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The Price of Victory | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-Hogwarts Characters:Draco Malfoy, Harry/Ginny, Sirius Black Genres: Angst, Drama Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Rape, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 70 Summary: The Price of Victory – Almost eight years after Voldemort’s defeat, some of those who fought to defeat him were still paying the price. Ginny Weasley had been sacrificed to the son of a Death Eater to pay her family’s debts. Now she was trying to save her children from becoming like their father. Will end up H/G, but does not start that way. *Trigger warnings – non-consensual sex, Domestic Violence* Hitcount: Story Total: 19149; Chapter Total: 2463 Author's Notes: Thanks again to my beta, Arnel, and my Brit picker, Mark! Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story! |
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“Did you talk to her?” Harry asked curiously. Sirius nodded. “Madam Bones is voluntarily stepping down. She told me she was ashamed that she allowed so many of the old purebloods to escape punishment. She tried to tell me she thought it was the right thing to do — it would help with healing.” Harry snorted. “Give me a break. Pretending nothing is wrong is never the right thing to do. Kingsley and I told her at the time how dangerous it was to not punish them. I can’t even remember how many times I tried to tell her that anyone with the Dark Mark needed to be punished.” “I never did understand her reluctance,” Sirius admitted. “I think now she’s seeing how that atmosphere allowed Draco to operate almost right out in the open. I think she’s most upset at the thought that she almost pardoned Draco because of pressure from her niece. She gave into the pressure to forgive the younger generation without any repercussions and worse yet she was starting to believe they hadn’t been as involved as their parents.” “The information in Malfoy’s study alone would have convicted him several times over,” Harry commented. “I hear Kingsley arrested all of his associates.” “Yaxley, Jugson, Mulciber, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott — they were all arrested. Blaise Zabini was arrested for sharing Ministry secrets. Pansy Parkinson was the only one of his inner circle not arrested. She was certainly sympathetic to their cause and she was sleeping with several of them, but she never seemed to cross the line herself.” “What about Narcissa?” Sirius made a face. “If she stays in the UAE, she’s untouchable, but I can’t imagine she’ll last long with no money.” Harry laughed. “I can’t believe all Perseus had to do was ask Dobby to return all of the Malfoy money and belongings and he would do it.” “I would have loved to be there to see the look on her face as all of her things disappeared,” Sirius said with a smile. His eyes lit up. “Did you hear about Astoria?” Harry shook his head. Sirius laughed. “She’s pregnant!” “With Malfoy’s child?” Sirius nodded. “It’s a huge scandal. Out of wedlock pregnancies reflect badly on the family. Her old man already has her betrothed to a Russian pureblood — I can’t remember his name. Her family is furious. She’s being shipped off to some Russian town — Perm, I think is the name.” Harry laughed. “That’s actually funny. Serves her right for being such a witch about Ginny.” “Sirius! Harry!” Harry straightened up as Ginny’s voice rang through the house. Sirius laughed at him trying to smooth his hair and called out, “We’re in the kitchen.” A few minutes later, Ginny came down the stairs. She smiled at both of them and hugged them in greeting. Harry held her slightly longer than might be proper, but no one complained. Sirius busied himself preparing a tea tray and arranging some cakes while Harry and Ginny exchanged a whispered conversation. Once they were all seated at the table she said, “I was wondering if your offer of a home was still good.” “Of course,” Sirius answered promptly. “What’s wrong? I thought you were staying with your parents.” “I am,” she sighed. “Most of my brothers think I’m making a huge mistake by giving away a bulk of the Malfoy fortune. They are very vocal about their opinions and honestly, I am getting tired of listening to them. Bill and Charlie support me and they are the only two whose opinions I respect.” “Why do they think it’s a mistake?” Sirius asked. “I think it’s great. You have enough for you and the children and the rest will go to good causes.” “That’s what I thought,” Ginny agreed. She laughed. “I’ve set up trust funds for each of my children and kept enough money to live on. The Malfoys have a ridiculous amount of money — more than I would ever need. I’m donating a large portion to Muggle-born causes and even a few Muggle charities.” Sirius laughed. “That is great. Old Lucy must be rolling over in his grave.” “Have you heard from Narcissa?” Harry asked. Ginny laughed. “Have I ever! She’s sent several Howlers complaining about my lack of class. She’s furious that they welcomed me into their family and I turned on them in such a vile manner.” “Welcomed you?” Sirius choked on his tea. Ginny made a face and nodded. “I can’t figure out if she was more upset about the money and Malfoy heirlooms or Draco. She’s positive that her boy didn’t do anything wrong. She thinks Harry set up Draco.” “She was always deluded about Lucius too,” Sirius said as Harry rolled his eyes. After she fixed her tea, Ginny took a sip. