A/N: Thanks again to my wonderful betas, StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent. Gorntip's name comes from my favourite tv show when I was little - just a little nod to that show :)
August 7 - 19, 1997
"You're sure you're okay?"
Sirius smiled at the concern in his son's voice. "I'm fine. Andromeda wants me to stay until at least tomorrow. I've been up and around. I'm feeling fine. So what are you doing today?"
"I'm not sure," Harry said into his mirror. "Bill said something about a surprise. I don't know."
"Excellent," Sirius replied. "I'm going into Gringotts today to take care of some head of house stuff. Since I officially proclaimed myself as head of the house of Black, I have some papers to sign. I have to look over all of the investments my father made and I imagine I'll be changing a lot of his choices."
Harry laughed. "Yeah, be sure you change all of his Muggle hating choices. Oh, I know, just buy some Muggle companies, I'm sure your dad would love that."
"I will be sure to do that," Sirius promised. "You have fun and tell me all about Bill's surprise."
"Do you know what it is?"
Sirius laughed. "I do and trust me, you'll love it. Have fun."
"Thanks, Dad." Harry paused for a minute before he added, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Sirius responded promptly. "Be good, I'll talk to you later."
With a smile, Sirius put his mirror away. He was glad that Bill and Fleur were taking such good care of his boy for him, but he would be glad when he could get back to him. Heading downstairs, he found Remus sitting at the kitchen table.
"Good morning," Sirius said.
"Good morning," Remus replied. "Emmeline was here earlier and left some sausage and eggs on the stove."
"Excellent," Sirius said as he headed to the stove. After loading up a plate, he joined his old friend at the table. "Do you want to join me at Gringotts this morning? Help me go through all sorts of boring papers?"
Remus looked over the edge of his coffee cup, considering his old friend. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind me going? It might be nice to go out, but I thought goblins didn't like others at business meetings."
Sirius shrugged, "I am head of a wealthy house and guardian of a head of an even wealthier house so they don't turn down my requests."
"It must be nice," Remus said with a reluctant smile.
"I didn't get anything out of it for many years so, yes I have to say I am enjoying this."
The two old friends flooed to Diagon Alley and together walked down the main street in wizarding London. Sirius made a face as he looked around the alley. Many of the stores he remembered from his youth had closed, even Florean Fortescue had boarded up his shop and disappeared in the middle of the night. Several of the stores were boarded up or just looked abandoned. There was a rather disreputable looking wizard selling 'protective devices' from a push cart that had seen better days.
Gringotts glistened bright white from its place in the middle of the alley. The two men headed up the steps and waited in the queue to get scanned before entering the bank. Sirius confidently led the way across the lobby to a small desk that read 'Customer Assistance.'
A goblin was soon leading them down the hall and through a labyrinth of corridors to a large, rather opulent conference room. The two friends sat in the leather chairs around a round mahogany table. After a few moments, the two were joined by a rather ancient looking goblin. Sirius automatically stood when the goblin entered and gestured for Remus to do the same.
"Respected Gorntip," Sirius said as he bowed slightly with his hands held together in front of him. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. This is my friend, Remus Lupin, he has been a good friend of mine for many years. I have asked him to join us for our meeting."
The elderly goblin looked over the two men before he nodded. "Lord Black, I am honoured to welcome you to your position as the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black." He smiled a toothy smile and squinted at the taller wizard. "I am certain you never expected to be in this position."
"No," Sirius laughed. He followed the goblin's lead and sat after the elder sat down. "I am quite certain my father is rolling over in his grave."
Gorntip said, "I heard a rumour that your parents even tried to have another child to inherit the title, but obviously that was not to be."
"Thank, Merlin," Sirius said. "It was bad enough they inflicted their parenting on me and Regulus, I'd hate to think what they would do to another defenceless child."
He caught Remus' eye and saw the shock reflected in them. "Gorntip has managed my family's finances for over a century. I used to sit on the floor of his office while he and my father had their business meetings."
"Oh," Remus really wasn't sure what to say. He'd never seen Sirius so relaxed around another species. Now that he thought about it he realized that Sirius' interactions with Kreacher had rather coloured his view of Sirius. Any son of an ancient and noble house who would become an Animagus to befriend a werewolf, wouldn't have the normal prejudices associated with his status.
Gorntip pulled out a stack of files and reviewed the investments made by Orion Black. Some of the investments such as those in the Daily Prophet, Flourish and Blotts, and Obscurus Books Sirius decided to keep. Investments in the Dark Arts establishments that flourished around Knockturn Alley Sirius stopped immediately.
Reviewing the options, Sirius bought stocks in the Nimbus Racing Broom Company and the Firebolt International Company. The stocks were such a good deal, he authorized more be bought with the Potter family money, he thought Harry would like that. He took great delight in donating a large portion of his mother's original dowry to Damocles Belby's research company that produced Wolfsbane. Recalling Harry's request, Sirius inquired about Muggle companies and found it easy to buy stocks in something called 'tech' companies as well as several pharmaceutical companies. Sirius wasn't exactly sure what all of that meant, but Gorntip seemed to think they were a good idea so he bought the shares.
They reviewed the properties Orion was renting out in the wizarding world. Sirius adjusted the rent in several properties. He noticed his father tended to charge more for Muggleborns and witches in general and gave huge breaks to his fellow bigoted purebloods. Sirius changed all of that, increasing the rents on Knockturn Alley and changing his father's ridiculous rules for charging rent.
As they finished up with the decisions, Gorntip said, "What about Mrs Lestrange's vault?"
Sirius froze. "Bellatrix's account?"
"As head of the house you have access to her vault, she never changed to Mr Lestrange's vaults. Her sister changed her vaults to Mr Malfoy's control, but Mrs Lestrange never gave Mr Lestrange control of her accounts so it remains in your control," Gorntip explained.
Sirius laughed. "Excellent, let's go see what my dear cousin is hiding in her vault."
The ride down to the vault was one of the longest Remus could remember. He hated the swooping feeling of diving down the rails, but Sirius loved it. As he watched Sirius lean over the edge of the cart, he could see flashes of the carefree boy he'd known at Hogwarts. When they stopped, Remus was shocked to see a dragon guarding the vaults. Sirius seemed to take it as a matter of course and waited until the goblins used their clackers to chase the dragon away from the vault.
"Don't touch anything," Sirius cautioned as they entered the vault. "I imagine she has all sorts of protections on her belongings."
Remus nodded. He was shocked at the overflowing trunks of jewels thrown carelessly against the walls. There were stacks of galleons and along one wall were shelves containing objects d'art. He was looking over them when he heard Sirius gasp.
"Is that the cup we've been looking for?" Sirius asked as he grasped Remus's arm.
Remus looked up along the shelves and half way up he saw the small golden cup. He watched as Sirius levitated the cup off the shelf. He conjured up a bag to put the cup in to transport it to Hogwarts. Sirius conjured up a copy of the cup and replaced it on the shelf.
"This is an excellent surprise," Sirius said. "I don't know how long the copy will fool them, but at least it won't alert them immediately."
He scanned the vault and decided to take a small trunk of jewels. He thought maybe Ginny would appreciate some of the jewels.
"I thought we shouldn't touch anything," Remus said.
"You shouldn't touch anything," Sirius said. "She can ward her belongings against others, but not against me. As long as she kept it in her Black vault I can take it. I'd love to empty the whole vault, but that would tip Voldemort off to what we are doing. Once that happens trust me I will be thrilled to drain her vault and donate it all to charity."
"So why take that trunk?"
"It belonged to my grandmother Melania. My aunt Lucretia died without any children and as my mother only had boys, Bellatrix somehow figured it should go to her and I completely disagree. My granny didn't hold with the pureblood nonsense that the rest of the family does," Sirius explained. "I think Ginny would like some of the jewels."
The two old friends left the vault and started the ride back to the surface. Remus was surprised when Sirius said, "Why do I get the feeling you don't approve of Harry and Ginny?"
