Hi Everyone :D This is a piece I wrote a coupe of years ago, and I'm only getting around to publish now! Please let me know what you think of it in the reviews!
THE CALL
A leaf fell gently on to the soft grass in the clearing. For more than two years, no human being had placed foot in this part of the forest. There was no sign that it had ever been a place which had made history. The last time, one of the last to leave the clearing was Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was walking towards the clearing. His eyes were on the forest floor, wand out, as if looking for something. By his side, a beautiful red haired witch was doing the same. A few feet behind them, Ron and Hermione were also looking. Occasionally, one of them would pick up a rock, almost the size of a snitch, examine it, consult Harry and then, throw it over their shoulder.
When Harry entered the clearing, he stopped mid-step. This wasn't a place he liked to even think about, much less talk about. This was the place he had gone to thinking that he was going to die. He had walked in willingly, ready to die; he had left it in Hagrid's hands, ready to fight again.
He didn't think he had the courage to face it again. But once he had thought of it, there was no backing out - they needed something he had left here. They wanted it desperately. The price to be paid for it was minimal. Or that was what he had initially thought, sitting in his room.
Sensing his hesitation, the witch glanced at the couple behind her. As Ron and Hermione moved off to look in another direction, she placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He started at the touch.
"I'm fine," he said, as he took her hand. "Come on... Let's finish this."
They kept looking, not releasing each other's hands.
"Are you sure this is the place, mate?" Ron asked after a few minutes of searching.
"Ronald!" Hermione glared at him. "Harry knows what he's doing."
"I know, love, but look at the place! It looks like no one's ever been here!"
"If you ever listened to me about reading Hogwarts, A History, you'd know why! The forest has magic as well!"
"There's no point reading it, I can just ask -"
"If you two have stopped your bickering?" the witch cut in from a distance. She was kneeling down beside Harry, who seemed to have found what he was looking for. Ron and Hermione quickly joined them.
"Are you sure that's it, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly, seeing the rock in his hand.
"Positive," Harry said, smiling for the first time since they entered the clearing.
"But don't you want to test it?" Ron asked as the four stood up, brushing grass off their robes.
"I'm sure I can recognise the Resurrection Stone when I see it, Ron," Harry said with a smirk. "Come on, Ginny," he said, turning to the smiling witch at his side, eager to leave the Merlin forsaken place now that they found what they came for. "We've got a wedding to finish planning for."
The morning of the wedding of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley saw a flurry of activity in and around The Burrow. A Fidelius Charm had been placed to prevent the large number of people who had wanted to attend access to The Burrow during the wedding. The garden had been de-gnomed and primmed up, the marquee had been set up, the food had been prepared and the house had been given an all-round clean up. Even the shed had been emptied of its "muggle junk" by Mr. Weasley as his wife stood over him. What she didn't know was that all the junk was now in a bag which Hermione had charmed with an undetectable extension charm.
Harry and Ron snuck out of their room and headed towards the recently emptied shed behind the Burrow. Hermione was waiting for them outside.
When Harry reached her, she waved her wand over him in a complicated manner without much ado.
"What was that for?" Harry asked, not feeling anything different.
"You'll see," she said, smiling mysteriously as she led the boys inside the shed.
Looking around, Harry noticed Ginny wasn't there. That was wrong, he thought, she was supposed to be here. He finally turned back to the door. "So where is she, Hermione?"
Hermione started laughing openly now, while Ron just looked confused. "What're you talking about, mate? She's right in front of you!"
"Don't be stupid Ron, there's no one here!" Harry said, waving his hands out in front of him. "See, what did I tell -"
His hand had touched something. Odd, there was nothing he could see. He tried to find it again, and managed to grab a hold of the invisible object in front of him, which he felt was a human shoulder.
"Ginny?"
"I wondered how long you would take to find me!" Ginny said, a smile evident in her voice, as she took Harry's hand in both of hers.
Harry was outraged at the turn of events. "What did you do, Hermione?" he asked, glaring at his best friend.
She was, surprisingly, annoyingly, still laughing. "You don't think I'd let you see each other before the ceremony? Molly would kill me!"
Ron was still looking confused. "What in the world is going on?"
"Oh Ronald, do try to keep up sometimes," Hermione said, still giggling. "I cast a disillusionment charm on them."
"So why can we see them?"
