turnip and seeker 29

"Wait – what?"

Remus's face sagged. "Tonks."

Harry looked at Ginny. The stunned look in her eyes resonated precisely with the bewilderment Harry was experiencing. "Erm," said Harry. He shifted so that he and Ginny stood side by side instead of tangled together. "You… know Tonks?" It was fairly obvious that Tonks was the exact witch that been the subject of discussion for the last week. If Harry was right, she was the source of the immense sadness he'd seen in Remus the last years.

"I know her, Harry, she's… she's the one I was telling you about," said Remus. He collapsed sideways into a chair.

Ginny's hand tightened around Harry's arm. He glanced at her. Her eyebrow was raised in a silent question; Harry nodded. Her lips twisted and her eyelashes flickered with the most minute of eye rolls. She was right, it was complicated. They couldn't just take him to her. "It's complicated, Remus," Harry cautioned.

Remus's gaze pierced him. "Complicated," he said flatly. "You know Nymphadora Tonks, and it's complicated." Exasperation threaded through his tone. "Is it another secret relationship, then? Have you got a whole harem of witches—"

"Absolutely not," Ginny said coldly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I haven't got a harem," Harry said. "I wouldn't want a harem."

"I don't share," said Ginny.

Remus swore in frustration. "Then what could possibly be complicated about it?"

"Trust me," said Harry. "It's—"

But Neville's lion once more appeared, interrupting him. "August, Fen is missing, Tonks has gone after him, Luna's babysitting a tricky potion at The Turnip, and I'm up to my ears with Gran. Help!" This last was more of a roar than a word and Harry could swear he felt hot breath on his face. It took its time disappearing; it illuminated the stunned disbelief on Remus's face.

"August?" Remus said. "The Turnip? What the—"

"We could obliviate him," Harry suggested.

"Excuse me," Remus said with great dignity. "I do not need to be obliviated."

Harry ignored this.

Ginny bit her lip. Harry waited, patient, as she decided what to do. Color rose in her cheeks. It had to be difficult for her. It was, in fact, something she'd confessed she dreaded. They weren't at the Burrow, and Remus wasn't one of her parents, but warmth welled in him as he watched the thoughts flicker over her face.

Her glance flicked to Remus. "You'll need to sign a magical contract that you won't discuss this with anyone," she told him.

"A magical contract?" Remus's voice was tight with disbelief. "For what, exactly? I just need to find Dora!"

"You're in love with her." It wasn't a question. "Unfortunately, it's a little more complicated than just taking you to her or telling you where she is." Ginny folded her arms across her chest. Harry had the inexplicable urge to grin at her and he fought hard to keep his expression tame. Remus, however, was frowning as heavily as he'd ever seen.

"What, exactly, are you two involved in? Besides each other, I mean," he said.

"Give me a moment," Ginny said. She rummaged through the drawer where Harry, Ron, and Hermione (and the Blacks who lived in Grimmauld Place before them) threw all their junk. Broken quills and other folderol were shifted around until Ginny pulled out a scrap piece of parchment. The words "fire quail eggs and two dragon scales" were wiped away with a swipe of her wand. It expanded with another charm. "I'm not attaching a curse to this," she said, glancing at Remus. "Unless you consider losing a bit of your memory a curse."

"A bit of my memory—?"

"You'll see in a moment," she told him.

Harry covered his mouth.

She scratched several sentences on the parchment.

"Harry… what is the meaning of this?" Remus asked. "What exactly is happening here?"

"Give her a moment," Harry suggested.

Ginny smoothly cast charms on the parchment: warm blue light radiated outward from the center and disappeared. A golden sigil then appeared and hovered over it before it sank down. "All you have to do is sign your name," she told Remus.

He looked from Harry, to Ginny, and then down at it. His brow was knit and his mouth tight. The moment extended, and Harry sighed a little in relief when Remus conjured a quill and signed his name.

"There," Ginny said, satisfied. "I'm sorry for the secrecy, Remus. But I had to. In fact – I really ought to have consulted with Morgana and Mimbulus." She raised her eyebrow. Harry moved to stand beside her. "I wouldn't have done this if I thought you'd betray us, but… Remus, I'm Seeker. Harry's Chaser—"

"What?" Remus stared at them. "You two are… what?"

"C'mon, Remus, it's not that hard to believe," said Harry.