Remus was startled as he thought he'd hidden his feelings better. "It's not that I don't approve, exactly. It just seems like they are so young and they've had to rely on each other for so long now, so of course they've gotten closer. How do they know it is love?"
Sirius laughed. "They may be young, but they are definitely in love. They are so good together and they rely on each other and work together so well. I think you haven't spent much time around them and probably still see them how they were when they left. They have grown and grown together. I don't know if I can explain it, but they are very good together."
"Do you think her parents will be happy?"
Sirius shrugged. "Initially, probably not, but I think they will come around. The two of them are so happy together. They support each other and really bring out the best in each other. She just makes him so happy. I think if he had grown up in a loving family or if he was sure he would make it to his next birthday they would wait, but the bottom line is they don't want to wait."
Remus nodded, he hadn't really considered that. His first reaction was always to push people away, but he remembered how James and Lily had strengthened each other and brought out the best in the other. Is that what Sirius saw in Harry and Ginny?
"I didn't get to know Ginny as well during my year teaching," Remus said. "She was understandably quiet, but she was a good student. At Grimmauld Place, I tended to gravitate towards Hermione. I love the way her mind works and her hunger for knowledge reminds me a lot of myself. I guess I tended to overlook Ginny. I knew she'd had a huge crush on Harry, but that was really about all. I think maybe that caused me to dismiss her a bit."
"She is very strong," Sirius said. "She would have to be to fight off Voldemort for a whole year. She is also funny and tends towards pranks, in that way she's a bit like the twins. That is good for Harry, because he hasn't had enough laughter in his life. She loves to fly and they are both athletic and they like to learn, maybe not on Hermione's level, but they try. Did I tell you he got an E on his Ancient Runes OWL? After just over six months, he learned enough to get an E."
"That's great," Remus said. "Well, I wish them well. I hope it all works out for them."
The two men left Diagon Alley and headed off to Hogwarts.
Harry smiled as he guided the sail boat down the Nile. The water was wonderful, it was different than Bassenthwaite Lake, but Harry was thrilled just to be back on the water. Bill had originally arranged for them to take a day trip down the Nile with a guide sailing them down the river, but when the guide saw how well Harry could sail he sat back and let Harry take over.
The water of the Nile was lined with tall grasses and towering palm trees. What surprised Harry the most was some of the cities that were, in certain areas, built up to the edge of the river. Looking down the river, at times one could see the Nile of the past while looking along the river bank; at times you could see the mighty pyramids, the modern cities, or ruins from a time long forgotten. The river was alive with traffic. Harry waved and nodded to the others piloting their boats along the river and they nodded and waved to him in turn.
The sound of laughter caught his attention and he smiled at the sight of his fiancée laughing with her brother, Charlie. That was the second part of Bill's surprise, a visit from Charlie. Ginny was thrilled to see more of her family. To Harry's relief, Charlie took the news of Harry and Ginny's engagement well. Charlie was thrilled for his sister and seemed to enjoy teasing his older brother about his engagement.
Harry covetously watched as Bill and Charlie teased and harassed each other. He could detect the love and friendship between the two brothers in a way he hadn't noticed in the other Weasley siblings. The twins were obviously very close, but they thought so much alike they didn't have the same teasing aspect that Bill and Charlie had. Harry didn't think Percy was close to any of his siblings, according to Ginny he'd always been a bit of an odd duck among the loud, close-knit Weasleys. Ron loved his older brothers, but he also had an aspect of trying to prove himself to them. Bill and Charlie seemed as though they were best friends as well as brothers and Harry found himself a bit envious of them.
Following the guide's directions, Harry skillfully directed the boat to the edge of the water. After tying up the craft, the party alighted and headed for the pyramids of Dahshur. Bill was in his element guiding his family around the necropolis that contained several Muggle and wizarding pyramids.
The Red Pyramid was closed to the public, but Bill was able to show them around the pyramid. Harry was fascinated to find runes mixed in with the hieroglyphics. He stood gazing at the intricately carved walls; it was amazing how easy some of them were to still read.
A smaller hand slid into his and he smiled down at his fiancée. "Are you having fun, love?"
She nodded with a happy smile on her face. "I can't believe Charlie came all this way to see us. I haven't really spent much time with him since the World Cup. I wish he didn't live so far away."
"So you like Bill's surprise?"
She laughed, "Definitely."
Hand-in-hand the couple continued down the cool stone corridor to join the rest of their group. They were standing at an intersection of several tunnels.
"So this tunnel leads to the potions lab," Bill was explaining. "Every pyramid we've found has one. The Muggles found very effective ways to preserve the bodies of their dead, but the wizards used potions and charms to cause the same effects."
"'ow are zez labs 'idden from ze Muggles?" Fleur asked.
"The charms are actually not ours," Bill said with a smile for his fiancée. "The charms were cast by the ancient Egyptians and are still in effect today. The magic they practiced is amazing."
"What about this corridor?" Harry asked as he peered down a short corridor. There were stone doors closing off the corridor and the walls on either side were covered with elaborate pictograms that seemed to be a mixture of runes and hieroglyphics.
Bill chuckled. "That is one of the mysteries of the Red Pyramid. It is a wizarding chamber, you can feel the magic coming off of the corridor, but no one has been able to open it. It doesn't respond to any spells that we know. Every generation or so, great wizards will come and try to open it. Even Dumbledore gave it a go about fifty years ago, but the doors stayed shut."
Gesturing to the walls, Bill continued, "The walls don't even make sense. Specifically, the arrangements of runes and hieroglyphics don't make sense. It might be some unknown dialect or a completely new language. Our Egyptian colleagues have tried for thousands of years to open this chamber; it is rumoured to contain untold riches, but no one has been able to open it."
"I remember you telling me about this," Charlie remarked as he looked over the richly coloured walls. "This is amazing, how vibrant the colours are. It looks like it was just painted."
"The Ancient Egyptians knew their preservation spells," Bill agreed with a laugh. "I thought you would enjoy seeing this, it's kind of a famous mystery. Originally, it was thought perhaps these were false doors, but with various sensing spells we can tell there is a chamber behind it."
Harry looked at the walls, he agreed with Charlie, the walls were beautiful. At the top of the closest wall, Harry spotted an exquisitely detailed carving of a cobra. They had seen several examples of carved cobras at Saqqara, another pyramid complex only ten kilometres to the north of Dahshur, but thankfully they had not seen any actual cobras.
"Who is Wadjet?" Harry asked after a moment.
"Wadjet?" Bill looked at him a bit strangely, but answered. "She is a goddess of Ancient Egypt. She was a patron and protector of all of Egypt. Why do you ask?"
It was Harry's turn to look confused. "Isn't that what this says?" He pointed to a line of hieroglyphics that looked like a cobra in striking position.
Bill nodded slowly. "The cobra is the symbol for Wadjet, how did you know that?"
Turning to the wall, Harry looked at the symbols once again, they seemed to shimmer against the wall and he began to read, "Hail Wadjet, protector of us all. It is thanks to your…I don't know the next word."
Harry turned to look at Bill who was staring at him in fascination. Looking around Fleur and Charlie had looks of awe and shock on their faces, he turned to Ginny. She smiled gently, "Sweetie, you were reading in Parseltongue."
"Merlin," Bill breathed as he gazed at the walls in wonder. "That would explain why we've never been able to translate them before." He turned to Harry. "How can you read it?"
Harry shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him. "I don't know exactly. I looked at the walls and suddenly it made sense. It's like when I speak Parseltongue, I don't know I'm speaking it. I hear English, but everyone else hears hissing. Is that what you heard?"
Everyone nodded and Harry waited tensely for the reactions. Bill seemed thrilled. "Harry, this is amazing. It makes sense that at least someone in antiquity had to be a Parselmouth. Maybe the ability was more common then and that is why they had a written language. Have you ever seen Parseltongue written down before?"
