A/N: I've been stewing on this new H/G (with some R/Hr thrown in) for awhile. Can't guarantee any sort of speed posting, though with holidays coming up there's a good chance I'll knock some of this out quickly then. Hope you enjoy! I do respond to reviews when you are logged in and have your settings to allow such!

Cake and Candles

Four years after the war

Harry pushed aside one stack of files from in front of him and waved his wand for another to levitate over, dropping with a dull shuffling of papers and manila folders. He sighed, flipping through each case, searching for something, though he didn't know what. Instead, he found one mundane situation after another. None of the files piqued his interest. Of course the head of the Auror department had told him the last week he had to stop doing this. He needed to focus his energies and just slog through, rather than hand selecting his cases. In his defense, he was getting better about it, but late in the day Harry had little patience for what didn't interest him. Especially that night.

"Harry?"

He looked up from the pile of work. Ginny stood, looking at him with a raised brow and a knowing grin. She leaned against the cubicle opening, wearing a sundress and with a neatly wrapped box in her hand. Her hair was tied up in several entwining knots, rather than her usual ponytail.

"Hey, Gin," Harry said. He set aside another file, reading the heading of the next. Centaur breeder in South Scotland. Terrible situation for relations between wizards and the centaur communities throughout the United Kingdom. "You know, I don't think I can go tonight. There's just… so much work here."

Ginny nodded as though agreeing, but Harry knew better. He saw the sarcasm behind it as she moved beside him, picking up one of the files herself.

"Candle rituals at Stonehenge, huh?" she asked. "You better get on that straight away. I'm surprised you didn't just leave me a note."

"That's just something Kingsley showed me for a laugh," Harry said. "Muggle reports like that sometimes get thrown to us by conspiracy nuts in administration."

"Well good, then you can definitely come celebrate Ron's new job with George," Ginny said, her voice with an obnoxious, teasing, chipper edge.

"Ginny, I can't—"

"Harry," she cut him off, turning to lean against his desk. She set aside the gift for Ron and curled her fingers under the edge of the tabletop. "What is this really about?"

Harry sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"We were always in this together," Harry said.

Ginny watched him carefully. She didn't move, her expression safe and interested. She waited.

"Ron and I started together. Even before the Ministry, you know? Ron was my first ally I remembered. I mean, Hermione too, but Ron… Ron was the first one that felt like someone that would be next to me through whatever we did."

"I remember a fair few times the two of you had your troubles."

"But not since school," Harry said. "I know Neville was in school with us and left for McGonagall's official offer last year, but Ron…"

Ginny put her hand over Harry's, squeezing it tightly. "I know," she said softly.

"I'm just going to miss him."

"Well, it's a good thing you're marrying me then," Ginny said. She moved, falling into his lap, arms hanging on his shoulders. Harry wrapped his hands around her waist. "I did always suspect you just wanted to be a Weasley."

"You're not entirely wrong about that," Harry said, grinning as Ginny leaned in and kissed him.

"Come on, then," Ginny said. "Ron's done here whether or not you come. And you know you'll regret not being there."

"Yeah, you're right," Harry said with a sigh. He pushed back from his desk and grabbed his traveling cloak.

"This will be good," Ginny added, taking his hand as they walked down the hall towards the lift. "George is excited to have a partner in the business again, too. And Ron will have a more flexible schedule… and it's actually going to be his own thing."

Harry nodded, holding tight to Ginny's hand, running his thumb along her skin. There were some days he woke up and couldn't believe this was really his life. For so long he had faced some definitive finish line that anything on the other side still seemed an impossibility.

As soon as the war was over, Molly had insisted Harry come to live with them while he figured out what was next. Kingsley had come to talk to Harry and Ron. Any demands they had before joining the Ministry in its efforts were already in the works. He had tried to convince Hermione to work, rather than return to Hogwarts, but she wasn't to be deterred. They mentioned Neville to Kingsley as well, but apparently that was one person they had already considered along with other members of the D.A. Neville was the only one to accept.

Within six months, Harry had helped Kreacher fix up the house on Grimmauld. With Kreacher on his side instead of working against Harry, they had even managed to remove some of the features such as the portrait in the front hall and the house elf heads. That took Kreacher some time to understand why they would want it to be gone, but with Hermione's thoughtful help, they were able to build an underground area in the back garden. This seemed to touch Kreacher, who took care of the rest of the house so quickly that Harry was amazed it wasn't a new place altogether. Ron and Harry moved in, much to Molly's dismay.

