|
After the Horcrux | ||||||
|
Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Rape, Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: R Reviews: 138 Summary: Harry and Ginny were meant to be together, but that doesn't mean things will be easy. They must deal with a rebuilding British magical community, fame, and even overprotective family members. Hitcount: Story Total: 76642; Chapter Total: 1923 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Harry takes his Auror exams, while Ginny waits to hear from him. A new/original character is added to the plot. |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
Harry pushed the wizard’s hat down onto his head as he walked into the Leaky Cauldron at eight-thirty to use the Floo. Today he had to go to the Ministry by nine for his Auror testing. They had set up a special Floo grate for the candidates. The problem with this was his Floo at Grimmauld Place was connected only to the Minister of Magic’s office and the Burrow. He didn’t want it connected for even a day to any grate in the Ministry’s Atrium. Merlin only knows who might find out and try to get into his home. Death Eaters he knows how to handle, but those damnable reporters and fans make him mental. He had Transfigured his hair red, eyes blue, and his glasses were now black horn rimmed. He must look like Percy or Mr. Weasley. He won’t be seeing Ginny today, so this disguise should work for him. She told him before that she wouldn’t be seen in public with him if he changed his hair to red. After yesterday, she probably doesn’t want to see or be seen with him, so his hair colour right now was irrelevant. Besides, he was noticed in Diagon Alley yesterday when he had the fight with Ginny. Somebody may have seen him with his brownish-blonde hair. “Excuse me sir,” asked Harry. He didn’t want to call Tom by his name. “Could I use your grate to Floo into the Ministry?” “It is there to be used, mate as long as you have your own powder,” he gruffly replied, and Harry produced a bag of his own. “Might I ask why you need to use my Floo to get to the Ministry?” “I have an appointment and I don’t have a Floo grate in my flat.” Harry had hoped that would satisfy his curiosity. Tom looked at him for a couple of seconds before going back to cleaning the bar. Harry probably didn’t even need to ask, but he didn’t want to create a stir if he wasn’t able to use it. He sat down by the Floo to wait. As he looked around the tables, he noticed a few patrons eating breakfast, talking, or reading the Daily Prophet. That is when he saw it. A picture in the paper of himself standing in Diagon Alley, with headlines flashing above it Harry Potter Fights with Girlfriend. He fought the urge to walk over and rip one of the papers out of somebody’s hands. Looking around he saw a stack of them by the bar. He went up picked up a paper and paid Tom the Knut, before walking into the Floo grate and saying, “Ministry Auror Testing.” When he stopped spinning, Harry stepped out of the grate and into a roped off section of the Atrium. In front of him were rows of chairs and many were already filled. The applicants all looked older than he did. He stood there staring at them and they in turn stared at him. The Floo grates had been closed on each side of the one Harry stepped out of. Thick velvet ropes were attached to the wall by the grate and extend out into the Atrium. They were only two metres apart until they reached the waiting area with the chairs. Then they created a large rectangular enclosure, with only one other entrance that opened towards the center of the Atrium and the new fountain. It had been two months since Harry had last set foot in the Ministry. In that time Kingsley had made several changes, most notably the fountain. When Harry first walked into the Atrium during his fifth year, it had been a tribute to Magical Brethren. It was actually a symbol of wizard and witch dominance over the other magical creatures. When Voldemort took control of the Ministry, it was a sadistic symbol of Pureblood supremacy with its Magic is Might statue. Now it’s again a fountain consisting of a golden globe on a plinth, and water spraying out of the top of the globe that fell gently into the large catch basin surrounding the globe. The plinth was what fascinated Harry. It rotated, turning itself, and the globe. On the plinth in relief were pictures of a Wizard, a witch, a House Elf, a Goblin, a Centaur, a Giant, and lastly a person who was unmistakably a Muggle. Harry couldn’t help but feel proud of Kingsley for being brave enough to make such an obvious display of cooperation, between former foes and adversaries. As people were walking past the seating area on their way to work, they would stare at the candidates and then turn towards the lifts. There was a group of people who stood outside of the enclosure that didn’t work in the Ministry. Reporters! When Harry appeared out of the grate, they turned and looked at him carefully, before turning their attention elsewhere. He was being careful not to look too closely at them. His transfiguration, and the fact his pointed hat was so low on his forehead that it hid his scar, kept his identity hidden. Satisfied that he had avoided unwanted attention, he sat down in a chair away from everyone else and started to read the article about him. He spent several minutes looking at the article. He had really mucked things up yesterday. They did see him before he transfigured, and witnesses identified Ginny. They had referred to her as the girl who works in Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Now that they had put them together as a couple, it won’t