((A/N: Time to begin the fourth year. Again, thanks to my betas: XRaiderV1, moshpit, NotACat!
As several of you pointed out, there was a slight problem in the last chapter during the talk around the lake. I'll go back and adjust that conversation "soonish".
Updates will be a little slow for a while, as Real Life has been interfering with this more fun activity lately for both me and my betas. Plus, my small buffer of extra chapters has been used up.))
Chapter 14 -- A Sirius Summer
The Weasley family had finished dinner after picking up five children from Platform 9 ¾. At the moment Percy, who had just experienced his last ride on the Hogwarts Express, was clearing the table under the watchful eye of his mother. He was doing the chore with his wand and without saying a word.
Ginny decided that now might be the best time to speak with her father. She walked up to him in the living room having picked a moment when Ron was the only other person there. "Dad, can we talk for a few minutes?"
Her father had just picked up a book about Muggle traditions. He looked at her as she nodded her head in the direction of the door, before glancing at Ron who was setting up the family chess board.
"Certainly, Ginny. I probably should check the orchard while there is a little light left. Would you like to talk while I do that?" he asked her, sounding like it was his idea all along.
"Sure, Dad, that would be fine." She led him to the back door and out of the house.
They both walked slowly along the path towards the orchard. "How was school this year?" he asked casually.
"Much better than last year, but then it would be hard for it to be worse than last year," she said evenly, trying not to shudder.
He nodded to acknowledge her statement. "Any nightmares?"
Ginny was not sure how to answer that. She still had more than she liked, but… "I still get a few, but they're coming less frequently now," she said vaguely, deciding to stick close to the truth. When they reached the orchard, her father did indeed start looking at the trees while she leaned her back against one. "Dad… Hermione and Harry have invited me to spend the summer with them. May I join them next week?"
He stopped, his hand seemingly frozen to a branch as he was inspecting some small pears. He finally turned and looked at her as she adopted her best neutral-yet-pleasant face. "Next week as in 'Monday, three days from now', or next week as in 'ten days from now'?"
"Either would be fine." Ginny hoped for the first but expected the second, assuming he said yes.
"And by 'spend the summer', how long do you mean exactly?" he asked as he peered very intently at her.
"For the entire summer, although we could all come back here for the last week as we have for the last two summers," she offered as a compromise.
After a moment, he beckoned her a little deeper into the orchard as he looked at another tree, as if making sure the branches would not break when the fruit matured. Her mother hated losing the crop. Besides having fruit to eat, she also made jams and preserves out of the pears and apples they grew.
"Why, Ginny? Surely you're not anticipating difficulty like last summer?" From a distance, it would probably look like he was looking at the tree, but he was watching her curiously as he waited for her answer.
"Dad… Because of my first year, I only really have two genuine friends at school. We've been doing everything together, and coming back here where it's not friends but … well, Mum and Ron and such. I want to spend the summer with them, and they've invited me over. In fact, I've also been invited for dinner tomorrow evening to plan what we'd do during the hols. I can bring a note if it will help." She really hoped she did not have to explain about the bond. If she was forced to choose between sharing the knowledge of the bond so she could go and keeping the secret but staying home, she was not sure which she would choose. She would have to talk to Harry and Hermione if that choice came up. Hopefully, it would not come to that.
"And you miss them that much, and none of you need a break from each other?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes, Dad. We enjoy each other's company that much that we don't need to take a break from each other, as you put it." She could not get a read from him yet.
"Besides visiting them, what else would you be doing?"
She wondered if this was a test, but if it was she could not determine what it was about. "The Grangers normally go on a family holiday trip and they've invited me and Sirius Black to go with them."
"I'm afraid not, Ginny, that would be too expensive," he quickly answered.
"Actually, Dad, they're planning on going camping in a nature area. Sirius says he has a tent and he's getting a Portkey for us. So other than food, there really isn't any expense. I have a few Galleons saved up and I'm sure that would easily cover it. I don't eat like Ron does," she pointed out.
Her father chuckled. "No, no … you don't eat like Ron." He considered the request for nearly a full minute as he looked at another tree. "Still, what would your mother say, you being gone for six of the eight weeks of summer?"
"That's why I'm asking you, Dad," she said impishly.
He grinned back at her. "But it does not do to unnecessarily upset the mother bear by doing things to one of her cubs." He sighed. "We see you so little as it is, Ginny. I enjoy seeing you and talking to you like this."
"I'm sorry, Dad," she said contritely, looking away towards the sunset. They did not have long before the sun would be down and it would be twilight. "I like spending time with you too -- you and the twins." She felt his hand on her shoulder and looked up at him.
"Just me and the twins?"
She slowly nodded, not completely comfortable admitting that, but afraid to lie to him as they were having this conversation. "I suppose Bill and Charlie a little too, although I really don't know them all that well since they are so much older," she hesitantly added. "My first clear memories start around the time I turned five, and Charlie was starting his third year then. I only have about a year of memories of Percy before he left for most of the year for school."
He sighed. "I had so hoped that, as our daughter, you would be close to your mother."
Not able to help it, she slowly shook her head. "Only Ron is close to her, and you too, of course. I'm sorry, Dad, but she doesn't make it easy."
He shook his head and patted her shoulder before he turned away, looking at another tree. "No, she doesn't always make it easy."
Ginny was shocked he had practically admitted to the family's dirty secret, and wondered what he really thought about his wife. He sounded so sad.
"You may go to dinner tomorrow night, but I want to see an invitation for staying the summer and for the travel. I also want to see their schedule and a list of the travel expenses. I still have some money left over from when we won last summer's Galleon Draw. If I agree to that, you may go stay with them in a week and a half, starting Monday after next, and all three of you have to come back here for the last week of the summer." He turned around and looked at her, still looking very sad.
It was not the schedule she desired, but it was close and he had not argued with her over the request. She gave him a big smile and went over to give him a tight hug. He returned it and rubbed her back. Ginny silently vowed to spend a little extra time with him before she went to the Grangers for the summer.
"Thank you, Daddy," she told him sincerely. She did not call him that very often any more, only when there was a special moment, and this felt like one.
He squeezed her once more and let her go. "I would appreciate you not saying anything about this to your mother just yet. I'll explain … somehow."
"As you wish…"
"How do you plan to get there? Or do I need to take you?"