Ginny and Harry weren't out of one another's company until she went back with Hermione for their seventh year. They wrote two to three times a week while she was gone as well. Harry worked enough overtime to have nearly a full week off when she came home for Christmas. Ron, ever the loyal friend, worked the same hours. He was pleasantly surprised at the extra time off when it came. After graduating, Ginny spent almost every weekend she wasn't playing for the Harpies with Harry. Hermione moved into the Grimmauld house until six months ago, when Hermione and Ron decided to get their own flat.

Kreacher had died before then. Harry buried him with the memorial of other house elves, laying Kreacher to rest holding the shrunken version of his mistresses portrait, and finally sold the last bit of the Black family estate. He put half of the sale into a vault of money for his godson Teddy. Harry had tried to give it directly to Andromeda, but she refused. Harry put the rest of the money away in an account for whenever he and Ginny bought a house of their own.

Yes, life had a way of ebbing and flowing into its own form of normalcy. Even with less pleasant changes, like Ron quitting so he could become a partner in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Harry felt like he had somehow won the lottery on the life he now lived.

Harry gave a polite nod to one of the receptionists, holding the door open for Ginny. They went to the curb, watching for cars before crossing the street and heading into the alley. At the end of the way they could apparate. Harry lengthened his stride when Ginny tugged on his hand.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny asked, looking behind her.

"Hear what?" Harry asked, following her gaze with his own.

"Shhh," she hushed him, narrowing her eyes and scanning the ground and sky.

Harry looked the same way, unsure of what she was tracking. She had dropped his hand, pulling out her wand.

"Ginny?" Harry said.

Harry was just reaching for his own when a high pitched whirring seemed to grow from the darkness. His eyes widened as Ginny turned towards him, flicking her wand. Harry was shoved to one side of the alley as her own spell pushed her the opposite direction, both slamming into brick as a bright, spinning ball of light shot between the two of them, twenty or so yards beyond where they had stood, shaking the ground as it exploded.

Noise erupted, people apparated between him and Ginny. Harry blocked a curse, sending back a jinx to have the body disapparate and appear again, blocking his path.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted. She was moving back, fighting off two people on her own. Harry twisted, popping up in between the two groups. The others were still pushing him and Ginny apart, forcing them on the offense through their movements.

Harry threw up a long barrier, running along it to get closer to Ginny. The man he had been fighting popped up in front of him, grinning on the other side of the barrier. His face was hidden by his hood, but his mouth was clear, the corners upturned. Harry crossed his wand to the other side of his body, moving at a sharp angle upward. He thought the spell and just as his tip was to strike, there was a series of pops and the others disappeared, no barrier, no others between him and Ginny.

Harry's spell struck Ginny along her jaw, throwing her off balance as his eyes widened.

"No!" he shouted, running forward. The people surrounded him again, someone laughing to his right.

Ginny fell to her knees, shaking as she held her jaw. Harry turned, standing over her, furious with himself. Furious for not seeing what they were aiming to accomplish. Even now, he couldn't read exactly what they were after. And he didn't care, so long as Ginny could get away.

"Ginny, run," Harry whispered, keeping his wand at chest level. There was enough space for one of the three to get to the other side, but they seemed uninterested in it at this point.

Ginny took an unsteady breath and stood.

Harry felt her free hand reach back, touching his leg.

"Go," he repeated quietly.

"No," she hissed back.

Harry was thinking of how he could get Ginny to leave when others appeared, surrounding their attackers. There was a woosh of air and a cacophony of pops, the man pinned to the ground by Hawkins from the department, and others cornered another of the attackers. The third got away, disapparating out of the grip of another auror, but the others were disarmed.

"You alright there, Harry?" Caleb Truman from the general law enforcement team asked, coming closer.

Harry turned around, lighting the tip of his wand and looking at Ginny. There was clearly bruising along her right jaw, speckled all the way up to the corner of her lip. They had waited until Harry issued a particularly nasty hex. He swallowed, trying to contain a shaking fury as he looked at her.

"It's alright," Ginny said, though she twitched away from his fingers, even with the slightest touch. "Harry, really, please it's fine."

Harry turned and marched over to the man. Two different spells held him back as he spat, screaming at the man. He continued to grin.

"Calm down," Truman said. "Harry, you need to—"

"Who is he?" Harry said, turning his attention. Someone else was talking to Ginny now.

"Thicknesse. Leonard," Hawkins said. "We've had a warrant out for him."

"It's not over," Thicknesse said. "The Dark Lord had many plans to continue living on. You may have defeated him, but he has passed on his legacy."

