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The Legacy of Regulus Black, the Story Continues | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-OotP, Pre-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 64 Summary: What happened to Harry and Ginny after their mysterious Portkey journey and how did the legacy of Regulus Black change their lives, up to the defeat of Tom Riddle? Becomes more and more AU during the story. Sequel to The Legacy of Regulus Black Hitcount: Story Total: 60118; Chapter Total: 5120 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Thursday, August 31st, 1995 Harry jolted from sleep at the sound of loud voices and the rumbling of footsteps in the stairwell that announced the imminent departure of Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins, who would spend the day in Diagon Alley buying school supplies. Mrs Weasley had asked Harry to stay at Grimmauld Place because it would be too dangerous for him, with Voldemort back and everything. She'd offered to buy his books and whatever he needed. Harry had reluctantly agreed to stay behind after Sirius made no move to help him. Realising the value of a quiet day in a deserted Grimmauld Place, Harry had planned to take advantage of the absence of his friends by having a lie-in before returning to Hogwarts. He also wanted to spend the day with Sirius, talking about the further research of the Horcruxes. The thought of such a discussion overpowered Harry’s desire for more sleep. He stretched one last time, slid out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom to take care of his morning business. 15 minutes later, when he entered the kitchen, freshly showered, Sirius was already sitting at his usual seat, nursing a cup of tea. “Morning Sirius.” Harry grinned at his godfather. "Morning Harry," he replied. "Did you sleep well?" "Yeah, great, actually," Harry replied truthfully. "Did you have breakfast yet?" "Oh, yes, Molly insisted." Sirius chuckled. "She thinks I'll starve to death when I travel to the island." "Mrs Weasley knows about the trip?" Harry asked in surprise. "Yeah, sure," replied Sirius. " I told her that Dumbledore sent me on an Order mission to the island. It's not even a lie. I've really told Dumbledore I wanted to search the cottage for more information about Horcruxes, and he thought it was a good idea." "Oh, clever. " Harry smirked. "Don't forget to take Slytherin's locket with you," he suggested. "I’d feel much better if that damn thing would be out of everyone’s reach for everyone." "The locket is hidden in Buckbeak's room, "Sirius replied, grinning. "Buckbeak will accompany me to the island, so I'm pretty sure I won't forget it." "Okay, good to know, " Harry said, relieved. "Did you figure out how to make another communication mirror?" Heading to the cupboard to fetch a cup, he continued, "I'd feel better if we can stay in touch when I'm back at Hogwarts." "I need to talk to Remus,” Sirius explained. “He made the mirrors for me and James, and I think he still has the instructions for it. I’ll ask him before I leave for the island." "Good idea," Harry said, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Then you can call me as soon as your mirror is ready." "That's not so easy." Sirius shook his head. "We need to synchronize the mirrors before we can use them, just like your mirror is synchronized with Ginny's mirror." With a mischievous grin, he added, "How come you're here today without your red-haired girlfriend?" "She's not my girlfriend," Harry replied, blushing. "What do you plan to do about it?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Sirius, I ..." Harry stopped. He knew for some time now that he wanted to do something about it. He needed to talk to Ginny before they would return to Hogwarts, and probably wouldn't see each other so often. Alone the thought that Michael Corner would be there waiting for Ginny made him feel sick. Unfortunately, as crowded as Grimmauld Place was, he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Ginny alone in the last few days ... and they would go back to Hogwarts tomorrow morning. But that was not Sirius' business, he decided. "When do you think the mirror is finished?" Sirius chuckled, letting Harry get away with the deflection. "If Remus still has his old manual, it will be a matter of minutes. Otherwise, it might take a week, or two." "We should meet on the next Hogsmeade weekend to synchronize the mirrors," Harry suggested. "Good idea, when is the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Sirius asked. "Usually, it's the first or second Saturday of the term so that everyone can buy the things they forgot at home," Harry said, scratching the back of his head. "I'll ask Ginny to send a letter to her mother telling her the date." "Good, I will take a break from my island holidays to meet you." Sirius reached for the kettle to fill