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes back to the UK. I think most of the money her husband squirreled away was returned so she had nothing to live on.” “How is Perseus doing?” Harry asked. Ginny’s smile faded. “I think he’s doing well. He’s spoken to Bill a few times — asking if he did the right thing. Draco never encouraged any affection from the children. It sounds horrid saying it aloud, but they didn’t love him. They feared him and they are relieved he’s gone.” She frowned. “My mother made a comment about how he must be upset that his father is dead. He wasn’t, but now he’s wondering if it’s bad that he isn’t upset.” “Surely your mum knows what Draco was like?” Harry asked. “She pretends she doesn’t,” Ginny asked. “That’s one of the reasons I want out of there. She’s acting like I should be in mourning over my great loss. I will never mourn that bastard’s death. I am thrilled to be free from him.” “You are more than welcome to stay here,” Sirius said. “There are three empty bedrooms on the second floor and there’s a bathroom as well. You could make it your own.” Ginny looked between the two of them. “You are sure you don’t mind?” “No!” Harry said emphatically. “I would love to have you…I mean, we would like to have you and your family here.” Ginny blushed as Sirius hid his smile. “Thank you.” “Uncle Sirius.” Sirius turned to see Perseus standing in the doorway of his study. “Come on in.” Perseus came in and sat in his favourite chair. It took Sirius back many years. Harry was just a little older than Perseus when he’d come to live with Sirius. In many ways Perseus was much more confident and happier than Harry had been, but he had the same flashes of uncertainty. “Are all of you settled in?” Sirius asked. It had taken almost two weeks for Ginny and her children to move in. Sirius, Harry, and Bill had helped repaint and prepare the rooms. Bill had taken Ginny back to Malfoy Manor and helped her sort through her possessions. Her elves were cleaning up the house and preparing it for sale. Ginny didn’t want anything to do with it. Perseus nodded. “Me and Orion love our room. Uncle Charlie sent us lots of dragon stuff for our room. We weren’t allowed to decorate our room before.” “Very good,” Sirius smiled. “Titania wanted unicorns,” Perseus rolled his eyes. “Mummy’s friend Hagrid took us to the big forest and showed us some real unicorns. That was pretty brilliant.” “I’m sure it was,” Sirius agreed. “Hagrid certainly knows all of his animals.” “Why does Mummy have lots of friends now? She didn’t have friends before,” Perseus asked. Sirius could tell this was bothering the boy. He could only imagine how confusing it must be for him. “Your mummy had a lot of friends, but your father didn’t like them. He didn’t let her keep in touch with them.” Perseus frowned. “He had lots of friends.” He made a face. “I didn’t like the mean witches that came with him. They were mean to mummy.” “I’m sure they were mean.” Looking up at the older wizard, Perseus said, “Father was not a nice person.” “No, he wasn’t,” Sirius said. “He was doing bad things and he tried to hurt mummy,” Perseus said softly as though he was trying to make it make sense. “Uncle Ron said that father fought with the bad guys in the war. Is that true?” Sirius nodded. “It is.” “You and Harry beat the bad guys.” “I think it was more Harry than me, but yes, we did,” Sirius replied. “So did some of your Uncles and Grandpa Arthur.” “Mummy showed me that picture thing in the drawing room,” Perseus said. Sirius frowned as he tried to follow the boy’s train of thought. “The Black family tree?” Perseus nodded. “Mummy showed me that we are related to you.” “Your Grandmother Narcissa and I are cousins,” Sirius said. “That would make you my first cousin twice removed.” “Can we be Blacks?” Perseus asked in a rush. Sirius looked at him in confusion. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?” “I don’t want to be a Malfoy,” Perseus said. “Father wasn’t nice and Grandfather wasn’t nice. I know father did lots of bad things. I don’t want to be a Malfoy anymore.” “Have you talked to your mother about this?” Sirius asked gently. Perseus shook his head. “I don’t want mummy to get upset. Mummy doesn’t like being a Malfoy either.” Sirius considered the matter. The relationship was close enough. He was head of the House of Black and he was well within his rights to grant Perseus’ request. “I think we should talk to your mother about this.” It was several hours later before Sirius found the opportunity to speak to Ginny. She had spent the morning baking with Titania and Orion. Perseus had spent the morning reading in Sirius’ study after their conversation. “He asked what?” “He doesn’t want to be a Malfoy anymore,” Sirius repeated. “I don’t blame him there,” Ginny murmured. She considered for a few minutes. “Is it possible?” “Technically, he is head of the House of Malfoy, but he falls under my protection because he is underage and I am his closest male relative. Harry is my heir and I have talked it over with him. I propose making Perseus my heir — he would become the Head of the House of Black and as such you and your other two children can change your name to Black. It would eliminate the House of Malfoy.” Ginny’s eyes lit up at the thought. “You mean after all of the lectures I received about the necessity of bringing honour to the House of Malfoy I can actually help get rid of it?” Sirius laughed. “I thought that might appeal to you. Absolutely, you can get rid of the House of Malfoy. Their seat on the Wizengamot will be added to the House of Black.” “Would there be any…repercussions for the children?” Ginny asked. Sirius shook his head. “If Malfoy had survived, one of the punishments that might have been imposed is stripping his family name. His actions have upset a lot of people.” “He could beat me as much as he wanted, but he tried