Harry shook his head. "No."
Bill seemed to realize that Harry was a bit upset. "I'm sorry, Harry. This is just amazing and it makes sense now why so many people haven't been able to open it before. That is a rather handy ability."
Harry relaxed slightly as Ginny squeezed his hand. Charlie spoke up, "Can you say something else in Parseltongue?"
Looking up at the snake for inspiration, Harry said in Parseltongue, "What do you want me to say?"
"Damn, that is brilliant," Charlie enthused. "It sounds almost like the sounds the dragons make. I wonder if you could talk to the dragons."
"Dragons?"
Charlie nodded. "Dragons are thought to be the largest form of reptile. Maybe the languages have something in common. Wouldn't that be brilliant if you could speak to them?"
Harry laughed with relief, he had never thought people would be so accepting of his strange ability. "I can honestly say I've never tried talking to dragons. Damn, if I could, think of how much trouble it would have saved me during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
Fleur rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you 'ad so much trouble with et without using Parseltongue."
"Can we get back to the hieroglyphics?" Bill asked loudly.
The others laughed at his single mindedness, but Harry walked over next to him and the two of them started translating the wall. The other three stood off to the side where they wouldn't be in the way.
Ginny looked at her companions. "Thank you for being so accepting of him. He's gotten some not so positive reactions to his abilities in the past. He spoke Parseltongue in front of the whole school during a duelling club in his second year and he was practically ostracized by the whole school. A few weeks ago when we were on safari, he spoke to a boomslang and he was so afraid of Sirius' reaction."
"Kids can be so cruel," Fleur said softly as she watched the two working on the translation. "I used to get teased or when I was older zey would start all sorts of rumours about me. I can only imagine what zey did to poor 'Arry. I know zey weren't nice to him during ze tournament."
"No," Ginny agreed sadly. "Hogwarts…it's always been that way for him. The students either love him or hate him and there's not a lot of in between."
"I can't imagine he could do anything that would affect Sirius' opinion of him," Charlie put in.
Ginny smiled. "No, Sirius loves him, but unfortunately Harry isn't used to such…acceptance. His aunt and uncle were horrible to him. He's better now, but he still gets surprised when Sirius does things for him. He's just not used to it."
"But you are changing zat," Fleur said with a smile. "He 'as really blossomed under your love."
Ginny blushed, but was pleased. "Thank you, I like to think so."
"We've sent for an Egyptologist and another Gringotts team," Bill called out. "Don't be surprised when they arrive."
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the corridor filled with wizards and goblins. Fleur, Ginny and Charlie moved a little further down the corridor as Bill introduced Harry to the team. The Egyptologist was a friend of Bill's from his days in Egypt and the Gringotts team was a mixed team composed of a goblin, two Egyptians, and two Brits. Two of them were Curse Breakers like Bill, one of the Egyptians was a specialist in ancient Egyptian tombs, and one was a Treasure Specialist.
Fleur explained in a low tone how a treasure specialist was a valued part of each team. They were there to evaluate the treasure once the curse breakers had freed it from whatever curses had been placed upon it. The goblin was both supervisor and security.
The team was very excited to learn that Harry was able to read the wall. Ginny was fascinated to watch her brother in action. He'd told her so many stories about entering tombs and she was excited that they might get to witness it themselves. She was so proud of Harry. She knew how hard it was for him to share his Parseltongue abilities and for him to agree to help a team translate the inscriptions was a huge step for him. He looked so confident standing among the other team members.
After spending some time translating the wall and answering questions, Harry turned to look at Ginny. He beckoned her over.
As she neared, she was happy to see how excited he was. His eyes were dancing and full of energy. "We are going to try to open the tomb. Bill is going to cast a shield so nothing should hurt you, but I wanted to let you know what is going on."
"Okay," Ginny replied with a smile. "You look like you are having fun."
Harry nodded excitedly. "It's pretty amazing."
To her surprise, Harry leaned down and kissed her. He usually wasn't so demonstrative in front of her brothers. "I love you."
"Love you too," she replied as she re-joined Fleur and Charlie. Her future sister-in-law smiled at her. "'Arry looks good."
Ginny laughed. "He does. He looks…I don't know, older maybe."
Surprisingly it was Charlie who responded. "He does look older. The last time I saw him, he was a boy; he's a young man now. He's much more…confident." He shot a look at his sister. "I think some of that is thanks to you, Ginny. You can tell he wants to make sure he is what you need him to be. He loves you."
Ginny beamed happily. "I know."
Bill cast his shield pulling everyone's attention to him. The corridor was suddenly very quiet. Harry read the incantation from the wall and it allowed him to approach the large double stone doors. The doors were suddenly more clearly seen. They were inlaid with ornately carved panels containing scenes of snakes and river scenes. The panels were framed in copper and silver. The river was actually made from deep blue lapis lazuli with malachite river grasses. The snakes were multi-coloured and fashioned from garnet, turquoise, and appropriately enough serpentine. The affect was startling and beautiful.
Clearing his throat nervously, Harry read the final incantation to open the door and with a grinding sound, the doors opened. Harry stepped back as stale air wafted out of the Chamber.
Bill and the team stepped forward and started casting spells. Harry started to step back and join Ginny and the others, but Bill stopped him. To his amazement, Bill let him stay and help them dismantle the charms.
Early evening found the group back at the villa. They were all a little dirty and dusty, but amazed at the adventure they had found themselves in that day. Bill had talked Charlie into staying over the weekend to celebrate Ginny's sixteenth birthday on Monday. Bill was on a high after finally getting into the newly dubbed cobra chamber. He was hoping Gringotts would allow him to stay for the next month or so and oversee the excavation of the chamber. From the glimpses they'd had of the treasures, Bill didn't think it was going to be a problem.
Sirius was seething as they left Dumbledore's office. The Horcrux had been destroyed, but Dumbledore was still trying to discover Harry's whereabouts.
"What the hell is he thinking?" Sirius ranted. "It's like he's decided it's okay to keep Harry in the background and pull him out at the last minute to destroy Voldemort. His whole attitude is so infuriating. He sees Harry as a weapon and nothing more. He doesn't care about him."
"That's why Harry is so lucky to have you," Remus said.
Sirius smiled slightly. "You always were good at pulling me out of my moods."
"It's a gift," Remus teased him. He paused as Sirius turned at the landing of the third floor and started walking towards the hospital wing. "Where are we going?"
"I wanted to stop and see Poppy," Sirius said simply. "She was very helpful and I wanted to let her know he's okay."
"So what is Harry's big surprise?" Remus asked. He could see his old friend was still fuming about Dumbledore's attitude towards Harry.
"Bill is arranging for them to go sailing, which Harry will love. He really enjoys sailing, he's talked about it quite a bit," Sirius said with a smile. "Charlie Weasley will also be joining them for the day."
"Ginny will like that," Remus said. "I thought maybe it would be Molly and Arthur."
Sirius shook his head. "Not with me not there. We are going to have them out for the day once I get back."
They had reached the doors of the hospital wing. Sirius pushed them open and spied the matron in her office.
"Poppy!"
She turned around and smiled. "Sirius Black!"
Hurrying forward, she hugged him. "How are you? I've been so worried about you and your ward."
"I'm good," Sirius said as the two men joined her in sitting around her desk. "I take it you've heard about my lovely cousin trying to do me in."
Poppy nodded. "I have indeed. I trust you are listening to Andromeda."
"Of course," Sirius said. He smiled as Poppy waved her wand over him. She seemed pleased with what she found.
"How is Harry?" she asked. "I heard about the attack at the end of May. The poor boy has been through quite enough."
Sirius nodded. "I agree completely . He's doing well. He had a rough week and he's had a few nightmares, but he's recovering." He leaned closer to the matron. "Do you want to know a secret?"
Poppy couldn't help but smile at Sirius' eyes shining with a mixture of mischief and happiness. "What?"