matter if he transfigures his hair. People will still know who he is. Harry lowered the paper as he realized what he just thought. He was still thinking about Ginny as his girlfriend. He might still have a chance, if his plan worked today, and she could forgive him. Feeling queasy about his predicament, Harry folded the newspaper and placed it on an empty seat beside him. He sat there, waiting for the testing to begin, and watching as the workers strolled past the roped off area. He noticed an older man with worn robes and thinning red hair, Mr. Weasley. He looked over at the waiting area and stopped walking. He stood there looking at Harry with a puzzled look on his face. It was almost as though he is trying to decide if he should know this redheaded young man. After a couple of seconds, he shook his head and continued towards the lifts. The crowd of workers slowly thinned out, and more Auror candidates entered through the Floo. Each time the Floo erupted with emerald flames, the reporters all looked at the new person with anticipation. When they finally appeared, the reporters would mumble to themselves and ignore the new person. With a new candidate arriving every thirty seconds, this routine was becoming comical to watch. The reporters suddenly turned away from their Floo watch and scurried towards the Atrium. Harry following their movement saw the reason for their excitement. Minister Shacklebolt was walking with a woman. She didn’t seem to fit in the magical world. She wasn’t wearing robes, but short brown pants that stop mid-calf, a beige shirt that was square cut at the bottom with sleeves that are three-quarter length; over it she had a brownish red vest. The clothing looked old and worn, but very rugged. On her feet were leather sandals, they were the same condition as her clothes. She appeared to be a few years older than Harry was, possibly Charlie’s age. Her skin was dark tanned, and her hair was thick, dark, and tied back in a ponytail. Even from the distance, Harry could see that she was a very attractive woman. “Minister Shacklebolt! Minister Shacklebolt! Is it true that Harry Potter is supposed to be here today?” shouted several of the reporters. Their loud shouts echoed off the paneled walls of the Atrium. The Minister gave them a sour look and kept walking. “Minister, do you think the fight that Harry and his girlfriend had yesterday could be the reason he is not here?” queried one reporter. “Maybe, they fought over him becoming an Auror?” asked another. “Maybe, she found out that she wasn’t his only lover,” stated the unmistakable voice of Rita Skeeter. Kingsley stopped walking and turned so fast that the woman accompanying him took two steps before realizing he wasn’t walking with her. “Look! I know I can’t stop you from hounding Harry but have some decency. He deserves some privacy. If he shows up to become an Auror, we will accept his application.” Several people laughed about that statement. “If he doesn’t than I wish him the best of luck in whatever he decides to do.” He stopped talking and stepped forward and gently grabbed the woman’s elbow and walking towards the Auror candidate area. Harry watched as the Minister and this mystery woman walked together through the rows of candidates. They seemed to be looking for something or someone. He kept walking and looking back and forth at everyone’s face. She would look at something in her hand then look up at the candidates. Kingsley looked up at him several times, but the last two times he lingered in his appraisal of Harry. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that he saw the Minister smile briefly. Harry dropped his head to avoid his stare; he started to listen to the talk around him. The reporters were bickering over rights to the story, or stories. He could hear other candidates discussing the story about him and Ginny. He tried to ignore what he was hearing, but many of the comments were extremely nasty, particularly about Ginny. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” Harry looked up and Kingsley was standing in front of him and pointing to the seat directly beside him. The woman was looking nervously at the two men. Harry could tell that she didn’t want to sit beside this stranger. Harry looked down and saw a picture in her hand. It was a young picture of him. “No, be my guest,” replied Harry as he picked up his edition of the Daily Prophet. “Pardon me, but what is your name?” asked Kingsley. Harry opened his mouth for a second and almost said Harry Potter, but stopped when he realized the number of people that could hear him. “James, James Puh,” he had almost said Potter, he silently cursed himself before stating, “Carlyle, James P. Carlyle.” Kingsley smiled at him and there seemed to be a knowing glint in the Minister’s eyes, but he said nothing. “Well, James P. Carlyle, I would assume you know where Hogsmeade is. Is that correct?” “Yes.” “Then, I would like to ask you a favor, please take Ms. Carmen Del La Rosa to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade after the testing today?” The woman turned and gave the Minister a shocked look, before turning to stare at Harry. Harry realized that Kingsley had recognized him. How he did, Harry had no idea. “Sure, I will escort her there,” he replied. If Kingsley trusted Carmen, then he would have no problem with doing this assignment. “Minister Shacklebolt, I don’t…” “It is fine Carmen,” assured Kingsley. “I have a feeling this young lad will make sure you meet Hagrid at the Three Broomsticks.” Kingsley gave her a reassuring smile, before looking at Harry again and walking away. Carmen stood there for a second and