"It was Hermione's idea," Ginny said. "She came up with it. I thought it was brilliant, but now, it's just annoying. So it's only me and you who can't see each other, Harry," she said, giving his fingers a slight squeeze. "If Mum walks in on us, she's gonna see us together."
"If she has reason to come here, we're dead anyway," Harry chuckled. "I'm not gonna thank you, Hermione. I came here thinking I was gonna see Ginny. I haven't seen her for twelve hours and - " he consulted his watch, " - seventeen minutes!"
"Oh, don't worry, you'll thank me later," she said, giggling as Ron put his arm around her, still looking at her in awe.
"I wish I could see you," Ginny whispered. Harry leaned in to try and kiss Ginny, but Hermione screamed, "No!"
"What, Hermione?" Ginny snapped angrily, eyes flashing at her.
Hermione faltered. "Well, you can't see each other," she said, hesitatingly. "You'll ruin your makeup."
"As if I care -"
"Stop it, Ginny," Ron cut in. "She is doing this for the two of you, you know."
Ginny took a deep breath, calming down, while Harry looked at Ron in amusement. "Never thought I'd see you standing up to Ginny when she's angry."
"Had to happen someday, mate," Rom smirked. He took out something from his pocket. "Go on, guys, we haven't got much time."
Harry took the stone from him. Holding it together, Harry and Ginny turned it over thrice in their hands.
All at once, they saw people gathered around them, more than there were actually present. Everyone they had expected was there.
Ginny, who had never experienced the effects of the Resurrection Stone before, stood uncharacteristically still as Harry addressed the couple closest to them.
"Hi Mum, Dad," Harry said, his voice breaking.
James Potter looked like his twenty-one year old self. His hair was as messy as his son's, and his rectangular glasses were lopsided. His hazel eyes were full with laughter and inherently happy. One hand was tucked into his jeans pocket while the other was casually thrown around his wife's shoulders.
Lily Potter smiled widely as she walked forward, green eyes already brimming with tears, red hair bouncing with every step.
"Harry..." Lily reached out to him, trying to feel him. One hand wrapped around the stone in Ginny's hand, Harry pulled her forward, finally reaching his mum, but unable to feel her fingers.
"Hey son. Did anyone tell you that you look like me?" James was saying, smiling slyly with a twinkle in his eye.
"I think somebody mentioned it a few times," Harry said, while the whole room burst into laughter.
"Mum, Dad, this is Ginny," Harry said, pulling her forward to meet them. Ginny greeted them.
"We've heard all about you, of course. You look wonderful, dear," Lily smiled, making Harry grumble.
"At least you can see her," he said, sullenly.
James laughed heartily. "Won't be long now, and then you'll get to see her.
"Where's Sirius?"
As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, a large black dog bounded into the room, skidding comically to stop just short of James. The snowy owl perched on it took off in response, and as the dog began to change into a man, she soared above Harry and Ginny.
"Hey Snuffles..." Harry grinned, as he reached up to 'ruffle' Hedwig. She hooted back in a playful manner.
Sirius Black looked unlike Harry had ever seen him - a person who had never seen the face of Azkaban, let alone spend twelve years in that hell-hole of a prison. His face was at least ten years younger than what it had been that fateful day at the Department of Mysteries. His silver eyes were alight with a mischievous smile. At the moment, he was growling.
"I'm not Snuffles now, Harry, get your names straight!"
"Aww come on Snuffles, it's a cute name!" Ginny smiled at him, as James and Lily sniggered.
"You know, I came up with that name, I have the right to decide who gets to use it!"
"Now we know you're still thinking like Snuffles... You aren't making any sense! I came up with that name!" Remus said, chuckling away with Tonks at his side. Harry and Ginny turned to them.
Tonks looked like... Tonks. Not a day older or a shade less colourful. In contrast, Remus didn't look like Remus at all. Like Sirius, he seemed to have become younger, and there were no scars marring his face.
"I hope we're doing a good job of taking care of Teddy," Harry finally said.
"Of course you are Harry," Remus said. "We always knew you would."
"Sometimes it feels like I should be there with him," Tonks said, a longing in her voice. Lily had come forward to put her hand on Tonks' shoulder. "Then I see him with you two," she smiled, "and I know that if he couldn't have us, he's lucky to have you."
Harry and Ginny, both unable to express their feelings in words, only nodded tearfully.
"Aww Dora, Moony, cut it out! It's their wedding day! You're making them cry!"
"You were always the clown, Sirius," Tonks replied cheerily. "Why don't you make them laugh? You could try catching your own tail, or rolling over."