"Harry and Ginny are engaged!"
"What?" Poppy smiled. "That is wonderful. I could tell during the short time I saw them how devoted they are to each other. Please tell them I am so happy for the two of them." A thought seemed to cross her mind. "Has she seen a healer?"
"Ginny?" Sirius looked a bit confused. "No, she's been fine."
Poppy shook her head and muttered a bit under her breath something about men. Looking back up at Sirius she seemed to come to a decision. "Normally I wouldn't say anything to someone unrelated to her, but if they are engaged I imagine they might be getting closer physically if they haven't already."
Sirius looked lost for a moment until he suddenly realized what she was talking about. "Oh, I don't think they have…consummated their relationship, but I'm not sure."
Poppy nodded and stood to rummage through one of the cabinets in her office. After a moment she returned with a vial of potion and a small book. "This is a contraceptive potion and a book that both of them should read. The potion is good for a year."
Blushing slightly, Sirius took the proffered items. "Thank you, I never would have thought of that. Should she see a healer?"
"Normally I would say absolutely she should," Poppy admitted as she though it over. The matron sighed. "It's not necessary, but if you find it possible I would have her see a healer."
Sirius nodded. "Thank you Poppy."
"Do you need any more potions?" Poppy asked. "Severus is brewing potions for the new school year so I can add more to the list without any questions."
"Some more mild pain potion and some Dreamless Sleep potion," Sirius replied promptly. "Harry still gets a lot of headaches and with the nightmares I want him to have the option to take the Dreamless Sleep."
"Certainly." Poppy bustled around gathering the required potions. Sirius soon had a collapsible rack of potions to take home with him.
"Thank you," Sirius said. He hugged the matron and after Remus said his goodbyes the two men headed back to London.
Albus Dumbledore sat back in his chair as he listened to the reports from the various portraits around the castle who had observed Sirius Black after he'd left the office. He mentally cursed Sirius for being so careful, he hadn't even hinted where Harry might be. The only thing he really confirmed was the fact that Bill Weasley knew much more than he was letting on.
His gaze fell on the remnants of Hufflepuff's cup. At least they had found another Horcrux and that was quite a bonus. He was certain one of the remaining Horcruxes was made from an item of Ravenclaw's. Filius had narrowed the items down to Ravenclaw's golden quill that she had used to pen the blueprints of Hogwarts and her lost diadem. They were working on finding those two items.
Albus was rather angry at Sirius because he had intended for Harry to be much more involved in the hunt for the Horcruxes than he was turning out to be. How in Merlin's name was he going to get past Sirius to tell Harry he was the last Horcrux? The thought crossed Albus' mind that it was too bad Sirius had survived Bellatrix's attack. A grieving Harry would have been much easier to prod into doing the right thing.
With a sigh, he pushed that thought out of his mind. He'd had people in South Africa, but Sirius had covered his tracks well and had left no trace of their home base. That had been another blow to Albus' plan. He had hoped to use the OWLs to get Harry under his control, but now that Harry had taken his OWLs and was over the age of seventeen there was really nothing Albus could hold over them.
He cursed his luck, but he knew he'd made a colossal blunder when he accused Harry of murdering Umbridge. At the time, he'd worried about Voldemort's ability to access Harry's mind-apparently without Harry's knowledge. He'd realized instantly what Harry's dreams about the Department of Mysteries meant and it worried him. Ginny had fallen under Voldemort's thrall so easily before, so Albus thought it possible she had once again fallen under his sway. It would be like Voldemort to plant some sort of spell he could reawaken in the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets.
While he never mentioned that possibility to the Weasleys, Albus had kept a close eye on Ginny and her development while she was at school. He had been cautiously optimistic that she would be fine once Voldemort had been reborn and she'd shown no signs of being under his control. He had hoped to keep Harry and Ginny from becoming involved with one another. He felt it was just too dangerous. Albus wasn't sure if Ginny might perhaps weaken Harry. He also worried that in Ginny, Harry might find a reason to want to survive and he might be less willing to do the right thing.
When Albus heard about the expulsions he had feared Voldemort had finally gained control of both of them. He knew that Voldemort was strong enough to control multiple people if he chose to do so. Could Voldemort have tapped into Harry's anger at being expelled and encouraged the boy to do what he would not normally do? Albus knew enough about how Voldemort worked to know that he would often encourage others to do the unthinkable and then use that to reel them in. Dumbledore's biggest fear had always been that Voldemort would talk Harry over to his side. The two were much alike and if the correct pressure was applied, Albus was afraid Harry could be turned.
He stood by his decisions to recast the Fidelius Charms. If Voldemort gained access to either Grimmauld Place or the Burrow, he could have caused untold damage. Albus had hoped by limiting their options, the two would return to Hogwarts and ask for help. He hadn't counted on Harry's luck and ability to keep his head in a crisis.
With a sigh, Albus returned his focus to the upcoming school year. He and Minerva had gone round and round on the appointment of the Head Boy and Head Girl. Miss Granger was the obvious choice for Head Girl, but Albus hoped to appoint Draco Malfoy as Head Boy. He hoped it would influence the boy for the better. All of his teachers with the exception of Severus Snape were opposed to the choice.
Albus sincerely believed that Draco still had the option of choosing the right side, although no one else believed it. Minerva in particular had written a passionate letter outlining her objections to Draco Malfoy and endorsing her choices of either Ron Weasley or Anthony Goldstein as prefects who had supported their houses during this time of troubles. Mr Weasley in particular had matured in the year since his best mate and sister went missing. Shaking his head, Albus decided he would choose tomorrow.
Ginny couldn't believe it when she looked into the mirror. Fleur had somehow worked her magic with Ginny's hair and it was piled elegantly on top of her head and threaded with pearls. She wore a necklace of pearls and emeralds with matching earrings. Together she and Fleur had found a beautiful, short, lace covered dress. It had cap sleeves and a satin underdress with an overlay of handmade lace. As soon as she'd seen it, Ginny knew it was the right dress. She'd also found a pair of peep toe heels that paired with the dress perfectly.
"I look so…I don't know, grown up or something," Ginny said with a smile. "I half expect to see a scruffy tomboy in the mirror."
"You are a beautiful young woman," Fleur said with a smile.
Ginny smiled as she stepped back from the mirror. "Thank you, Fleur. I never would have known what to do without your help."
Fleur smiled back at her gently. "You are most welcome, ma soeur. I am so 'appy to be able to 'elp you."
The two girls headed out to the back garden where Bill was waiting at the door to greet them.
He gasped when he saw his sister. As she approached, she could see tears shining in his eyes. "Gin, sweetie, you look beautiful."
"Thank you," she whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.
He straightened up and looked her over. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Ginny beamed. "I am positive."
"Okay, beautiful."
Bill noticed his fiancée standing slightly behind his sister. At first he was afraid she might be upset at him for not noticing her right away, but as he met her eyes he realized he had nothing to fear. She kissed Ginny on the cheek one more time and kissed him as well. She handed Ginny her bouquet of roses, camellia, and lotus flowers.
"I will see you outside." Fleur said with a smile as she slipped out into the back garden.
A flash of light drew his attention briefly, but it was only Dobby taking pictures as he'd been bidden to do by his master. To Bill's surprise, Dobby had proven quite capable of taking good pictures.
Holding out his arm to his sister, he led her out the door. The back garden was decorated in an explosion of flowers, both English and Egyptian. Standing in front of the fountain were Harry and Sirius. Harry looked a bit nervous, but quite dapper in his dark suit and tie. Both men were wearing Muggle style suits at Ginny's request and they had a rose in the buttonholes. Sirius was teasing Harry gently, but all of that was forgotten when he caught sight of Ginny. Bill didn't think the younger wizard would have breathed if Sirius hadn't nudged him.
Solemnly, Bill walked his sister down the aisle to meet her future. Once he handed her over to Harry, he stepped back next to Fleur.