another cup of tea. "Buckbeak’s going to like it there." Before taking the first sip of tea, he nodded toward the stove. "Molly saved you some breakfast, it's over there." "Brill," Harry replied, getting up to fetch the plate. "I'm starving." Later, in the afternoon, Harry was sitting in the kitchen with Sirius having their tea and scones. Harry had excitedly told his godfather that he was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. Just the prospect of being able to play Quidditch again let him talk enthusiastically about the upcoming season. Ron had asked his mother for a new broom when she'd promised him a reward for becoming a Prefect, and Harry was looking forward to flying with Ron in the next few days. "I hope you won't forget your redheaded girlfriend with all your enthusiasm for playing Quidditch," Sirius teased. Harry looked at him in astonishment, "What makes you think that? Ginny wants to try-out for the team, and I’m pretty sure she'll make it." Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Is she such a good flyer? Okay, okay, I got it. Why am I not surprised." He immediately backed down when he noticed Harry’s most indignant look. "To be honest," Harry replied, "I've never seen her fly, but she told me that she'd been flying for years and wants to become a chaser." Harry pondered a moment. With all the excitement of the past few days, he'd forgotten about the wand they'd brought from Regulus' island. They were hoping the wand would be untraceable, but they didn't know for sure and wanted to check it. "Sirius?" Harry asked carefully. "What do you know about wandlore?" "Wandlore?" Sirius asked, bewildered. "Why?" "We found a wand on the island," Harry explained, giving his godfather an expectant look. "You know, the wand Ginny had when we came back." Sirius nodded. He vaguely remembered. "The wand that was in the bag you gave me after your return?" "Exactly." Harry looked relieved. "We, or more accurately, Ginny had hoped we could keep the wand." "Okay." Sirius nodded in agreement. "What is the problem?" "Before we use it, we wanted to know if it’s untraceable," Harry said hesitantly. " Maybe I’d better not know what you're up to." Sirius sniggered. "We’re not up to anything," Harry replied. "But we think an untraceable wand could become handy." "Without a doubt," Sirius agreed. "Where is the wand now?" "It's probably in Ginny's room." Harry was relieved that Sirius took it easy on him. "Can you take a look at the wand when Ginny is back?" "I'm not an expert, but it couldn't hurt to check it over," Sirius agreed. The two of them had just emptied their cups, and Harry was on his way to put the dishes in the sink when loud noises announced the return of the Weasleys from their shopping spree to Diagon Alley. Mrs Weasley's voice was unmistakable as she loudly gave instructions to her children. "Before you forget, you’d best bring your things to your rooms, and pack them away in your trunks. That includes you, Ronald." At that moment, Ron burst through the kitchen door, triumphantly holding his brand new Cleansweep Eleven in the air. Hermione followed, rolling her eyes. "Hey mate," Ron yelled ecstatically. "Look, a Cleansweep Eleven. It's made of Spanish oak, it has an anti-jinx varnish and a built-in vibration control. It's marvellous." Harry couldn't help but grin about his best friend's antics. He stepped up to him and patted his shoulder. "Congratulations on the new broom, Ron. This coming weekend, you can prove that you can keep it under control," he called, laughing. "Oi mate, I'll show you how a Weasley can fly," Ron answered with his chest puffed out. A snort made Harry turn around. Ginny stood in the door, barely able to stop laughing. "Boys," she giggled, shaking her head. "All mouth and no trousers." Turning, she waved, "Have fun, you two," and headed up the stairway towards her room. "I can't wait either, Ron," Harry said, shaking his head about Ginny's attitude. "Ron, you need to bring your things to your room," Hermione intervened. "Oh, Hermione," Ron said. "I'm allowed to show my best mate my new broom, am I not?" "You've heard your mother," Hermione insisted. "We need to bring our things to our rooms and pack our trunks." "Hermione, it’ll only take five minutes to show Harry..." Ron’s final words faded into the background as Harry rushed up the stairs behind Ginny. Reaching her door, he waited a moment, uncertain what he wanted to do, then he knocked and waited for an answer. "Yes?" As soon as he heard Ginny's voice, he warily opened the door and peered into the room. "Hi, Harry." Ginny smiled at him, surprised to see him. "How can I help you?" "I asked Sirius if he'd check our spare wand," Harry explained his presence. "Ah, do you mean my spare wand?" Ginny replied with a cheeky grin. "Whatever," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "Please come to Buckbeak's room in half an