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Don't Let Me Down | ||||||
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Category: Post-Hogwarts Characters:All Genres: General Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations Rating: R Reviews: 146 Summary: After the Dark Lord has been defeated during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry is finally able to rekindle his relationship with Ginny and work on building a normal life. When He, Ron, and Hermione are given the chance to return to their beloved school, everyone is ecstatic, except Harry. An amazing opportunity has Harry thinking his future lies elsewhere. Hitcount: Story Total: 53538; Chapter Total: 2664 Author's Notes: Sorry (again!) for the delay! Trying to write two stories is time consuming. Anywho, enjoy! |
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“I can’t believe you let him talk you into this,” Emma muttered. “He didn’t talk me into it, Em,” Harry repeated, for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. “I am perfectly capable of making decisions for myself.” “Let the man live a little,” Cliff called. He was currently standing in front of a full length mirror, admiring the freshly tattooed barbed wire around both of his upper arms. “It’s going to hurt,” Emma warned. Harry laughed and shook his head, as he took of his shirt. “Have you forgotten my life story already?” He straddled a chair, while a heavily inked bloke named Troy, with a septum piercing and a tongue ring, started shaving a spot on the back of Harry’s left shoulder. “I imagine a little needle will feel like a massage.” “That’s the spirit,” Troy said, clapping Harry on the other shoulder. He transferred the design and loaded up the needle. “Ready?” Harry nodded and braced himself. The initial touch was painful, and caused him to wince. Emma’s hand shot out quick and grabbed his. “I’m fine,” he breathed, straining to form a smile. “Oh yeah, that’s a look of euphoria,” Emma scoffed. The pain dulled to a mild burning, as the tattoo began to take shape, and Harry was able to relax. He wasn’t quite sure what had made him agree to getting a tattoo. Cliff had brought up the subject the previous week. His Uncle Walt had paid for a session, at a local parlor, as Cliff’s Christmas gift. When Cliff had asked Harry if he wanted to get in on the action, Harry immediately said yes. He had never thought about getting a tattoo. His aunt and uncle, of course, despised them. To them, tattoos equalled hooliganism. It wasn’t until he met Sirius, that Harry saw how tattoos hold meaning to their bearer. He knew exactly what he wanted done when Cliff suggested the idea. “And we’re done,” Troy announced, swiping a cloth over Harry’s shoulder. He handed Emma a black hand mirror. “Hold that up there, sweetheart. Thank you. What do you think?” Harry looked into Emma’s mirror and saw Troy holding up an identical one. In the reflection of the second mirror, the gold and red of the Gryffindor crest gleamed back at him. “Brilliant!” Harry exclaimed, taking another moment to admire the art. “Looks amazing Potts!” “Thanks,” Harry said, gingerly slipping his t-shirt back on. “What’s Ginny going to say when she sees that?” Harry shrugged and nodded his head towards Cliff. “What do you think of Cliff’s?” Emma’s face blushed. “What’s that have to do with anything?” Harry smiled and shook his head. He could tell that something was going on between the two friends, but neither had come forward and revealed anything. Harry kept trying to give little hints that they didn’t have to hide anything, but they wouldn’t crack. “I guess we’ll find out what she has to say about it in a few days.” They said good-bye to Troy, with Cliff promising a return in the near future. As they started walking back to campus, Emma sidled up to Harry and gave him a nudge. “You anxious for her to arrive?” she asked with an eager smile. “Yeah, I can’t wait for you guys to meet her. She’s been so excited to meet everyone, after all my letters and pictures.” Emma abruptly changed the subject. “So, tonight I was thinking about doing one last study session.” Cliff and Harry groaned in response. “What? We could all use it!” Emma cried defensively. “Merlin, I can’t wait for you to meet Hermione,” Harry laughed. “I’m sure she’ll be studying non-stop while she’s here. You and her could team up.” “She sounds like a girl who has her priorities in order,” Emma said, making Harry laugh harder. “Look, Sarg is giving us out first test on Patronus charms tomorrow. Alana has been been the only one able to produce one so far, and it’s still not corporeal. I really think that if we work on it tonight, you could help us all be able to