"Not, the whole way." She returned to kiss him passionately "But I need to feel you. I need to feel that…you…really…mean…what…you…said." The last part she said between soft kisses.
"That's fine…with…me," Harry answered between her kisses and so they stayed like this for a moment or two…or rather twenty.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"Where are Harry and Ginny?" Lily asked Rose as they started to gather their things and headed back inside. It was well past midnight.
"They went towards the Quidditch pitch and hour or so ago," Rose answered and vanished the empty bottles towards the kitchen.
"He probably let her ride his broom." Sirius winked at James who snorted.
"I hope you're not talking about my baby sister riding your godson's broomstick," Bill said and glared almost dangerously at Sirius for his comment.
Rose and Fleur shared a knowing look. "Don't worry, Billy. Ginny is far more to pissed off to let him even make a proper move on her," Rose tried to smooth away his fears.
Rose didn't believe her words completely. She knew that it normally took just some mushy sappy words or action from her idiot of a brother for Ginny to become putty in his hands. But after the cheek he had to treat her this way, she hoped Ginny would let him suffer a bit more.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"Thanks," Ginny said and smiled grateful at him after Harry dried her off with a swish of his hand before she put her dress back on.
"My pleasure." Harry did his zip up and Ginny began to redo the buttons on his shirt.
"Yeah, I felt that," she responded cheekily and winked at him as she did the last button. She left the last three ones open, just as he liked it.
Ginny's smile grew even wider as she saw him blushing. He was so adorable. How could she be mad at him after he said and did all those things the last hours.
Sure, not everything was perfect. She was still insecure and not sure how they can find themselves again after what happened but she was very optimistic – in this time every one needed a silver lining.
She knew it maybe was kind of naïve or juvenile but she just couldn't any other way than to love him and trust him. She knew this boy her whole life. She loved him longer than she was even able to walk. Sure, they weren't the same kids they were three years ago, but she knew that their feelings never changed.
Something deep down inside told her that.
The way he showed his feelings for her, she knew that they were true. It didn't matter to her how long they still had together, a month, a year, ten years or even eternity, she would always love him and trust him.
Even when they would just be able to have another hour like the last one, she would never let Tom's taunting words and his memory stop her to love Harry with all her being.
"Do you wanna see the tree house?" Harry pulled her out of her thoughts and already walked towards the huge tree the tree house was built in. Without a respond the just tiptoed over to him and followed him up the wood ladder into the tree house.
As she climbed into the tree house Harry already had lightened up the room. The room measured around 14' lengthways and 11' breadthways.
On the wall across the entrance stood and old sofa with some cushions and blankets on it. In the middle of the room two thick tree branches went through from bottom through the ceiling in a V-form. A small floor hatch was towards the right side where a small table with a record player stood. On the wall next to the entrance and on the left wall were two openings as windows. One overlooked the meadow and the other gave a view into the forest. Even some posters stuck on the wood walls and some old thin curtains over the windows.
"I assume this works due to magic," Ginny remarked as Harry started the record player and Radiohead's song 'True Love Waits' played quietly.
"yep." Harry took her hand and twirled her gently around what caused her to giggle. They started to dance slowly with Ginny's head laying against his shoulder and his cheek resting on her head.
"It's like when we were kids," Harry said "Well, without the snogging."
Both had to chuckle at that and fell silent again.
"That's wonderful," Ginny sighed contently and broke the comfortable silence they swayed in. "hmm." Was Harry's only respond.
With every breath he took he breathed in her intoxication flowery scent that he swore intensified since they came out of the pond.
They stayed like this for a few songs and played around during the more upbeat songs.
"The sun will come up soon," Ginny exclaimed as she looked at Harry's watch.
"We really stayed up the whole night?" "Well, we slept pretty late and you also took a nap," Ginny answered and smiled at him.
"Let's head back and get some sleep." Harry stopped the record player and climbed down the ladder.