hour and bring the wand with you." "Shouldn't be a problem," Ginny replied, nodding. "I'll just pack my stuff to be ready to go back to Hogwarts. Are you done packing your things? You've had all day." "Well..." Harry said sheepishly, relieved to hear Hermione arguing with Ron in the staircase. "I'll see you at Buckbeak's." Deep in thought, Harry walked up the stairs to Buckbeak's room, pondering ways he could talk to Ginny alone. They'd said good night using their mirrors almost every night for the past few weeks but asking Ginny out over the mirrors was out of the question. He hoped Sirius would leave them alone in Buckbeak's room for a while when he'd finished examining the spare wand. All he had to do was find an excuse to ask Ginny to stay behind. When he reached the top floor, he walked to the door opposite the stairs, turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Sirius was already there patting the back of the Hippogriff who’d made himself comfortable on the floor. "Hey, Beaky, how are you?" When Sirius noticed Harry, he turned around. "Ah, there you are, where's the wand?" "Ginny will be here any minute, she'll bring the wand with her," Harry answered, kneeling beside Buckbeak to stroke his feathers. "Sirius?" He asked after a while, without interrupting his ministrations. "Yeah. That's me," his godfather answered with a grin. "Sirius," Harry went on determinedly, getting up and looking Sirius in the eye. "Can you leave me alone with Ginny for a moment when we're done here?" Sirius looked at him for a moment before a big grin spread over his face. "Oh, if I'm not mistaken, you've finally come to a decision." "What decision?" Startled, Harry turned around and suddenly stood face to face with Ginny. Slightly blushing, he stammered, "Well, I ... I've come to the decision that you can keep the spare wand." "Oh, how generous," giggled Ginny, pulling the wand out of her back pocket. "I already have it." "Well," said Harry, relieved that he had found a way out. "It's yours now." "Thanks," Ginny replied, looking at him, suspicious about an answer that was obviously not completely honest. "Of course, it would be even better if the wand isn’t traceable. It would be much easier doing Mum's chores." "Oh," Sirius said with a grin. "Here at Grimmauld Place you can do magic, nobody will notice. Of course, you have to be careful that Molly won't catch you," he continued as the two teenagers looked at him in astonishment. "With the Fidelius Charm and all the adults living here, the Ministry won't notice." "And you’re telling us just today when we head back to Hogwarts tomorrow?" Harry asked indignantly. "Nobody asked me before," Sirius replied with a mischievous grin and held out his hand to Ginny. "Okay, show me the wand." Ginny handed him the wand and Sirius looked at it attentively. "Hmm, I wonder to whom the wand once belonged. It still looks pretty good. Maybe it's even from the time before the Ministry ordered to put the trace on the wands of minors." Sirius drew his wand and tapped the tip of the spare wand. "Prior Incantato!" When a faint shadow Harry didn't recognize appeared over the wand, Sirius chuckled and looked at Ginny. "A Stinging Hex! Who was the poor sod?" Ginny blushed slightly and mumbled, "Fred asked once too often if I need calf-packings again. He has a strange way of begging for punishment." A mischievous smile crossed her face. "But don't tell him. Fred still thinks it was George. It's hilarious to watch them arguing about it." Sirius snickered, and Harry shook his head, chuckling. "I'm glad you've made good use of your new wand." Turning to Sirius, Harry continued, "Well, what do you think? Is the wand untraceable?" "I'm pretty sure it is," Sirius explained. "The wand is probably still from Uncle Alphard, or even older, and Uncle Alphard would never have used a traceable wand." "That's brill." Ginny smirked at Harry. "I'm glad that’s clarified," said Harry, relieved. He looked at Sirius and raised his eyebrows several times, slightly nodding towards the door. Sirius took this hint. Smiling at Ginny, he excused himself. "I'll go and get ready for dinner. See you down in the kitchen." The moment Sirius opened the door, Mrs Weasley's voice sounded in the stairwell. "Dinner is ready. Ginny, can you please help set the table?" "Shit," Harry swore. When he saw Ginny's questioning look, he grimaced and continued, "I'll come with you and help you set the table. I'm starving, too." Later that evening, Harry was sitting in the drawing room with his friends. He just had been trounced by Ron in the third game of chess in a row. Hermione had made herself comfortable with a book on her lap in one of the armchairs - after telling the others with a satisfied smile that she'd finished packing her trunk. Ginny was lying on the sofa, flipping listlessly through a book. Harry couldn't see what it was, but that was not because