produce something, corporeal or not.” “She’s got a point,” Cliff said defeatedly. “Perhaps, under your most excellent tutelage, we could put that worry past us.” “Of course I’ll help you lot,” Harry said, giving Emma’s pink braid a playful tug. “My room, six o’clock? I’m going to put a two hour time limit on it though,” Harry warned. “Sarge has us up bright and early, and I’m not going into that exhausted.” “Deal,” Emma agreed. She turned to Cliff and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think of bringing beer. We need clear and focused minds!” “If you say so,” Cliff said, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Emma’s face suddenly matched her hair. Back in his room, Harry enjoyed the bit of time he had to himself. He put on some music and spread out on the couch to read. The next three days were filled with final exams. First thing Monday was their Defense Against the Dark Arts test. Aside from the formal exam, Sarge would let them attempt the Patronus charm three times. If they weren’t able to produce anything, the students could try again at the end of the spring semester, with the expectation of being able to conjure a non-corporeal one. On Tuesday, they would be tested on Charms, and Concealment and Disguise. Wednesday would be the final day of exams, with Herbology and Potions. Then, Wednesday night, Ginny would arrive. They had already planned to go out to dinner to celebrate her arrival and the end of the semester. At six o’clock sharp, there was a knock on his door. Harry flicked his wand and opened it, taking his time getting up from the couch. “Alright, Harry. What do we do first?” Emma asked, throwing her bag on the table. Harry suppressed a chuckle and shut off the record player. “The first step to producing a Patronus is thinking about a happy thought. Not just a nice moment, but the happiest you’ve ever been.” It wasn’t long before his friends’ faces were full of determination, trying to will their wands to cooperate with the spell. Harry coached on wand movement and encouraging them to dig deep into their memory arsenals. “Ooh!” Alana cried, an hour into practice. Harry looked over and saw Alana’s eyes sparkle as she watched a silver sparrow soar around the room. “It’s so pretty,” Naomi whispered. “Nice one,” Harry admired. Alana sat down on the floor and sighed. “It really takes a lot of energy to conjure one.” As they neared the end of their session, everyone had produced a non-corporeal patronus, except Emma. Harry could see she was fighting back tears as she swished her wand harshly. All she had been able to succeed at was getting her wand to emit a thin white wisp, that instantly disappeared. When she finally paused, Harry gently clasped her wand hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s alright, Em,” he comforted. “You’ll get there. We’ll keep working on it. The more you stress yourself out, the harder it’ll be.” Emma nodded and tucked her wand into her pocket. Cliff came over and hugged her tightly. A sudden knocking made them all freeze and stare suspiciously at the door. “Expecting someone else?” Naomi whispered? “No,” Harry answered. He drew his wand as he approached the door. “We’re not messing around anymore, Harry. If that’s Sophie, she’ll be jinxed into the next century,” Emma warned. Harry smiled and held up his hand. He looked out the peephole, but saw nothing. “No one’s there.” Harry turned back to his friends and shrugged his shoulders. Before he could make a move, there was another knock. Behind him, four wands were drawn and ready. Harry slowly opened the door. He caught a quick glimpse of red before a body threw itself onto him and his lips were locked into a kiss. He didn’t have to see anything else to know that he had just been reunited with his missing half. His company didn’t realize this though, and angry shouts and threats erupted. “It’s okay,” Harry called, quickly turning around with Ginny still in his arms. “This one’s allowed to kiss me!” “Damn straight,” Ginny said, kissing him again. “It’s Ginny!” Emma squealed, lowering her wand and dashing over. Smiling, Harry put Ginny down and started introductions. “So it’s you I have to thank for all the amazing music and fit boyfriend?” Ginny laughed as Cliff hugged her. “Oh, that’s not all you can thank him for!” Emma said, eyes gleaming. “Show her Harry! I’m so happy we get to see her reaction!” “She hasn’t even gotten her coat off yet,” Harry started. “Show me what?” Ginny gave Harry a suspicious look that was scarily identical to her mother’s. Harry held his tongue on that comment though. With a sigh of resignation, he pulled off his shirt and turned his back to his girlfriend. “Harry James Potter! When did