watched him walk away. She looked at Harry and tentatively sat down two chairs away from him. Harry noticed for the first time that many of the wizards were now eyeing her up. Some were obviously staring while others snuck glances at her. He could understand why, now that she is closer to him. She is a very beautiful woman. Large grey eyes and full lips accented her heart shaped face. Even though she wore no makeup, she had a natural beauty. He found his eyes falling onto her hands and the picture of him. Her hands are what shocked him. They were strong, calloused, and her nails were worn and broken, reminding him of Professor Sprout’s hands. He looked at her again and realized that her entire wardrobe looked like something that Professor Sprout would wear. Looking around the Atrium again, Harry noticed that Kingsley seemed to be waiting at the entrance of the area. This struck him as strange, but he quickly saw the reason for the Minister’s behaviour. Gawain Robards was approaching from the lifts with a large stack of folders in his arms. “My brother was quite surprised that Harry ever went out with the Weasley girl,” said a voice from the left of Harry. This made Harry tear his attention from the Minister and look for who said such a thing. “She had dated quite a few blokes at the school.” “Who’s your brother?” asked someone else from the clump of candidates surrounding this arrogant arse. Harry felt his hand reaching for his wand as he stared at him. “Ernie Macmillian, a close friend of Harry Potter,” he said very loud so that people outside of the clump of listeners could hear also. The reporters heard and they moved in mass closer to him. “My brother has been fighting with Harry since his fifth year, when he joined a group with Harry that called themselves Dumbledore’s Army. He was never as close as Granger and Ron Weasley, but he was always there supporting him.” Harry had to fight the urge to ask him about his brother’s second year. “I am Edward Macmillian. I was also at the Battle of Hogwarts. Went there to help fight that evil He-who-must-not-be-named.” Harry almost laughed at hearing this brash fighter still being afraid to say Voldemort’s name. Edward was talking louder, bolder, and was moving around, as he described his part in the final battle. Harry tuned him out and turned his attention elsewhere. Kingsley had just finished speaking to Gawain, who was arranging the stack of folders in his arms. Carmen to his left had her wand out and taping it impatiently on the picture of him, that she held in her right hand. “Justin Adderly,” shouted Gawain Robards. A wizard stood up and walked up to him. Gawain handed him a folder, spoke to him, and the candidate walked towards the lifts. Harry looked on in fear, as Gawain called another name. What will he do when Gawain gets to his name? If he stands up, the mob of reporters will descend on him. If he doesn’t reveal himself, then at the end he would be left sitting here alone. Harry shifted nervously in his seat waiting. Gawain kept calling names and the numbers of candidates were thinning. There was nothing to it; he would have to reveal his identity when Gawain calls his name. “Edward Macmillian” He stood up, grabbed his folder and walked towards the lifts. There were only ten or fifteen applicants left now, and twice as many reporters. “Gerald Smythwick,” called Gawain. Harry sat up. Gawain had skipped his name. As Smythwick walked towards the lifts the reporters started to leave, they also noticed that Harry Potters name wasn’t called. This made Harry relax back in his seat, he felt someone looking at him, and turned to see Carmen with a puzzled look on her face. Harry had just realized that she was also skipped. After the last candidate’s name was called, Gwain walked over to them with two folders left in his arms. “Follow me,” he said with a smile, and turned and started walking towards the lifts. The three of them stood quietly at the lifts until an empty one appeared. Gawain stepped in followed closely by Harry and Carmen. As soon as the doors closed Gawain said without looking at Harry, “you can reveal yourself, Harry.” Carmen started to chuckle and handed him the picture of him. She had changed the hair and eye colour, put horned rimmed glasses, and a wizard’s hat on his disgruntled looking image. “How did you figure it out?” he asked them, as he turned himself back into the recognizable Harry. “I thought it was an effective disguise.” “It was,” responded Gawain. “Kingsley noticed you. You were sitting over by yourself trying to be as inconspicuous as a mouse in an Owlery. When he looked directly at you, you met his eyes and didn’t flinch. Most wizards are slightly intimidated by the Minister of Magic, but you weren’t. He also recognized your face in spite of the hair and glasses. “I think that you definitely are a natural at concealment, but you need to work on your character. A slight flaw like that could undo months’ worth of investigation, by being uncovered.” Harry turned to Carmen and asked the same question. “It was your reaction to what those men were saying about Ginny and fighting at the Battle of Hogwarts that made me realizes that it might be you. Or someone else who is in love with your girlfriend.” Carmen smiled at Harry as he turned and glowered at her. “Why did you have a picture of me?” “I was told to look for you, when I arrive in Britain. A good friend of mine recommended you and Rubeus Hagrid as two people who I can trust.” Harry was looking at her more intently, now. “What good friend?” “My former headmistress, Madame Maxime.” “You’re from France?” His voice was a little high pitched from the