As Ginny reached the second last rung he wrapped his arms safely right under her butt and held her up against his body.
"Thank you!" Harry said as he looked up at her and leaned into her hands she rested on both of his cheeks.
"For what?" "For giving me the chance to love you." He pressed his head now gently against her stomach and inhaled deeply.
Ginny raked her fingers through his raven black hair. "I want to watch the sunrise," Ginny said softly after she gave him a moment to calm down. "I'm not tired yet."
Harry's respond was just a nod against her stomach. He inhaled one more time deeply and then smiled up at her again before he put her down on the ground again.
Together they made their way back to the Quidditch pitch where Harry grabbed a broom from the broom shed and mounted it.
"There's no better way than to watch a sunrise from high above." He gestured for Ginny to sit in front of him. She mounted the broom in front of him and he directly encircled her from behind and grabbed the broom in front of her so that her back was tightly pressed against his chest.
"Ready?" Harry asked and Ginny just answered with a breathless "Yes!" in anticipation.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
James awoke to the rather pleasant feeling of his equally naked wife laying on top of him and covering his chest in light kisses.
"Down boy!" she smiled playfully down at him as she leaned now over his face and kissed him. There was no way she could've missed his reaction.
"What did you expect, you know me woman," James responded and playfully smacked her backside.
"You're still as randy and needy as in the beginning." Lily now sat up and James fingers started to draw small circles on her hipbone.
When he fell in love with Lily all those years ago, he would've never imagined his life to be like this. No matter what came into their way, they fought it together and she always managed, even against his wildest dreams, to make him fall in love with her over and over again even more each day. She was just perfect.
It wasn't just her incredible beauty – sure he had to admit he enjoyed that immensely – and the fact that to him she was still the sexiest woman walking this earth. It was her passion and determination he loved about her and everything else that made her the woman which could make him feel like a randy teenage boy from one moment to the other.
"Let's go down and make some breakfast." Lily stood up to James disappointment and walked towards the adjusted bathroom still naked. At the door she turned her head around. "Care to join me for a shower before?" She asked seductively and in the blink of an eye he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the shower.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
What James and Lily saw as they entered the kitchen frankly surprised them. Sitting on the kitchen counter next to the cooker was Ginny with their oldest son standing between her legs and her hands were occupied on his back beneath the shirt.
Lily amused cleared her throat "The pancakes are burning."
Harry wheeled around and faced his parents standing in the door with the same amused expression on their faces.
"That looked cosy," James remarked and winked at Harry as Ginny rearranged her top and put her hair into a lose plait. Harry tried to seem occupied while looking after the pancakes.
"Take a seat in the dining room. We didn't think all of us would fit in here." Ginny said still a bit flushed and took a pitcher full of juice over to the dining room where the table, already filled with a very extensive breakfast, awaited them - just like Daniel and Daisy who were sitting in their highchairs happily drinking their milk.
Lily and James greeted their little ones and joined them at the table.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"We won't ever live that down," Harry said flipping a pancake as Ginny's hand sneaked around his torso from behind.
"They know about us, Harry. There's nothing to hide, or is there? Do you want to…" Harry turned around with a shocked expression.
"NO! Godric no, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, his pancakes quickly forgotten. "I want the whole world to know." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "Never worry about that ever again, alright?" Ginny nodded, smiled at him and received a gentle kiss from Harry.
They finished the pancakes quickly and joined the others in the dining room. Remus, Dora, Bill and Fleur already sat at the table. The conversation at the table was a variation between them catching up and for Fleur and Ginny getting to know each other a bit more.
"I hope you already cleaned the counter, Ruffles," Sirius said as he sat down across from his godson. Which eyes flew open. How did he know that name and what about the…
"To ravish your girlfriend on the kitchen counter where your own mother prepares your meal…tz tz." Ginny choked on her coffee she just sipped on. Harry glanced slightly panicked at Bill who already threw a malic glare back at him.