of his lack of interest. He had been watching Ginny nervously out of the corner of his eyes all evening, not paying enough attention to the game of chess with Ron. In the last few weeks, they had often successfully tried to go to bed before Ron and Hermione, to have an undisturbed chat through their mirrors for a few minutes. As Ginny began to cover her mouth with her hand and yawn, it was time for Harry to act. He wanted to talk to Ginny, but it was too important to him to use the mirrors. "I give up, Ron." Harry stood up and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I didn’t have a chance today anyway." "Today?" Ron grinned at him. "I’d better go to bed now." Harry yawned. "I still need to pack my trunk for tomorrow." "Why are you in such a hurry?" Ron looked at him in astonishment. "You can pack your trunk tomorrow morning. We have plenty of time, we're already in London." Hermione looked at him indignantly. "Ron, you always wait until the very last minute and then you forget half of your things." From behind him, Harry heard Ginny mumble her "Good night", followed by her footsteps. 'Shit,' he thought. He really wanted to talk to her before she disappeared into her room. Determined, he spluttered, "Anyway, I'm off then." Making a dismissive gesture with his hand, he headed after Ginny. "Hey, Gin," he called, hurrying up the stairs. "Yes, Harry?" Ginny turned, already halfway up the stairs to her room. "Do you have a moment?" Harry asked, barely able to suppress his nervousness. "Of course, what's up?" Ginny smiled at him. "I want to ask you something," said Harry, somewhat embarrassed. "Sure, what?" Ginny gave him a curious gaze. "Gin, do you...," he hesitated unsettled. "What's bothering you, Harry?" Ginny asked softly, giving him an encouraging smile. "A few weeks ago, on the island, you said that the job as your boyfriend is vacant,” Harry spluttered, “…and I... what would you say if I'd apply for the position?" Ginny, visibly speechless, stared at him in surprise. "Harry, you ..." "I hope I'm not too late," Harry interrupted her when an uneasy feeling rose in him. "Too late?" Ginny asked perplexed. "I hope Michael didn’t ask you yet," Harry muttered. "So, you're asking me because you're afraid that Michael might ask me out?" Ginny gave him an inquisitive look. "Oh no," Harry exclaimed startled. "I've been thinking about it for a while now, actually since we got back from the island." Taking a deep breath to suppress his nervousness, he continued, "I keep thinking of the time on the island, and the more I think about it, the more I understand that I liked the time there because you were with me." Hesitantly he added, "I didn't ask you earlier because I didn't want to scare you. But to be honest, I can't stand the thought of seeing you with Michael. So, maybe that's part of the reason I…" Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "...why I'm standing there, stuttering like an idiot." Harry took another deep breath and looked gingerly up at Ginny, who in turn looked wide-eyed at him. "Oh..." Ginny stared open-mouthed at Harry. "Ginny, I wouldn't be mad at you if you were... if we just remain friends," Harry said in a brittle voice, not sure what to make out of her reaction. Ginny smiled at him. "Oh, Harry, no." Harry felt as if his heart would stop beating, the ‘No’ echoing in his ears. "Oh, Harry, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant," Ginny exclaimed, startled, when she noticed that she’d said no. "Of course, I would like to be your girlfriend." Harry's face slowly regained colour. "That sounds a bit like there is a but," he said, still unsure. A mischief smile slowly spread over Ginny’s face. "If you want to apply for the job as my boyfriend, I'd like to have a demonstration of your qualifications first." Looking expectantly into his eyes, she put her arms around Harry's neck. With his right hand, Harry gently reached for the back of her head and gently pressed his lips to hers. It felt like in heaven. When he gasped for air after a few seconds, he smiled sheepishly at Ginny. "What do you think?” "Oh, Harry." Ginny smiled back. "I’ve been hoping for years that you’d ask me that question. Would it be so bad if I let you wait a few more minutes for my answer? I think I need one more sample, just to be sure…" Snuggling up to him, she continued the kiss. When they finally parted with swollen lips and said goodbye for the night, Harry cast a thoughtful gaze. "I'd better tell Ron." "Leave it to me, Harry." Ginny looked into his eyes. A mischief smile crossed her face when she added, "Or better, let's do it together. Tomorrow morning at breakfast." "Are you sure?" Harry asked flabbergasted. "Yes.” Ginny grinned. “Unless you want to hide it from someone." "Never." Harry gave her one last goodnight kiss before Ginny slipped into her room. |
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