shock that this girl is French but doesn’t have the accent of Fleur or any of her relatives. “Yes, I grew up southwest of Bayonne in the Pyrenees Mountains. I went to Beauxbaton.” She had a strange expression on her face as she said this. Harry didn’t have time to ask any more questions, because they had arrived in the Auror department. It was filled to capacity with anxious candidates and impatient Aurors. When Harry, Gawain and Carmen entered the room, everyone stopped talking and stared at them. Harry had changed his hair, eyes, and glasses back to their original state. He wasn’t wearing the Wizard’s hat revealing his unruly hair and his famous scar. Gawain leaned next to Harry’s ear and whispered, “I get that type of reaction all the time.” [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Harry sat in the Aurors office completely knackered. He had never experienced testing like this. Not only had they quizzed him thoroughly on every subject. They also gave him a nearly impossible period to complete it. The closest thing he could relate to these tests would be to take all your OWLs in a morning. The afternoon was saved for the practical exams. He ate the lunch provided by the Ministry, or he tried. He wasn’t hungry after the morning’s written exams. He spent the entire afternoon casting spells, one after another without a chance to regain his wits. The only bright spot for Harry was when he went one on one dueling with the Aurors. He was able to successfully disarm and detain three in a row, before they stopped testing him in that phase. As he looked around the room, he didn’t feel so bad. Everyone else looked completely knackered, including the Aurors who did the testing. He looked at his gold watch and saw that it was six-thirty. Ginny should be getting off work in the next hour. He felt a wave of nausea as he thought about her. Any chance he had of her forgiving him was probably ruined once she reads the Daily Prophet. She always hated being stared at; that was the one of the many things that drew them together. Harry stood up quickly to break his present train of thoughts away from her. He saw Carmen sitting with her head down several chairs from him. He remembered that he had to take her to The Three Broomsticks to meet Hagrid. He didn’t have any time to talk to her today between testing. She had intrigued him. Why would a French woman come to Britain to train to be an Auror? “Excuse me! Everyone could I have your attention,” shouted Gawain. He was standing on a chair in a corner of the room. “All the candidates have been tested, and we are presently compiling all the results; thanks to many of the fellow Ministry employees. You are all free to go home now. We will Owl you in the next two days to tell you if you made the cut. To all of those who didn’t. We would like to thank you for your interest and cooperation. For those of you who are accepted into this program, you shall report to Hogwarts on the second of September at one-thirty in the afternoon in the Great Hall. Thank you and good night.” Everyone slowly stood up and started to leave, Harry had only walked a few feet towards the door, when Gawain approached him, “Harry, Minister Shaklebolt wants to see you and Carmen in the Atrium. Have you seen her?” Harry nodded in the direction that he saw her sitting with her head down. He pushed his way into the horde of humanity trying to exit the Auror department. He was moving at a snail’s pace, as everyone wanted to leave at the exact same second. The lifts were the biggest bottleneck, as only so many people could fit in them at a time. When he finally reached the Atrium, it was empty except for the exiting Auror candidates. He saw the Minister standing and staring into the fountain. When he finally stepped beside the Minister, Kingsley looked at him and then stared into the fountain once again. “I had the fountain built a week ago. You inspired me. Your speech, at the Wizengamot, how the entire magical community worked together to end Voldemort’s reign. I thought about this design of a fountain one night that I couldn’t sleep, and two days later it was being built.” Kingsley looked at him again. “I want to name it after you Harry.” Harry gave him a pained expression. “Think about it. Okay, that is all I can ask.” “I appreciate you wanting to name this after me, but I really don’t want the recognition. I am waiting for the day when the entire magical community stops watching every move I make. Putting my name on things like this would only prolong that mess.” He hung his head as the thoughts of even more years of fame. “So please if you must name it. Name for someone or something else, not me!” “Harry,” Kingsley placed a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You cannot escape your fame. I am sorry to say that to the British citizen you are more famous than Dumbledore. Grindlewald didn’t have a reign of terror on the islands. His was on the continent. You personally saved these people. They will never forget it.” Harry stood there slightly depressed at hearing what the Minister said. He had wondered if that might be the truth, and there is nothing to do about it. “Kingsley! Sorry! Minister, I am glad you are the new Minister of Magic. I can’t thank you enough for how decent you have treated me. The past Ministers, Fudge and Scrimgour, would have demanded that I move in next door to them, and visit them every day to make the people feel better.” Harry laughed a sardonic laugh as he realized that that would be the truth. “It wasn’t only my idea for Magical cooperation. Professor Dumbledore championed it. You should name the fountain after him.” The Minister