"Sirius Black is Harry's godfather and he gave me his Floo address. I can Floo over there at six and he said he'd take me to the Grangers. I think he was planning on Side-Along Apparating me. That was how he took Harry and Hermione home," she explained. "I would imagine I would be back by nine, or ten at the very latest."
He nodded. "That will be fine." He looked at her very intently again, and then shook his head as if getting rid of a thought. Looking up, he saw that the sun was fully below the horizon. "Let's return inside before it becomes completely dark." He guided her back towards the house. "So what electives were you planning to sign up for next year? Muggle Studies perhaps?"
"I'm planning on Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies. With what Hermione and Harry have been showing me at their house and given that they've promised to tutor me, I think Muggle Studies will be easy," she said with a smile, happy at his answer and to be on a different topic.
"I look forward to seeing your book. I'm most curious to see how it's changed since I took the course. You must also ask about air-o-planes. I'm fascinated at how they fly without magic," he told her, his normal animation starting to return.
"Sure, Dad. Maybe Hermione will have a book on them that she can lend you when she comes over."
"Oh, that would be splendid…"
Ginny was glad it was working out and that her father was back to his normal self. He had definitely surprised her. She wondered if he had ever hinted to any of her brothers that he understood how much of a problem their mother was. When she walked into the house, she hurried to her room to write a letter.
Ginny took the Floo network to Sirius's house where he greeted her more formally than she expected: "Good evening, Miss Weasley."
"Sirius!" she complained. "Since when do you call me Miss Weasley?"
"Since you took the time to make yourself look extra nice this evening."
She blushed.
"I think Harry will appreciate your efforts," he said with a grin.
"I hope so."
"I have no doubt. Now, if you'll hold onto my arm tightly and think of going with me, we shall go and see him." Sirius Apparated them both to the Grangers after Ginny gripped his arm. They both arrived safely to his relief. He was also pleased to see his godson giving Ginny appreciative looks.
"I'm glad you could make it," Harry told her as he gave her a quick hug. "Hi Sirius."
Sirius chuckled. "I'm happy to see you have your priorities right in greeting her first." He hugged his godson before he walked into the house and greeted the three Grangers. Hermione gave Ginny a quick hug also.
Emma guided them all to the dining room. Before they could sit down, Emma handed Ginny a couple of sheets of paper. "Your letter said you needed these?"
Ginny quickly unfolded them. She saw a note requesting her to come over for the summer, a proposed schedule for their trip, and list of expenses. The list of expenses only contained two items: three Galleons for food for three weeks, and whatever she wanted for spending money. She looked up at the woman and smiled. "Thanks!" she said brightly before putting it all in her pocket.
"It's still fairly early, so I thought we might do a bit of shopping immediately after dinner," Sirius spoke as he started dishing food onto his plate.
At Ginny's questioning look, he said, "We all need to get some good hiking boots, and we need to do it soon enough that we can break them in properly, or we'll have very sore feet if we first wear them on our trip."
"Oh, OK," Ginny said. She decided that made sense. "Did you really get a Wizarding tent?"
"I did," Sirius said with a big grin. "It's got three bedrooms and only one bathroom, but it should work for us. Dan and Emma can have one bedroom. Harry and I can share one and you two girls can have the last."
Dan gave him a questioning look. "And all of that really fits into that small package you showed me?"
Sirius laughed.
"Don't forget, Dad, it's magic," Harry said teasingly. Hermione joined him in laughing.
Dan looked sheepish. "All right, you got me there, but I think I'll need to see it before I really believe it."
"We can take a look right after dinner, before we go shopping. It won't take but a moment," Sirius told him.
They spent the next half hour eating and talking about all they would like to do. Emma put the extra food in the fridge and they left the dishes for the moment because of time.
Sirius grabbed a small bundle of canvas about the size of a small chest and easily carried it into the back garden under his arm. He set it in the middle of the lawn and made everyone stand back. Pulling his wand out, he touched the tip of it to a green rune on the top of the bundle and hurriedly stepped back. A few seconds later, the bundle started inflating and unwrapping. Half a minute later, a twelve foot by twelve foot cabin tent stood before them; it even had support ropes and stakes at the corners that snaked out and embedded themselves in the ground.
Dan and Emma stared, speechless.
Harry and Hermione were not much better, even though they had seen a lot of magic. "Totally brilliant," Harry whispered. Hermione and Ginny nodded.
"Well, don't just stand there, go on in." Sirius put a hand on the kids' shoulders and nudged them forward. Ginny led the way and walked in. As Harry and Hermione started to go, Sirius waved Dan and Emma in, bringing up the rear himself.
As the adults stepped in, they almost collided with Harry and Hermione who were frozen to the spot. Sirius was forced to step around Dan and Emma, who seemed to be in more shock than their two children. They were all standing in a living room with a long sofa and two chairs around a low table to the right. There were also some tapestries on the walls and fake lanterns powered by magic for light. On the left side of the room were a table and six chairs. The table was not overly big, so it would be a little tight with all six of them around it.
"This is obviously the living room and dining room. If you'll come with me, I'll show you the kitchen," Sirius said jovially.
"You never mentioned a kitchen," Emma said hesitantly, her shock still not totally worn off.
"One does have to eat when camping." Sirius led them through a doorway to small kitchen with an oven, a sink, and lots of cabinets. "I believe we'll all find the cooking things we might need here, and the cabinets can hold about a month's worth of food for us. Those two cabinets over there will keep food cool or frozen as needed. Dan, Emma, you'll have to let one of us start the stove for you, as it requires a wand, but once it's started, you can cook all you want."
Emma nodded wordlessly. Dan was still blinking slowly.
"Off the living room," Sirius led them back to the main room and over to a wall with doorways, "are the bedrooms and the bathroom. They're pretty typical and have the needed beds and wardrobes. They're not fancy, but they are liveable. Kids, you may want to bring your school trunks." He smiled to himself and nodded in appreciation. "And this is your basic Wizarding tent. I think it will work. How about you?" He looked around.
"I like it," Ginny said.
"It works for me," Harry agreed.
"And me," Hermione said.
Dan was still looking amazed. "This is truly unbelievable. I was so impressed with some of the things I've see Hermione and Harry do around here, but this is just, just…" He looked at his wife.
