Hey guys,
I know it's bee a very veeeeery looooong time but everything came somehow in between and yeah...I hope you don't hate me for the long delay. My expectations on this one are just too high, I know xD
So I hope I can update now frequently again, if I'm creative enough (I have my mind set on monthly updates now) but let's see...
Enjoy!
Chapter XI: Life And Its Normal Problems
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.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Ginny's left hand searched for Harry's next to her. There was nothing.
Her eyes flew open and she panicked.
It was all just a dream and he was gone. He never told her that he loves her and that he wanted to marry her. Everything he did and said was gone. All his kisses and words of love. Gone.
She was worthless.
He was right.
Tom was right.
She started to cry and somehow she couldn't breathe. There was no air to breathe for someone like her.
She was worthless and just a waste of air.
"You're worthless!" Toms words echoed in her mind. "No one's able to love you, Ginevra."
She couldn't breathe.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Harry walked out of the bathroom as he found her. Ginny was crying, gasping for air and shaking like mad.
The room was only lightened by the descending full moon that shone through the windows and bathed the whole bed into a glooming light.
"Ginny?! Baby, what happened?" He rushed over to her and framed her sweaty head with his hands. "Look at me, Baby!"
Ginny's eyes were still wide open without any focus.
She still couldn't breathe. Seeing her like this scared him more than anything else he ever experienced.
"Anapneo!" Harry tried to free her lungs so that she could breathe but there was no change.
Thankfully his mother made them all visit a first aid course when they were younger. Harry opened her mouth with his hands and performed rescue breathing on her.
He started breathing for her.
After two more breaths he felt her inhaling on her own and stopped. His heart was racing like after riding a hippogriff.
"Baby? Ginny, can you look at me? Please!" He brushed her hair away that stuck to her sweaty forehead.
And then her eyes focused on him. They looked like a fire would burn up in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Her chest still heaved heavily.
"Harry," she breathed out "You're back."
"I just went to the bathroom, love." Harry sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap to hold her against his chest. "I never left you. I will never leave you, Ginny."
Suddenly he felt something pulling on his heart. He couldn't promise her that. He still got the horcrux inside of him and had to die. It still looked like he would have to leave her.
How could he put her through this?
Ginny hold on tightly on Harry as he rocked her gently in his arms.
"Everything's good, love. I'm here." He drew small circles on her back "I'm not leaving you, baby. I love you."
Ginny looked up at him with watery eyes. "Promise me?" Her voice sounded so small and helpless.
"I promise that I won't leave you and will do everything to keep it that way."
He kissed her sweaty forehead and felt both their heartbeats calmed down again.
"I love you with all my heart." He wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumbs. "You're my life."
"I heard Tom." They sat together in the hammock on Harry's balcony and watched the sunrise.
Both of them couldn't go back to sleep and as it was already half past five when they relocated outside.
"He can't get to you," Harry said and planted a kiss on her head that was tucked under his chin. "I will protect you with my life."
They fell silent again and shared soft kisses every now and then.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
The next two days went by uneventfully. Ginny started her mind training with Severus and Harry was ordered to take it slow with his work out.
Ginny and Rose also managed to talk James down to start teaching them to become animagi.
Life settled down in his usual chaos in the Potter household again. There were moments when Ginny missed her own family terribly but the knowing that sooner or later she would have them back was comfort enough for her right now.
After her panic attack the other morning Harry and Ginny talked to his parents and told them about it. They agreed that it would be alright with them that Ginny moved into his room and them sharing a bed.
Rose couldn't supress her teasing comments every now and then.
She understood that Harry and Ginny needed their time to collect themselves and all of that so she wasn't angry with them for spending not that much time with her.
Instead she and Susan spend a lot of time together and neither of them complaint about it at all.
Tonight everyone would get together to talk about the recent topics and developments.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Due to how many people stayed for dinner this evening they were all gathered in the dining room. Everyone who was there for Harry's birthday was there. Beside Severus and Charlie who joined the group this night.
The latter delighted Ginny a lot. She flew into his arms the moment he walked into the room and she immediately ordered him to tell her everything he was up to the last three years.
So after Charlie and Ginny caught up Charlie told everyone about their Parvusdragons at the reservoir. Ginny dragged him off to show her the little dragon.
She and Harry discussed how they should name him but couldn't agree on one name the other day. In the end Ginny named him Tantus and told Harry that he had to live with it. He just said that in naming their kids, he wouldn't give in that quickly.