Ginny snorted. Her look told him that she remembered quite well how shocked he'd been those first few weeks. Harry gave her a sheepish smile.

"I thought you two were just… having a secret relationship," said Remus. "Covering it up with – August Peverell, isn't it?" He sat down in the chair. "The Turnip… you two…" Nearly a minute passed as he processed this. "But what has that got to do with Dora? Is she part of this too?"

"Her involvement was inadvertent," said Ginny. "At first, anyway. She doesn't know everything. She doesn't know who Harry is, actually, just knows him as August."

The two of them spun the story for him. Tonks's nosy neighbor, an associate of The Turnip's, had alerted them. When they had investigated, she'd scarpered. Remus took in the story without a word. His gaze had drifted down to his clenched hands once they'd mentioned the boy, and he jerked back in shock when he found out the boy was a werewolf. Harry told him how she'd been taken by the Ministry, interrogated, and then rescued. At that point, he had his head in his hands.

"So, she's safe?" Remus asked finally.

"She's about to leave where she's been staying," said Ginny. "But I don't suppose the Ministry is looking for her too hard. Not with having to save face like they've been doing." She looked at Harry.

The lion appeared again. "We need help! In case you've forgotten, werewolves are wicked difficult to find when they don't want to be found."

Ginny took a deep breath. "I'd better go see what I can do. Harry, explain to Remus—"

"I can help," Remus cut her off. He glanced from one of them to the other.

"I don't know if that's the best idea," said Ginny. "I've got to explain to my partners why I've told you about us, and I don't want the added complication of bringing you along."

"But I—"

"I need to explain some things as well," said Harry.

"I told you, I don't care that you and Ginny are dating," Remus said. His eyes were wide and tortured. "I've known for at least a month… your two scents are always entwined. But are you even dating? Or is it you're just working together? Is that why, or—?"

"Maybe I'm just part of his harem," Ginny suggested. Then she gave her head a shake. "I'm sorry, that was rude. Harry, just explain, and I'll…" But she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she hurried out of the kitchen, clattered up the stairs, and the sound of her footsteps was soon swallowed up by the house.

"We're dating," said Harry, finally. "You really knew?"

"Of course I knew," said Remus. "It's dead obvious. Even without the extra senses. You smile whenever she laughs, just like your dad used to do with your mum. Damned if I can figure out the August Peverell angle, though."

Harry scratched the back of his neck and ruffled his hair. Making a decision, he crossed over to the stove and lit one of the burners. "Aguamenti," he muttered. Water frothed from his wand and splashed into the kettle. "It goes back to… have you heard of the Dark Marks that keep cropping up? Carved on trees and posts and such? So far, there's no evidence that these Dark Marks are connected to Death Eater activity, but Dumbledore—"

"Dumbledore," Remus said in wonder. "Dumbledore knows about this?"

"It was Dumbledore's idea," Harry said gravely.

As the water boiled, Harry laid it out for him. "The Turnip was going after the darkness," he said. "We all know that… they didn't stop when Voldemort was – gone." Even after two years, Harry still sometimes tripped over saying it. Voldemort was gone and never coming back. "Dumbledore thought that if anyone had the tenacity to figure out if there was a deeper thing going on, it would be the staff at The Turnip."

"Unlike the Order," Remus said heavily.

Harry shook his head. Considering how he'd been after Voldemort's final defeat, he recognized that the Order of the Phoenix needed time and space to heal. "Dumbledore knew I was going mad, unable to get a job, just doing work for him – pity work. So he devised the idea to have me apply for a job at The Turnip. But not as myself, as August Peverell." He took down two tea cups from the open cupboard. "He made a whole transfiguration for me. Here – look—" He tapped his wrist with his wand.

Remus's mouth fell open. Grey brown eyes looked Harry up and down. "And so you – you work as this… August Peverell?" He shook his head. "You wrote the article about the werewolves? What the Ministry was doing?"

"Well, all four of us wrote it," said Harry. "We were at—"

For the third time that morning, Neville's silvery lion interrupted the flow of the conversation. "We need any and all help we can get. August, please bring our new friend."

"Ginny's the only one who knows?" Remus asked. "Your other partners don't?"

"No, they know," Harry said absently. "You were serious? You'll help find the boy?"

"Of course," said Remus.