nodded his head at Harry’s suggestion before speaking again. “Harry, take care of Carmen while the two of you are training. She has been through a great deal and is here by special request. I don’t know if you have talked to her, but she isn’t British.” “Yeah, we talked. She said that she is French. If that is true, she speaks the best English of any French woman I’ve ever heard.” Kingsley smiled at Harry’s comment. “She is extremely intelligent, but she doesn’t have field or practical experience.” “Minister, why is she here, and not in France?” “All in due time, Harry. All in due time.” Harry looked at Kingsley trying to figure out what he was hiding. The Minister turned and watched the fountain for several more minutes until Carmen walked up to them. Harry left with Carmen to the Apparation area of the Atrium. One second they were staring at the ornate Atrium of the Ministry, and the next after a brief compressed feeling the forest surrounding Hogsmeade. Harry looked over the treetops to see the tops of Hogwarts’ towers. The sight brought back all the memories of the battle and suffering that occurred that night. He stood there fighting back the grief, ignoring Carmen. “Harry,” said Carmen from beside him. “Are we going to the Three Broomsticks?” she asked and shook his arm. Carmen’s hand on his forearm brought Harry out of his state and back to the present situation. He looked over at her and saw she was pulling out an old worn robe with a hood. There was a light rain falling, and it was chilly for the second of August. Harry though didn’t pull his hood up. The cold rain matched his mood right now. It felt familiar and in some strange way comforting, as they walked through the streets of Hogsmeade towards the pub. Harry opened the door into the pub and allowed Carmen to step through into the warmth inside. The pub felt good and comforting as the smell of food and drink filled Harry’s nose. He found Hagrid without any trouble, since his bushy-haired head was above everyone’s. Carmen seemed to hesitate at the door, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards Hagrid. Harry wove his way through the pub, drawing stares from all the patrons. Several of them even stood up to congratulate him, and he just walked past them until he was at Hagrid’s table. “’arry me boy. Fancy meeting you ‘ere,” shouted the half-giant so that the entire pub could hear. “and who is dat with ya, Ginny.” Harry stood before the table which Hagrid, Headmistress McGonagall, and Neville sat. They all looked at him with puzzled expressions. “No,” replied Harry slightly confused that they didn’t know that Carmen was coming tonight. “Its Carmen, Hagrid…” Harry didn’t get a chance to say anymore, because Carmen had removed her hood when her named was said, and Hagrid stood up knocking the table over. “Who the bloody hell is that. ‘arry you shouldn’t be with anyone else but Ginny. It ain’t right, ‘arry.” “Now Rubeus, please sit down. I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation to Mr. Potter’s actions.” The Headmistress gave Harry a cold hard stare over top of her glasses. Neville looked equally shocked at Harry being with another woman. Neither one of them seemed even a little surprised that Hagrid had just knocked over their dinner table. “Didn’t Kingsley tell you that I was bringing Carmen here after testing?” Harry was surprised at the looks on his friends’ faces and wondered if they had seen the mornings Daily Prophet. “Carmen,” he had to pull her from behind him to face them. “This is Carmen Del La Rosa; she is here from France to train as an Auror. Hagrid, Madame Maxime told her to find you.” “Blimey, you dat smart student Olympe told me ‘bout,” shouted Hagrid joyously. “Why didn’t you tell me dat, ‘arry. Come on sit down. Sit down. We were just about to tuck in for dinner.” It took a couple passes of their wands and the dinner table and its contents were back in order. Within a half and hour everyone was eating and chatting happily amongst themselves. Harry and Carmen talked about the difficulty of the testing. Harry had problems with the written exams and potion making. Carmen had problems with the practical applications particularly the face to face dueling. Harry was enjoying eating and talking with his friends and lost track of the time, until a loud crack made everyone jump. “Master,” croaked Kreacher as he bowed and kept his eyes towards the floor. “Kreacher is so sorry to disturb you, Master.” “What is it, Kreacher?” “Intruders in Grimmauld Place, Master!” [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Ginny Weasley stared at the people waiting outside of the shop staring in through the window at her. She knew there might be something like this happening today. She had the newspaper shoved in front of her by her parents at breakfast. She explained that she and Harry had had a disagreement that might have become a little too loud. She didn’t offer any more information about the incident, and that seemed to satisfy them. She Apparated into George’s flat and was met by the sight of an overworked nondomestic bachelor’s flat. She will never eat in that place, until he burns that kitchen table. He was using it as a clothes depository, robes, socks and pants laid strewn over it. “You can take off today if you want, Ginny,” offered George. “You know our best customers are not twenty-year-old females.” Ginny chuckled at George making light of all the women staring into the shop. They were there for one thing, and that is to see the girlfriend of Harry Potter. “It’s all right George, if they annoy me too much. I’ll use them for product testing.” Ron, who had just walked