to kill me and that was too much.” “That is sad, but true,” Sirius confirmed. “I have hopes that the new administration won’t simply follow the lead of the older purebloods. That’s what really landed us in this situation. At the end of the war, all former Death Eaters should have been sent straight to Azkaban. The Ancient and Noble families would have been stripped of their status and some may have been stripped of their names.” “That would have saved me a world of trouble,” Ginny grumbled. “Would it really be that easy?” “Absolutely,” Sirius replied. Ginny thought about it for a minute. “I would like to change our name to Black and demolish the not very noble house of Malfoy.” Sirius laughed. “Very well. I will notify the Wizengamot and Gringotts. “Any idea who the new Minister might be?” “I’m hoping Kingsley Shacklebolt,” Sirius said. “He’s a good man. He is a pureblood without the pureblood pretensions. I think that will appeal to both sides. He and Harry have been working on a plan for making sure those who need to be punished will.” Fred Weasley looked uneasily at his twin brother. “Are you sure they didn’t give you any idea what this was about?” George shook his head. “They just said they had a few questions. I’m sure it’s nothing.” The pair lapsed into silence and to Fred’s relief the door opened. Harry Potter walked in carrying a box. Fred watched the other man curiously. They’d met years ago, but this man was much harder than the teen they’d met. Without a word, Harry reached into the box and pulled out the remains of all the masks and hoods they’d made for Draco. Fred’s heart sank. “I understood you were doing a spot of business with your brother-in-law,” Harry commented. “He asked us to make something to shield a person from the glare of a basilisk or gorgon,” George said easily. “These were retrieved from the cave where he and his compatriots were keeping the basilisk they bred,” Harry explained as he sat down across from them. “He actually had one?” George asked coolly. “We didn’t know that. Draco would ask us for odd things from time to time. He was our brother-in-law, we wanted to help him out.” Harry looked between the two. “I don’t think you understand. I know that he sent you detailed evaluations of each the hoods and masks so you could make improvements.” He set the reports down in front of them. The twins exchanged a worried look. “Where did you get those?” George asked. “Your shop,” Harry replied evenly. “We had a search warrant. We found not only the detailed notes on your progress, but we also found basilisk venom and basilisk skin. Do you have a license to import such controlled substances?” When neither of the twins said anything, Harry continued. “To answer my own question, no you do not. Breeding a basilisk has been illegal since the Middle Ages. I’ve been speaking with the Kazak Ministry. There are some there who want you convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of their seven citizens who were killed ‘testing’ your equipment. Not only did you not follow the proper procedures for conducting research using deadly creatures, you recklessly caused the deaths of their citizens.” “Manslaughter?” George repeated. “We weren’t even there. How can we be convicted of manslaughter?” “The letters exchanged with your brother-in-law show that you knew people were dying to test your devices and did nothing to intervene. That is reckless endangerment.” “It was Draco, not us,” Fred protested. “We didn’t want to say no. He might take it out on our sister. He wasn’t very nice to her.” “’He wasn’t very nice to her,” Harry repeated. He shook his head. “That is one way to look at things. Did you know that he threw her into the basilisk cave with only your hood for protection?” “What?!” Harry nodded. George spoke up. “It must have worked then, because she is fine.” “No, she is still alive because I was put in the cave with her and I am a Parselmouth,” Harry said evenly, the last word coming out as a hiss. He took a deep breath to calm down. “If she had been put in the cave with anyone else she would have died just like all of your other test subjects. Do you think your family would agree that it wasn’t your fault?” He didn’t allow them a chance to reply. “You are formally being charged with Conducting Human Research without Consent. Because you knew of the basilisk and did not notify the authorities, you are being charged as accessories to the breeding of basilisks and there will be multiple charges of importing controlled substances without a license. I would suggest you both consult with a solicitor.” Harry stood and another Auror entered the room and placed the twins under arrest. As he gathered the evidence and placed it back into the box, the new Head Auror Gawain Robards looked in. “Harry, the Minister is asking for you.” “Thank you, I will be right up. I just want to check this back into evidence.” “You know they will probably just have to pay a fine. They will be heavily fined, but nonetheless, there will likely be no jail time.” “I know,” Harry replied. “I know that compared to what some of the others have done, their crimes don’t seem too bad, but many people died because of their recklessness and greed.” “True enough,” Robards replied as he accompanied Harry to the evidence storage room. “I believe there will be a lot of that going around. It is frustrating because in many ways it seems we didn’t learn anything from the last war.” Harry nodded before handing the evidence box to the witch in the evidence room. They waited as she verified the contents of the box and sealed it with a charm. As they left the room, Robards glanced over at his young companion. “Is that why you left the