Harry made a gesture and the fire went out. The water was now boiling, and had been for quite some time, but Harry'd forgotten to do anything with it. "Listen, call me August. I'm not Harry Potter there. Tonks doesn't know I'm Harry Potter. Erm – Mimbulus's Gran doesn't know who I am. No one knows. You can't tell them."

"I won't," Remus promised. A slightly rueful look crossed his face, tugging down the corner of his mouth. "Would Ginny's magical contract even allow me to?" He shook his head. "I wouldn't tell, anyway, Harry."

"Just try not to slip up," said Harry. "Remember to call me August or just don't call me anything at all."

"I can do that," said Remus.

Neither one of them spoke as they headed out to the Apparition point. With every step, Harry was more surprised and even a little amused that Remus had known about him and Ginny and hadn't said anything. I wonder if that's what that weird bit about the silencing charms was about over Christmas, Harry wondered. He hadn't thought too deeply about it at the time… if he were pressed to guess about it, he would've guessed Remus meant to provide advice for greater privacy to bellow in grief. Harry shook his head; if he'd bother to probe too deeply into that, he supposed he would've figured out Remus knew he'd been about to go find Ginny.

"She really took in a werewolf?" Remus asked suddenly, cutting through Harry's thoughts.

"Who – oh, Tonks," said Harry. "Yes, she did. The Ministry had been experimenting on him; I suppose at the time, they were already at work trying to untangle the house-elf bindings and see how it could work on a werewolf."

Remus's hand clamped down on Harry's forearm, forcing him to a halt just one step out the door into the frigid air. Wind whipped through his hair.

"Harry," Remus said. "How long did you know about what the Ministry planned? With the werewolves – with us?"

"I suspected something was amiss when we found the supersensory charm in your apartment, and when we discovered your Wolfsbane had been tampered with," Harry said. "Then finding Fen – we haven't got a lot of time to talk about it, but Fen found us because the Ministry took Tonks—"

"They what—"

"—technically, she's a fugitive from the Ministry," said Harry. "We got her out the day of the solstice vote."

"You were there—"

"Of course we were there," said Harry. Remus looked so stunned, so unlike the calm and competent professor Harry'd first met, that fondness welled up inside of him. "We all took a dose of Felix Felicis, trusting that whatever we did, it would stop the Ministry from enslaving the werewolves." They stood there, looking at each other. "From enslaving you, Remus. I can't pretend it wasn't personal."

There was a sheen in Remus's eyes. The next instant, he was nodding his head. "Thank you, Harry," he said quietly.

"You can also thank Ginny and – um – Mimbulus and Morgana," said Harry. "In fact, they did the most work."

Neither one of them said another word. In moments, they were passing the busts of Sirius's ancestors and Harry gripped Remus's forearm. "I'll Apparate us there," Harry informed him. Then he spun on his foot and into the darkness.

A fog had descended over Birdhollow; Harry knew instantly why this had messed with Neville's and Ginny's abilities to find a small boy in all of this fog. It swirled around him; the wind barely stirred it and Harry couldn't see more than five feet in front of him. Blinking rather rapidly, Harry started forward. "It's this way," he said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. Within a few feet, he saw the start of the gravel drive, and was relieved.

"She's this way," Remus said suddenly, shifting to head slightly to the left. "She's outside."

"Ginny or Tonks?" Harry asked warily.

There was a pause as Remus inhaled. "Both of them," said Remus.

A few steps closer, voices muffled by the fog drifted toward them.

"—be here…"

"…you sure?"

"Oh… I wish homenum revelio worked…"

"Where are you?" Harry called.

Remus tapped him on the arm and gestured slightly to the right. Then he hang back as Harry led the way toward where Ginny's voice was coming from. They were off the gravel drive now, and climbing through a tangled garden. The voices were louder and easier to understand. Neville sounded reassuring; Tonks sounded terrified. Ginny was calm and collected.

Her vivid red hair was first to stand out against the fog, then the rest of her appeared. Wisps of fog clung to her, giving her an otherworldly look. "We're here," Harry said. She turned to him with a smile. "Did you…?" But she shook her head. She had not told Tonks there was a possibility she was about to be reunited with her long lost lover.

There was a neutral, slightly annoyed look on Neville's face that made him pause. There was no blind bowler on his head; he hadn't been disguised for Tonks and he wouldn't have the protection of anonymity against Remus, either. You can trust him, Harry told him wordlessly. Still, he felt a pang of guilt at bringing Remus to Neville's home, for surely that was the source of Neville's annoyance?