Emma chuckled. "It is hard to describe. If I ever had to prove magic exists, I wouldn't use the show that Professor McGonagall showed us when she came to tell us that Hermione was a witch. No, I'd use this tent."
Sirius barked a loud laugh. "Thanks, your astonishment is a joy to see. I forget about the wonder of magic, having grown up in it. If you'll all come outside, I'll show you one more thing before we go shopping."
"And we can just leave all of our things in there and not have to carry a heavy backpack?" Dan asked as they walked out.
"That's right, it maintains a constant weight when folded," Sirius confirmed as he pulled his wand back out. Over the door, he touched his wand to two red runes in quick succession. The tent pulled the stakes out of the ground and started folding itself up. "In case you're wondering, that won't work if someone is in it." About half a minute later, the tent was back to a small canvas bundle that Sirius picked up.
Dan laughed. "I'll even volunteer to carry the tent when we have this." They all laughed. "Let's go get some boots." He led them to their car. It was a tight fit with the six of them, but they did not have to go far.
A little over an hour later, they returned, each with a new pair of boots from a local sporting goods store. They also had picked up rain gear and water bottles for their hiking. Emma volunteered to shop for the food just before they left.
Back at the Grangers' home, the three teens sat in the back garden and talked for a few minutes. When Sirius called, they got up and Ginny gave the other two a long hug. Then because Hermione was standing between them and the house blocking the view of the adults, Ginny gave Harry a quick chaste kiss on the lips. "I'll see you in little over a week," she said sadly as she walked away.
Sirius Apparated them to his house and then Ginny took the Floo back home. She sighed. They would give Hedwig a workout with letters, but she could hardly wait to get back to her bond-mates.
Each of the travellers had a small backpack on and stood around Sirius as he produced the Portkey. It was the fifth of July and they were all eager to be off. Ginny was the most anxious, as she had never been on a holiday like this before. They would not be back until the thirtieth of July.
"Everyone, grab the stick," Sirius directed.
They all grabbed the yard-long branch and Sirius tapped it with his wand. Each feeling a jerk from behind their navel, they were pulled through space.
Just when Harry thought he was about to be sick, they landed in a heap.
"Right on time," a crisp voice with a foreign accent said. A strong arm belonging to a stout man pulled Harry to his feet before helping the others up. The last thing he did was to take the branch and toss it in a bin on the side. "Welcome to Switzerland, Mr Black and company. Here's the map you requested. If you follow the trail, I believe you'll find some lovely hiking ahead of you."
"Thank you. We're looking forward to our stay here."
"I will remind you that you're responsible for being here at four in the afternoon on the thirtieth of July. I would suggest being here half an hour early. Not to be rude, but if you'll head out that door, you can make your way outside." He pointed to a set of double doors. "Our next travellers will be here in a few moments."
"Thank you again," Sirius told the official as he led his group out the indicated doors.
As soon as they stepped outside, Harry stopped in shock. In front of him were mountains even higher than those surrounding Hogwarts. "Wow…"
After they all recovered from the glorious sight in front of them, Sirius checked his map and led them towards the trail and they started their hiking trip.
---
Everyone plopped into a seat in the living room, mere moments after Sirius set up the tent for the evening.
Harry untied his boots and slowly pulled them off. "Ahh, that feels so good."
"I'd do that too if I could move," Ginny said, looking as tired as she sounded.
Harry leaned over and pulled her boots off, then he did Hermione's too before he leaned back on the couch. The girls on either side of him leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks," they said in stereo as they leaned against him.
Emma chuckled before she looked at Dan.
Dan groaned. "Harry, you've got to quit being so considerate. You're getting me into trouble." They all laughed at him, even Emma.
"Girls, if you'll come help me start the stove, I'll cook dinner." Emma pushed herself up and headed for the kitchen. The girls followed wearily.
Harry got up and headed back for the door in his stocking feet. Stepping outside, he gazed at the mountains. They were so beautiful, he thought. A moment later, Sirius and Dan joined him.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Dan asked.
"They are indeed," Sirius said quietly. "We have a good spot here, being off the beaten track. I doubt anyone will find us, but I can make sure of that." He pulled his wand out and cast a few spells around.
"What are those for?" Dan asked.
"They are charms to cause people not to notice us, and also to make them want to move along to somewhere else if they should head in this direction. That should give us some privacy," Sirius explained.
They enjoyed the view for a few more minutes before Hermione called them in.
"Smells good," Harry said as he took his seat.
"You can thank Ginny for that," Emma said, causing the redhead to blush. "She did a good job working the stove and heating the frozen lasagne. I could get used to a stove like this, if only I could work it without a wand."
"Magic is useful," Harry said with a smirk as he started eating. The two girls rolled their eyes at his common saying.
Dan smiled at his son. "Sirius, you mentioned that you'd use some of our time here to teach about Wizarding traditions and customs…"
Sirius nodded as he swallowed. "I did. There are number of things we'll discuss and I'll even try to explain the why behind them. If you understand the why, a lot more of our traditions make sense."
"I think the hardest thing I have trouble with is that the Wizarding world seems stuck in the 1800's," Hermione said.
"In many ways it is," Sirius agreed. "Our world does change and advance, but very slowly. You probably see some of it as quaint, while other parts look nonsensical."
"Why is it so far behind and slow to catch up with the normal world?" Dan asked.
"There are several reasons." Sirius took a drink. "Some of the reason is that we're so separate, we don't try to keep up. Wizard-kind also lives longer, so we're less likely to change. Our smaller population also contributes to that, since we don't have as many people trying to invent new things. Also, many of us, especially the Purebloods, see ourselves as superior with our magic and think there is little need to change, and that was reality centuries ago."
"But many of the things magic can do, we can do with technology," Hermione argued.
"True, I've been impressed by many of the things Dan has shown me lately," Sirius said with a nod to the other man. "You also have to realize that we can't advance in the same way you do in the normal world."
"Why can't we?" Ginny asked, finding this conversation more interesting than she would have initially thought.
"Have you ever seen one of the Muggle-born try to bring an electronic device into Hogwarts?" Sirius asked with a grin.
Hermione turned red. "I tried bringing a battery-powered watch in after Christmas of my first year. It started doing strange things when I walked through the gates and then totally died when I walked into the castle."