Harry tried to pull his wand again. Hawkins stopped him.

"Look, Potter, we need a statement," Hawkins said. "But the muggles are going to start to notice. We'll take them in—"

"They attacked Ginny," Harry seethed.

"We know," Hawkins replied. "One of the guards at the front desk heard the commotion and notified the night crew. We have it now. You're off."

"No, I'll see—"

"Go attend to your girlfriend, Potter," Hawkins said. A couple law enforcement wizards were taking both of the remaining attackers away. "We have this."

Harry puffed himself up, ready to argue to book Thicknesse and his partner himself. Interrogate him and find out what else they may have been planning. Harry opened his mouth when a gentle hand took his. Harry turned, seeing Ginny.

"Harry, come on," she said, her expression sympathetic. "Everyone's expecting us."

Harry took a steeling breath. Thicknesse grinned at him before being apparated away by two officers. Harry ran his fingers through his hair.

"I have to make a report," Harry said. "Did you—"

"Not yet," Ginny said. "They wanted a written one."

"Let's take care of that," Harry suggested.

He tightened his hold on Ginny's hand and they were lead into a small office on the main floor where they were both able to write their accounts of what had just happened. Harry stopped when he got to the part where the three had maneuvered so Harry himself would hurt Ginny, taking off his glasses and digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. He tried to unsee the way it had thrown her. As he put the glasses back on Harry watched Ginny. Her head was slightly tilted, her red hair falling across the bruises on the right side of her face. She continued to write and he just watched. For several minutes.

"You done?" Ginny asked.

Harry broke out of his stupor. "Almost," he replied

Harry turned back to the report. He summarized what he had left out quickly.

I stood beside Ginny as the suspects surrounded us. Ministry officials arrived and apprehended two of the three suspects. The third left before being apprehended.

Harry signed the paper and they handed them to the woman who was waiting to take them down to the night crew. Harry and Ginny stayed in the room for another quarter hour, trying to get rid of the bruises, though Ginny kept saying it wasn't going to work because of the type of spell.

"I can't take you to your family's like this," Harry said, imagining what the Weasleys would think. Ginny never should have been there with him and, moreover, he should have protected her.

"I'll come up with something," she said, giving up and taking his hand, dragging Harry along.

They arrived at the Burrow, going through the front door. Ginny acted as though nothing had happened and Harry couldn't figure out how to do the same. He hung back as she made the rounds.

"Sorry we're late," Ginny said, all smiles.

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Ginny! Your face!"

"Oh, it's nothing," Ginny said, giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek. Hermione had a horrified look as well, bending to the side to try and get a better look at it. "A couple of us were messing about with a quod after practice and it exploded. Calm down, Mum, it's fine."

Mrs. Weasley had practically exploded on her own at the explanation. Harry stood behind the couch, hands in his robe pockets.

"Didn't they have a medic look at it?" Mrs. Weasley asked, turning Ginny's face in her hand. Ginny was grimacing, but didn't jerk away, still trying to play it down.

"There's nothing a medic could do," Ginny said. "It just needs a good cream and I was out. I figured you would have some."

"Upstairs in the bathroom storage," Mrs. Weasley said. "If I see anything left after you apply the cream, I am taking you to St. Mungo's."

"You're so overdramatic, Mum," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be right back."

She skipped up the steps as Harry watched from the living room.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said, shoving a firewhiskey into his hands. He seemed to have already had one or two of his own. "You alright there?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Harry said, still shaken. "This is a pretty good showing."

"Hawkins said he was going to come for a bit, but sent a note that he was being held up," Ron said. "Something exciting going on at the Ministry tonight?"

Harry swallowed. Ginny would be furious if he blew her cover now.

"Search me," he said, trying to force a smile. "You know, I'm going to make sure Ginny's alright. I'll be right back."

"Don't go snogging for too long," Ron said loudly, George joining in laughing over it. They started shouting a filthy limerick in unison. Harry genuinely smiled at the base of the stairs, wagging his head at the two of them. As he took the steps, Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley below, issuing threats in exchange for their language.

Harry knocked on the bathroom door.

"Just a mo," Ginny said.

Harry turned the handle. It was unlocked. He pushed open the door just a crack.

"It's me," Harry said.

"Oh, come in," Ginny replied.

He pushed the door open, entered, and closed it behind him. Ginny was reading the label on the cream, then twisted the top open. Harry grabbed the container from her and Ginny turned to face him. She leaned hopped up, sitting on the counter. Harry pushed back Ginny's hair gently and she tipped her head so he could see the bruises more easily. She sucked in a breath as he started to spread the cream across her skin.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"It's not your fault," Ginny said.

