen?” questioned her father. “About having a ceremony,” he added, when she looked at him with a puzzled expression “I was serious, but I shouldn’t have said anything.” He walked over and looked out of her window at the large garden behind the house by the orchard. “I had always wanted to have your wedding out there. I never asked you about that, because — well I always thought I had several years before that would happen.” Ginny walked over and put her arm around her father’s waist and laid her head on his shoulder. She looked out at the garden. It would be nice place for a summer wedding. “That would be nice out there. I will have to ask Harry what he thinks.” She lifted her head off his shoulder. “You don’t think Mum will do something to sabotage the wedding, do you?” He laughed at her comment. “No, as long as she is given some say in it, you should be alright.” “Good, let’s go talk to her. There are some other things that we need to discuss before Harry gets here.” She grabbed her father’s hand and escorted him out of her old room and down to the kitchen. Her mother was sitting there talking with Bill. She could sense that they were fairly calm. There was some tension in the room, but nothing like it was earlier. “Alright, I have calmed down,” Ginny said to her Mum. “We need to talk and you and I need to remain as calm as possible, or else we will have another blow up. Her Mum opened and closed her mouth before looking at her Dad, who nodded his head. This seemed to drive the message home to her mother. “All right I’ll try. Bill explained that you are an Empath. I guess it is easy for you to become emotional.” Ginny glared at Bill for a second before speaking. “I am more sensitive to people that I am emotionally connected. When you get emotional Mum, I get even more emotional.” “I see,” said her Mum thoughtfully. “Is there anything else that has happened because of this bond?” Ginny could feel Bill fidgeting, but she didn’t want to reveal everything right now. “Yes, there is but we don’t have time to discuss everything right now.” She checked her wrist watch and saw that she would have to try to call Harry to her in ten minutes. “I have ten minutes before Harry gets here,” she said. Bill coughed slightly to remind her that they were trying to break through the wards at Hogwarts. She stared at him for a second before continuing with her explanation. “All right, I have a lot to say, so please let me finish before you ask questions.” When her parents nodded yes, she started explaining. “You asked what else is different. The obvious thing is I am tied to Harry and his fight against dark wizards and witches in this country. There are many other things, but that is the most obvious. “We want Professor Dumbledore to start the Order of the Phoenix up again. Last time the members barely survived, but we want to get a head start on Voldemort this time.” He parents reacted to the name. “Oh please, it is just a name he made up to sound more impressive than Tom Riddle.” “Tom Riddle, as in the owner of that diary?” asked her father. “Yes, the very same one, but I don’t want to discuss him right now. I need you to know that we: Harry, Bill, Sirius, Remus, and I have a plan to protect you, in case the Death Eaters come after this family. I have sensed that you will all cooperate, except possibly Percy. We will come up with a method of transporting you to a safe place via a Portkey. Once there, you will be stuck hidden away until the war is pretty much over.” “Where would this be?” her Mum asked. “We would be transporting you between our houses at random intervals,” replied Ginny. “Houses?” asked her father. “We have eleven, but we don’t want to reveal their locations just now.” “Would they be large enough for our family and Harry’s?” asked her Mum. “We could each have our own bedroom with some to spare,” laughed Bill. “You have a house that large?” asked her father wide-eyed. “No we have eleven that large,” snapped Ginny. She wanted to discuss something else, before it came time to try to bring Harry here. “Sorry I snapped, but I want to tell you, Mum, that Harry and I would like to exchange our wedding vows and have a ceremony with all the family present. Do you have any objections to that?” “Where will we be holding it?” her Mum asked with an edge to her voice. “Well, Dad suggested in the backyard and I like that idea,” responded Ginny. “Bill, do you think we could have stronger wards for protection?” “Piece of cake, sis, especially with the two of you on the property” responded Bill. Ginny looked at him. She didn’t want anyone to know about how their bond increases everyone’s magic that stands close to them. “Good I will discuss that with Harry when he arrives…,” she had a wave of emotion wash over her all the way from Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore would be coming with Harry. Ginny needed to feel a deep desire to bring Harry to her. Possibly the idea of them actually getting married was enough to make her want him beside her. Reaching out with her emotions, she could feel Harry hundreds