"Exactly! That's a perfect example. I remember Lily," Sirius smiled at Harry, "bringing a small radio from home to school. We stood around her in the Gryffindor common room and we all watched it pop and emit a little smoke when she turned it on to show us how it worked. Since those sorts of things can't work in a magic-heavy environment, we can't advance the same way. Your electronic technology doesn't mean anything in the magical world."
Dan looked very thoughtful. "You know, I have noticed some interference on our telly from time to time lately. We didn't used to have that."
"I'm not surprised with all the wards you have around your house, let alone the kids living there during the hols. I wouldn't be surprised to hear you tell me one day that it stopped working sooner than you expected. The magic will make it degrade quicker," Sirius said.
"That's unfortunate," Dan said distastefully.
"Perhaps, but it's better than living without the protection of the wards you live under too," Sirius replied with a grin. "The more protections you have, the more your technology will fail. With enough protections, such as those at Hogwarts, your technology wouldn't work at all. For those who need to use normal technology, such as yourselves, it's a delicate balance to find."
"Is there a way to prevent that interference so that technology will work around magic?" Hermione asked, looking like she was trying to answer her own question.
Sirius chuckled. "If you can come up with one, you'll be very rich, Hermione. Lily had the idea of having a set of runes that would create something like a bubble of 'no-magic'. The magic that used to be in that bubble would be pushed out to form a barrier, and that would keep other magic from getting inside. She used to tell us to imagine a balloon."
"That's very interesting. What else did she say about it?" Hermione asked excitedly.
"Nothing that I can remember," Sirius said with a laugh. "Lily was very good with that sort of thing, much like yourself." Hermione blushed slightly in embarrassment. "If she said anything else, I wouldn't have understood it, as I never took Ancient Runes. To my knowledge, she never made it work."
"What else will you teach us?" Harry asked.
Sirius gave an evil grin. "I also plan to teach you to dance. That will be very important."
Harry grimaced while the girls looked delighted. The adult Grangers chuckled.
"Actually, I think that would be good for us, too," Emma said, getting a resigned look from her husband.
"There's also the social customs as well, you know: greetings, how to address various people, as well as what to do in different situations. But for now…" Sirius stood and pulled out his wand. He got up from the dining table and moved the living room furniture to the side.
Another flick of his wand started the Wizarding Wireless sitting on a shelf. Putting his wand away, he turned. "Miss Weasley, would you please help me?"
Ginny giggled and rose. She walked over to the middle of the cleared area and stood facing Sirius. He bowed and she curtsied. Then because the song was a slow one, they started to waltz. "Watch my feet, Harry. This is a simple step, it's like I'm moving around a box. My hands holding onto Ginny's hand and waist also give her small clues as to how I'm about to move so she can match me. With a little practice, it's really very easy."
When the song ended, Sirius stopped and gave a short bow. "Thank you, Miss Weasley."
"My pleasure, Mr Black." She gave an abbreviated curtsy.
"Harry, if you'll come join us?" Sirius said. As the boy trudged over, Sirius commented, "Your mother would have loved this." He clapped the boy on the shoulder as he stood before him expectantly. Sirius grinned. "Sorry, Harry, I don't dance that way." He turned Harry around so he was facing Ginny. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione understood and came over to stand in front of Sirius. Sirius helped Hermione into the right stance, while Ginny helped Harry.
"We'll go slowly at first, ignoring the music. Left foot first, Harry," Sirius coached.
It took Harry nearly fifteen minutes and a few smashed toes on Ginny's part, but he did catch on. The smashed toes were not too bad since everyone was in their stocking feet. Sirius then helped Emma while Ginny helped Dan. Harry and Hermione paired during that time.
By the end of the evening, everyone was a little more tired, but jubilant they had learned to dance. The fact that it was late was not a problem. They were not on a schedule and would hike when they wanted.
"What's on the agenda for tomorrow evening?" Hermione asked, just before they went to bed.
"I should probably teach you a few new spells…"
Hermione's grin was infectious. "Like what?"
Sirius chuckled. "Oh, just some easy ones that won't get anyone hurt or draw attention to ourselves out here. There are some tracking spells that I should put on everyone to make sure we don't get lost if we get separated. There's a compass spell too. I thought some simple healing spells, like for healing scratches and cuts, would also be useful. Oh, and your challenge for the summer is the Bubble-Head Charm."
"Why is it a challenge?" Hermione asked, eager for the information.
"Because it's a seventh-year spell, so it will be harder to learn. Still, it can be very useful," Sirius explained. "That's enough for tonight, though."
"Definitely," Emma agreed. "Good-night everyone." They all said goodnight and went to their respective bedrooms.
By the end of the trip, the teens would amaze Sirius many times. They each learned the Bubble-Head Charm and several other harder charms. Sure, they could not hold the Bubble-Head for more than about five minutes, but the fact that they could even get that far was a surprise to the veteran Marauder. Sirius wished he knew why they were able to do that, especially Ginny. Their magic really should not be mature enough at this point. He had thought he would be stretching them, but they had exceeded his expectations.
The day after they got back from Switzerland, they celebrated Harry's birthday. At Harry's request, the only guests were Ginny, Sirius, and Remus. They had cake and ice cream. Harry received a number of small presents, all of which he liked.
The best presents of all came that evening after the party had ended. Before it was time to go to bed, Ginny and Hermione took Harry upstairs for a few minutes while Dan and Emma were cleaning up downstairs.
Ginny pulled Harry into his room while Hermione went to her room. "Do you want the rest of your present, Harry?" she asked impishly.
"But you already gave me one," he protested lightly.
"I said the rest of it," she said as she stepped very close to him.
"R-rest?" he asked a little nervously, wondering what she was going to do.
"You're fourteen and we're all growing up, Harry." She easily wound her arms up around his neck, stretching only slightly being just a couple of inches shorter than he was. Before he could get away, Ginny threaded her fingers through his hair and tilted his head down slightly while she stretched her neck toward him.
Harry felt her start to kiss him and it was not a chaste kiss either. When he realized she was not going to stop after a few seconds, he decided to enjoy it and put his arms around her. He did not think this would hurt either of them. If he refused, he knew he would hurt her greatly, and well… this was enjoyable to say the least.
When they eventually stopped their snog, they each grinned at the other.