Just the fact that he considered having kids with her made her giddy. What followed was a very intense snogging that left Harry taking a cold dive in the pond by the tree house where they spend that afternoon.
As tea and pudding was served James and Amelia started to update everyone what's going on at the ministry since they last came together.
"Sirius and me just need two more votes for sure so that we can let Fudge be removed from office," James finished after he went through all the members of the Wizardgamot they had on their side.
"There's now just the problem with our new candidate." He continued but was interrupted by Sirius.
"It's not a 'problem'." Sirius said annoyed. "The fact that Amelia is pregnant won't change the mind of those we got on our side."
"Yes, but it'll change how people will see her." Severus threw in and received a deadly glare from Sirius. "They will ask if a heavy pregnant and mother-to-be can lead their world. Granted, you two and Amelia changed a lot in our political system but not directly in the people's head. Either way Fudge wouldn't still be in office."
"Severus is right," Lily said. "But nevertheless Amelia is the best choice for the job. When it comes down to it now people will vote for her. Not even Dumbledore or Augusta would vote against her as it's also in their own interest."
"And I told all of you that just because I'm pregnant and a mother-to-be, I'll still meet my responsibilities," Amelia said and looked from one to the other. "I'll just be one month before and after the delivery not active in office. But this two month my very qualified assistant will take over."
A long time ago they all agreed that Arthur Weasley would be the best choice as Amelia's assistant when she'd get into office. He had a brilliant mind and the sense of justice and loyalty a Ministry of Magic they wanted to build needed.
"Alright, so is anyone against it, that we make our move the next session of the Wizardgamont in November?" All around the tabled shooked their heads no.
"How's the horcrux front?" Ginny asked and Harry tensed up immediately.
She sensed his uncomforting and laid her hand on his thigh. "Sorry, I just…" "It's okay." He gave her a weak smile and brought her hand to his lips.
"Dumbledore still doesn't know for sure what they are. He got his presumptions. One more far away than the others from the truth," Severus answered and looked directly at Harry. "He assumes that the Longbottom boy could have a part of Riddles soul inside him, but the lack of connection the boy shows towards Riddle is irritating him."
"Riddle at the same time doesn't know anything about the state of his soul pieces. He hasn't told anyone about them and seemed to be sure that no one would ever find them."
"Idiot!" Dora and Ginny said at once and had to laugh.
"Either way," Severus ignored their comment and continued "The curse Dumbledore was hit with is still spreading."
"What curse?" Ginny asked confused.
"Dumbledore was looking for a horcrux. He made it to the place the horcrux was located but Tom placed curses on it and around the place," Bill explained "Just a fully trained curse breaker or the person who did them could break through the curses. Dumbledore is powerful but there are things even he doesn't know."
"What does the curse?" "It's killing him." Bill answered flatly "And I can't even feel bad for him."
Bills comment received understanding nods and grunts. "He did things to our family that I could never forgive him and somehow he deserves it."
"He got a year left at the most." Severus added.
"Does that mean that the spell he put The Burrow under will break?" Ginny already thought ahead.
"Yes, firefly. The spell would break the moment he dies." Bill smiled weakly at her.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
It was a bit later that evening that found Ginny browsing through Harry's bookshelves. He was meanwhile in the bathroom and got ready for the night. Ginny went first so she was now looking for something to read.
Her eyes fell on a book that lay on top of some others. Ginny took it out and read the title.
"The Kamasutra" Ginny read out loud and turned the book over. The red cover with its golden ornaments held nothing but the title.
She shrugged and walked over to the bed and settled down at what became her side of the bed.
Ginny took the book and read the first page. With every word of the introduction her eyes got a bit wider and it dawned in her what this book probably was about.
She gulped and haphazardly turned to another page. The position the people in the picture were in just didn't look physical possible to her.
The way he held her…and how she bent…
Just as she stared at another page, she randomly opened up and turned the book around so that she could decipher anything, the door to the bathroom opened and Harry walked towards the bed.
"What are you reading?" he asked and settled down next to her.
Ginny didn't hear him before but now she came out of her state and quickly shut the book before he could get a glimpse as it and shoved it behind her cushion.
"Nothing." She felt herself blushing so furiously that she was sure he could see it even with the dim light.
"Come on, love. It can't be that bad," Harry said nuzzled her neck and fished at the same time for the book under her cushion.
She just wanted to say something as she felt the book escaping her grip.
"No, Harry really it's…" but too late.
"The Kama…" Harry's started to read the title but stopped.