country?” “That was a good part of it,” Harry replied. “Kingsley and I were pushing for anyone with a Dark Mark to go to prison, but the Wizengamot and Bones were looking for any reason to excuse them.” He shook his head. “Bones was ready to pardon Malfoy to allow him to fund a hospital unit. We can’t allow them to pay their way out of trouble this time.” “Very true,” Robards acknowledged. The two men headed up to the Office of the Minister for Magic. The opulence of this level was quite a marked change for the functionality of the Auror Department. There were thick purple carpets with gleaming mahogany doors. Harry followed Gawain down the corridor. The corridor opened into an impressive lobby. There was a lift that was for the Minister’s exclusive use off in the far corner. The floors were now black and white checked marble covered with thick rugs and the marble walls were gleaming under the light of an elaborate chandelier. A seating area of comfortable chairs and even a small sofa was grouped off to the right-hand side. The wall behind the visitor’s area contained a photo of Minister Shacklebolt as well as a photo of the Queen. On the opposite wall was a water feature with a flow of water down an elaborately engraved wall that depicted the founding of the Ministry. It had obviously been designed to put awe into the visitors. Hestia Jones, Kingsley’s secretary looked up as they entered the area. She smiled. “He’ll be happy to see the two of you.” Robards laughed. “Is he getting a little overwhelmed?” “All of the old purebloods are making a beeline to the door to assure him that they never supported young Malfoy. He was a bad seed and they are horrified by his actions.” Robards laughed. “Right, last month they were ready to follow wherever he wanted.” “I think the Muggles have the right way of it,” Harry said. “The House of Commons is an elected body. The Wizengamot still has too many hereditary seats.” “While that is not a popular opinion, I agree,” came a deep voice. Kingsley had emerged from his office. “Please come in.” The opulence continued into the office. It was designed to impress people with a large wooden desk, behind which was a large bookcase. The black and white checked marble floor continued inside the office. One wall was taken with a large window depicting the view looking out over the Whitehall Gardens; it was very realistic, making it easy to forget that it was a magic representation. In the corner behind the desk was the flag of the United Kingdom as well as the flag of Wizarding Britain. Kingsley looked around his new office. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.” “I think you’ll be great,” Harry said sincerely. Kingsley made a face. “Does that mean you’ll be staying on?” “I’m attached to the British Aurors for the next few months to clean up this investigation,” Harry said. “If things go well, I would like to transfer to the Aurors.” “Excellent,” Robards said. “I need a good deputy who doesn’t owe their position to anyone else and isn’t easily intimidated.” “I will definitely consider it,” Harry confirmed. “Good,” Kingsley said. He led the other two over to a round table that was covered with reports. “I need help delving into all of this.” It was several hours later that Harry emerged from the Minister’s office. He was pleased with the direction the government seemed to be heading. Kingsley was a good man and he was looking for honest people to root out the corruption of the past. Harry smiled when he spotted Ginny in the drawing room reading a book to Titania. The pair of them made a beautiful picture. Ginny was much more relaxed and much happier now. She laughed and smiled more easily. The day before she’d played hide and seek with the children, something she’d told Harry she didn’t feel comfortable doing while she was married to Draco. Titania was very absorbed in the book until she looked up and saw Harry in the doorway. “Hawwy!” “Hello, beautiful,” he said with a smile. “Hi, Harry,” Ginny said with a lovely smile as she set down the book she’d just finished reading to her daughter. He sat down next to them, thrilled to be able to spend time with them. “What are you lovely ladies doing today?” Ginny shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. Perseus and Orion went over to play with Teddy. They think he is brilliant.” He nodded. “I am going to Diagon Alley. Do the two of you want to come with me?” Titania’s eyes lit up. She shifted on her mother’s lap so she could look up at her. “Pwease, Mummy.” Laughing, Ginny hugged her daughter. She glanced over at Harry. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be an imposition?” “Of course not!” “Okay, we should probably change our clothes,” Ginny said as she helped Titania off her lap and then stood up. “Why?” Harry asked as he looked them over. Ginny looked absolutely beautiful in a modest pair of jeans and a green blouse. She had her hair back in a simple ponytail with very little makeup on. Titania was adorable in a plaid green dress with black tights. “I’m in jeans and I don’t have any makeup on,” she said uncertainly. An angry look briefly crossed her face. “Listen to me! I…it’s…I always had to be perfectly turned out to go out. It’s a hard habit to break.” Reaching out, Harry took her hands in both of his. “I think you look beautiful the way you are. I don’t care what you are wearing, but if you want to change — go ahead. It is totally up to you what you wear.” Tears welled up in her eyes, she hated that she was still expecting Harry to be more like Draco. “Thank you. I think I want to change my shirt. I will be down in a few minutes.” “Okay, I’ll be waiting.” Leaving Titania with Harry, she hurried