"Sirius!" Amelia said and lightly punched him on his chest with the back of her hand.
"What? I saw them earlier as I wanted to grab something to drink," he defended himself and added while he leaned slightly over the table towards Ginny.
"And I agree with Harry, that wolf's tattoo would be just perfect on your right…" but before he could finish his sentence Harry charmed a croissant directly into his godfather's mouth.
Before they started to prepare the breakfast, they were in the same position James and Lily found them and shared some passionate kisses and touches while Ginny, just for the fun of it, told him that she thought about having his animagus form as a tattoo.
Harry played along and suggested that she could let do it on her right bum cheek, so he would always have a good reason to look at it.
Well, they thought they were alone.
"You're going to be a horrible father," Ginny said without really meaning it and now it was Amelia's turn to choke on her tea instead of coffee.
"How do you kn…" Amelia started to say but stopped immediately as she realised what she just gave away.
The whole table, even the twins, went dead silent. She closed her eyes and just waited for the big blow.
"Amelia?" Sirius just asked from next to her and without seeing him she knew, just from how he said her name, that he was confused and hurt at once.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Sirius wasn't an idiot so he knew her answer already.
"Sirius, I…" but before she could say anything further he stood up and stormed out of the room.
They all looked uncomfortable at their plates like they would be the most fascinating thing in the world. Except for Amelia.
"Amelia, I'm sorry I didn't know. Somehow it just came to my mind. I'm sorry!" Ginny apologised.
James wanted to stand up and follow Sirius, but Amelia beat him to it.
"Let me, please," she just said and without looking at any of them she followed Sirius up to his room.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
She knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked again. Nothing.
She opened the door to find the room empty but the door onto the balcony wide open and the smell a smoke reaching her nose.
Amelia walked silently across the room and found Sirius standing bend over the handrail smoking a cigarette and staring into the distance.
She just took a deep breath and wanted to say something but Sirius was faster.
"Who is he?" That definitely not what she thought his first question would be.
"What?" she just asked not really getting what he wanted to know.
"They guy you slept with? The father?" Sirius asked turning his head slightly so he could see her standing there with her arms crossed over her belly.
"What?" she just could ask again.
"Come on, at least tell me his name because I know for sure that it's not mine child." And suddenly Amelia became very angry,
"What?" This time it came out rather forcefully.
"My mother took care of it when I was 14. She took care of it that I wouldn't disgrace the ancient and noble house Black with an offspring of mine." He took a strong pull on his cigarette.
"I overheard her and my charming father talking about how she slipped me some infertility potion the previous summer and finished off the last batch just that morning. It was probably in my meals or drinks, I don't know and I don't care." Sirius stood straight again and snipped the cigarette away after he put it out.
"I'm not able to have kids, Amelia. I never was since I'm 14." He rubbed his face with both his hands and raked through his hair.
Amelia felt tears spilling down her face. How could they do this to him? He was one of the kindest, gentlest and most loving persons she knew and she always thought how he deserved his own family and even wished she could give that to him.
Sure, from time to time he was childish and behaved like a total idiot but that made him the man she loved for all these years.
"But I haven't slept with anyone else, Sirius." She took a few steps towards him and grabbed his arm to force him to look at her.
"It's your baby." Amelia laid his right hand onto her already bulging stomach she started to hide beneath with her clothes "Our baby."
"It's not possible, Amy" He looked up from his hand that rested on her stomach into her eyes. Her beautiful eyes he loved so much.
"But it is. I have no idea how, but I swear to you, by everything dear to me, I haven't slept with anyone else the last five years. You were the only one." Amelia interlaced her fingers of her left hand with his and rested them on her bulging stomach again. "You are the only one for us," she added.
Sirius was totally lost. How could this be true? He trusted Amelia with his life, she would never claim it to be his child, if it truly wasn't his. But then how was it possible after the potion he was slipped by his mother.