"Brilliant…" "Lovely…"
They chuckled from talking at the same time.
"Thank you, Ginny."
"It was my pleasure, but don't expect those all the time, at least not yet."
Harry thought about it. She was right. They were getting older, but they were not all that old yet. There would be plenty of time for kisses later. As for the "other stuff", seventeen still seemed like a long way off.
"Where did you learn that?"
She gave him a coy smile. "Surely you knew that girls talked about boys in the dorm." At his gob-smacked expression, she giggled lightly. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before she let go of him and said, "Don't move."
She winked when she walked out and Harry wondered what that was about.
A moment later, he found out as Hermione walked in with a smirk on her lips. Without hesitation, she walked up to Harry, threw her arms around his neck, and proceeded to kiss him thoroughly as well.
Hermione was his height and not as petite as Ginny. She also kissed differently. Harry tried to do his best to respond to her and make her happy.
When they broke apart, Hermione was sporting a large grin, probably as large as his was.
"Happy birthday, Harry. Sweet dreams…" She gave him a quick kiss and then walked out of his bedroom.
"Merlin!" he quietly swore as he flopped back on his bed.
---
In another part of the country, a certain wraith was presently feeling very uncomfortable. A young man, who had been found by the wraith two weeks ago -- after his father had been detained at the Ministry for a week -- did not know what to do about his master's groaning. Therefore, he returned to brewing a special bonding potion and wondering where he was going to easily find an infant to steal.
The morning after Harry's birthday, Ginny heard energetic music quietly escaping from somewhere. She did not hear anything from her bond-mates and assumed that Hermione and Harry were still sleeping, so she guessed it must be from Mr or Mrs Granger. She was going to ignore it and try to get another hour of sleep, but she just could not roll over and ignore it as it was coming up through the floor. Giving up on the idea of some more shut-eye time, she got up and put on a T-shirt and some shorts.
Downstairs, the music was a little louder. Listening carefully, she headed towards the back and came up against a closed door. The music was obviously on the other side. Should she go in or not? She did not want to be rude and intrude, but she wondered what was going on.
"Go in if you want," a deep male voice said, causing her to jump.
Twirling around, she saw Mr Granger smiling at her.
"Sorry, but that was just too fun," Dan said with a smile. "Emma started an exercise kick a few months back and this is her way of losing a few pounds and toning up her muscles … her words, not mine," he hastily added.
"I, uh, I wouldn't want to disturb her. I was only curious about where the music was coming from," Ginny said shyly. The music changed songs. She tilted her head. "I've never heard it before, but it is kind of catchy."
Dan looked surprised. "That's a classic: Sultans of Swing." He noticed that Ginny showed no recognition of the song title. "I guess the Wizarding world doesn't have the same music either."
Ginny shook her head. "No, we don't. We do have some faster paced songs, but most of them are slower, like what Sirius used to teach everyone to dance to this summer."
"I see. Well, let's introduce you to a few more non-magical things," Dan said with a friendly grin. He reached past her and opened the door. The music was suddenly a lot louder. He ushered her in and closed the door behind them.
Ginny saw Emma doing something like dancing, except that she was stepping up and down on a brightly-coloured step, and she had something in each hand, pumping her arms as she went up on the step and then back down. Apparently, their entrance must have caught her attention, as she looked over.
"Hi Ginny!" Emma called, sounding slightly out of breath. "Want to join me?"
"What are you doing?" Ginny really was confused. Emma kept going up and down, over and over. Ginny did notice that she was stepping in time with the beat of the song.
"Exercising!" Emma said somewhat loudly, as if she felt like she had to talk a lot louder than the music. "Let me … finish this song … then I'll stop … and we can talk."
Ginny only nodded, while she watched and listened. The song definitely was catchy.
When the song ended, Emma stopped exercising and sort of bounced over to a box on a shelf, where she pushed a button on it and the music stopped. She put her hand weights down next to the music box.
"I think I'll leave you two here and I'll go read the paper while I wait for Harry," Dan casually said before he walked out.
Emma looked at Ginny with a pleasant smile. "I guess the Wizarding world doesn't have exercise programmes?" She got a glass and put some water in it from the tap at the wet bar. She offered it to Ginny, who took it. Emma got another for herself.
"No. We have Quidditch, a sport played on brooms. We may also go hiking or take walks for fun, but that's about it. We have magic to do almost anything we need to do," Ginny explained.
Emma was thoughtful looking. "I've heard Harry mention Quidditch. What if a person gets overweight? How do they lose it? Is there magic for that?"
Ginny considered the question. "Not that I can think of. I know my mother has talked about losing a few pounds before, but I don't believe she's ever done anything about it."
"I see," Emma said slowly. She thought Molly could stand to lose some weight, but was not sure she should be that direct. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but here in our world, we've found that extra weight can cause problems like diabetes or heart problems, and being severely overweight can even cause joint problems and more. I'm doing this to lose some weight just so I can get back down to my proper dress size and feel better about my figure. For people like yourself, who aren't overweight, exercise can also be used to help build muscles for better endurance and strength."
"That might be nice," Ginny said as she looked at herself, considering how skinny she thought she looked. She was due to turn thirteen in a little over a week and thought her figure still looked like a boy. A chuckle caused her to look up.
"Don't worry, your womanly curves will be here soon enough."
Ginny blushed heavily in embarrassment. "I didn't realize I was that obvious," she muttered.
Emma chuckled again. "I remember thinking the same thing when I was about your age." She looked at Ginny a little more carefully. "Can I ask you about a few things?"
Ginny looked at Emma for a moment and saw a pleasant look of concern. She looked like a loving mother, a look that Ginny rarely saw her mother give her. She shyly nodded.
Emma put a hand on Ginny's shoulder and guided her to a pair of chairs on the side of the home office that Emma used to exercise in. After they had both sat, Emma looked at the girl, a girl who was starting to change into a young woman. "If you don't want to answer any of this, you don't have to. I'm also not trying to embarrass you or take your mother's place, but … maybe I can help you a little."
"Erm, OK," Ginny said hesitantly, wondering what Emma would ask her, and yet she trusted the woman.
"Has your mother talked to you about 'the change'?" Emma asked gently.
"The … 'change'?"
"The change that a girl's body makes as she becomes a young woman."