upstairs. She changed into a warm green jumper and brushed out her hair and left it down. Defiantly, she decided not to put on any makeup. She’d worn very little before her marriage, but Draco had always insisted upon it. When she arrived back downstairs, Harry had helped Titania put her jacket, hat and scarf on. He was still squatted down next to her, listening to her ideas on what she wanted to do today as she pulled her mittens on. Ginny had to hide a smile. He looked a little overwhelmed, but he was listening intently. Titania was chattering away perfectly at ease with him. She cleared her throat and Harry looked up and smiled. He stood easily. “You look nice. Are you ready to go?” The three of them used the Floo Network to travel to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry led the way and tapped the bricks to open the passage onto Diagon Alley. Ginny held Titania’s hand as the little girl jumped up and down excitedly. Ginny smiled as she stepped onto Diagon Alley. She had always loved going shopping with her mother. As a child she’d eagerly gone school shopping with all of her brothers, impatiently waiting her chance to go to Hogwarts. Going shopping as Mrs Ginevra Malfoy had been a trial, she’d always felt as though she was being judged and evaluated. It was rather freeing to be shopping as Ginny — a widow and mother. While others might have expectations of her, she found she didn’t care. She glanced down at Titania who was looking around in amazement. Holding tightly to Titania’s hand, she followed Harry down the street. The entire street was decorated for Christmas with boughs of greenery and red bows, several establishments had fairy lights in the window and both the Leaky Cauldron and a smaller tea shop had little Christmas trees in their windows. “Where do you need to go?” Ginny asked Harry. He shrugged. “Not really sure. I don’t have anything I need to do; I just wanted to walk around.” The three of them walked down the street looking in windows. With a few judiciously placed warming charms, the cold weather didn’t bother them. Harry and Ginny both held one of Titania’s hands and they shared memories of the shopping district. “I used to love to come school shopping,” Ginny said. “I used to hope Hogwarts would forget how old I was and let me come early.” Harry laughed. “The first-time Sirius brought me here — it was overwhelming. I still wasn’t sure I believed in this whole magic thing. He rescued me from my aunt and uncle and he actually wanted me around. For me that was enough of a miracle. When he started showing me around the wizarding world, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe such a place existed.” Titania tugged on her hand. “Mummy. Aminals!” Looking up, Ginny saw they were standing outside the Magical Menagerie. “You want to look at the animals?” Titania nodded eagerly. Harry laughed and led the way into the cramped little shop. He lifted her in his arms and showed her the fire crabs and rats. Ginny watched as he indulged her by showing her whatever animal took her fancy. It was so lovely to see and Titania was loving Harry’s attention. “Kitties!” At her daughter’s cry, Ginny wanted to intervene, but Harry was already crouching down next to the cage holding kittens. There was a calico kitten with blue eyes that was adorable. Harry helped her take her mittens off so she could stick her fingers through the cage and the kitten was sniffing her. Titania shrieked with laughter when the kitten licked her fingers. Laughing with her, Harry asked the shop clerk to open the cage. The clerk handed Harry the kitten. With one arm still around Titania, Harry cuddled the kitten. “You have to be very, very gentle with kittens,” Harry told her. Taking her hand in his, he helped her stroke the soft fur. She gasped. “Kitty soft.” “She is, isn’t she?” Harry asked. Lifting the kitten, he rubbed the kitten against her cheek. The kitten started purring. “Do you hear that? The kitten likes you.” Titania’s eyes grew wide. “The kitty wikes me?” “Of course,” Harry answered with a smile. He looked over at Ginny and was shocked to see tears on her face. “Ginny?” Quickly wiping her face, she came over and joined them. “I’m sorry. She’s very sweet, isn’t she?” Meeting Harry’s eyes, she shook her head. She hoped he would let her wait until later to explain. “Are you sure?” Harry asked uncertainly. “I’m just being silly,” she replied. “The kitten is adorable.” Reassured, he looked down at Titania and said, “I think we should bring her home.” The little girl gasped and looked at her mother. “Can we, Mummy?” Ginny looked from the kitten to her daughter’s pleading eyes. “You are sure it is okay?” “Of course,” Harry laughed. “Sirius won’t mind.” Looking at Titania, he said, “We could teach her to play with Padfoot. Padfoot loves kittens.” Winking at Ginny, Harry lifted the kitten and headed over to the cashier. Titania lifted up her arms to her mother. Ginny laughed as she picked her up. “You are getting too big to carry.” Titania put her head down on her mother’s shoulder. “I fink da boys will wike the kitty.” “I think they will, too,” Ginny whispered as she kissed her daughter’s messy hair. Harry conjured up a little kitten-sized cage and they left the shop. “We need to think of a good name for her,” Harry said as they walked down Diagon Alley. Glancing over, he noticed that the little girl had fallen asleep. He gently moved her hair out of her face. “I guess we should go home,” he said reluctantly. They arrived back at Grimmauld Place and Ginny set her daughter down for a nap. With a wave of her wand, she removed the little girl’s outerwear. She looked up and noticed Harry waiting in the