Ginny was lost in Harry's eyes as soon as she stepped into the garden. She knew he was her future and she knew without a doubt she was absolutely doing the right thing. She managed to smile at her brother, Charlie, who had insisted upon staying once he realized Ginny was planning to get married on her sixteenth birthday, but most of her attention was focused on Harry.
He smiled at her when she reached him. "You look amazing," he whispered.
"Thanks," she smiled up at him.
The two of them turned to face Clive, Bill's friend from the British consulate. He smiled at them and gently led them through their vows. For Ginny it was a dream come true as she became Mrs Harry Potter. The ceremony ended with a bonding ceremony. Not everyone did the bonding ceremony anymore, but for Ginny it just seemed right to bind their lives, their love, and their magic.
As Clive wrapped their hands in symbolic golden bonds of magic, a golden light followed the bonds wrapping them in a golden glow. Ginny gasped as she felt the warmth of Harry's love wash over her. She leaned up and kissed him deeply. After a moment the clapping of her brothers and Sirius broke through her daze. She pulled back and saw the same happy look on Harry's face that she was sure was plastered on hers.
"I love you," Harry whispered as he hugged her tightly.
"I love you," Ginny replied.
Sirius pulled both of them into a hug. "Congratulations." He leaned over and kissed Ginny on the cheek. "You look absolutely beautiful." Shooting a teasing glance at Harry he said, "I thought he was going to pass out when he caught sight of you."
Harry blushed, but didn't deny it. Bill, Fleur, and Charlie hugged them both in turn. Harry and Ginny posed for some pictures before sitting down to enjoy the feast Dobby had prepared for them.
Bill's friend from the British consulate, Clive, cleared his throat as he smiled at them. Clive had agreed to perform the ceremony and not file it until the end of the required thirty day period.
After enjoying the feast, Harry and Ginny headed back to Kenya. Sirius was worried about Harry being outside of the protections for such a long period of time, so he sent Harry and Ginny back to the house while he stayed in Egypt for a few more days to give them a few days to themselves.
Harry rather awkwardly watched as Ginny headed off to the bathroom to get changed. He pulled off his jacket and tie and laid them across the back of the chair and took off his shoes and socks, but he was too nervous to take off anything else. He really wasn't sure what to do. He knew what he wanted to be doing, but he really wasn't sure how to get there. Ever since Sirius had brought back the potion and book from Madam Pomfrey, sex – not just sex, but sex with Ginny – had pretty constantly been on Harry's mind. Not that it had been that far from his thoughts before that, but once he'd realized that it was maybe going to happen – soon…Harry stood to shake off his thoughts.
The wedding had been great, but Harry felt badly that Ginny wasn't able to have a huge party with all of her friends and family. Maybe once this was all over they could have a huge party and she could have everything she wanted. She said she didn't mind, but Harry was pretty sure she would have liked something more.
A smile crossed his face as he thought about how incredible she had looked walking towards him. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but today…just when he thought he was used to how beautiful she was, she looked even more beautiful.
A sound made him turn and for the second time that day he forgot to breathe. Ginny was standing in front of him in a white, pearl encrusted, lacy negligee. Her hair was loose, tumbling down past her shoulders and her feet were bare. She watched him slightly nervously, but with a smile on her face.
"Ginny," he finally managed to breathe. He walked over to her and reached out so he was holding both of her hands in his.
She smiled up at him for a moment before pulling one of her hands away and reaching up to pull him down for a kiss. He obliged and returned her kiss with growing passion. Pulling her close, he ran his hands down the silky, lacy thing she was wearing outlining her curves. He finally managed to find her soft, silky skin.
Somehow they made their way to the bed, though Harry was never quite sure how that happened. He felt her smaller hands pulling at his shirt and he helped her pull it off. It was quite a shock to him when he felt her hands on his bare chest. He looked down at her and for the third time that day he though he had never seen her look so amazingly beautiful.
Reverently, he helped her remove her negligee. He gathered her into his arms and found the feel of her skin against him incredibly enticing. He really wasn't sure exactly what he was doing and neither was she, but together they discovered what they needed to do. It wasn't perfect, but to the two of them it was amazing.
As Harry fell asleep that night with Ginny wrapped in his arms, his last thought before sleep took him was that this had been the most perfect night of his life.
Ron heard his mother calling for him and slowly put his Quidditch magazine aside. He headed downstairs, thinking once again how quiet the house was this summer. This summer was a little better than the previous one. He'd been working for Fred and George and had earned some pocket money for one thing. He and Hermione were best friends once again and he was even a bit hopeful that maybe someday they might be more than that.
Entering the kitchen, he was surprised to see Bill talking to his parents.
"Bill!"
"Ron, it's good to see you," Bill said with a smile as he hugged his youngest brother. Looking over at his parents and brother he said, "I'm sorry I've had to be so secretive, but I was wondering if you wanted to take a day trip to Egypt?"
"Egypt?" Arthur asked. "I'm not sure this is the best time to go for a visit."
"Can you get the day off?" Bill pushed.
Arthur exchanged a look with his wife. He did think she deserved a break from all of the stress. "Would it just be for today?"
"Maybe," Bill teased. He looked at everyone in the room. "I have several reasons for asking you to come. We recently were able to get into the hidden chamber in the Red Pyramid. Remember when I took you there? I was part of the team that opened it."
"Wait, isn't that the one that even Dumbledore couldn't open?" Ron asked with interest. "You opened it?"
Bill laughed. "No, I didn't personally open it. It was actually Harry who opened it."
"What?!"
"You were with him?" Molly asked. "What about your sister? My baby, is she okay?"
"How did he open it?" Ron asked at the same time.
"Fleur and I stayed with them while Sirius was here," Bill explained. "They are back at their base house now, but they will meet us in Cairo for the afternoon." He looked at his brother. "I'll let Harry tell you the story about he opened the Chamber himself."
"Can Hermione come?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Not this time," Bill said. "I want to get back as quickly as possible. As I'm sure you know the last time we had an excursion things didn't go well, so Sirius asked that I limit it to you three."
"That makes sense," Arthur spoke up. "So, what do we need to do?"
"If you are all ready, I have a Portkey," Bill explained.
Molly wanted to change and she insisted that Ron change his shirt, but fifteen minutes later they were on their way to Egypt. The Portkey landed them in the back garden of the villa he and Fleur had moved to after Harry and Ginny left.
Leading his parents and brother into the house, Bill reset all of the wards and double checked the house. He led them all into the sitting room. He started to leave the room, but before he could the sound of running footsteps sounded.
Ron was surprised that he could even recognize the footsteps as his sister's, but he could. He stood next to Bill, unsure of what he should do.
Luckily that decision was taken away from him when his sister burst into the room. Everyone just stared at each other for a minute. Ginny looked the same, but at the same time she looked very different. Ron wasn't sure exactly how to explain it. She was the same old Ginny with her long red hair and freckles, but she also looked much older than Ron remembered. To his shock, she was wearing a white and yellow dress, but the skirt was short and she was wearing high heels.
When did his little sister start wearing things like that? It reminded him of the girls he saw at the Muggle mall. His reverie was cut short as Ginny squealed, "Mum! Dad!"
He watched with a smile on his face as his sister flew over to his parents and hugged them tightly. As he watched his mum, he thought she'd never let Ginny go.
"Hi, mate."
Ron turned to see Harry standing next to him. "Harry!"
Reaching out, he pulled Harry into a hug and pounded him on the back. He pulled back and looked at his best mate. Harry was taller than he had been, not as tall as Ron, but he was taller and much more filled out. Ron could feel the layer of muscle when he hugged him. Harry's arms weren't huge, but his muscles were obvious. It wasn't just that, Harry's hair was longer and touched his collar. He wore an earring, but he wasn't wearing his glasses.
"Damn, mate," Ron said after a moment. "I don't know that I would have recognized you."