up, and George laughed at their little sister’s comment. They looked at her again before walking to the front doors and opening them. The horde of women didn’t come in. Many of them turned and left without a backward glance. It seemed that they only wanted to see her, but the ones that did enter the shop were beyond rude. Several of them walked up to her and stared at her as though she was a display item. She asked them if she could help them in a sweet voice only to have them turn and walk away. One did say something to her, “What would Harry Potter see in a tart like you.” Ginny was about to curse her, but Ron grabbed her by the back of the robes and shoved her into the street. He walked over to comfort Ginny, but she said that she was fine. The truth was that she wasn’t. She had often wondered that about Harry. Now that they had that fight, all she wanted to do is talk to him. She wanted him to apologize when she could see his eyes, and to be able to apologize to him. She needed reassurance that he did love her, nothing big or romantic, just to hear him say that he still loved her would be wonderful. The rest of the morning was less eventful. Curiosity seekers still entered the shop, but they were less offensive than the ones earlier. Ginny kept looking towards the door waiting for Harry to show up. With each hour, she became more nervous about their relationship. By twelve forty-five, she was so nervous that she felt slightly sick. If he didn’t come by at one for their daily lunch date, she may have to take the rest of the day off to find him. One of the witches that she least wanted to see that day showed up just then, Romilda Vane. “Did you really think Harry would stay with you? Did you?” she laughed at Ginny. “Shut it Romilda!” hissed Ginny. She had had enough of this treatment. Ron and George were in the backroom, but Ginny didn’t need them to defend her. She can do that on her own. “He only went with you because you were easy and Ron’s little sister. That’s what everyone thinks at Hogwarts,” Romilda chided. “He did not go with me because I was easy, because it wasn’t true. You must be thinking of yourself for the easy one,” spat Ginny. Romilda went for her wand, but Ginny was quicker. Ginny was backing her out of the store, but Romilda didn’t stop talking. “You think you can keep him. Your wrong! No bloody way is he going to stay with you. I haven’t given up on him yet. Hell, half the women in England hold out hopes for Harry. He will get bored with you, then move on to better more suitable…Owww!” Romilda never finished what she was going to say, because somebody grabbed her by the back of the hair and pulled her backwards out of the shop. “Ginny never needed love potion to get Harry to notice her! So, shut up and leave,” shouted Hermione. After Romilda turned and ran down the street, Hermione turned to Ginny and hugged her. “Don’t listen to them. Harry does love you.” Ginny returned her hug but couldn’t help but feel that maybe Romilda is right. Did Harry think that she had shagged Dean and Michael, and only went with her for that reason? It never seemed like that was his motive, but Ginny still couldn’t push that doubt out of her head. “Ginny! Look at me,” demanded Hermione. She couldn’t look her best friend in the eyes right now. “Harry loves you,” she assured her in a soft calm voice, all her bossy know-it-all attitude was gone now. “Everyone fights in relationships, look at Ron and me.” Ginny couldn’t help but laugh. “I know he cares. You know he cares, so don’t you fill your head with doubts about him. All right.” “Thank you, Hermione,” whispered Ginny as she hugged her friend. “Thank you for saying that. I guess that little first year girl was coming out again.” “Hermione, what are you doing here?” asked Ron as he entered the sales floor from the back. “I thought you were supposed to be at work today?” “I was,” she said as the two girls let go of their hug. She walked over and kissed her boyfriend, before continuing, “There is Auror testing today and…” “Auror testing?” shouted Ginny. All three of them suddenly realized that Harry was at the Ministry. “Yes Ginny, Harry would be there,” stated Hermione cheerfully. “I hear it’s supposed to be a rigorous all-day event. The entire staff of NEWT equivalency testers are being used to check their written exams.” Ginny smiled now that she realized why he hadn’t been by to see her. He had been at the Ministry. She could push all those thoughts about him being with someone else out of her mind, but that didn’t explain why he wasn’t home last night. Ginny looked at the time and realized that it was now her lunch hour, but she wasn’t hungry. Without the prospect of Harry showing up, she didn’t care if she ate today. With a sigh, she walked back behind the counter and went back to work. Ron and Hermione looked at her but didn’t say anything. They just walked around the shop talking quietly to each other. “Oi, is there a Ginny Weasley ‘ere?” asked a large bear of a man. He was standing in the shop’s doorway holding a galvanized bucket filled with flowers. “I’m Ginny, and who might you be?” “Me name is Al. Sorry about being late, but the flowers weren’t exactly easy, you know,” he said as he waddled towards her. He was shaped like Hagrid; except he was only as tall as Ron was. His bushy hair and stubbly beard were a reddish-blonde. The robes he wore were rather torn and tattered. He placed the bucket of flowers on the counter in front of Ginny and looked down at her with bloodshot brown eyes. “Well hope ya like ‘em. Not easy work, ya know, finding wildflowers.” He said loudly, then leaned in and whispered, “Ya would have a