doorway. Smoothing the blanket, she stepped out of the room and closed the door. “What happened?” Harry asked a bit anxiously. She sighed. “I’ve always wanted a kitten. When I was at school…well, let’s just say my parents couldn’t afford it. After Perseus and I were installed at Malfoy Manor, I decided to start with some chickens. My mum always had a chicken coop and they are so cute. Draco found out and…” She blinked back tears amazed it could still affect her after all this time. “He broke all of their necks in front of me and warned me never to do something like that again. He was so…” “Evil,” Harry offered as he handed her a handkerchief. She gave him a watery smile. “Sorry to be such a hosepipe. I know it’s ridiculous crying over something that happened years ago, but it made me realize how dangerous Draco could be. To watch him gleefully kill so many innocent creatures just to teach me a lesson was awful. I put any thoughts of pets far away. The thought that we are free and I can do something like get a pet just hit me.” Harry hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you are well rid of him.” Ginny set the paper down in satisfaction. The House of Malfoy had been officially dissolved. She and her children were now officially Blacks. Harry clattered down the stairs into the kitchen. Ginny smiled. “Good morning.” He grinned and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Good morning.” “There’s tea and toast,” she said. “I wasn’t really hungry this morning.” “I’m a big boy,” he teased. “I’m perfectly capable of making breakfast.” After searching the cold cupboard, he emerged with some eggs, mushrooms, and peppers. Ginny watched in amazement as he chopped up the vegetables and whisked together the eggs, milk, herbs and poured them into the pan. “You really can cook.” Harry laughed. “I can. My relatives had me helping in the kitchen as soon as I could see over the stove. When I moved in with Sirius, we took turns cooking. He made cooking fun for me.” “I don’t think many of my brothers cook. I know Ron and Percy don’t — they do a lot of take out. The twins try to con whatever girl they are dating into cooking for them. Bill and Charlie do okay. I’ve actually never seen my father try to cook anything.” “Really? Sirius told me that my dad was a pretty good cook.” “My mum is very traditional,” Ginny explained. “She loves cooking for a whole group of us. It would drive me insane. I can cook, but I will admit I’ve been spoiled with the elves. I’m not very creative with my meals.” Harry brought his omelette to the table. “Want some?” She stole a few bites. “This is really good.” “Thanks,” he smiled. After taking a few bites, he said, “So are we going to the auction?” She nodded. “I want to see it myself.” “Okay,” he replied. “We will need to disguise ourselves a little — unless you don’t care.” Running her finger along the grain of the table, she considered the matter. If they went as themselves, they would be mobbed by people — not to mention the headlines it might garner. “I think I’d rather go in disguise.” He nodded. “That’s probably for the best.” After he finished eating, he gestured for her to stand up. Drawing his wand, he said, “Is it okay if I make a few changes?” She nodded. His magic was much stronger than hers and she didn’t want her glamours to fail halfway through the day. He studied her for a minute before waving his wand. After a few moments he nodded in satisfaction. With another wave of his wand, he conjured up a mirror. “I don’t look like myself.” He laughed. “That’s the point.” Now she had short, blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He didn’t change anything else, but just those two changes made a huge difference. “I like it. No one should recognize me.” With a few more spells, he’d changed his hair to light brown and his eyes matched hers. He covered up his infamous scar. “What do you think?” Tilting her head, she looked him over. “I like you better with green eyes, but you will do.” He laughed. “Thank you. I’m just glad I don’t have to go deep undercover.” He shuddered. “For a few months I had to have a beard. I hated it.” She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine you with a beard.” “It’s not a pretty sight,” came a voice from behind her. Harry made a face at his godfather as he entered the kitchen. Sirius looked over the two of them. “Very nice. Have fun.” After a few last-minute instructions for Sirius, she followed Harry outside. He was wearing an older pair of jeans that were rather snug in places with a t-shirt from a pub called the Drunken Dragon. He was wearing a pair of black boots. She was likewise dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with black boots. It made her feel younger and a bit rebellious. They pulled on leather jackets — Sirius had given her one for Christmas. “Wait here,” he said. A moment later, he emerged from the small garage, pushing a large motorcycle. She’d been looking forward to this ride all week. He’d taken her on shorter rides, but this was going to be their first long ride. Harry opened the bike’s storage compartment and they both donned their helmets. She climbed on after him and held onto his hips. He activated the communication spell on the helmets. “Are you ready?” “Yes.” She held on tightly as he roared out of the alleyway. Driving in the city wasn’t very exciting, but once they started driving on the motorway she loved it. The bike had been enchanted so Harry could slip past traffic and of course there were safety charms on it as well. Sirius’ bike was enchanted to fly, but Harry hadn’t done that with his bike. As they drove along the M4, Harry entertained her with stories of his first