Harry shook his head.

"I wish that was true. They were just trying to get to me," he explained. "Even if they had done this directly, it would have been my fa—"

"Stop," Ginny said, firm and quiet. She held his wrist still. "Look at me, Harry. This isn't your fault. And I don't want to hear talk like that anymore. We've been through this and you aren't allowed to ditch me because of anyone else."

Harry swallowed and nodded. The first time it came up was when he received written threats against Ginny. Terrible letters detailing what they would do to her to get back at Harry. Ex-Death eaters, trying to keep alive the horrors and terror of the dark lord. It wasn't like Harry hadn't gotten threats like this against his own well being, but that seemed more manageable than if someone followed through on those against her.

Ginny reached up and pulled Harry closer. She took his lips and Harry gently held her close, aware of the pain her jaw must still be in. When their kiss ended, their faces remained close, Ginny's fingers moving up and down his neck.

"You and department will get more of them," Ginny said. "The more stunts they pull, the more of them will be captured until they realize they aren't going to win."

Harry swallowed. "That man said something about Voldemort's legacy continuing," Harry said. "The rumors… you don't think…"

"They're just rumors, Harry," Ginny said with certainty. "There was bound to be something his followers clung to, but you know it's just…"

"That's the thing, I don't know," Harry said.

Ginny framed his face between her hands. Harry lifted one of his own, placing it over Ginny's left hand. He could feel the ring he had bought Ginny six months before. He carried it around for weeks before he found just the right moment, only to fumble through what he had thought to say day in and day out for ages. He should have thought about all of this before ever dragging Ginny into a life with him. Every time he thought it was over, something like this would pop up and Harry wondered what he had done.

"Everything will be okay," Ginny whispered. "Just as long as we're together."

Harry swallowed and nodded, raising his eyes to hers. Ginny was grinning at him, the layer of cream was turning the bruises yellow already. He wondered if she would feel it, even after they disappeared. No amount of logic made him feel any less guilty for hurting her.

"Together?" Ginny asked.

"Together," Harry promised with a nod.


The girl sat in the grass, shivering in the night air, even though it was mid-June. Her bottom lip trembled, but she didn't say anything to her auntie. She didn't want to be yelled at again. Instead, the girl tucked her knees into her chest as a breeze came through. The candles scattered around dimmed, then brightened, then went back to the way they were. The girl watched this with every shift in the air.

The girl's auntie was chanting over and over, the same words.

"Abiit sit virtus eorum, qui obliti sunt, forte ad ad nostrum, tandem vincere… abiit sit virtus…"

The girl mouthed along. "...qui obliti sunt, forte ad ad nostrum…"

There was a pop. The girl looked towards the arrival of the new person. Auntie fell to her knees, her voice softening as she continued.

"Euphemia," the woman growled.

"...tandem vincere… abiit…"

"Euphemia, they got the others!" the woman said.

The girl moved, hiding behind one of the giant monoliths, hands pressed against the stone, the warmth from the day's sun was already evaporating from its pores.

Auntie stopped, taking her time as she stood, pushing back her hood and standing tall, looking at the other woman. The new woman yanked down her robe hood as well, licking her lips. "They got the others," she repeated.

"Of course they did, you idiot," Auntie said. "I told Leo to wait, but you all got drunk on mead and your moronic plans. Thought you were so smart."

"We just wanted to do something," the woman said.

"Then help me," Auntie said, moving closer. She gripped the woman's arm.

"But it could take years," she moaned.

"Then you help me for years," Auntie said. "Otherwise, stay away. All I need is the girl for this. You!"

The girl cringed, walking slowly out from her hiding place. She looked at her feet, moving forward as Auntie curled a finger requesting her come closer. She stood beneath Auntie's stare. She didn't have to see it to feel it.

"Hand," Auntie said.

The girl swallowed. She held out her right hand. Auntie flicked her wand to one of the candles on the outer circle. She fought between wanting to make her auntie happy and the desire to pull away. Her bottom lip trembled as Auntie spread her fingers out, tipping the candle so the hot wax fell onto her skin. The girl breathed deeper, trying to stay still. Auntie didn't like it if she moved.

"Abiit sit virtus eorum, qui obliti sunt, forte ad ad nostrum, tandem vincere… abitt sit…"

Maybe this would be the last time Auntie needed her to do this. Maybe they wouldn't have to come here anymore.