|
Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
|
Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169520; Chapter Total: 1514 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: The new arc begins! I know I said I'd post in February, but I love the SIYE community and wanted to post here a little earlier than other sites I won't name. Hope you enjoy! |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
The warm summer breeze drifted lazily across the pond, bringing the embers of a small fire over the water like two dozen glimmering stars passing through the sky. Branches of nearby trees swayed back and forth gently, their reflections in the water distorted by ripples. Two small boats made of folded newspapers floated near the middle of the water. One of them had taken on a significant amount of water and looked ready to capsize at any moment. SPLOOSH! A stone flung from the bank collided with the hapless vessel, which unceremoniously sank into the murky depths of the pond. A jubilant whoop of joy echoed across the water as the bombardier danced a celebratory jig. Harry Potter smiled ruefully as he shook his head. He tossed the rock in his hand at the remaining newspaper boat but missed wide to the right. The meager splash barely caused any wave at all, leaving the other boat sailing majestically along. “It’s a good thing you’re the best Seeker Gryffindor’s had since Charlie. You’d have never had a shot at making the Quidditch team if you’d gone out for Chaser.” Ginny’s barb made Harry chuckle as he stooped to gather a few more stones. He was intent on sinking her boat, even if he threw out his arm in the process. He concentrated on lining up his shot but the throw was errant again, this time due to his meddlesome girlfriend who had darted forward to squeeze his bum just as he released his projectile. She pounced onto him while he seized forward in surprise, but he righted himself before she could secure herself on his back. She slipped down, grasping for anything she could catch to slow her fall, and ended up snagging his elbow and pulling them both backward onto the soft grass. They wrestled about for a few minutes, their laughs and shouts of indignation floating into the surrounding trees and up toward the few lazy clouds dotting the summer sky. Harry’s height advantage meant little compared to the years Ginny had spent roughhousing with various older brothers. Luckily for his pride, Harry was stronger than his thin frame would suggest and had spent quite a bit of his life dodging either bullies or bludgers. He finally won the battle when Ginny overextended, leaving Harry the opening to tickle her mercilessly. Her squeals of mirth mingled with his triumphant exultation until her giggles began to be accompanied by stronger kicks and an elbow to her boyfriend’s stomach. Harry collapsed to the side with the smell of grass and Ginny’s hair surrounding him. He could still tell that the sun was shining down on them, even though his eyes were closed. They each gasped for air for a few moments before Harry asked, “Truce?” Ginny scoffed. “Why should I? What are your terms?” “You name the terms. Anything you want.” “Anything I want, huh? That’s a dangerous offer, Potter.” He knew the shadow that fell across his face was not from any cloud. Ginny’s voice now sounded from right above him, and the ends of a few loose hairs tickled his nose and cheeks. “I’ll have to think of more terms of your unconditional surrender later, but how about we start with this?” Soft lips brushed against his own. Harry smiled into the kiss and pulled her in close, eliciting a pleased giggle from his girlfriend as they both lay on their sides in the grass. One of her hands snaked around his waist while the other found its way into his messy hair. The two were broken from their reverie far sooner than Harry would have preferred by a shout from not too far away. “Oi! Bloody hell, Ginny! Is that necessary?” Harry’s head fell back onto the grass as his girlfriend (he still had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Ginny really was his girlfriend) gave her brother a rude gesture while popping up from the ground. He did his best to ensure his best mate didn’t see him engaged in any of his private moments with Ginny whenever he could help it, but this certainly wasn’t the first occasion Ron had interrupted at an inopportune moment. Being dormmates with one’s girlfriend’s brother had various challenges Harry was still navigating. To Ron’s credit, he hadn’t yet resorted to punching as a solution. “Was it necessary to witness my brother snogging in the student lounge after the Year End Feast?” She offered Harry her hand and hoisted him up before brushing some of the grass from her somewhat rumpled clothes. “Toss me my wand, will you? I’d like to avoid another conversation with Mum about propriety and ‘being above reproach.’” Ron stooped to grab Ginny’s wand and threw it in her direction, though slightly to the side so as not to hit Harry. She reached out and grabbed it nimbly and pulled it to point at her shirt in one fluid motion. A small gust of air rippled her clothes as the wrinkles receded. “Are Bill and Fleur here yet?” Ron shook his head. “They’re running behind, but Mum wants us all cleaned up for lunch when they get here.” “Any idea why she’s making such a big fuss?” asked Ginny as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Isn't it just another Sunday lunch?” “I dunno. She’s pretty worked up, though. Dad came in from the shed to help out, but Mum’s still in a state.” Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand, following Ron back toward the Burrow. Though his arm was out of the sling, he still favored his left side a bit and hadn’t recovered enough to throw rocks at the pond or practice quidditch for another week. This left him rather surly when Harry and Ginny snuck off to fly together, though the two did their best not to make him jealous. “She didn’t seem to want my help, but I’ll bet she’s got something for you to do when we get in.” Ginny huffed, not at all excited about being made to help with lunch when other available options were left untapped. She had complained to Harry multiple times about how her Mum’s realm of the kitchen only ever required her brothers’ help when it came to setting tables or washing dishes, but she was often conscripted into cooking. “If your Mum needs some extra hands, I could do something,” offered Harry. Both of the Weasleys laughed as they approached the back garden. “I really don’t mind-” Harry’s offer died on his lips when the POP of apparation sounded in front of them. A young man with red hair stood staring at the doorway leading to the kitchen with trepidation. “Percy?!” called Ginny as she let loose of Harry’s hand and rushed forward to greet her brother. He turned around and smiled at her as she ran to him, though his expression seemed slightly pained to Harry. “It’s been ages since we’ve seen you for Sunday lunch! How are you doing?” “Doing quite well, if you’ll believe,” he answered, wrapping his arms around Ginny and pulling her close. “They’ve got me working like mad, especially over the last month. Ron, it’s good to see you’re looking better. Harry, always a pleasure. “With Dolores Umbridge’s admissions about bias and bigotry being snuck into various laws, Madam Bones has been quite adamant that we go over every piece of legislation with a fine-toothed comb. It’s important work that can’t be given to just anyone, which is why you’re looking at the new Junior Archivist Administrator!” Harry wasn’t sure what the job title meant, though he felt certain he’d be hearing a detailed explanation several times during lunch. Ginny smiled and nodded at her brother as he talked while snaking her arm through Harry’s. “Is the promotion what has Mum in such a tizzy? Ron said she’s all worked up about something.” “I don’t see how she’d know. I was only offered the position Friday and I haven’t had the chance to tell anyone. Dad asked me at our lunch on Thursday if I could make it today and said it was important. With the Dementor attacks throwing so many departments into chaos over the last fortnight, I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to get away today.” They entered the kitchen, where two pans and a deep pot were each stirring themselves on the stove while Mrs. Weasley bustled about. Her husband stood to the side, a look of concern on his face. “Molly, everything’s going to be fine, dear,” he said placatingly. “I’m sure it’s all going to be delicious. And look! Percy’s here!” Mrs. Weasley let out a squeak of excitement and hurried over. “Oh, Percy! I’m so glad you were able to come! Arthur said that Madam Bones has been working you far too hard, so I was worried you wouldn’t make it!” A grin splashed across Harry’s face as he watched Percy’s eyes grow wide as his mother drew him into a hug. The other three headed up the stairs to wash up while Percy attempted to break out of the bone-crushing embrace. “Is this the first time you’ve seen him since Christmas?” asked Harry as they climbed to the second floor. “Yep. Dad said he’s been working on him for a while. He’s pretty embarrassed about everything going sideways with Mr. Crouch. I think he expected his career to take off right out of Hogwarts and is having a hard time adjusting to being just another ministry worker instead of Head Boy and star student.” Ginny wheeled away from Harry and through the door to her room. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to let him off easy, but it won’t hurt to be a bit encouraging to start now that he’s made his way back to the Burrow.” Her door closed behind her, leaving Ron and Harry to continue their climb to his room. “I swear she could’ve been in Slytherin,” laughed Ron as he let Harry slip into the loo to get washed up. Harry had seen Percy briefly shortly after arriving in London via the Hogwarts Express. With Sirius and Remus accompanying him, Harry had entered the Ministry of Magic to tie up a loose end. The three had met Dumbledore, who flooed there after an end-of-term faculty meeting with the Hogwarts professors. He relayed that there had been a unanimous consensus that the school needed a competent Defense professor for the next school year, which the headmaster was already undertaking with great zeal. The four rode the lift to the floor containing the Department of Mysteries. An Unspeakable escorted them through the corridors Harry had recently fought through, though all traces of the battle had vanished in the days between his visits. In the Hall of Prophecy, she brought the four of them to row 97. There, on a shelf she indicated, lay a dusty orb labeled “S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.” with “Dark Lord” and “? Harry Potter” listed beneath. Harry removed it and handed it to Dumbledore, who used a quick spell to obliterate the orb. It vanished without a trace into nothingness. The Unspeakable remained expressionless, causing Harry to wonder if Dumbledore had given her prior warning about their intentions or if she was simply devoid of all emotions. Either way, she walked with them back to the lift before turning to return to her post without a word. On the ride back up, the doors opened as Percy entered while carrying a tall stack of folders filled to capacity with papers. Though their meeting was brief, Harry thought that the young man was more cordial than he had been at the Yule Ball. It seemed as though the crucial work of opposing Voldemort was affecting Percy’s attitude. When Harry, Ron, and Ginny reemerged into the kitchen a few minutes later, Fred was already seated on the table with a mischievous smile on his face. “Oi! Are you lot still mooching off our parents, living here without even paying rent?” “You and George only moved out last weekend,” retorted Ginny with a roll of her eyes. “How’s life in Diagon Alley?” “Absolutely fantastic!” he exclaimed, hopping down to greet them. “Grand opening week has been better than we could’ve hoped. George and I have been pulling sixteen-hour days to keep up with everything, so it’s a good thing we’re living above the shop now. Cuts down on the commute. I’m here for a quick bite before swapping with him. We’re already looking to hire someone because business has been keeping us from doing any inventing. It’s all we can do to keep our products on the shelves!” Before Ginny could ask him more about the shop, her mother called for her to help with the soup and assigned Ron to set the table for ten. Harry’s offer to help with the meal preparation was swiftly shot down by Mrs. Weasley, who only agreed to allow him to help set the table after Harry insisted that he wanted to be helpful, leaving Fred to join his father in the sitting room. “Can I just set out nine places, since George will just be switching in for Fred halfway through?” asked Ron while counting out plates. “No, we’ll have ten here, even with the twins taking turns.” Mrs. Weasley darted around the kitchen almost frantically, causing curiosity to bubble up within Harry. He hadn’t seen her this worked up when she’d been cooking for a full complement of Order members back at Grimmauld Place. She kept glancing at the family clock until one of the hands shifted from Traveling to Home. A muffled POP from the back garden indicated another Weasley had arrived. Mrs. Weasley rushed to the kitchen door, let out a shriek of excitement, and barrelled outside with the door left wide open behind her. Harry craned his neck to see what was happening, but the clattering of forks dropped to the floor caught his attention as Ron dropped his silverware to follow his mother. Ginny let out an “Eep!” of excitement and rocketed out the doorway, too. The three Weasleys had surrounded the red-headed newcomer, who was grinning widely. “At least tell me I beat Bill,” said Charlie through his mother’s tight squeeze. “I figure he and Fleur won’t be in any hurry today.” A broad smile emerged on Harry as he watched the Weasleys enthusiastically greet one another. Tears brimmed in Molly’s eyes as she returned to the house alongside her secondborn. Energy permeated the house as five of the Weasley children and both their parents settled into the kitchen, too excited to stand still and almost too frenetic to listen to one another. Harry watched them interact while he finished setting the plates and silverware out, only turning away to take the pot of soup off the heat when it threatened to boil over. “Can’t believe I leave for a couple of years and my family goes and gets a scruffy-looking House Elf!” Charlie’s hand clapped Harry’s back. “Aprigă wanted me to say ‘Hello’ to you, by the way. I think she misses you.” Harry blinked a few times in rapid succession. He felt confident that he’d never met anyone with a name like Aprigă before, much less someone who would know him well enough to miss him. Charlie winced and tutted as he turned away. “Ooh, she’s going to be devastated to hear you’ve forgotten her. She told me the only reason she didn’t burn you to a crisp in the First Task was that she thought you were a cutie.” He threw his arm across Ginny’s shoulders, pulled her into a headlock, and