rides with Sirius. She loved listening to him talk. While he hated to talk about himself, he was a great story teller. He could make something that was probably quite scary into a very funny story. One of the things she admired was how he always gave praise and credit to others rather than highlighting his abilities as her former husband would have done. When he pulled off the motorway and started driving towards Malfoy Manor, she tensed up. He reached back and squeezed her knee. “It will be okay, love.” Nervously she nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her. “I know.” They arrived at the house and Harry parked the bike. He took her helmet from her and after storing both helmets, activated the bike’s security charms. Looking at her, he pulled her into his arms. “It will be okay.” She held on a little longer than she usually would, but she needed the extra comfort. Pulling away, she managed a smile. She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pockets before reaching for his hand. She found a pair of seats towards the back of the room while Harry registered and brought over a bidding paddle. Frowning, she asked, “What is that for?” “You never know,” he whispered. “We might need to drive up a price or who knows — maybe you might want something for target practice. Come on, let’s look around.” At first she wondered why he thought looking around would be a good idea, but when she saw all of the precious Malfoy heirlooms sitting out on tables ready for auction she couldn’t help but smile. All of the precious heirlooms that Lucius and Draco prized so much were laid out for everyone to see. There was a rack of wands — she hoped a nice Muggle-born bought those. On second thought, they might make nice kindling. A slight Middle Eastern man was walking through the rooms looking at the offerings. She tapped Harry on the shoulder. “That’s Narcissa’s solicitor.” “I can’t imagine she has much money to buy anything,” Harry murmured. “I heard a rumour that he contacted Kingsley to try to arrange her surrender. Unfortunately, she never took the Dark Mark so we can’t convict her as a Death Eater. However, Kingsley is quite creative in finding charges to bring against her.” “Good,” Ginny said a touch bitterly. “She may not have participated, but she certainly stood back and watched everything.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “She will pay.” Eventually, the two took a seat in the auction room. Ginny watched with a smile on her face as the Malfoys’ most precious belongings were split apart and auctioned off. Some of the more hideous pieces didn’t sell — she didn’t care, she was going to give away whatever didn’t sell. True to his word, Harry sometimes used his paddle to drive up on the price on some items. Narcissa’s solicitor was able to purchase a few baubles, but Ginny had already disposed of most of the jewellery which is what Narcissa was most interested in. Some of the jewellery she had broken down so they could make new pieces from the stones. She also let Andromeda Tonks go through all of Narcissa’s things to see if she wanted any of the Black heirlooms. After the auction was concluded, Harry and Ginny approached the auction house representative, Andy Wells, after removing their glamours. They had worked with him extensively in preparing the auction. He looked up in surprise. “Ms. Black, I didn’t realize you were here.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure I was going to come. We didn’t want people to make a big deal out of us being here.” He nodded. “That is quite understandable.” Pulling out a ledger, he said, “You’ve made quite a bit of money today. We actually made more than we thought and we’ve had two inquiries about the manor itself.” “Excellent,” Ginny said. “I would like to donate all of the proceeds.” She had to bite back a smile at the look on his face. “All of the proceeds?” She nodded and pulled out a sheet of parchment. “If possible, I would like to divide the money between these organizations.” Andy looked over the organizations and a smile came over his face. “These organizations are all Muggle charities.” “Yes, they are,” she said proudly. “My children and I went over the charities and chose these.” She’d chosen some big charities like Oxfam and the British Red Cross as well as smaller charities like the local children’s charity and the local animal shelter. “I would be happy to do so,” Andy replied. “I will send on the documentation. I know we have some owl orders coming as well. You still want to donate everything that doesn’t sell?” Ginny nodded. “Donate it, burn it, I really don’t care. I just don’t want to deal with it any longer.” “Very well.” Taking Harry’s hand, Ginny left the manor for the last time. She felt so much freer. “I hope a nice family buys this house. They can transform it into something wonderful. That would be the best I could hope for.” “I think that’s a great idea,” Harry said with a smile. Harry headed downstairs. Ginny was having breakfast with her brother, Percy. It was nice that most of her family was attempting to make it up to her. Percy had taken her out and apologized profusely for his role in forcing her into her marriage. While it certainly didn’t make up for what had happened, Ginny was happy to be where she was. She was released from her marriage and her children were doing well. Her relationship with her parents was never going to be what it was, but she wanted her children to know their only remaining grandparents. As Harry neared the drawing room, he found the people for whom he was searching. Perseus and Orion were colouring. Titania had gone with her mother to have breakfast. “Hi, Harry,” Perseus said