"Good," Harry laughed.
"Harry!"
Ron saw a look he couldn't identify flicker over Harry's face as he went to greet Ron's parents. He watched his mum and dad both hug Harry, but Harry seemed a bit cool towards them. Recalling the stories that had been in the paper, he didn't exactly blame him.
He was going to say something to Harry, he wasn't sure what, but he wanted to break the tension. Before he could even think of something to say, Ginny touched Harry on the shoulder. That was all it took. Ron watched in amazement as Harry relaxed and turned to look at Ginny. She didn't say anything out loud, but it was obvious to Ron they were having a conversation.
The outcome was obvious as Ginny laughed and leaned up and kissed him. That rather shocked Ron, his little sister just straight up kissed her boyfriend in front of her parents and brothers. He could see his mum wasn't exactly happy, but his father was a little harder to read. Glancing over at Bill, he could see Bill was totally accepting of Harry and Ginny's relationship.
"Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley," Harry said in a neutral tone.
"Harry, dear," Mrs Weasley began. "I am so sorry. I never meant to…" She trailed off as she faltered under Harry's cool gaze.
"You never meant to call me a murderer and tell Ginny she should escape me if she could?" Harry asked. "Why? Why would you think I would ever, ever hurt her? Did you really think we killed those people or I was holding her against her will?"
"Didn't they tell you it was my fault?" Ginny broke in.
"It wasn't your fault," Harry said immediately. Ron had to smile at how completely Harry backed her up.
She smiled over at him and reached out for his hand. Pulling him over to the smaller love seat, Ginny sat down with Harry next to her.
Her parents sat at the longer couch while her brothers were standing by the door. Bill pulled out two ottomans for him and Ron to sit on while Ginny began her story.
"I heard the snakes talking in Care of Magical Creatures," Ginny began. "Most of what I heard was hissing, but I distinctly heard them say 'hungry'. It completely freaked me out and I went to get Harry. I don't know exactly what I was thinking, I…I just knew he could make it better."
She smiled over at him and he returned her smile, squeezing her hand. She continued, "It turns out that I just remembered that one word, I didn't understand anything else."
"What do you mean you remembered that word?" Mrs Weasley asked a touch suspiciously.
Ginny shrugged. "How do you think I opened the Chamber of Secrets, Mum? I spoke Parseltongue. I'm not a 'speaker' like Harry, I don't consciously remember any words or know how to speak it, but for some reason I remembered that word. That should have been it, but Umbridge caught us and expelled us."
"We heard what happened after that," Mr Weasley said. "I'm very glad that you were able to find people to help you." He sent a look over at his wife before saying, "Is it true you lived in a Muggle house?"
The room exploded in laughter. Ginny giggled and went over to hug her father again. "I told Harry you would be so thrilled."
Ginny started telling her parents about their adventures. Harry ambled across the room and approached Ron. "Do you want to go outside?"
"Sure," Ron said. He followed his best mate out into the back garden. To Ron's surprise, Sirius followed them outside.
"Harry, are you okay?"
Harry smiled. "I'm fine, Dad. I just wanted to talk to Ron for a while. Ginny's filling her parents in on her adventures."
"Okay, call out if you need me," Sirius said as he headed back inside.
"Dad?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Harry laughed as he led the way over to seating area that had been set up in the back garden of the villa. "I asked him if he would be my dad and he agreed. Can you believe it?"
"That's great, mate," Ron said. He could easily believe that Sirius would do anything for Harry.
"It really has been. He's taken great care of us. Both me and Gin."
"So it seems to be going well with you and my sister."
Harry blushed and smiled. "She is amazing." He glanced at the house and asked, "Can you keep a secret for a few hours?"
Ron nodded and Harry blurted out, "We got married. Ginny and I did – on her birthday."
"Really?" Ron was rather shocked, but after seeing them together he could easily see that happening. "That's…brilliant. A bit shocking, but…hey that means we're really brothers now."
Harry smiled happily. "We are and Bill has been wonderful. He and Fleur, they just have been so helpful and supportive. Charlie was here for the wedding. I really wished that you could have been here, but…"
"Hey, I understand," Ron said.
"Thanks," Harry said. "Well, since you couldn't be there, Sirius stood up for me. It was really a small wedding. Fleur, Bill, Charlie, Sirius, and Bill's friend, Clive, were the only ones there. I really hope that someday we can have a huge party with all of your family and our friends."
"That sounds great," Ron said. He had a little trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Harry was married. If he was married that meant he was…Ron stopped that thought in its tracks. While he desperately wanted to know what it was like, he certainly wasn't going to ask about sex with his sister. Searching for a new topic, Ron said, "So how did you manage to open this chamber Bill was telling us about?"
The two boys spent the afternoon talking about all sorts of things. Harry told Ron about his opening the chamber and his adventures in the Muggle world. Ron told Harry all about his fights with Hermione and dating Susan. It took the boys hours to catch up, but they picked up their friendship right where it left off. In the late afternoon, Bill took his parents to see the cobra chamber and Ginny joined Harry and Ron in the garden.
Ron stood as she joined them and hugged his sister. "I can't believe how much I've missed you."
Looking pleased, Ginny kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I've missed you too, all of you really."
"Congratulations," Ron offered. "I can't believe you're really married."
Ginny grinned and removed the glamour charm that was hiding her rings. Ron's eyes widened. "Wow, those are some rings." He slanted a glance over at his best mate. "Did you pick that out yourself?"
"I did," Harry said. Looking around the garden, he called out, "Dobby!"
Dobby appeared with a pop. "Yes, Harry Potter."
"Could you bring out our wedding album?"
Moments later, Dobby returned with the requested album. Harry and Ginny shared the pictures with Ron. He whistled when he saw the first picture of Ginny. "You look great, Ginny."
"Yes she does," Harry said proudly. He grinned at Ginny before he asked, "Did you thrill your dad with stories of how you managed Muggle appliances?"
Ginny giggled. "Yes, I did. He's so funny and so much the same. He was so excited to hear about us living in Muggles houses and going to Muggle schools. Even mum asked a few questions."
"Was she okay?" Harry asked cautiously.
Ginny shrugged. "She's Mum. She's worried about what people might say with us being gone so long together."
"She won't have to worry about that now, will she?"
It was Ron who answered, "Mum always worries, its just a matter of what she's worried about. Now she'll be worried about rumours that Ginny's pregnant."
"How bad have the rumours been?" Ginny asked cautiously.
Ron growled slightly. "They were really bad at first. Of course they speculated that you were pregnant, but the most popular one was that you'd lost your magic and had run away to America."
"What?" Harry was astounded.
Ginny shrugged. "I kind of expected that." She sighed before smiling at her brother. "So what is this I hear about Susan Bones?"
"What? How the hell did you hear about that?" Ron demanded as the tips of his ears turned red.
"Bill," Ginny answered as she cuddled up against Harry.
Ron blushed, but answered. "We dated for most of last year. We started spending time together over the summer and…well one thing led to another. We had fun, but it wasn't really anything serious. I dated Lavender for a few weeks, Merlin was that a mistake. She is really pretty, but she's not very smart."
Harry burst out laughing. "Seriously, Ron, please tell me it didn't take you six years to realize that. Even I realized that and I'm pretty much rubbish with girls."
"How can you say you're rubbish with girls?" Ron demanded. "You had a girlfriend before I did and you are married."
"I just got lucky," Harry said with a smile at Ginny.
Ron rolled his eyes, but blushed again as his sister asked about Hermione.
"She's good," he said with a slight smile. "She's been really worried about the two of you."
"So when are you going to ask her out?" Ginny challenged him.
Ron coloured and refused to meet her eyes. "I…I don't know. We've been getting along so well recently. Do I want to risk ruining everything by asking her out?"