began rubbing his knuckles across her scalp. “Guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that another dangerous woman would find you fanciable!” Ginny struggled against her older brother without much success until she gripped his waist with both arms and leaped into the air to wrap her legs around him, causing them both to topple to the kitchen floor in a heap. An errant leg nearly upended a bowl of salad that Mr. Weasley steadied with a flick of his wand as Mrs. Weasley started in on her children for wrestling in the kitchen. It was into this chaos that Bill and Fleur entered when they stepped through the front door to the Burrow. “Oi! What’s going on, you lot?” he called out as family members moved to greet him and Fleur. Ginny pushed herself up off of Charlie, knocking him back onto the floor as she hurried to see her oldest brother and his girlfriend. Charlie stood up and dusted himself off. He looked at Harry with a sly grin. “Treating my sister well, I take it?” “As well as she’ll let me. How’s Romania been?” “Not too shabby. I’ll fill you in a bit over lunch, but first I’ve got to go congratulate Bill!” He winked cryptically before stepping into the sitting room where the rest of the Weasleys and Fleur were chattering. Harry wasn’t sure what Charlie meant when Mrs. Weasley’s shriek of delight echoed through the house, so he took the other pots off the stove before investigating. The entire contingent of Weasleys was crowded around Bill and Fleur as she proudly displayed the ring on her finger. Bill’s back was slapped and his hands were grasped as Fleur was pulled into a hug by both Molly and Arthur, followed by her soon-to-be brothers and sister-in-law. Harry stood and watched, smiling at the family’s display of joy and welcome. “And this will mean grandbabies!” cried Mrs. Weasley in excitement, causing Bill to slap his hand to his forehead. “One thing at a time, Mum!” he laughed. “We’re thinking about having the wedding next summer, so there’s going to be lots of stuff to figure out between now and then without worrying about kids. “Harry! Glad you were able to be here for this, especially since you did the honors of introducing us!” He extricated himself from the gaggle of Weasleys to shake Harry’s hand heartily. “Good to see you, Bill, and congratulations!” “Thanks! Now, I’m of the understanding that there was going to be some sort of meal going on. Are we going to stand around and gaze at that rock all day, or are we going to dig in?” “Stare at the rock!” answered Ginny, but the group began to shuffle into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley made sure to thank Harry for looking after the food while she was distracted, and soon enough all ten were seated to a veritable feast. The conversation centered around Bill and Fleur’s engagement, how he’d popped the question, what their plans were for the wedding, and the like. Bill admitted that he’d sent an owl explaining his plan to Charlie, who’d agreed to take the long journey from Romania to celebrate with the family and would be staying in England for the next week. Fleur radiated joy as she explained how Bill had arranged for an international portkey to bring them to a small, dusty village in France where her father had first met her mother. Though he’d stumbled a bit to get all the words out, Bill had professed the kind of love that had sustained his parents and hers while pledging to spend the rest of his days ensuring that she felt cherished for her bravery, intelligence, skill, and heart every bit as much as her beauty. The evening had been capped by a visit to her childhood home, where her parents and Gabrielle awaited to celebrate with the newly engaged couple. Despite having a girlfriend for nearly a year, Harry certainly didn’t consider himself an expert on what constituted being romantic. Still, it didn’t take divination to see that Bill’s proposal had been incredibly meaningful for Fleur. The happy tears in Mrs. Weasley’s eyes and the proud smile from Mr. Weasley indicated their approval, and Ginny’s grip on Harry’s hand tightened more and more as her brother explained how he’d planned the proposal. Fred said his goodbyes midway through the meal, though not before giving Harry a hard time about listening to Bill’s proposal plans a little too closely for his liking, before disappearing through the fireplace to be replaced by George moments later. Bill and Fleur were more than happy to recap the news for him. George told the group about how the first week of having their shop open had gone, and Harry was quite impressed. The twins had always been brilliantly creative and their pranks and joke items had been well received among the Gryffindor students, but Harry hadn’t expected them to do so well so quickly. He wondered if having Sirius as a consultant was helping them succeed. Percy had clearly been looking forward to sharing news of his promotion but must have decided that he didn’t want to steal attention away from the happy couple because he hadn’t brought up work at all as the meal