Ginny already pressed a cushion to her head and just wanted to disappear. She expected to follow an embarrassing silent but instead she heard him laughing out loud.
Not believing his reaction she took the cushion from her face and stared at him.
"That's not funny," Ginny said irritated and threw the cushion at him. "I mean, this is your book. So why do you even own something like that?"
"Dora gave it to me with other books on…" he held up a picture that looked much more like a workout exercise than two people having sex. "body and mind training."
"Still not funny!" she said now also laughing.
"Look at that, this is not even possible!" She showed him one of the pictures that caught her attention earlier.
"You're right. Most of this positions can't be comfortable," Harry said and turned over another page as they still laughed.
"All of those position in there…" Ginny said through the laughter as they continued to look through the book.
"Oh look!" Harry pointed at one picture "This looks feasible."
Ginny snorted, took the book away to lay it on her night-stand and straddled him.
"Yep, that's easy." She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Harry placed his hands on her hips and drew her closer to him. They closed the little distance between them and kissed each other passionately.
"Easy and good," Harry said as he planted open mouth kisses down her throat and over her collarbone.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
At the same time somewhere in the countryside of the lovely county of Wiltshire a lonely fox made its way through the dense undergrowth.
This was the place of his anger. Every time he chased his easy prey they just disappeared into thin air right in front of him. He never did another step forward.
Ever since he was born he learned that this forest was special. Things just disappeared or appeared or strange lights flew through the trees.
He hadn't something to eat the last three days so he was really desperate to see what would happen if he took that step forwards and disappear. He would be where all his prey ended, wouldn't he?
So the lonely and very hungry fox did one step more and a chill ran down his spine. Everything looked just the same with the exception of that huge stone house that stood there in front of him.
He knew this forest in and out and never saw this house.
He skulked carefully towards the house. His sense caught the smell of fresh meat and the promise of a rich meal.
After a few steps he pricked up his ears. There was something moving behind him across the ground.
The last thing the lonely and hungry fox saw were two yellowish green eyes with a huge jaw beneath that welcomed his meal with beautiful long fangs and a slithering tongue.
Now he was really where all his prey ended.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Lord Voldemort watched his beautiful snake enjoying her meal from the window of the huge ballroom inside of Malfoy Manor. Behind him his inner circle was gathered around.
"You all did well tonight. Tonight you rid the world of poor excuses that called themselves wizards and witches. You helped our world to become a better place." He turned around and his burning red eyes sparkled from the fire that lit the room.
"It won't be long now till the boy will join us. The chosen one, as he is called these days, will join our ranks sooner than later. Everyone who believed in him shall kneel down at my feet. Dumbledore that old fool the first one to do the honour." Lord Voldemort walked towards the middle of the room.
"Together with the help of your grandson I will destroy Harry Potter. All of you fools followed Dumbledore blindly. But he was wrong." With a motion of his wand he caused the old and beaten form raising from the floor so that he could look into her eyes.
"You and everyone else believed him that your grandson would be anything special, but he isn't," Lord Voldemort laughed maniac into the face of the form that used to be once a feisty and stubborn Augusta Longbottom. "Not yet at least."
"Yaxley, take some of her hairs and bring them down to the lab." Everyone in the room watched as Yaxley ripped out a handful of the woman's hair "You can join the others with Bella when you're done." Lord Voldemort added and Yaxley walked out of the room.
"Wormtail, take her to her room." The little man levitated the old woman out of the room and passed Severus who just wanted to walk into the room.
"Ah, Severus. Yaxley just brought some new hairs form our guest to your lab. They should be enough for another month." Severus walked with his usually stoic face towards his place. "I think you don't mind that I inform you that you can't join Bella and the others tonight. But I think Narcissa would be there if needed."
Lord Voldemort despised all this physical desire. For him it was just a waste of time and energy, but he had to admit that even he gave in and spent the night with Bellatrix every now and then.
Bellatrix gave herself to everyone. Narcissa was more difficult.
He just started to use her for his followers after her husband failed him again. The little Malfoy would be just as useless as his father so he didn't even try to involve him in anything.
"Thank you, my Lord." Severus hated to play the role of his loyal servant.
He had to play it but he hated it.
"Now leave me alone!" Voldemort ordered his followers out of his sight. Most of them followed Bellatrix while few others made their way home.
Severus did neither. He walked through the huge manor towards the east wing.
After a meeting of the inner circle she would always wait for someone in her room. Especially after a successful mission like today.