"Very funny."
"Oh Harry, meet the new Marauder!" James suddenly yelled, pulling forward a very familiar ginger, who was grinning mischievously.
"Fred!" Harry and Ginny both exclaimed together as they tried to hug him. They looked around to find Ron, only to see that he and Hermione had stepped out of the room.
"Thanks for telling me my name, guys. For so long, I thought this large 'F' on my jumper meant my name was Forge!" Fred winked at them. They smiled, remembering a Christmas long gone.
"Forgetting us, Gin-Gin?" came two voices from the back. Two men emerged, identical down to their clothing and large grins.
"Uncle Gid? Uncle Fab?" Ginny's eyes went wide once she saw them, and forgetting everything, ran towards them, leaving the Stone in Harry's hand.
Harry started to call her back, knowing the Stone only worked with those in direct contact with it, but saw her interacting with her twin uncles comfortably. He frowned at the Stone.
"Confused, Harry?" An overly familiar, calm voice made him look up into eyes a shade of blue Harry thought he'd never see hidden behind half-moon glasses again.
"Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore smiled, observing the Stone over his half-moon glasses. "Do go and meet them before I start rambling like the old man I am," he smiled, allowing Harry to go and greet the uncles he had never met.
"I have your watch," he said, pulling it out of his robes to show Fabian.
"Ah, the memories with this thing. Gid and I dented our watches on the first day!"
"Only because you wanted to experiment with them!"
"Yes, but you could have cast that cushioning charm more effectively!"
"And you could have concentrated on the levitation charm instead of the cake Molly was making!"
"The point being, they're dented!" Fred yelled as he joined them. Harry walked back to his parents and Dumbledore, giving Ginny some time with her family.
"So, how is the stone still working, Sir?"
Dumbledore looked like he was thinking hard. "The Stone has wonderful properties. When two people activate it together, it works only until both are in contact with it."
"So... It shouldn't be working now," Harry gathered.
"But it is," Sirius interjected. "You can see us, can't you? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Thank you, Sirius, but I'm sure he can see us, since we were just conversing," Dumbledore chuckled, as James and Remus sniggered along with Lily and Tonks, only to find Sirius grumbling.
"This is a most unique case," Dumbledore mused. "And I can only guess at the reasons."
"Which means, Sir, that you know exactly what is going on," Ginny said, from the other side of the room. "Harry, where are you?"
"Er, near Mum and Dad?..." Harry said, as he reached forward.
When Ginny reached Harry, once again clasping hands around the Stone, Dumbledore continued. "I believe that the Stone can, up to a certain extent, read the souls of the person who is calling souls from the dead. As such, it may be able to sense both your souls, and recognize the two of you as true soulmates," he smiled at the couple's blushes, as did everyone else in the room.
"So I think it may allow the two of you to interact with us, even when only one is in contact with it."
"That's nice to know," Ginny said. "Who knows what we would have done during the ceremony? Speaking of which..."
"Oi! Mum's gonna blow up any minute now if you two don't hurry up," Ron and Hermione had come back in.
"It would have been a lot quicker if you didn't do this annoying charm, Hermione," Harry grumbled.
"You're not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony starts," Ron said indignantly, before Hermione could respond.
"Didn't stop you from visiting Hermione under Harry's invisibility cloak on your wedding, did it?" Fred put in slyly.
"Is that where it went?" Harry smirked, as Ginny tutted at her brother's antics and the Marauders fell about laughing. "You should have told me sooner, Fred... I'd have teased him silly."
"Fred?" Ron whispered, suddenly serious. "He's here?"
"He's standing right behind you, Ron," Ginny said softly.
She was partially right. Fred had positioned himself back-to-back with Ron, and then leaned backwards until his head and torso were leaning out of Ron's chest.
"I miss you too, Ronniekins!" Fred yelled loudly, pretending to throw his arms around Ron.
This was apparently too much for the Marauders, who had pulled their wives onto the ground as well, rolling all over laughing. Harry and Ginny chuckled at the sight.
"WHERE ARE THOSE BOYS?"
The room went quiet. Those still rolling on the floor went still, waiting for the next explosion.
"IF I FIND THAT THEY SNUCK OFF TO MEET THE GIRLS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AT THE END OF THE DAY!"
The quartet groaned.
"Ah, Molly," Gideon and Fabian smiled.
"Same as ever," Fred chuckled.