finished. Ginny whispered that she thought he’d prefer to be the center of attention by announcing it the following week, but that maybe it was a sign that he would be coming around more often. After the meal, George had to head back to the shop. Once he had bid his goodbyes and exited via the floo, Mrs. Weasley shooed everyone else out of the kitchen. She insisted on cleaning up, though Mr. Weasley remained behind as their children and their significant others filed outside into the warm summer sunshine. Harry averted his eyes after accidentally catching a glimpse through the window of the two of them in a happy embrace by the sink. “Hey, Ron! How’s the shoulder feeling?” called Bill, his arm slung over Fleur’s shoulder. “Not too bad right now. Madam Pomfrey said it should be all healed in another week or so.” He rolled his shoulder a few times to test it. “It’s a bit stiff, but I can manage pretty well.” Charlie glanced at Bill with a grin. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” “You up for playing a little Keeper?” asked Bill. A wicked smile burst onto Ron’s face. “Absolutely! Wish George had been able to stay, then we would’ve had even teams.” “We can manage if you’ll play all-time-keeper,” assured Bill. “Then we can make it three-on-three!” Percy didn’t look especially pleased about the plan, but Charlie bumped him with his shoulder affectionately. “Me and Bill are team captains since we’re the oldest. I’ve got Perce!” “I’m not interested in sleeping on the couch, so I’d better snag Fleur,” replied Bill with a laugh. Charlie eyed Harry and Ginny thoughtfully. “Hmm… Hate to leave a guest as the last picked, but I’ve heard some stories about how well Ginny flies. I’ll take her and leave Harry for you two. And that evens it out with a girl on each side!” The five Weasleys walked to the shed to grab the brooms, with a feisty Ginny loudly inquiring of Charlie what he meant by saying a girl on either side would “even it out,” while Harry and Fleur headed to the clearing that served as their makeshift pitch. “With all the excitement about the engagement, I didn’t get much of a chance to hear about how your work with Gringotts is going,” said Harry amiably. “Is it what you were hoping it would be?” “Oui, eet is just what I was ‘oping for and more,” enthused Fleur, her head leaning back to smile at the sky as the warm sunshine shone down on her. “I am learning so much about curse breaking. There is more to eet than I knew when I applied to work with Gringotts, but it keeps me thinking and learning and growing. And it gives me more time with Bill, which I appreciate. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Are you interested in working as a Curse Breaker?” Harry chuckled. “It sounds interesting, but I don’t think it’s for me. I didn’t take Arithmancy or Ancient Runes as electives, and I figure they both factor into what you’re doing a bunch.” “Runes don’t come up in my work as often as I thought they would, but we do use Arithmancy almost daily,” she looked at him appraisingly. “You still ‘ave two more years at ‘Ogwarts, no? Do you ‘ave any other careers in mind?” “Two more years, yeah. I’m not really sure what I want to do afterward yet, but I think it will probably be something related to Defense. I’m taking Advanced Defense lessons again, and I really liked it last year. I might try working as an Auror or maybe see if I could teach Defense at some point.” “Hmm! I theenk that suits you well.” They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before Fleur turned to him. “‘Ow is your friend doing? The one who was with Viktor?” “Hermione is doing alright, I think. It’s still a bit rough for her sometimes, but she’s doing better about it.” Harry gazed up at the clouds as he wondered if she really was doing better, or if he just assumed she was. “It’s tough to know what to say to her because I don’t want to make things worse.” Fleur pursed her lips and nodded. “I felt the same when my friend lost her mother. I did not know what to say, so I did not say anything about it. It took her a month to finally yell at me that all she wanted was for people to talk about her mother, instead of tiptoeing around as if she ‘ad never existed. “Perhaps ‘Ermione would appreciate the chance to speak of Viktor with someone who knew ‘im, but does not have the words to say that yet.” Harry’s mind flew to a conversation they’d had in the student lounge and how Hermione had been so frustrated by her inability to rein in her emotions. “That seems like it might be helpful for her,” replied Harry thoughtfully. “I won’t see her for another few weeks, though. Do you think I should try writing to her?” “A letter might be a good idea. She would know that you care and that she can talk to you when she needs to.” The raucous group of Weasleys could be heard approaching long before they were visible. Fleur smiled kindly at Harry. “I am glad that she ‘as a good friend like you, ‘Arry. And that I am not the only one trying to find my place in this wonderfully mad family…” |
| Reviews 259 |
Previous Next
|