Even when he really managed to get Amelia pregnant, he just couldn't believe it. When there was one thing he always wanted than to be a dad. He saw how James and Arthur became father's numerous times and with every addition to their huge chaos family, he envied them a bit more.
The closest feeling, he thought he could get to being a father, was towards Susan. He just adored her like his own. She was a part of Amelia and he would move heaven and earth for both of them. Even as he and Amelia hadn't their casual relationship and they just saw each other when Susan stayed with the Potters or she and Amelia visited them, he always kind of got into the role of a father for her.
All the other kids around him had their own dad's and he loved to play their cool and funny uncle, but to Susan he always wanted to give her the same opportunity - since Edgar wasn't able to be there for her.
It was kind of stupid because Susan was one reason he and Amelia didn't start something serious but that was a lie after all. Their friends and family knew about them and they were in almost every sense a couple.
"How…," Sirius tried to get his brain to come up with a proper question but failed.
"I have now idea, but I know that you're going to be the most amazing father I can imagine for our child." Amelia smiled at him with a look full of love and trust.
"You are amazing with Susan and all the other kids." Amelia put both her hand on his cheeks. "And we three love you so much," she added and kissed him passionately.
A shiver ran down Sirius' spine. Never in his whole life did anyone say that to him THIS way.
James and Remus used it like brothers do. Lily and Dora used it like sisters do and Harry and Rose used it like nephew and niece do.
But Amelia, he knew that for certain, used it just like lovers do.
"I love you, Amelia." It was the first time he told her. "I love you so much," he mumbled against her lips without really breaking their kiss. "You, Susan and that little wonder here are my life."
Amelia couldn't stop the tears from falling. It felt like she lived the last twenty years loving him just for this one moment.
"I swear to you, if you ever say something stupid again about me sleeping around, I'll kill you – father or not!" Amelia threatened him.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"How did you know, that Aunty is pregnant?"
Rose, Susan, Ginny and Harry strolled casually down the beach. Everyone wanted to spend the day at the beach today so Lily packed a picnic basket full of drinks and snacks and the whole family made their way down towards the beach.
Daniel and Daisy were happily riding on Sirius in his animagus form – with a good measured sticking charm from their mother – and laughing like mad. The other guys stayed near them and the woman all bombarded Amelia.
After Sirius and Amelia came down again, looking slightly dishevelled with Sirius' buttons done completely wrong and wearing huge smiles plastered on their faces, Ginny wholeheartedly apologised and nearly cut of Sirius air. She told him that he'll be a wonderful dad and every child would be happy to have him as a father.
Sirius nearly cried as James and Remus congratulated him together.
James was the first real family he ever had. From the first moment on they immediately hit it off. He spent most of his summers at the Potters – during the summer holiday, James always lend him his invisibility cloak to sneak out of the house and spend the days with James and every now and then Remus.
Sirius' parents never cared where their youngest son stayed in the big old house, the wards would tell them if he'd leave the property – but under the invisibility cloak, the wards never recognised him leaving for the Potters.
And James' parents adored him like their own.
James and Remus were the only ones he ever told what his parents really did to him. To some extend Lily and Amelia knew the basics too but no one else. And so his family was even more happy for him now.
"I don't really know. I had suddenly such a feeling that Amelia will be a wonderful mother and how totally over the moon Sirius will be as they entered the room and then I just said that to Sirius so…," Ginny tried to explain as best as she could, but truth be told, she couldn't even understand how she knew it.
"I just kind of felt it and…well I don't really know" Ginny sneaked her arm around Harry's waist and pressed herself into his side.
"It's so amazing isn't it? I'm going to be a big sister, well to be exact cousin but you know what I mean." Susan gushed happily and draped her arm casually over Rose's and Ginny's shoulder.
The whole way down to the beach Susan talked nonstop about the baby and the others were happy for their friend that she would finally get what she always dreamed of – her very own family.