bit of Firewhiskey on ya, would ya?” “Ginny let a little giggle escape her lips, as she said, “No, I’m afraid not.” She knew Harry sent her the flowers, and this big old bloke was a little comical. She started looking through the flowers for a note from Harry. There were hyacinths, violets, daisies, and wild roses in the bucket, and they smelled wonderful. “I was afraid of that,” replied Al dejectedly. He turned and slowly walked towards the door. “Wait a second, Al,” said Ginny. “Was there a note with these flowers?” “Blimey, I almost forgot.” He started to search all the pockets in his robes for the note. He finally produced it and handed it to her. It was small envelope with her name written on it in Harry’s handwriting. “Butterbeer?” “What?” His question caught Ginny by surprise, because she was concentrating on Harry’s note. “Ya wouldn’t ‘appen to ‘ave a Butterbeer on ya?” He asked hopefully. He stood there with a pleading look on his round face, while slowly rubbing the sides of his stomach with both hands. “No, I am afraid not.” “Wonderful, just my bloody luck,” he huffed as he turned and exited the shop. Ginny stood there for several seconds staring at the note. She looked up and saw Hermione and Ron watching her from a distance. She was glad they were giving her some room, because she was really nervous about this note. Harry must still love her, or maybe he just likes her. There will be only one way to find out, she tore open the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside. His note was a simple single sentence that meant so much to her. I don’t care about the past, only a future with you! Love, Harry She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. He still wanted her in his life, and he still loved her. Ginny happily went back behind the counter and placed the bucket of flowers behind her so she could look at it. She sat down on a tall stool behind the counter and read and reread his simple one line note over and over the rest of the day. [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] “He’s not at home.” “Here, out of the way, Ginny. I’ll open the bloody door,” grumbled Ron. “Ron, we shouldn’t just barge into his Harry’s house, like this,” scolded Hermione. She saw Ginny blush slightly and give a guilty smile. “Ginny, have you been here?” Hermione’s statement made Ron turn and glare at his sister. “Yesterday evening, after I got off work. He wasn’t home so I left after a bit.” “How long was a bit?” questioned Ron. “An hour or two,” Ginny shot back, irritated at her brother, “George said to go and find him. So, I did, or I tried. Oh Bullocks! Alohamora! It is too cold and wet to be standing out here on this stoop. Let’s go inside.” The three of them walked into the entrance hall. Ron and Hermione gasped at the change in the house. Ginny, who had seen it already, just commented how she felt the same way yesterday. They started to walk through the house looking in the rooms and making comments about each one. The trio stared at the portrait of the Order of the Phoenix and the DA that replaced Walburga Black’s portrait for almost twenty minutes. They finally entered the former dining room. Hermione was drawn to the stacks of textbooks and notes, Ginny and Ron started to look at the piles of pictures and the scrapbooks. “I looked in here last night, but I didn’t enter because he wasn’t in the room. You see all these pictures he has, Ron.” “Yeah, it looks like he is collecting pictures of dead people.” “Ron! Don’t be so insensitive,” Hermione yelled at him. “I’m not. It is just all these pictures are of...,” he stopped talking as he realized exactly what these pictures were of, “Friends who died fighting Voldemort.” The entire room went a silent, as Ron opened scrapbooks dedicated to Harry’s parents, The Order of Phoenix, and Dumbledore’s Army. He opened the fourth book and looked at Ginny. “This one is of you,” he said directly to her. She reached out and took it from his hand. She leafed through the pages and saw pictures of her from her first year up and until her fifth year. There were even pictures of her and Harry together at Hogwarts. He had taken the time to find these pictures and place them in a scrapbook. She started to choke up thinking about him doing something as sweet as that, and he never even told her. “You don’t suppose he’s planning on killing you too, Ginny,” joked Ron. “Ronald Bilius Weasley, you are an insensitive wart!” shouted Hermione, but Ginny snorted and laughed about Ron’s comment, leaving Hermione confused and slightly hurt, so she went back over to the textbooks, and started to leaf through the notes. “I am impressed at Harry’s study habits,” commented Hermione. She was looking at the notes and didn’t see Ron’s look of shock. “He must have done all this since I moved out with my parents. I remember him talking about remodeling the house, but I never expected all this.” “He has been a busy boy,” commented Ron. “I wonder where he found the time.” They all looked at each other. It was then that they realized that none of them had spent much time with him. “I suppose not having all of us around him all day left him with extra time.” Ron and Ginny went back to looking at the scrapbooks, and Hermione started reading the Level Seven Standard Book of Spells. “There they are Master!” They looked up and saw Kreacher pointing a boney finger at them, and Harry was standing beside him staring directly at Ginny. Ron and Hermione stood up looked at each other then at him. Ginny stayed seated where she was on the other side of the dining room table from Harry and Kreacher. She unconsciously pulled the scrapbook of herself to