of miles away. There seemed to be something between them holding him back. She tried to force him to her, to pull him all the way across the country. Closing her eyes , she filled her head with the images of strolling along the various beaches holding hands, of evenings spent in bed reading and doing homework, and private moments holding each other. Yet, something was keeping him away from her. She was getting desperate to see him again. Then the image of when he gave her the rings came to mind. They were standing on a balcony with the moonlight shining in Harry’s beautiful green eyes. The look on his face was making her heart melt. Without a sound Harry and Professor Dumbledore appeared in front of her. The air in the room seemed to shift and shimmer for a second as they were pulled through the Wards protecting the home. She could hear her mother’s gasp at the sight of Harry and Professor Dumbledore. Her eyes were focused on Harry. The Headmaster was there, but he was unimportant to Ginny. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Harry’s chest. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gently kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too. If you don’t mind asking, what was the memory you used?” he whispered to her. “Our first night, when you gave me the rings,” she whispered into his chest. She wiggled so she could get as close to him as possible. This was where she belonged beside him holding him. She could hear a people talking excitedly around her, but she didn’t care. Bill grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull her away from Harry. She clung tighter to him and glared at Bill. “You two need to separate, right now,” he shouted at them. She was going to ask him why, when she noticed that everyone was running around cancelling Charms that kept the Burrow running. The building itself seemed to be swaying and groaning. It suddenly occurred to her that this house was held together with magic. With her and Harry so close and so happy, she were increasing the power of all the spells used in the house. Harry noticed also and stepped away from her. The distance seemed so cold and lonely, even though they were only about two feet apart. The house settled down and stopped swaying and groaning. The brush that had been cleaning the pans from lunch had been virtually destroyed and one pan looked like it had been bent out of shape by the excessive magical cleaning. Everyone else was settling down now that the magic in the house was back under control, and they were all staring at her and Harry, except Bill. He was looking outside. “The wards have increased about tenfold. I will need to dial them back before anyone can come through them,” Bill said. “Bill, you mentioned that increasing the strength of the wards would be easy with Ginny and Harry here. Is what we just witnessed the reason you said that?” Asked her father, while staring at her and Harry. “That is one of the side-effects of our soul-bond,” stated Harry. “The worst thing that can happen is not Voldemort killing me, except that Ginny may die soon afterwards. The worst thing is if Voldemort captures us together.” “He would use you as a source of power to increase his and the Death Eaters’ magical power,” said Albus Dumbledore. He looked a bit peaky as he looked at Ginny and Harry. “It has happened before,” stated Bill. “An ancient wizard had two friends complete a soul bond. He used them to almost conquer the world. The two committed suicide to keep him from overthrowing the world.” “You have books on soul bonds?” asked Albus Dumbledore. “Three books and several scrolls,” replied Bill. “Where did you find them?” “The Potter family library,” stated Bill. “I would very much like to see this library,” stated an eager Albus Dumbledore. “Not until we have started up the Order of the Phoenix,” said Harry firmly. The Headmaster looked at Harry. He seemed almost caught by surprise at Harry’s comment. “We need to get a leg up for when Voldemort comes back to finish me off,” stated Harry. Ginny smiled as her parents squeaked at Harry saying Voldemort’s name. “I will do that, but it will take some time,” said the Headmaster. “I need to find a meeting place large enough to hold everyone without raising anyone’s suspicion.” “We could use this house, when Harry and Ginny say their vows,” offered her father. Harry looked at her in shock. Ginny could hear him thinking. “Yes, they agreed and they want to have it in the back garden,” Ginny nearly shouted with excitement. “Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I will pay for everything and we can have the House Elves make all the food,” offered Harry. He started looking confused as both of her parents were glaring at him. He hadn’t realized how much the offer had insulted them. She warned him that her parents would not take money from him and her Mum would want to cook and bake everything. Ginny tried and failed to keep her laughter under control at the sight of her husband stammering to apologize. |
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