He knocked on the door and without waiting for a respond he walked into the room.
Like always she sat in the armchair by the fire and read a book. She looked up and her face lit up. Severus never did anything to her.
"How many tonight?" she asked as she closed the book and watched him sitting down in the other armchair.
"None. They all followed Bellatrix." He watched her carefully. He knew that she stopped loving her sister a long time ago.
"How was your day?" Severus asked and Narcissa had to smile at that. He and Draco were the only ones that managed to make her smile like that these days.
She called her house elf to bring them some tea and biscuit and she lost herself in their conversation.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Harry woke up with the same wonderful feeling of Ginny in his arms and their limbs one big mess.
He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her wonderful flowery scent. Ginny shifted slightly and moved her leg that was nestled between both of his.
"You know that it's creepy that you like to sniff at me like a dog, right?" Ginny mumbled against his chest half asleep half awake.
"I don't care," Harry responded and started to kiss her awake completely.
A bit later they both stood freshly showered in front of the mirror in the bathroom.
"What are you doing there?" Ginny asked forcefully and stopped brushing her hair as she saw what Harry wanted to do.
"Shaving?!" Harry was a bit confused. His confusion just increased as Ginny took the razor away from him.
"Don't!" she said and gently brushed over his three-day stubble "I like it like that."
"You sure? I thought it would be to scratchily for you." Ginny shook her head no and kissed him along his jawline.
She smiled mischievously at him "I like you hairy."
"That was the worst pun EVER!" Harry responded through his laughter.
There was a knock on the bedroom door and after their synchronized "Come in!" Lily walked into the room.
"Morning you two," She said and smiled at the two teens who emerged the bathroom. "Harry, your father wanted something from you in the study."
"I'm already on my way." Harry gave a silent salute, kissed his mother's cheek and walked out of the room.
"You need to shave!" Lily called after her who just chuckled at his mother's comment as he descended the stairs.
"Can I talk to you, sweetheart?" Lily asked after she closed the door and walked towards the hamper to vanish the washings towards the laundry.
"Sure." Ginny sat down on the bed and looked at Lily expectantly.
"You know that James and me don't have any problem with you and Harry sharing a bed." Lily sat down next to her and gave her a smile. "By the way I wanted to thank you for bringing the old Harry out of him. It's good to have him back."
Ginny smiled back at her. "I didn't do anything. I was just me."
"And you're everything he needs." Ginny had to blush at Lily words. She knew it but somehow being told by other made it so much more real.
"Either way, preventing you from the inevitable would be just a waste of time and energy. You two would've ended up in one bed one way or another. You two had your own minds even as kids" Lily nudged Ginny's shoulder and continued.
"But to allow you to sleep together in one bed never meant to allow you to make us grandparents, yet." Ginny felt a blush creeping up her neck.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not here to tell you to stop whatever you're doing with my son. Because whatever that is you're good at it and it makes him very happy so I'm here to help you," Lily said gently and draped one arm over Ginny's shoulder.
Ginny relaxed visibly.
"I take it that your mother didn't talk to you about sex and everything else involved?"
"No, after my first year she treated me like an infant." Ginny huffed and looked down at her hands.
"Hey," Lily tilted her head up so that she looked at her again. "We'll get your family back. But right now you and me need to talk. So…ehm…did your menses start?"
Ginny nodded. "Two years ago. I was at Hogwarts so I went to Madam Pomfrey and she told me everything about that."
So Lily skipped that part of the talked and jumped directly to the basics of sex and how she could make it as comfortable for her and Harry as possible. Nevertheless, Lily took a lot time to tell the younger with about the importance of all the emotional aspects involved.
Half an hour later both of them walked out of the bedroom with her night-stand containing a few vails of contraceptive potion. Each potion would last eight hours.
"You know, telling you all of this and knowing that it will be my own son you will experience this with is slightly disturbing," Lily said and wrinkled her nose as they walked down the stairs.
"The same here," Ginny confessed "But thank you, Lily. I'm very happy to have you. All of you." Ginny hugged the older witch who was like a mother to her and yet in so many ways more like a very good friend.
"You're welcome, sweetheart." Lily returned the hug.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"Dad? Do you know if Bill is free this afternoon?" Harry asked as he and James walked out of the study.
"You know that he's waiting for you to talk to him?" James turned to his son and had to smile at his son's embarrassment.
"Yeaah…," Harry hesitated and raked through his hair "I know…"
"Don't worry, son. He won't kill you." James tried to calm him down.