her chest as she returned his gaze. “Thank you Kreacher,” said Harry. “You have done well.” “Thank you, Master. Should I make some tea?” “Does anyone want tea?” he asked without breaking his gaze from Ginny. Ron had moved next to Hermione and they both noticed where his attention was. No one responded quickly, so Harry sent Kreacher off to make tea. The House Elf bowed and exited towards the kitchen. “How was the testing, Harry?” Hermione asked trying to start a conversation. “Long, grueling, and tiring,” was his reply, while staring at Ginny. “Well, you and Ginny have some things to talk about so we will leave you two alone.” Harry and Ginny broke their gaze and turned to look at Ron, who had said that. Hermione was staring at him with an expression that Ginny never saw before. “What, why is everyone looking at me? It is the truth. You two need to talk, and Hermione and me would just be an annoyance.” Harry had a hard time keeping from laughing, “Yes you are spot on there Mate. Mind your manners though.” “Why’s that Mate.” “Because, I haven’t seen that look on Hermione’s face since she jumped on you and started snogging you senseless during the battle.” Hermione’s face turned bright red and she grabbed Ron’s hand and pulled him from the room. Ron stopped her though and closed the door behind him. After they left, Harry turned and looked at Ginny again. His eyes were warm and loving making her melt. “Did you get my flowers?” “Yes!” “And my note?” Harry was walking around the table towards her, while still looking in her eyes. “Yes, it was…” “I meant it, Ginny,” he stated firmly. “I want a future with you.” “Harry…” “I am sorry about what I said to your brothers,” said Harry as he sat down close enough that their knees touched. “and — about what happened before, us…” “Harry, I never …” Ginny said with intensity, she didn’t want him to think that she had shagged anyone else. “Never…” His features seemed to brighten. “I didn’t love them Harry. I could never — without loving someone. You are the only person I ever loved…” His lips cut off her words. She felt warmth run through every inch of her. Warmth that she hasn’t felt since the last time they snogged. It filled her up and completed her and made everything else in this world seem insignificant. She felt his fingers move gently across her cheeks enticing and tickling her at the same time. His fingers were in her hair now, and his tongue grazed her lips. Ginny intensified the kiss this time, allowing their tongues to dance together. Her arms encircled his strong back, and his were now wrapped around hers pulling her ever closer. She repositioned her arms above his shoulder so she could run her fingers through his hair. She could feel their chests press together as his arms tighten around her back. The pressure felt wonderful. She wrapped her legs around him and the chair back to pull him even tighter to her. His lips left hers, and started to kiss her cheeks, nibble on her ears, and gently kiss down her neck. This made her head spin and her breathing difficult, as it never had before. She tightened the grip with her legs, twisted her fingers in his hair, lifted her chin up exposing her neck, and pulled his lips closer to her neck. He reached the base of her neck, and a sensation shuddered through her; a strong powerful feeling that scared her. “Harry — please …” she whispered. She was so out of breath that she even doubted he could hear her, but he did stop. “I am sorry,” he whispered into her neck. He didn’t release his grip on her or lift his head up. “It’s — I was afraid that I had lost you.” Ginny had relaxed her grip on his hair and let her legs relax, but he still held her tight. She wasn’t sure but her neck felt like it was getting wet. “Harry, look at me.” She tried to lift his head up, but he resisted. “Please look at me. Please.” He finally lifted his face to her and saw that he was crying. “I’m sorry for crying.” Ginny wiped his cheeks with her thumbs as she held his face in his hands. “I was so cut up yesterday, because I couldn’t see your eyes.” She had to giggle at his puzzled look. “When I look in your eyes, I can tell what you are feeling. You had your glasses transfigured. Harry, do you remember when I said that I tried very hard to make my relationships work with Dean and Michael?” “Yes,” his voice seemed bitter. “What I meant is I tried to forget you and feel love for them.” She said searching his eyes. “I could not love them, like I have always loved you. I just couldn’t do it, and I must be in love with someone before I’d ever shag them.” She rubbed her thumbs across his cheeks as she looked in his eyes. She saw that he understood, and she gently kissed him on the forehead. “I am sorry for what I said. I just said that to hurt you. I am sorry.” “Forgiven!” he said before she had even stopped speaking. He pulled her into an embrace. His head was beside hers and his arms gently wrapped her body. It felt so comforting to her. She wanted him to hold her like this until the end of time; it was so wonderful. He pulled out of the hug and smiled at her. Taking his wand out of his robes, he Levitated the stack of textbooks on the table. He looked at her with a wicked smile as they floated across the room to the closed door. He released them causing them to crash to the floor with a loud thud. A loud screech and a “Bloody Hell” could be heard echoing from down the stairs. Ginny started to giggle as Harry lifted her off his lap and took her hand, so they could go downstairs to have tea with Ron and Hermione. “I knew they were using Extendable Ears,” Harry said as they left the library. |
| Reviews 138 |
Previous Next
|