"Who is we?" Tonks asked sharply. "I'm meant to be a fugitive, remember, August?"

Harry set this aside for a moment. "What's with the mist? Is it magical?"

"No, it's just Britain," said Neville. "Birdhollow gets like this a lot."

"Excuse me!" said Tonks. "But who did you bring with you?"

"It's me," said Remus. He'd come up quietly to stand next to Harry. "Dora, it's me. I can find your boy."

Tonks whirled toward them so swiftly her witch's hat toppled off her head and onto the ground. Her eyes rounded with shock and she made a sound as though she'd just had the wind knocked out of her. "Remus," she said, as though unable to breathe. Joy spasmed across her face, but was gone in the next instant. A cold mask hardened her features. It made her favor her aunt even more. "Remus Lupin," she said coldly. "What are you doing here?"

Harry winced and moved to take Ginny's hand.

Remus's shoulders squared. "I... heard you need help tracking down a – your boy."

Tonks deliberately studied her fingernails. "Did you hear it's a werewolf, though? What would you care that a little boy is scared and alone and possibly lost?" Her lip curled with disgust. "Werewolves deserve what they get, right?"

"No, I—"

"I have never met anyone who hates werewolves as much as you, Remus Lupin," Tonks said. "And that includes the tossers at the Ministry. Why would you go out of your way to help one?"

"I—"

There was a fierce, wild look on Tonks's face now. "How can I trust you to even look for him?"

"I will do everything I can to find him," Remus said simply. Harry looked at him, thoughtful. Tonks was lobbing words at him like curses, but Harry hadn't seen Remus this happy in years.

"Everything you can?" Tonks asked, suspicious. She raised both her eyebrows.

"I'll find him," said Remus. "I just need something that smells of him..."

A minute passed and then two as Tonks simply stared at him, looking cold and fierce. Every second was pregnant with tension, and Harry squeezed Ginny's hand. He chanced a glance down at her; her gaze was fixed on the scene playing out before them. Even Neville, propped up against a fence post, was openly staring. "Fine," she said, finally breaking. "Fine."

Remus reached into his robes and pulled out a tiny bottle labeled Baruffio's Brain Elixir. He unstoppered it, tilted his head back, and let a few drops into each nostril. "I do that when I'm looking for something important... it heightens the senses."

"Is it a recent invention? You could've used one for your eyes four years go," Tonks snapped.

Remus smiled at her which seemed to infuriate her even more. "I should have," he told her. "Would that I had."

Tonks folded her arms across her chest and turned to the side.

"Did you have something of his?"

Tonks didn't look back at him, but she drew her wand and muttered a summoning charm. All five of them were silent, waiting. The muscle in Harry's jaw twitched; it was very awkward. Ginny squeezed his hand lightly as though she understood. They gave each other a sidelong glance and a commiserating smile. It seemed to take hours, but a blanket soared into Tonks's arm.

She flung it at Remus. "There," she said. "This is the only thing he ever had of his life before Fenrir Greyback bit him. I found it with him in the Ministry. They'd taken him, you know, after he was bitten. Who knows, maybe Greyback bit him because the Ministry bade him to. They called him an it, they performed experiments on him, he was all alone, and no one would speak up for him because he was just a werewolf."

For the first time since he'd set eyes on Tonks, Remus looked something other than happy; he looked aghast. "They what?"

"And I'm sure you think it doesn't matter, that he doesn't deserve to be treated like a slave," Tonks said fiercely.

"Of course I don't—"

"You never could understand why I loved you," Tonks said. "You hated yourself and your kind so much you couldn't understand how I could love you. And then you left me."

A whistle of breath was the only sign that Remus was hurt by her words. Then he gently took the blanket out of her arms, held it up to his nose, and sniffed it. Harry looked down at Ginny; she was riveted. Remus took his time at memorizing Fen's scent. It was a few minutes before he handed Tonks back the blanket. "I've got it," he said. "I'll go get him. Stay here."

"What?" Neville said. He pushed himself off the post, giving Remus a look of disbelief. "What do you mean, stay here?"

"I have to go alone," said Remus.

"I disagree," said Ginny. "I think we should all go."

There was a long pause. Harry couldn't blame Neville; he'd never met Remus. He didn't know that Remus was as loyal as they came. Harry himself would be quite annoyed if one of the others brought in someone he didn't know. Ginny grimaced slightly.