"When I remember correctly he's at home today. So go and we'll meet at the grocery store in" James looked at his watch. "thirty minutes should be enough."
Harry just nodded, thanked his father and walked back towards the study to floo over to Bill's.
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
Harry landed safely in Bill's and Fleur's flat with his hand covering his eyes.
"Everyone dressed?" he asked into the room cheekily.
Fleurs sweet laughter made him uncover his eyes and greet her. "Good luck!" Fleur said and winked at him.
"Took you long enough, Potter." Harry gulped, inhaled deeply and squared his shoulders.
There was one other person that was as equally protective of Ginny as him and that was the person that threw death glares at him.
"Let's go outside." Bill said and walked over to the patio. He turned around and stared at Harry.
"Bill I really love her you know that. I would die for her and I would rather cut out my eyes than to hurt her." Billy nodded his understanding.
"I know what I did to her was stupid and I was a total dick, BUT she's my life, Bill." Harry looked him now directly in the eye. "I want to marry her. I have no idea how much time I've got left but I know that I want to make her happy every single second of it."
Harry took a deep breath and waited.
"You know, my answer would be no today." Bill said calmly. Harry's eyes got as big as saucers and he spluttered unintelligible things.
"Ginny needs you just as much as you need her. She is who she is just with you by her side. Which I still don't understand completely but nevertheless" Harry was totally confused. This didn't make any sense, him saying 'no' and then THIS.
"I mean I would say 'no' to destroying the ring and resurrection stone. Keeping you alive with every chance there is, is more important than beating Dumbledore."
Harry breathed out a breath he didn't realised he hold and relaxed visibly.
"So, yes. You got my blessing to marry Ginny," Bill said smiling broadly and hugged Harry brotherly.
"But don't you dare to knock her up anytime soon." Bill threatened just half joking. "I know the deepest and most secrets tombs in France. You would never be found!"
~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~
"Wha di you ge fom yoa da?" Ginny asked while brushing her teeth.
"What?" Harry asked as he stood up from where he sat on the floor after he meditated.
Every morning after he woke up and every night before he went to bed he meditated to clear his mind and keep his occlumence shields up so that Tom couldn't get into his head.
"I said, what did you get from your dad?" she dried her mouth and walked towards her night-stand to get one of the vials out Lily gave her earlier ad threw it towards him. He caught it out of air just like a proper seeker.
"Oh…ehm…well we just talked and…" Harry beat around the bush. As he looked down at the vial in his hand.
"Come on. It can't be as bad as your mother giving your girlfriend tips on her sex life." Ginny had to roll her eyes at Harry.
"Girlfriend?" "What?" Ginny asked back confused.
"You said you're my girlfriend." Both of them stood next to the bed on their sides and stared at each other.
"I did. And I mean I AM your girlfriend," Ginny responded still confused and pulled the covers back.
"The last time you said, we were 'we' for now and we never really said it and…" Harry rumbled on still staring at her.
Ginny smiled at that. "Harry, that was five days ago. The last five days we did things with each other I would've never done if you weren't my boyfriend." She crawled over and kneeled on the bed in front of him.
"Being 'we' somehow always meant to be together, didn't it?" She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She knew that he never slept with anything else but some sweatpants on.
"You're so perfect," Harry said huskily and wanted to kiss her but she let herself fall back onto the bed.
"Nugh-ugh. First you show me what your father gave you." Harry sighed and pulled the first drawer of his night-stand open and threw a little box at her.
"Mum gave you THE potion I assume?" Ginny just nodded as she inspected the box with a frown. Meanwhile Harry settled down in bed lifting her legs so that he could lay down under the covers.
"What are those … things for?" she asked and looked at him. So Harry explained it to her in a more general and shorter version of what his father gave him this morning.
She gave him the box back and settled down in their usual position.
"What did you and your dad do the rest of the day beside the daily purchase and buying condoms?" Ginny asked while she felt her eyelids becoming quite heavy.
"Nothing really. Just looking around." Ginny felt that he wasn't telling her something.
"What are you hiding, Potter?" He shrunk under her calculating glare she was giving him from looking up from his chest.
"Nothing. Really it was just…" he looked at her and sighed frustrated. "Alright, if you need to know, it was something for your birthday."
Suddenly Ginny's whole face lit up and she smiled at him like a Cheshire cat. Without another word she gave him a soft but lingering kiss and settled down in his arms where she fell asleep almost immediately.
