chapter 15

Harry lay basking nude in the morning light; he had so much to be thankful for. Ginny was in the bathroom taking a shower, but he could still smell the cinnamon on the pillow. She told him her mother had suggested either vanilla or cinnamon as a fragrance to use in her shampoo because "guys like food better than flowers any day." It was so down to earth, so Molly Weasley. He was an official member of a big family now. No more Dursleys, no more being alone because he was a target. He hadn't been Ginny's first lover; he hadn't expected that. It honestly didn't bother him. He had pushed her away, and hoped she would find someone so she could live a full life with someone. It thrilled him that he now had that chance to be happily ever after with her.

Ginny exited the shower and stared appreciatively at her new husband: sprawled out naked with absolutely no shame, only a dreamy smile on his lips. "Come on Harry we have to be at breakfast this morning. The headmistress said she would make some announcements today. I didn't catch if she meant them for morning or evening." She bustled about picking up their laundry and ringing a small bell for the house elf. The elves had strict orders not to intrude unto the privacy of the newlyweds; they could only enter if summoned by the little silver bells. Ginny was like a muggle with a television remote for the first time. She rang the bell for everything. Her family had never had the luxury of a house elf and she loved it.

The elves were fighting over the privilege to attend to the great Harry Potter, but mostly Kreacher was the one who appeared, actually belonging to Harry.

It was Kreacher who appeared promptly with a huge stack of freshly laundered clothing and large fluffy towels. He smiled so sweetly and infatuatedly that it gave both Potters a bit of the creeps. Kreacher was in love with Ginny Potter, she was a pureblood, and she was someone he could allow himself to love. The words blood-traitor (which he had used in reference to her family when they were in Grimmald place) never even occurred to him. He was just as proud of his master; Harry Potter was the greatest wizard alive.

He had defeated the monster who was responsible for the death of his former god, Regulus Black.

Kreacher's status in the lower caverns of Hogwarts was astronomical. He winked in and out without doing more then attaining eye contact, since they were both still in a state of undress. He would show Harry Potter he was better than that worthless, free elf, Dobby. He had heard Harry Potter speak fondly of the dead elf. He hadn't put his head on the wall though!

Harry had pulled up the sheets, when Kreacher had appeared. Last time he had been undressed, Winky was the one to bring in fresh clothes and he had blushed for a full hour for being naked in front of a female house elf. It hadn't helped to overhear a comment about how he wasn't endowed quite so much as her former Master Barty. Ginny had laughed at his reaction for a good twenty minutes, then it had taken her a couple of hours of love making to convince Harry that he was just the right dimensions and that Master Barty was probably deformed. He had been a death eater, and not quite right in the head.

Harry popped out of bed the minute the elf departed, sheet still wrapped around his middle. Ginny set his clothes inside the bathroom once he was in the shower. Harry was still getting used the intimacies that come with marriage. He had always been shy about relationships in the past. Ginny had been horribly jealous of Hermione for staying all that time with him in the tent, but it had proven to be nothing when she had seen the wedding cords. Both Ron and Harry had virginal white cords; hers was a dark vivid red. She had caught her mother's disapproving glance when she had noticed that. Oh well, there was no way her cords would have been white anyway; her being possessed by Tom Riddle had changed a lot of things about her. Tom had ways of making all sorts of behavior sound sensible, and he had delighted in her being promiscuous she had started young in being a flirt. Another reason she had indulged was to catch Harry's attention. She had hoped he would be jealous.

Harry came out fully dressed, in a hurry to go a fill his stomach. He needed the energy and had an appetite for the first time in months. He seized Ginny's hand and shot out of the door as if he was in pursuit of a snitch. "What type of announcements do you expect McGonagall to have for us?"

Ginny thought for a moment and said "Staff appointments and room assignments, then there is the fact of so many students rejoining school since their families pulled them out last year…schedules and so on. I know you were busy, but it was horrid here with everyone gone, and the Carrows running wild. Snape was the only one that came close to protecting the students. Can you believe it? Snape, the voice of reason? McGonagall was afraid to speak since she was surrounded by so many junior death eaters spying. She felt she had to be discreet about her protection or we would have none." Ginny frowned thinking about how she had felt, so in the dark and worried. "Neville and Luna were fantastic. Neville was such a trouper carrying on with the DA and encouraging everyone. Fred & George and Lee Jordan and their broadcasts on the wizard wireless… well it was unbelievable: so many stories of courage, so many little things that had to happen to make the defeat of Tom Riddle possible." She stopped and with great shining eyes looked into her husbands face. "I am so proud of you, Harry. You made a difference and sacrificed so much in order to do it; you will always be my hero." She leaned up and kissed him, and his stomach rumbled loudly. "Let's go feed the Hero." She grinned and pulled him down the corridor. She wanted to see her friends and her brothers.

Ginny wondered if she should write a book recording all the little stories of Hogwarts and the students during the last year. With Potter for a last name she was bound to sell out! She could donate a portion to the ones injured or orphaned in the Voldemort years...after she got a new wardrobe of course.