"Yes!" Harry and Ginny replied in unison. Harry grinned at his wife before saying, "It is worth the risk. I went back and forth on asking Ginny out all spring. I was worried about what you would say and I was worried that she would say no, but once I finally asked her out…It's been great."
"I'll think about it," Ron allowed.
Taking pity on her brother, Ginny said, "So did Harry tell you how he opened the cobra chamber?"
As the sun was setting, Sirius called them in from the back garden. They joined the rest of the family for dinner. Harry had to laugh as Ron tried desperately to hide his reaction to Fleur.
As they sat down, Harry pulled Ginny aside. "Are you having fun?"
She nodded. "Thank you, love. I know you aren't happy with her, but she is my mother and I missed her."
He kissed her softly. "I know, baby. I would never try to come between you and your mother. I just…I'm just still upset and a bit hurt."
"I know," Ginny said as she hugged her husband. "I love you."
He grinned, "And that's what makes it all worth it."
Laughing, Ginny tugged him into joining the others at the table. It was groaning under the weight of the huge dinner Dobby had prepared. Harry took one look at the amount of food and started laughing.
"Dobby certainly doesn't do anything halfway, does he?"
Sirius smiled, "No, he doesn't."
Over dinner, Bill regaled them with tales about the cobra chamber. It was a fun, boisterous dinner. Ginny leaned back in her chair, happy to be with both her husband and her parents.
Dobby cleared the table and brought out several apple pies.
"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said. "The meal was great."
Dobby bowed. "You are welcome, Harry Potter, sir."
Harry was just starting to think that everything was going to work out well. He was still quite leery of Mrs Weasley, but he didn't want to cause issues for Ginny.
"So what are your plans?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Plans?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"Yes, what are your plans?"
Ginny looked at Harry for support. "We are going to continue studying and preparing for whatever confrontation that may come with Voldemort."
"Why do you assume you are going to be involved in more confrontations with him?" Mrs Weasley asked. "You are only sixteen, you should not be worried about such things."
Harry looked at his mother-in-law in confusion. "I thought you knew the prophecy."
"I know there is a prophecy that says you are the one to defeat You-Know-Who," Mrs Weasley acknowledged. "I don't see what that has to do with Ginny. Wouldn't it make more sense for Ginny to come home?"
Bill and his father exchanged worried looks, but Ginny was already talking.
"No, Mum, it doesn't," Ginny said. "I'm safe where I am. Why would you want me to come back home?" She looked over at Sirius and Bill who were sitting next to each other. "You said it wasn't safe for me to go home, right?"
"Molly," Mr Weasley cut through the buzz of conversation. "I thought we agreed that while we might wish she was closer that she is much safer out of the country with Harry and Sirius?"
Mrs Weasley smiled. "I spoke with Albus a few days ago. He told me he could arrange for Ginny to return home. She would have to make a statement at the Ministry, but she would be with Kingsley and Tonks the entire time and Albus will act as her representative so he will be there as well. She will have to answer a few questions about what happened and I'm sure they'll have some questions about Harry, but then she will be free to go. She can return to Hogwarts and go back to school."
"What?" Ginny looked horrified. She couldn't believe her mother would go along with such a scheme, not to mention the fact that she could practically feel the waves of panic rolling off of Harry. Ignoring her mother for a minute, she wrapped her arms around her husband. "It's okay, baby. I'm not leaving you."
"Well, it's not up to you is it?" Mrs Weasley asked. "You seem to have forgotten, but you are only sixteen. You should be at school, not living with…them. Harry will be fine with his godfather and you will be with your family."
"Molly, I know you want her close to home, but do you really think she would be safe? How many times has our home been searched? Do you really think they would just let her answer a few questions and leave?" Mr Weasley started at his wife in confusion. "Where did all of this come from?"
Mrs Weasley glared at her husband a bit bewildered by his lack of support. "I spoke to Albus a few days ago. He told me he could make the arrangements."
"I'm not doing it, Mother," Ginny said angrily. "I'm much safer with Harry. Do you honestly think you can trust Tonks? I don't. I watched her hold the man I love under the Torture Curse and then turn him over to Voldemort. No way am I putting my safety in her hands."
Mrs Weasley seemed to realize her plan was not working out. "But why not, Ginny? Surely you miss school and you miss your friends. You told me earlier how you missed Laura and Colin."
"Yes, I miss my friends. Harry misses Ron and Hermione, but we can't go back when we have to go before the Wizengamot. Dumbledore isn't the Chief Warlock anymore, how can he guarantee what will happen? I'd be trussed up and shipped out to Voldemort. I can't imagine he and his Death Eaters are thrilled with me helping Harry to escape and all."
"But Albus seemed quite certain his plan would work," Mrs Weasley objected.
"Last year he was quite certain that Harry had murdered Umbridge," Sirius put in. "Are you unhappy with my watching out for Ginny? Is that what this is about?"
"In part," Mrs Weasley acknowledged. "I don't think a former convict is an appropriate guardian for anyone, much less my daughter."
"Actually, Mum, that's not an issue anymore," Ginny announced. "Harry and I are married."
There was a momentary silence and Mrs Weasley burst out, "What?! How can that be? You aren't old enough."
"In Egypt, you only need to be sixteen," Ginny said a touch smugly. "Harry and I were married on my birthday."
"You knew about this?" She demanded of her oldest son.
"I knew," Bill said simply. "Fleur, Charlie and I were at the wedding."
Mr Weasley stood, cutting off all other conversation. "Harry, might I have a few words with you?"
Harry stood up. "Of course, sir." He caught his father's eyes and took comfort from the reassurance he saw there.
As he led his father-in-law to the small study at the end of the hallway, he could still hear Mrs Weasley's raised voice. He hoped that Ginny would be okay with her. Mr Weasley smiled at him. "Don't worry, son. I'm not here to yell at you."
Harry smiled slightly and relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir. Mrs Weasley won't hurt Ginny will she?"
Arthur was initially angry that Harry would ask such a thing, but as he recalled Sirius' assertions that Harry was abused he realized that Harry was truly worried. "No, Harry. My wife gets upset and she will yell, but I promise she won't touch Ginny."
Harry looked a little uncertain, but sat down near the fireplace. "I'm sorry we couldn't tell you what we were planning before we got married. At the beginning of the summer we were hoping to see you earlier, but after Tonks…" Harry paled slightly and trailed off.
He looked at the older man. "You heard about that, right?"
"Yes, Harry," Mr Weasley said gently. "I am so sorry for all you have gone through. First you were captured by Death Eaters and then Tonks was forced to betray you. It must have been awful."
Harry swallowed convulsively and nodded. "It's not been great. Ginny…Ginny's been great. You know she rescued me from the Death Eaters? She was…she was brilliant. I mean she snuck into their headquarters and stayed calm and rescued me. I wasn't in any shape to help her; she had to do it all. I can never, ever repay her for everything she's done for me. She's helped me with my nightmares and I've been able to help her with hers. She's just…she's perfect for me and I really can't imagine my life without her."
He smiled as he thought about his wife. "Sorry, I got a bit side tracked. After the incident with Tonks, my dad was really leery about meeting up with anyone else. I mean we don't think you would do anything to either of us, but…"
"I understand, Harry," Mr Weasley broke in gently. "Honestly, I do understand your need for caution and I can't fault you or Sirius for the care you've taken."
"Thank you," Harry breathed, grateful for Mr Weasley's acceptance. "We…well we first started looking for ways around the Trace. I didn't want Ginny to be caught because she was using magic. But that's not the only reason we married. We love each other, very much."
He paused for a moment trying to think of the best way to explain everything. He ran his fingers through his already messy hair. "I started falling for Ginny before we even left Hogwarts. We've been dating for over a year. She's…she's so amazing. She really understands what it's like to face Voldemort; she had to fight him for over a year. We really just work so well together."
Looking up at his father-in-law, he said, "I wish I could keep her safe and away from all of this. I hate to think of her being anywhere near Voldemort or his Death Eaters, but she is strong and she is a fighter. Sir, you have to know I would do anything to keep Ginny safe. I would die if it meant she would live."