you do this?” Ginny exclaimed, running her fingertips around the outline of his tattoo. “This afternoon. What do you think?” Ginny continued running her fingers over his shoulder. “I love it.” Harry turned around and grinned at her. “My mother is gonna kill you, but I love it.” “What are you doing here?” Harry asked, pulling her suitcase in. “You’re supposed to be coming on Wednesday.” “I can leave and come back if you’re that disappointed,” Ginny said, gesturing to the door. With a giggle, she explained, “Dad was able to get me an earlier portkey so that I could surprise you this time.” “We’ll get out of your way and let you two catch up.” Naomi gave Harry a wink and started shooing the others out. “See you at breakfast.” Emma hugged Harry quickly as she passed. “Thanks for trying to help tonight.” “Of course,” he said, patting her back. “We’ll keep working and I promise you’ll get it.” Emma nodded and shut the door. When Harry turned back to Ginny, she was across the room, giving herself a tour of Harry’s small apartment. “They wanted to practice the Patronus charm before our Defense exam tomorrow.” “They’re all just how I imagined them,” Ginny said, smiling at the photographs lined up on the desk. Harry watched as she slowly made her way around the space, peeking in drawers and cupboards. “Sorry, I’m being nosy. I just can’t believe I’m finally here with you! It’s the only think I’ve been able to think about the last month. When Dad suggested coming today, I jumped at the chance.” “It’s a wonderful surprise.” Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “Are you cold? I can cast a warming spell. You don’t have to stay in your coat all night.” Ginny slyly smiled. “No, I’m not cold,” she said. She drew Harry to her and kissed him again. The embrace slowly intensified as she started running her hands over his bare chest. Harry let a little moan escape as her fingers skimmed from the back of his neck to his cheeks. Breaking the kiss, her lips slipped to his neck and her hands fell to undo the buttons and sash on her jacket. Harry closed his eyes as her tongue toyed with a particularly sensitive spot on his collar bone. He heard the jacket fall to the floor and grabbed Ginny’s waist to pull her closer. His eyes flew open when he felt bare skin. Ginny stepped back and Harry went speechless. Her coat lay crumpled on the floor and she stood gazing at him, in nothing but a lacey green bra and matching panties. “Oooh….my,” Harry breathed. A million thoughts whirled in his head, but he was unable to vocalize a single one. “Is that a good ‘oh my’?” “Yeah,” Harry whispered. He took a step towards her. “I, um….are you….is this…uhh…” “Was that your complete sentence?” Ginny teased. Harry shook his head and blew out a slow breath. “You know I want you. In every way, shape, and form, you’re beautiful. More than anything, though, I want us to do things at a pace you’re comfortable with, and not just because you think I’m expecting something.” “And if I tell you that I want this,” she said, emphasizing the last ‘I’ and closing the distance between them. Harry instinctively leaned down, whispering, “Do you want this?” “Yes,” she replied, brushing her lips across his. The million thoughts instantly dropped to one- Ginny. Their lips met once more and she buried her hands in his hair. When he lifted her up, her legs wrapped his waist and Harry carried her up to the bed. He gently let her down and asked once more, “Are you sure about this?” as he trailed kisses across her neck. “Absolutely.” The ragged breathlessness of her voice made Harry’s body pulse. Ginny let herself fall back onto the bed, pulling him on top of her. Pushing himself up, he stared into her chocolate eyes. They gazed back at him, relaxed with a spark of mischief. “I love you,” Harry whispered. Reaching up and caressing his cheek, Ginny smiled. “I love you, too.” He tossed his glasses onto the nightstand and then slowly began kissing and nuzzling his way down her body. Harry relished in the freedom to explore every inch of her. Her skin was soft and smooth, dotted with tiny freckles. He enjoyed how responsive her body was to his touches. Leaving her bra and panties in place, he trailed his lips down to her belly. Her breath hitched and her arms flew out to the sides, gripping the edge of the mattress. Harry’s tongue was dancing around her belly button when he felt her body go still and rigid. He froze and replayed the last few seconds, wondering what wrong move he had made. He wasn’t an expert at this, but he was pretty sure all his moves were pretty standard. “What the hell?!” Ginny cried. Harry looked up and she threw a white piece of cloth in his face. Harry pulled it away and held