Despite the kind way Emma had asked, Ginny became embarrassed because of the bluntness. She could see a little better why Hermione was like she was. This would have been a hard conversation even with her own mother, but Emma was not her mother -- and yet maybe... She decided to take a chance. "Well, she did talk to me about where babies come from last summer, and uh, well, how to prevent them when married people, err, you know." Ginny was relieved when Emma kept the pleasant expression glued to her face.
"She explained sex and contraceptives?"
Ginny continued to blush furiously as she nodded once. "Yes. There are potions and spells, although she said she wouldn't teach me those until I was about to get married."
"All right." Emma drawled. "I suppose I need to talk to Hermione about this too. It sounds like it may be different for, uh, witches."
"It is," Ginny said with a nod, trying to pretend the conversation was not about her but about some other young witch. "Muggle ways don't work too well for us. Our magic tends to overcome them, or so my mother said."
"That's good to know, although I do hope you wait until you're older to do that."
"It's best to wait until marriage. If not, then things can get kind of messy. The laws aren't very kind to girls who get pregnant and aren't married," Ginny told her.
Emma was not overly surprised. The Wizarding world seemed to have a very male-dominated view of things, from what she had read and from what Sirius had explained during their camping trip. "The reason I asked is that I couldn't help but noticing that you're starting your change and I wasn't sure your mother had talked to you about it."
The conversation was getting very awkward again. Ginny hoped Mrs Granger was not going to try to give her "The Talk" too.
"Oh no, Ginny, it's a good thing and it's happening right on time," Emma said lovingly, trying to calm the girl. When Ginny looked at her very gratefully, Emma wondered about her home life and her relationship with her mother. She did not think she had ever heard Ginny refer to Molly as "Mum". It was always "my mother".
"You mean…"
"Yes," Emma said with a smile, "you're starting to get your curves. I noticed you're not wearing a bra, and well, it's really about time for you."
Ginny was delighted and whispered, "Finally…"
Emma chuckled and Ginny nervously joined her a moment later.
"You don't have any, do you?"
"No, my mother's never bought me any," Ginny said a little sadly.
"How about we go shopping today, just us girls? I don't have to be back at work until tomorrow, so we can have all day," Emma offered. She had not spent a lot of time with Ginny until this summer's hiking trip. The little redhead was cute in her own way, a real fireball. It was also easy to tell that she would be a powerful witch, as she matched most of the magic Harry and Hermione could do, despite being one year younger than Harry and two years younger than Hermione. Emma had also noticed that she was smart: not quite as smart as Hermione, but about as smart as Harry -- it was hard to say for sure.
"Really?" Ginny's asked, her face lighting up.
"Sure. We can get you some bras and some exercise clothes, if you like. I've tried to get Hermione to join me when she came home from school, but she's not into this."
"What about Harry?" Ginny quickly asked.
Emma had seen that one coming and it was all she could do not to laugh. "Sometimes he'll join me. He gets some of his exercise by being Dan's caddy."
"What's a caddy?" Ginny could not help but ask.
Emma shook her head. "It's a helper for a silly game called golf, but don't tell Dan I said that," she said with laughter in her voice. Ginny giggled. "They do get to walk for three or four hours, so it's not all bad." Emma got up and went to a closet and pulled out another colourful step. "Here, I got this for Hermione in case she wanted to join me. I'll show you how it goes and we can try it for a few minutes, then we can each return to our room, shower, and get ready for the day."
Ginny watched Emma closely to learn a few moves before Emma turned the music back on. Another song came on, something about a crocodile dancing.
"Oh, I like this one," Emma told her, really getting into the music.
Ginny had to admit that while the song did not make complete sense to her, it had a good beat and was fun to dance/exercise to. They did three more songs before calling it quits.
"So, what do you think?" Emma asked, her chest heaving.
"I like it," Ginny answered brightly, wishing her chest would heave the same way Emma's did. "I like the music and, well, the exercise makes me feel good."
"Exactly!" Emma squeezed the girl to her in a hug. "You can be my partner in this. I do it most mornings."
"OK," Ginny quickly agreed.
"Go on up and take a shower and get dressed. I'll wake Hermione and we can have breakfast before we go. I think Dan was talking about playing some golf today, so that will keep the boys busy," Emma said conspiratorially.
Ginny giggled. She liked Emma. As she raced upstairs, she became a little sad. Ginny wished her mother was like Emma.
She grabbed her things and hurried into the bathroom. Locking the door, Ginny peeled her clothes off and stood naked in front of the big mirror. She looked from the front and from the side. She grinned to herself as she noticed that she probably did need a bra -- finally. It would be a few years before Harry saw her this way, but she really hoped Harry liked what he saw when that time came. If exercises could help that, she would do them faithfully.
As the summer at the Grangers was coming to an end and it was almost time to spend the last week and a couple of days at the Weasleys, Sirius came over for dinner, like he did normally once a week. This evening, Dan had grilled burgers.
"Splendid, Dan," Sirius told him as he wiped his mouth. "I always enjoyed it when Lily fixed these for us."
"The Butterbeers you brought went down very nicely," Dan returned with a smile. "If you don't mind my saying so, you seem reasonably knowledgeable of the normal world, especially since you've classified yourself as being raised as a Pureblood."
Sirius chuckled. "There's a lot I don't know, but Lily made sure I picked up enough to not stick out like a sore thumb in the Muggle world. My other friend, Remus, would be considered a Half-blood, like Harry here, so he contributed to my education. But you're right, I'm not the typical Pureblood."
"What lesson do you have for us tonight?" Hermione asked in the lull of the conversation. Sirius had continued his "teaching" even after the camping trip.
"I thought I'd let all of you ask questions tonight. So…" Sirius looked around.
"Can I go first?" asked Harry.
"Sure, kiddo. What's on your mind?"
With a completely innocent face, Harry asked, "Can you explain about Life Debts?"
Sirius blinked for a moment. "But you…" He looked at each of the girls and saw innocent faces there too. He knew Harry already knew about this, so why would he ask? A glance at Dan and Emma showed curiosity and he suddenly realized that Harry had set him up.
He grinned slowly at his godson. "Are you sure you weren't sorted into Slytherin?"
Still looking completely innocent, Harry replied, "The Sorting Hat did discuss it with me, but I talked him out of it."