"I can't—"

"It'll muddle the scent," Tonks said coolly. "If he's going to focus on Fen, he'll need fewer distractions." Her lips tightened. "I don't like it more than you do, but I'd rather Fen be found sooner rather than later."

Neville relaxed. "If – sorry, Mr. Lupin, but…"

"I understand perfectly," said Remus. Then he turned around to face the opposite direction. "I've got him. I'll be back."

And with no more fanfare, Remus walked off and disappeared into the mist. No one spoke for long minutes. Harry let go of Ginny's hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She immediately shifted and rested her head against his chest. For a moment, Harry just breathed in the scent of her hair.

"I can't believe he's here," Tonks said finally, as though to herself. "How is it he's here?"

"He caught your scent on – erm – me," said Ginny. "From what I gathered, he's been looking for you for quite some time."

Tonks looked at her, perplexed. "And who exactly are you that you came in contact with Remus Lupin?"

Harry startled. Had Ginny never given Tonks her last name?

Ginny shrugged. "I come in contact with lots of people," she said. Then: "You're very angry with him."

Tonks cut her a glance. "He left me. Then he came back, and promised he wouldn't leave me again. Things were bad – it was during the dark times when Voldemort was in control – and he left me again, repeating the same ridiculous things he said the first time." She shook her head. "I love him, but I can't… I couldn't stay in that cycle. I couldn't – can't do that again."

She can't give him another chance, Harry thought, with a pang of sorrow. His arm tightened around Ginny. She wrapped both arms around his middle and squeezed him. He couldn't blame Tonks for her decision, just as he couldn't blame Remus for regretting it for years. The mist swirled around them as they waited.

It didn't take very long until a muffled call came through the mist. It parted, and Remus appeared, leading Fen by the hand. Tonks gave a short cry of relief and then rushed to hug Fen, dropping to her knees to do so. "Where were you?" she cried. "Why did you leave?"

"I'm tired of leaving," said Fen, standing ramrod straight. The mulish look on his face told Harry that he was unhappy to be standing before her. "We always leave. It's never safe, we're never just safe."

"As I was sniffing out Fen, I had a thought," said Remus.

Tonks clenched her jaw. "What was that?"

"My grandfather had a bit of land – he was working for the Auror Department during some of the troubles at the turn of the century, and was granted permission to use some rather magnificent wards," said Remus. "Lasting wards, including two Class IV wards."

"You want us to move into your family home?" Tonks said scornfully.

"You'd never have to worry about the Ministry finding you," said Remus. "And… I could teach him. About what he is. What he can do."

Harry snapped a glance at the young boy. There was no look of shock on his face; he expected Remus had told Fen on the way back to Birdhollow from wherever the boy had been hiding that Remus was also a werewolf. There was an old, old look in Fen's eyes.

"You'll teach him to hate himself," said Tonks in a thready voice.

It was this comment that made Remus straighten his spine. He peered around at all of them. "I need some privacy in which to speak to Dora," he said stiffly. "And you'll want to keep a close watch on Fen, here. I wouldn't doubt he'd run away again."

Fen grimaced but didn't deny it.

"Remus, I…" Tonks stood and brushed off her knees. Then her face relaxed a fraction. "All right. Let's speak in private."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry spent the time Remus was ensconced in the library with Tonks speaking quietly with Ginny and Neville. Neville had decided not to bother with trying to restrain Fen, put him in his room, and made him take an enchanted nap. Once he came back down, Ginny kept apologizing for going over his head. Neville finally let out a burst of exasperation. "It's not so much telling this Lupin fellow," Neville said. "It's what led to it, Ginny. And August. You're the one who's always been so much more protective of the secret… I've told Gran, and I'll probably tell Hannah sometime soon. And he seems like a good asset, frankly. But you two just need to be more – more circumspect."

"If it's any consolation, he'd already figured it out about us before he scented Tonks," said Ginny. "But you're right. I got trapped."

"We got trapped," said Harry.

"Just… be careful," said Neville.

The door to the library opened just then. Remus held the door open for Tonks, who didn't acknowledge it. Some of the tension had left her shoulders, however, and Harry couldn't help but be curious about what had passed between them. It's none of your business, Harry admonished himself.

"I'll go tell him," Tonks said, peering up the stairs as though she could see Fen through the ceiling and walls.