"Alright, remember not to use magic out here. We have no idea who will come around," Lily said as they all started to lay down blankets and took off their clothes.
"Oh and Ginny, sweetheart? James will put a charm on you that you'll look like someone else, but not for us."
James came over to her and quickly with a motion of his right hand cast the charms. Ginny felt like someone had just emptied a bucket full of ice water over her head.
"Muuuuum?! Can't you at least cast some sunblock charms?" Rose asked as she caught a sun cream thrown at her from Bill.
"No, you still got two hands for things like this," Lily responded and started to put some sun cream on James back.
"Pretty pretty please, daddy!" Rose tried with a puppy face to convince her dad.
"Sorry darling, but your mother is right," James said "And I don't like sleeping on the sofa." He added after a second and winked at his daughter.
Meanwhile Harry and Ginny just watched and waited till they got their hands on some sun cream.
"Take off your shirt," Ginny said to him and opened the sun cream.
"Let me do you first." Harry took the sun cream and knelt down beside Ginny.
"Help me with the dress, would you?" Ginny asked and turned her back towards him as she sat up.
Harry managed with some difficulties to open up the dress. "How did you manage to put it on?" He asked as he reached the end. "Magic." Was Ginny's only respond.
Harry watched more and more beautiful with freckles adorned skin was revealed. His mind came up with the very enticing idea to kiss and count every single freckle.
Ginny laid down on her stomach so Harry could apply the sun cream more easily on her back. How he applied the sun cream came closer to a massage.
He touched her skin before, especially last night as they snogged their brains out, but she could never get used to all the feelings that would suddenly flood her body or how suddenly everything seemed much more intense.
If he was honest, Harry never wanted to stop touching Ginny. Not because he was a randy teenager and she an amazingly beautiful and attractive witch. No because he seemed to need it just as much as he needed to breath. And he knew, if he could feel the horcrux inside him, it would probably burn like hell with the huge amount of love it had to encounter.
"Turn around," Harry told Ginny with his voice slightly strained. It really took a lot not just to continue where they left off last night.
Ginny complied with Harry's order and laid down on her back. As Harry just stared at her she felt slightly nervous.
Would he now, without the alcohol and in the daylight, still find her as attractive and desirable as he did last night?
"Where's your scar?" he asked and tenderly laid his hand on her left side where Tom's scar was located.
Ginny avoided to look into his eyes so he put a finder under her chin and made her looking at him.
"I always put a concealment charm on it," Ginny admitted quietly. Without saying a word Harry leaned in and kissed her gently.
"I'm sure mum could heal it for good, you just…" but before he could finish she shook her head no almost violently.
"It's a part of me. I'm not proud of it, but it is nevertheless a part of me." Ginny now looked at him with a fierce and determined look.
Receiving that look from her, he knew there was nothing to make up her mind. So he just dropped the matter and returned to applying the sun cream on her but not before he planted nine little kisses where her scar was.
Harry finished Ginny with even one little embarrassing moment as he asked he if he should do her chest too. Ginny had to laugh at how adorable he asked this and reminded him that he already saw her breast and that she still wore her bikini top.
Ginny did Harry's back first too and had to smile wickedly as she felt Harry taking shaking breath after she sat down on his butt to apply the sun cream on his back.
She finished his back and legs and ordered him to turn around as she stood up. He just held up one finger to signalise her that he needed a moment. Ginny just couldn't any other way but to burst out laughing.
"Hey, that's my sister you're thinking about," Bill told him and nudged his shoulder with his foot. Harry's shoulder slumped down even further and he groaned.
As he turned around Ginny smiled innocently down at him and put a hand next to him on his other side so she leaned over him.
"Don't you dare to sit down on me again!" Harry exclaimed and looked pleadingly at her.
Ginny just winked at him, took her hand back and applied the sun cream on him.
"Well that was a show." Susan and Rose shared the blanket next to them and Susan looked at them while Rose applied sun cream on her back.