up a pair of silky, white underwear. He immediately dropped them on the bed and looked at Ginny. “Where did those come from?” he exclaimed. He looked back at the panties, horrified, as if they might spontaneously combust. “They were wedged between your mattress and nightstand. I’m more concerned with WHO they came from.” Ginny jumped from the bed and glared at Harry. “I don’t know!” Harry cried. “Panties don’t just appear, Harry! So either you’re wearing them, which is a whole other conversation. Or there’s been another girl in your bed. Which is it?” Harry knelt on his bed, dumbstruck. “Neither! There’s never been another–“ He stopped as his mind rewound a fortnight. She wouldn’t have… Harry gingerly picked up the pair of underwear. “Sophie…” Fire blazed in Ginny’s eyes. She let out a scream and ran down the steps. “It’s not like that!” Harry yelled, running after her. “I didn’t–“ “I trusted you! After all that talk about how horrible she was and you couldn’t stand her. I’m such an idiot!” Ginny wrenched open her suitcase and started pulling clothes on. As Harry approached her, she found her wand and sent a spell at him. He was quickly thrown back and crashed to the floor. For a second, they both looked at each other in shock. But she stood her ground, continuing to point her wand at him. “How could you do that? And then think it was okay to do what we were about to do?!” “Ginny, please! Stop and listen for a minute.” Harry held up his hand out as he slowly staggered upright. “I didn’t do anything with Sophie!” “Then there better be a good explanation because I’m about to walk out that door!” “That night she kissed me– the night I TOLD you about– she must have planted these,” Harry said, holding up the under garment. Ginny scowled and he tossed the panties across the room. “After we came back from the cinema, she barged in here and wouldn’t leave. She laid on the bed and wanted to do things. When I told her NO and walked AWAY from her, she must have left those as some sort of sick joke.” Harry shook as he waited for Ginny to respond. Her face was eerily passive as she let his explanation sink in. “So let me get this straight. You went on a date, with another girl. She came back to your place, got cozy on your bed, before finally kissing you.” “You left out some pretty key parts,” Harry started. Ginny growled and slapped his arm. “Ow! You act like I wanted all of this. I told you about the kiss that night!” “You told me she kissed you. You didn’t tell me it was after spending an evening out with her or that she spent time in your bed.” “A very brief time,” Harry defended. “That doesn’t matter, Harry! Why didn’t you tell me the whole story?” Ginny cried. Harry sighed. “I guess I thought the kiss was the most important part and I just didn’t think to put in the other details. It all happened so fast, I was just trying to make her go away! Then when she finally did, the only thing on my mind was telling you what she did.” Harry raked his hand through his hair, tears filling his eyes. “She made me feel like a complete arse that night.” “And now she’s made you look like one too.” Ginny grabbed her coat and suitcase. “What are you doing?” “I’m going to go find a hotel for the night.” “Gin, you can’t–“ Harry started, grabbing her hand. She ripped her hand away from him. “Don’t tell me what I can do.” “No, I mean you honestly can’t. You’re still underage here and no hotel is going to let you a room. Just…stay here and I’ll leave.” He dropped his hands in defeat. “You can’t honestly think I’m going to spend the night in that bed?” Harry flicked his wand at the couch and it folded down. From the wardrobe, he summoned blankets and an extra pillow. As he headed for the door, he grabbed a shirt from the dirty laundry. “Where will you go?” she called after him. “I’ll figure something out.” Harry grabbed the intruding underwear and walked out. He stalked to Sophie’s room and threw the underwear in front of her door. Pointing his wand at them, he called out, “Incendio!” and watched as the cloth burst into flames. The door flew open and Sophie stared at him. He stared back, hoping the fury in his bones shone through in his eyes. The flames quickly died out, leaving nothing but ashes on the tile. Sophie's lips curled into a smug smirk, but Harry said nothing as he turned and left her standing in the doorway. Climbing the stairs to the No-Maj lounge, Harry’s heart felt like it had been ripped in half. How could he have been so dumb? Was this the final straw for Ginny? She had endured plenty of his cock ups, but alway forgave him. Could she forgive this one? The look on her face had scared him. There had been no tears, only anger and betrayal marring her face. Harry opened the door to the lounge and stopped short. Emma and Cliff were in the middle of a pretty heavy moment on the couch. Harry debated turning around and leaving them to it, but then decided he had already kicked himself out of one place and he didn’t feel like doing it again. “You guys are horrible at sneaking about,” Harry said, letting the door slam. Emma quickly shoved Cliff away and looked at Harry in surprise. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with Ginny?” “Sophie,” Harry grumbled, kicking an ottoman and sending it flying into the air hockey table. Harry threw himself into an armchair and let a cry of frustration. Cliff and Emma listened patiently as Harry replayed the fight. By the end, tears were freely cascading down his cheeks. Emma bit her lip and hesitated before saying, “She’s right, though.” Harry and Cliff glared at her. “What? You should have told her the whole story, not just what you thought was important. “Babe, I know you’re trying to help but really?” Cliff asked incredulously. “Harry has just been dragged through the ringer and all you can say is she was right?” “But–“ “The man needs encouraging words right now, not a pedantic lecture about shit he already knows.” Emma stared at him, mouthing the word ‘pedantic’. “Yes, I have a few five dollar words up my sleeve.” Cliff turned back to Harry. “Anything we can do? Want to go out for a run and blow off some steam?" "Not tonight. I don't think anything will help me sleep tonight," Harry sighed. He picked up the television remote and started flicking through channels. He barely registered what was on each channel, but he needed something to do with his hands. "Where are you going to sleep?" Emma asked gently. "You can crash on my futon," Cliff offered. "Thanks, but I'll be fine here. Like I said, I'm not going to get much sleep tonight. I don't want to keep anyone else up and sabotage exams." Emma's face was full of concern. "What about your exams? You'll be exhausted!" Harry let out a dry laugh. "I've passed exams under stress before. It'll be just like old times." He tossed the remote to the side and sighed again. "Sorry I barged in on you two. I won't spill your secret." "Apparently it's not much of a secret," Emma groaned. "We just wanted to keep things quiet until we saw how things were going to work out." "Totally opposite of Ginny and me." Harry smiled at the memory. "I blame her," he added. "Tell us about it," Emma urged, snuggling up to Cliff. "Who made the first move?" "We both did, I guess. She had a crush on me for the longest time, but I was so young and didn't pay it much attention. By the time I finally sat up and took notice, she was already dating someone else. One of my friends actually." Harry rubbed his eyes, panicking for a moment when he felt no glasses. Then he remembered that they were still lying on his nightstand. Harry continued with his story. "Plus, she's Ron's sister and I didn't want to overstep any boundaries. So I kept a lid on my feelings, though Hermione saw right through me." "What finally sealed the deal?" Emma asked. Harry puzzled over the giddy smile adorning her face. "I enjoy a good love story. Keep going." "Quidditch sealed the deal, as you so eloquently put it. By this time, her and Dean had broken up. I had to miss our final match, due to a detention, so she filled in as Seeker. It was the match that decided who would take the Quidditch Cup and I was so angry with myself for missing it. If we lost then Ravenclaw--" "Love story, not sports talk," Emma interrupted. "Sorry," Harry laughed. "So, yeah, big match. I get out of detention and the game is finished. Walking back to the common room, I'm looking around for signs of whether we won or not. I step through the entrance and get hit with a wave of victorious cheers. Suddenly, Ginny's running across the room and throwing her arms around my neck. In that moment, I did the only logical thing- I kissed her." "Aww!" Emma cooed, squeezing Cliff's hand. "Right there in front of everyone?" "I saw my chance and took it." Harry couldn't help but grin stupidly at the memory of that first kiss. Emma let go of Cliff's hand, leaned forward and took hold of Harry's "Give her some time to cool off. I promise you'll get through this. No woman could resist that goofy smile." "Thank you," Harry whispered. "Go on and get some sleep...or privacy" He patted her hand and winked. "I'll see you both for breakfast." "Anything else we can do for you?" Cliff offered, standing up. "No, mate, thanks. Just have to hope she's still there in the morning." Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Please still be there." |
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