happily. Orion looked up and smiled. Harry looked down at his picture. “Is that Madeline?” he asked referring to the kitten Titania had chosen. The little boy nodded eagerly. “She sleeped in our room last night.” “Slept,” Harry absently corrected. “Slept in our room,” Orion obediently corrected himself. “Is something wrong, Harry?” Perseus asked anxiously. Sitting down, Harry shook his head. “No, not at all. I have something I want to talk to you and your brother about.” “Okay,” Perseus said as he put down his crayons. Clearing his throat, Harry said, “I wanted to ask you something.” He paused for a minute and looked over at Perseus who had taken his younger brother’s hand. Realizing he was making the boys nervous, Harry recognised he just needed to ask them. “I want to marry your mum,” Harry said. “I love her very much and I love the three of you.” He looked up at them as if to gauge their response. They both had smiles on their faces. That gave him the courage to go on. “I know your mum had a very, very bad marriage and I don’t know if she would want to get married again. I hope she would, but I don’t know for certain. What do you two think? Would that…would it be okay with you?” “Are you going to be mean?” Perseus asked. “Absolutely not!” The boys exchanged a look. Orion asked. “C-could we call you daddy?” Harry blinked, not expecting this question. “Of course, if she says yes.” “She will,” Perseus said. “You make her happy. She sings and plays with us all the time now. She used to do that when father wasn’t around, but she does it all the time now.” Harry smiled at the thought that he made her happy. Perseus said, “I think it’s a really good idea.” Relaxing, Harry opened his arms. Both boys ran to him and embraced him. “I think it will be so amazing to be your father. I love all three of you very, very much. Do you want me to be your father?” “Not a father,” Perseus said firmly, “We want you to be our daddy. We never really had one of those.” “I would be honoured to be your daddy,” Harry whispered. “If your mother says yes.” “She will,” both boys chorused. “That looks good, Mummy. You look really pretty.” Ginny looked at her son in amusement. For some reason, Perseus wanted her to dress up for tea. She’d let him pick out her outfit. He’d chosen a green flowered dress with short sleeves and a pair of low heels. It was more of a spring outfit than a winter one, but she wore it for him. To her surprise, he had changed into a nice set of clothes. He wore a collared shirt with his best jeans as did Orion. When she saw Titania, she grew even more suspicious. Her daughter had changed from this morning and was wearing a polka dot dress. She knelt down next to her daughter. “You look very pretty.” “Fank you. Unca Sirius helped me.” She looked back at Sirius who had been helping the children dress. “What is going on?” “It’s just a little surprise,” Sirius replied easily. “The children wanted everyone to dress up nicely. I merely helped them.” “Okay,” she said a bit uncertainly. The three children thundered down the stairs while Sirius and Ginny followed at a slower pace. He grinned at her. “We are taking tea in the garden today.” Bemused, she followed the children out to the garden. It had been cleaned up and fairy lights were hanging in the small oak tree. A table had been set for six with a large tea tray that included cakes and sandwiches. Everything looked lovely. Warming spells had been cast on the garden as it was much warmer than she knew the temperature to be. Harry was waiting for them. He too had taken the time to dress nicely. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw him. “You look beautiful,” he whispered before he kissed her. “Thank you,” she said softly as she sat down. Looking around she looked around. “What is going on?” The children giggled, but her attention was captured by Harry. Walking over to her, he knelt down next to her chair. “The last few months have been the most wonderful of my whole life. You and the children have brought so much joy to my life. I know that so much has happened and…well, I might be too soon, but I love you so much. Will you marry me?” Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She couldn’t believe it, this was something she never thought would happen to her. When she’d married Draco, she’d had no say in the matter. Looking around, she saw Perseus nodding vigorously while Orion was jumping up and down. Obviously, Harry had spoken to them already. “Yes,” she said when she realized she’d never answered him. “Yes, I will marry you.” With relief, he slid a beautiful ring on her finger. Ginny looked down to see a small, but tasteful round diamond with two smaller diamonds on either side. Tears spilled down her face even as she smiled brilliantly. “It is beautiful.” Standing he lifted her into his arms. She lifted her face and kissed him deeply. She heard her children and Sirius cheering in the background. Laughing, she pulled away. Quickly she wiped away her tears and the six of them sat down to a happy tea. She couldn’t stop comparing this to last time. The day her marriage had been decided, she’d been sent home from Hogwarts to prepare. Today there was a lot of laughter. While she knew some would comment that she’d not been widowed long enough, she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do. Looking over at her new fiancé, she was thrilled to see the joy and love in his eyes that she felt in her heart. Watching Sirius entertain the children, she could see a bright future. She couldn’t wait to bring children into a happy marriage. This marriage was going to be everything her first wasn’t. |
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