"Uh-huh, right." He glanced at Ginny, but the girl was sitting there so calmly and staring at him that it was initially unnerving. "Very well… Life Debts are a tradition in the Wizarding World that state that if you save another's life, and you were not the one to put it into jeopardy, then the person you saved owes you a debt, or a reward, for you risking your life for them. Because it's a tradition and not a law, it can be ignored, but to do so -- especially among Purebloods -- is a social faux pas of the highest order."
"Wait," Dan stopped him. "You mean that if you risk your life to save someone, if they honour this tradition, then they owe you a payment?"
"Generally correct. There are commonly accepted customs to govern this. For example, if Ginny here saves Hermione's life at true risk to her own, Ginny could request something of value in return -- up to ten thousand Galleons, because they're just two ordinary magical people. And assuming Hermione follows the custom, she would make extreme efforts to pay it. Of course, payment doesn't have to be in money, it can be a task performed or something else of value to the rescuer. The reward can be negotiated."
Dan looked concerned and glanced at Harry for a moment.
"As I mentioned," Sirius continued, "there are customs and what I just mentioned was for two normal magical people. If the rescuer or the rescued was someone of more importance, say the heir of a family or the head of a family -- especially a Pureblood family -- then the reward can go up significantly." He looked at his godson. "Harry, name the heir of a Pureblood family at your school."
"Uh, Draco Malfoy."
Sirius laughed. "Excellent example. Were Harry to save the head of the Malfoy family, Lucius Malfoy, the reward would be on the order of one hundred thousand Galleons. For Draco's life as the heir of the family, the boy's father would be obligated to pay fifty thousand Galleons or something else of equal worth. In an extreme case, if the Malfoys had a daughter that would not inherit, Harry could even ask for her and Draco's father would have to hand her over or lose honour among his peers such that he was almost an outcast. Many marriages in the old days came about in this way."
"That's … that's barbaric!" Emma exclaimed.
"I won't argue with your reaction because I agree with it. I don't see any one person as more important than another, but it's the way our Pureblood world operates. Remember our discussion on the Magical world being stuck in the past? In many ways, we still live under the customs and laws from the days of feudal lords. Consider your own history and what it was like back in the day of, oh … King James in the early 1600's or maybe even earlier. Those are the sort of traditions and customs that make up most of our current customs and laws." Sirius shrugged. "It's not the best overall, but it's where we are now."
"Harry? You asked that question for a reason, didn't you?" Dan asked.
Harry did his best not to blush or look away. "Yes," he answered quietly.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Dan looked worried by what he might hear.
"No, I have no reason to do anything like that for Hermione." Both Dan and Emma looked very relieved. "You love Hermione and take care of her, wanting what's best for her. In theory, I know I could make that request, but it's pointless. There is no reason for me to, and I also know you don't follow those traditions."
"Then why did you ask the question?" Emma continued her husband's line of questioning.
"Because I wanted you to understand the custom and tradition. I thought you would accept it better if Sirius was the one who explained it." Harry struggled to remain calm, but he did.
"But why do we need to know?" Dan asked in confusion.
Emma suddenly gasped. "This is about Ginny! This is what you talked to Ginny's father about last summer, wasn't it?"
Harry could not help his grim expression or looking down for a moment. When he looked up at his step-mother, his face held determination. "I explained to Mr Weasley that I knew of the Life Debt for saving Ginny's life but that I would postpone calling it in as long as Ginny was treated well."
Sirius sighed and looked resigned as everyone looked at him. "I'm sorry to have to ask this, Ginny, but how do you get along with your family?"
Ginny looked a little embarrassed, but she answered anyway. "My … my mother and I don't get along very well. She is … she isn't the best mother to me." Ginny wrung her hands for a moment before looking over to Emma. "I love my father, but I get along with you and see how you treat Hermione and Harry … and from that, I think of you as a better mother than my own. I don't particularly like being at home. It's not as bad as Harry had growing up, but I would happily accept Harry calling in the Life Debt for me."
"You would want to be his slave? Or could … would that make you his … his fiancée?" Emma said slowly, trying to figure it out.
"It would make her part of my family and under my control," Harry answered. "To use the old terms, she would become a vassal of the House of Potter."
"A vassal?" Dan asked.
"The most generic term for someone who looks to a Head of House," Sirius explained. "Basically, Harry becomes responsible for her. She could stay that way and be treated like an extended cousin, or he could even marry her if he wished." He looked intently at Harry, demanding an answer.
"I don't have plans as long as Ginny is treated well at home, but if required, I would call in the Life Debt, or claim her, for her protection. Anything beyond that would not be decided until we're much older." Harry still spoke softly, be he did not back down.
"Why would you do it, Harry?" Emma asked with great concern.
A smile slowly spread on his face. "For the same reason you claimed me, two and half years ago. You didn't use the Magical tradition, but you did claim me for my protection. I know I've thanked you many times and I will continue to do so. I would claim Ginny for the same reason."
"I never really thought of it that way," Dan said as he looked at his wife, "but I can understand that reasoning."
"I won't do it unless I have to," Harry said, "if that helps you feel better."
"But he has good reasons to," Ginny said. "Besides the problems with my mother, I don't really have any close friends at school other than Harry and Hermione because of what happened in my first year. Wizarding custom works against girls, and my life would be even more difficult if I stayed at home, under the direction of my mother, where she could force me stay there and do almost anything she wanted. I know Harry would treat me right, and well," she shyly looked at Emma, "in many ways, even though we haven't known each other for very long, I feel like you're more of a mother figure to me than my own."
Emma seemed to melt and smiled caringly. "I do think fondly of you, Ginny, not quite like Harry and Hermione, but close."
"Sirius, is this the worst it gets? Is there more we can get hit with?" Dan asked.
A barking laugh split the air for a moment. "You have no idea, Dan. Again, go back five hundred years. Although most British families don't practice them anymore, marriage contracts brokered by parents for their children are still legal. There's a way to legally have multiple wives, too, although the extra wives are called concubines. It's quite rare and usually takes an illegal ritual, but there are also magical bonds that can tie people together, even to the point of sharing thoughts." Sirius shook his head in chagrin. "Magic is both frightfully wonderful and scary in what it can do. As unusual as Life Debts are, it's one of the calmer unusual things that can happen."