Suddenly Ginny felt a small wave of longing and desire, as she looked over to her friends, that just quite felt different from what she normally felt.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Harry stretched, removed his glasses and pulled the covers back to lay down.
He settled down in bed and his eyes fell on the new photographs on his wall. There were new group photos from almost every one of his family.
His favourite one was of him, Ginny and Rose on his birthday.
He had his arms around both of them. Over and over again photo-Harry received a kiss on his cheeks from both of them at the same time and Ginny laid her head on his shoulder as they all laughed about something Rose said.
It was one of the few magical photos he possessed.
He smiled as he remembered the last two days. Being with Ginny just made everything seem so alive. Being with Ginny just was everything he wanted. Being with Ginny was like a drug to him that took away the pain and the burden he carried. And he loved her with every moment more he was with her.
Being with Ginny made him himself again.
Just in that moment, as he thought about how wonderful she was, there was a soft knock on the door and Ginny stuck her head into his room.
"Hey!" she smiled as she saw him giving that brilliant smile she loved so much. "Can we talk a minute?"
Harry nodded and without to wait for him so say something Ginny settled down next to him in his bed.
"What did you want to talk about?" Harry asked with a sense of foreboding as he watched her fiddle with the hem of her nightgown.
His mind came up with scenarios where she told him that she couldn't forgive him and that she doesn't love him.
"Iwantedtotalkaboutthelifedebt" Ginny mumbled a bit too fast for Harry to understand it.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that." Ginny took a calming breath and tried again.
"I wanted to talk about the life debt." Ginny repeated now more clearly and threw him a quick glance.
"Ah, yes." Harry leaned casually against the headboard and watched her still not meeting his eyes.
"What are you afraid of?" He asked and brushed her hair over her shoulder that it spilled down her back and he could play with her hair-ends.
"That we don't want the same," Ginny told him quietly that he nearly didn't hear it.
"And that would be…?" "I don't want you to claim me and then HAVE to marry me." Ginny now turned her head around so that she looked at him.
"I don't want to claim you either." Harry's voice was so soft and full of love that Ginny's fear almost instantly vaporized into thin air.
"We got two options. The first is that we just fill out the papers at Gringotts, well just me to be exact, and say that I want to claim you first for the life debt you owe me. Than we would have until the day I turn 17 to marry, either way both our magic would be bound. Option two would be that I'd propose to you and we marry." Harry explained both their options again.
There was a third option, which contained not to act on the life debt at all, but that would mean that Dumbledore and his golden boy would be able to take her away from him again. So option three: Not discussable.
"No matter which option we agree on, it has to be done by the first of September so that we can all return back to Hogwarts as safely as possible." Ginny nodded her understanding.
"I want to marry you, Ginny." Harry leaned away from the headboard again so their faces were now next to each other again. "I really do."
He gave her a soft kiss. "Me too," Ginny responded and interlaced their fingers.
"That wasn't my proposal but if that's really what you want, then we'll do it." Harry added as they smiled like idiots at each other.
"That's what I've wanted ever since I'm six."
"So when we had our first kiss on my seventh birthday, you knew that you wanted to marry me one day?" Harry asked and Ginny just nodded and settled down on her side to face him.
"We don't know for certain how long we still have together. With Tom back I could be just as dead as you the next day, so yes, as long as I have the opportunity to be your wife, I want to marry you." Ginny said and pulled him towards her to kiss him tenderly.
"Oh, and I'm sleeping here tonight," Ginny added and snuggled against his bare chest with her head just above his heart and her hand laying on his stomach. Harry drew small circles on her back.
"I love you, Ginny." Harry broke the silence. He wanted to tell her since he saw her standing in their living room but he never was really sure that she wanted to go through with all of his shit.
He promised himself to tell her and show her how much he loved her every single day they had together.
"I love you too, Harry," Ginny responded and kissed his chest lightly right where his heart beat against her cheek and lulled her into the world of dreams.