"It's a good decision, Dora," said Remus.

"This isn't another chance, Remus," Tonks said.

"I know, Dora," Remus said quietly, heavily. "But it's a good spot for him. For Fen."

"That's the only reason I'm agreeing to this," said Tonks.

"I know," said Remus.

Whatever had happened while they'd been in Neville's Gran's library, the status of their relationship had been hammered out. Harry could tell it hadn't gone the way Remus had perhaps longed for. But at least she was letting him use his unique attributes to help her. He looked at Ginny, thinking how lucky he was that when he'd asked her for a second chance to start over that she'd given it to him.

A third chance, actually, he reminded himself.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

When they finally made it back to Grimmauld Place, Harry was glad to be back. Their day had been fuller than he'd expected, and it was very much a relief to take off his traveling cloak and collapse into a chair in the sitting room. Ginny did the same, after casting a ward on the door, then came to straddle his lap. "There. If my brother and Hermione get home a day early, they won't be able to catch us."

"Neville gave us a good reminder," Harry agreed.

"Poor Remus," she said with a sigh. Her fingers threaded into his hair. Harry moved his legs, adjusting her so their bodies pressed more fully together. It felt so good, feeling her fingertips tickle his scalp.

"I know," he said finally. His voice was muffled against her neck. He pressed a kiss against the soft, sweet-smelling skin he found there. Her pulse leapt under his mouth.

Ginny wriggled against him when he gently stroked her back. "Wait," she said.

Harry pulled back a little and froze. But she was pointing her wand at the hearth, and blue flames jetted from her wand. Seconds later, the warmth of the fire she'd created washed over him. Light flickered over her face, and her eyes caught his. A different warmth welled up in him and it came directly from her. It was on his mind, then, to tell her how grateful he was that she'd given him a second chance. That instead of being angry about August, or holding onto hurt feelings that he'd screamed at her to get out so long ago, she'd forgiven him instead. He couldn't have blamed her if she hadn't, but he would've missed out on this: having her in his lap, the desire stirring between them, their breaths mingling...

Instead, he kissed her. His hands ran along her sides and her back, caressing her, just as their tongues met. They dallied there for long moments. Her thumb brushed along his jaw, giving him goosebumps. Her touches and kisses caused heat to travel downward in a meandering path. It brushed against his nipples, making them tighten and become sensitive to the fabric rustling against them.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his stomach muscles quivered. They were kissing harder now; one hand cradled the back of her head, the other her bum, pulling her tighter against him.

Harry pulled back slightly, sucking in a deep breath. He reached between their bodies, adjusting the erection so it was no longer trapped under her thigh but pointed straight up to his belly. Ginny was taking the time to make her own adjustments — her robes were now off her shoulders, traveling down toward her waist, and her cherry red bra was suddenly in full view.

Harry couldn't take his eyes off of it. It clashed slightly with her hair but was perfectly poised against the cream of her skin, a combination of colors that intrigued him. He spread his own slightly darker fingers against her stomach, stroking the undersides of her breasts. "I like your taste in lingerie," he murmured. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed. The lace stretched over her ever so imperceptibly as she did.

"I'm glad you like it," said Ginny.

"I also like taking it off you," he told her. And he did just that, unhooking the back, and letting it fall off her. As always, they were perfect. He stroked her lightly, watching her quiver, then looked up at her. Her eyes were on his face, dropping down to his mouth, and he had to kiss her again. They took just as much time with this kiss, though Harry was equally aware of where his hands were. He dallied with her nipples, rolling them in between his fingers, until she was panting and rocking her hips against him.

"Harry," she gasped. "I don't want to come like this. I — I want you inside me."

"I think we're wearing too many clothes for that," he said.

Her breath was hot against his ear. "Let's vanish them."

It was tempting, but Harry stood them up and slid her down his body to set her on her feet. "What if you're wearing my favorite color knickers, and we can't get them back, though?"

She laughed, and disentangled herself from her robes as Harry threw his off so quickly he might as well have vanished them. When they were both down to their underthings, Harry hooked his fingers inside her — bright blue, his favorite — knickers and pulled her closer.

"See? We don't want to lose those," he said.

"We could've just conjured them again," Ginny said. Her fingers brushed through the hair on his chest; desire jolted through his veins.