"Well, at least there's no need to do this now, right?" Dan asked his son.
"No, Dad. There's no need at the moment and I hope there won't be; I just thought you should know of the possibility in case I needed to protect Ginny."
Both he and Emma looked relieved. "That's good. I don't think I could deal with any more surprises at the moment." Looking at his wife, Dan said, "I think I'm ready to call it a night after that discussion." His wife nodded. "Sirius, thanks for coming over. I hope our next get together isn't so exciting."
Sirius grinned. "I think I agree. If you don't mind, I'd like to have a quick word with my godson."
"I understand, have a pleasant evening and feel free to leave from the living room." Dan helped his wife up and then went upstairs to their bedroom.
After a moment of looking at Harry thoughtfully, Sirius said, "Please answer me honestly, would you really try to claim Ginny?"
Harry held steady as he answered, "If Ginny needed the protection, I would in a heartbeat. I know it would hurt her father, but I believe he would understand."
"And what about her mother?"
Harry looked at Ginny, who answered, "I don't care."
Sirius did not let up. "But family is special, Ginny."
"I love my father and my brothers and I would keep in contact with them, but I feel like Harry and the Grangers are my true family now," she said seriously.
Sirius sadly nodded. "I understand and I'm sorry. I left home to live with the Potters after my fifth year and considered them more family than my real family. I hope it doesn't come to that for you, but if it does, I'll help Harry look after you."
She gave him a grateful look. "Thank you. I'll even let you be an honorary uncle." She said the last part impishly to break the heavy moment.
Sirius chuckled for a moment and then gave a tilt of the head to her. "Thank you for the honour, Miss Weasley. Well, off to bed all of you, it's time for me to go home." Sirius shooed them off to the appropriate bedrooms and then Apparated home.
He considered that he might need to be more careful in giving the teens the opportunity to ask any question they wanted as he walked to his study. Sirius poured himself a glass of Firewhisky and searched for a book on customs. He felt a great need to refresh his memory on all the nuances of a few. He made himself comfortable in a leather chair and began to read as he sipped his drink.
---
The next morning started out bright and sunny. Harry got up in a mood that matched the pleasantness that he saw out the window. He quickly got dressed and went downstairs. It was still a little early, so he thought he might make it down before Emma did and he could make breakfast. When he entered the kitchen, he found Dan there drinking his morning tea.
"'Morning, Harry," Dan said with a smile. "Why don't you join me on the back patio?" He poured his son a cup of tea and motioned to Harry to join him. On the back patio, the two made themselves comfortable.
Harry puzzled over the situation while he sipped his hot drink.
"Now that it's almost over, have you enjoyed your holiday this summer so far?" Dan asked.
Harry shifted slightly. He was not sure if he should be nervous or not. "I have. We've had a lot of fun, especially our camping trip."
Dan nodded sagely. "What do you think of Sirius, now that you've been able to spend more time with him?" Dan was trying very hard to be casual about this. He and Emma had been concerned about the man and how he and Harry would get along. Just because they thought everything looked to be turning out all right did not mean Harry thought the same.
"He's been great," Harry said with a grin, feeling relieved at the topic. "I've liked his stories about my parents the best, but even his historical stories have been a lot of fun. I wish our History of Magic class was even half this good."
Dan chuckled. "Well, Sirius is making it all personal and mixing it in with other practical things that you like, so it's not totally fair to your teacher."
"Maybe not, but I have enjoyed it."
Dan thought he probably would not get a better opening than this for his questions. "Harry, about Ginny… Emma and I, well, we're not completely sure how to take it. We understand you wanting to help her out of a difficult home life, but is it really so bad that you'd be willing to take her away from her living parents? Her situation is not the same as yours was."
Harry understood this was the real purpose of their talk and considered how to answer. He wished Hermione was available to help him answer. "Her situation may not be exactly the same, but the things that do happen there … well, it's close enough to mine in enough ways that Hermione and I agree it's not good at all. I think … I think the best way to answer would be to ask Ginny what her choice is. We asked her, and like Ginny indicated last night, she wanted me to call in the Debt. You know it's not like I'd ever force her, or Hermione, to do anything, let alone something bad. They're my best friends." He looked up from his tea and saw Dan giving his answer serious thought.
"I suppose that makes me feel a little better about it." Dan thought a little more before he jumped to the next topic. "What did you think the marriage customs Sirius talked about earlier this summer?"
Harry looked at him a little nervously. "What about them?"
Dan smiled, barely containing his laugh. There was no doubt Harry knew exactly what he meant. "The part about how Wizarding marriages work." He had not anticipated ever having to discuss this with anyone, considering he and Emma had thought Hermione would be their only child.
Harry was silent for a moment and looked back at his tea as he sipped again to give him time to think. "I understood what he said. I don't have any problems with marriage being 'for as long as you both shall live', I think it should be that way anyway. So the fact that magic forces that is OK."
"What are your thoughts on dating, especially in regards to Ginny? You're about to turn fourteen and most young men start about then. I did," Dan told him.
"I don't really know," Harry said after a long pause and little bit of blushing. "I mean, I know I will date one day, but it doesn't really matter much right now. Hermione, Ginny and I have all decided to just be good friends for now. Like Sirius said, we're not adults until we're seventeen, so we'll all wait until we're older to decide about dating. I really don't see that and needing to claim the Life Debt for Ginny as being connected."
Dan watched Harry during his statement. In some ways, he was impressed with Harry's mature statement, yet there was an obvious lack of adult understanding of how his own body's maturation would yield the hormones that would push him toward dating. Harry continued to stare at his tea, having trouble looking up at his "father". Overall, Dan found it amusing and refreshing. He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "I think that will work just fine. You have plenty of time to deal with girls and I hope the problem with Ginny's family will work itself out. In the meantime, just enjoy yourself, Harry. Is there anything you'd like to do today since you're leaving for the Weasleys' tomorrow?"
Harry smiled and felt relieved when Dan changed the subject. He had danced around the topic of their bond and was glad he had been able to do so without outright lying to Dan. He wondered how much longer they could wait to tell Dan and Emma. It was going to be hard enough considering they had already waited over two years.
((A/N: We finish the summer next chapter and there will be multiple action scenes. Also, year 4 will be longer than the other years as it becomes more A/U and I have to describe/tell more.))