"I believe you would," Mr Weasley said. "I can't pretend I didn't wish she was a little older or a little closer to us, but I know if there is anyone in the world I can trust my little girl with it is you. I can see how much she loves you. All afternoon, she would light up when she was talking about you. I am very proud to call you my son-in-law."
Harry nodded a bit uncertain if he should say something or not. Mr Weasley continued. "You will eventually have to make peace with Albus. I can't blame you for being angry with him or honestly with my wife, but I hope you don't hold onto your anger." He held up his hands when he thought Harry might say something. "No, I know you have a right to your anger, I just don't want you to…I don't want it to consume you. Albus is the leader of the Light, however he forgets he does not have all of the answers. Trust me, he will get an earful from me about this. He took advantage of Molly's desire to have Ginny close to her."
Mr Weasley stopped pacing in front of the fireplace and speared Harry with a look. "I would ask that I don't get any grandchildren from you for a while. My daughter is very young and she has her whole life ahead of her. I believe that the two of you can have a long and wonderful life, but please consider waiting before having children."
Harry blushed. "Yes, sir. I mean, we talked about it and I don't want to have any children before Voldemort is defeated. I know they would be a target and I don't want that. Mr Weasley, you have to believe I would never stop Ginny from doing anything she wants to do. We both need to finish school before we start a family and if Ginny wants to work, I will support anything she wants to do. She won't have to work if she doesn't want to. I've inherited more than enough from my parents to provide her with whatever she wants…I mean, what you can buy."
Mr Weasley smiled. Harry might not have been particularly eloquent, but he was obviously quite sincere in his love for Ginny. Arthur had also been impressed with Sirius. He knew he was going to get an earful about Sirius when they returned home, but Arthur could see the love between Harry and Sirius. He could see how Harry had blossomed with Sirius behind him.
"Good, I am very happy for the two of you." He held out his hand to Harry and when Harry shook his hand, Mr Weasley pulled him in for a hug. "Welcome to the family, son."
"Thank you, sir."
The two of them walked back to join the others who had moved into the sitting room. Harry was glad to see Ginny talking to Ron while Bill seemed to be trying to reason with his mother. Sirius was silently watching the family drama, keeping a close eye on Ginny. Harry nodded to his dad and walked over to his wife and slid his arm around her. "Everything, okay?"
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Other than me wanting to strangle my mother, I'm fine. I can't believe she pulled this. What did my Dad want? Is he upset?"
"Strangely, no," Harry said. "He seems to be supportive. He said he wished we weren't so young, but he said he was proud I was his son-in-law. He did say he hopes he won't see any grandchildren from us anytime soon."
Ginny blushed, but laughed. Harry looked over at his mother-in-law. "What did your mum say? Or do I want to know?"
"She's angry and upset," Ginny said with a sigh. "She…she just can't accept the fact that I am an adult. She started in on how I needed to be home and my hair and clothes are not acceptable."
Ron chuckled. "Well, come on, you knew that was coming, didn't you?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I was just hoping to avoid it."
"What's wrong with your hair and clothes?" Harry asked in confusion.
Ginny laughed. "Let's just say the things you like about my outfit are the things she hates. She thinks my dress is too short and my heels are too high. She doesn't like the fact that I am wearing makeup and she didn't bring me up to dress like that." She shrugged at his confusion. "She's always been like that. I don't know why. She would be perfectly happy for me to wear shapeless old robes without makeup. She doesn't think it's proper."
Ron could see the anxiety in Harry's face. "I think Bill is calming her down a bit. My mum always hates to be surprised. She actually has always thought you and Ginny would be good together, but she wanted to be able to observe your relationship. I think she's most upset that she wasn't at the wedding and wasn't able to plan it or anything. I mean she wasn't quite eighteen when she was married and she's never been against marrying young."
"She's mostly just worried," Ginny agreed. She squeezed her husband. "Don't worry, she will come around. Mum just likes to be in charge of everything and when she isn't she gets upset. Soon she'll be involved in planning Bill and Fleur's wedding and she'll be happy bossing everyone else around."
At the moment, Bill joined them. "She's calmer. You know what she's like."
"Yeah," Ginny and Ron replied in unison.
Harry couldn't help but smile. Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark blue velvet Gringott's money bag. He handed it to Harry. "This is for you. It's the reward for opening the cobra chamber."
Hefting the bag, Harry looked at Bill in shock. "This feels like a lot of gold."
"The reward for opening the tomb was last valued at 20,000 galleons," Bill said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, all of the team members received nice bonuses as well." He grinned. "Fleur and I have found a house near Tinworth and the bonus will make a wonderful down payment. You can also pick a piece of the treasure to claim as your own."
"That's great," Harry grinned. He handed the bag of gold to his wife. "You can figure out what you want to do with it." He glanced at his brother-in-law. "Remember those blue beads? I think you called them lapis lazuli. They were really pretty and I think Ginny would like them."
Bill nodded. "Consider it done, I will get them for you."
"I have an idea," Ginny said. "Would you be able to talk to Professor McGonagall about buying new school brooms? Harry and I were talking about it a while back. It's hard to learn how to fly on those raggedy old brooms. We could replace the lot of them with Cleansweeps or Nimbuses, which ever she thinks would be more appropriate. It can't be too high powered for the kids learning to fly, but I think Cleansweeps would be good."
Ron's eyes widened. His sister was handed a huge bag of money and the first thing she wanted to do was buy brooms for the school? He looked over at Harry wondering if he would be upset, but Harry was watching her with a proud smile on his face.
"That's a great idea, baby," Harry said.
"It is," Bill agreed. "I will go visit Professor McGonagall sometime this week."
"Good," Ginny smiled. "Please give her our best. I do wish we could go back to Hogwarts. I miss everyone."
"I will tell her," Bill promised.
Harry tightened his grip on his wife as Mr and Mrs Weasley approached them. Mrs Weasley didn't look happy, but she didn't seem quite as angry as she had been. "Ginny, Harry, I can't claim I'm happy about all of this. I still think you are too young, but I realize there is nothing we can do about it now." She turned to glare at Sirius who was now standing next to the young couple. "Please make sure you take good care of my daughter."
He nodded. "I promise you, I will take care of her."
Mrs Weasley huffed, but nodded. Turning back to look at her daughter, she said, "Please be careful, love. In a way, I'm glad you are far from the action, but I wish we could know where you are."
Mr Weasley hugged both Harry and Ginny. "Please take care of each other."
Reaching into the pocket of her robes, Mrs Weasley pulled out a beautifully wrapped present. She handed it to Ginny. "When Bill said we could see you, I wanted to bring you a birthday gift."
Ginny smiled in thanks and ripped open the box. It was a jewellery box. She carefully opened the box and found a beautiful silver and moonstone bracelet. Gasping, she reached for the bracelet. "Mum, Dad, it's beautiful."
Her father smiled. "It was my mum's and she wanted you to have it."
"It's wonderful," Ginny smiled as Harry helped her fasten it around her wrist. She held up her wrist and twisted it so the bracelet caught in the light. "Thank you."
She hugged both of her parents. Her mother handed her another gift. "I thought you would like this."
Ginny took the gift and as she started to unwrap it a blaring noise sounded. She looked up, startled as Sirius grabbed the gift out of her hand and threw it away from them. He looked at his son. "It was a Portkey."
Harry didn't bother to respond verbally. He reached out for Ginny's hand and Apparated away. Everyone slowly turned to look at Mrs Weasley with varying degrees of anger and astonishment. She looked shocked. "I didn't know it was a Portkey."
By this time Bill had his wand out and was examining the gift. It was a book and it did seem like something Ginny would like.
"Mum where did you get this?"
"Hogsmeade," she said shakily. "I bought it the day I went to see Albus."
"Dumbledore," Sirius growled.