"The charm wouldn't last," Harry pointed out. "An hour later, and you'd be naked under your robes." He slid said knickers off her hips, pushing them down her thighs. "We couldn't have that, could we?"

"You're right, that would be tragic," said Ginny.

They laughed together, but not for long. Harry touched her, trailing his fingers through her curls, and found her wet. His heart was bounding as he played with her until she shuddered. He had the fleeting thought to lead her over to the sofa, cover her with his body, and sink into her. Instead, he brushed his lips against the top of her head, and sat back down on the chair.

Her eyes widened.

He took a moment to cast the contraceptive charm. After it was cast, he kept a tight grip around his penis; unable to help it, Harry stroked himself, waiting for her to join him. She took a hesitant step forward, eyes fixed on him, and in the next second, she was straddling his lap. Her knees were on either side of his hips, and he felt her, hot and wet, sliding against his erection. He had a good idea of why she was hesitant; the other times they'd had sex, Harry'd been on top. "We can just try it like this," Harry suggested. "If you don't like it, we can move..."

"I'm more worried about if you don't like it," said Ginny. "But—"

"I'll like it," said Harry. "And I think you'll like steering the broom, so to speak."

This made her laugh, as he'd intended, and she was somehow even more beautiful than he'd realized. It came back to him, then, the desire to tell her how grateful he was for his second chance. But she'd braced one hand against his chest, and was using the other to guide him into her. Her body was relaxed and used to him; she sank onto him with ease. Her eyelashes flickered and they both moaned when he was buried as deep in her as he could go.

"Thank you, Ginny," he said, unable to help it.

Her hips rocked against him. "I should be thanking you. You were right, I do like this." It only took her a few experimental movements before she found a rhythm. "I like this a lot."

Harry did, too. He wanted to tell her, but her rhythm became bolder and fiercer, and it came out as a groan. And then another. And another. His eyes were open in slits so he could watch her ride him. He'd never seen anything more beautiful: her hair spilled over her breasts and down to her stomach, her face was flushed with desire for him, and her lips parted. He ran his hands over her body. When he brushed his thumbs over her nipples, she tightened around him.

"You feel so good," she told him.

"So do you," he said softly.

She rode him for quite some time before the rhythm changed. Her eyes were closed, and her movements became more delicate. Then — a moment later — she grew wilder. Harry gritted his teeth — don't come, don't come, don't come — and it took much too long to realize she was growing frustrated.

Ah, he thought dimly.

His hands had been running over her back, brushing through her hair, and making jaunts down to her bum, but as soon as he realized that given the freedom this position afforded them, there was something else he could be doing for her. "Sorry," he gasped out. Then he found her clit with his thumb and began to nudge it.

"Harry!" she cried. "Fuck!"

It was Harry's turn to swear when her movements synchronized with how he rubbed her clit. Pleasure washed over every inch of his body, riding through his veins. His eyes were wide open. Ginny was the only thing he saw: red hair flickering in the firelight, back bowed, breasts in full view. His body tightened. It was all he could do to keep steady, keep playing with her clit, and not finish inside her right now the way his body was telling him to.

"Ginny," he gasped. It was the only word he could manage.

Her hips jerked against him. A garbled cry came out of her mouth — he thought it might've been his name. Her clit shivered beneath his thumb, and then she began rippling around him. Sweat dripped in his eyes, and he bit down on his lip.

And then he couldn't hold it back, had to let go, and surged up and came. He wrapped his arms around her and held her hard against him, pushing against her with no finesse as they both climaxed. It lasted forever, it seemed; the pleasure swamped him. Ginny finished first, and collapsed against him. He groaned into her hair and held her even tighter as he felt one more surge of intense pleasure.

"That was brilliant," she said, voice muffled against his chest.

Harry's hands trembled as he pushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. "Yeah, it was."

The sweat cooled on their bodies. Harry's breathing evened out. Every once in a while she sighed and squirmed closer. His penis was still inside her, but soft now. The fire crackled in the grate, Ginny was warm in his arms, and he didn't want to move. "Last night here for a while," he observed, finally breaking the silence.

"I know," she sighed. "But I move tomorrow… we'll still have privacy. And fewer questions from my mum."

"I'm going to miss the tent," Harry admitted.

"You'll like my new place," she said, yawning.

Harry rubbed circles on her back. "I'm sure I will."

"It's very private," she said.

"I can't wait to see it – what time do you want me over?" Harry asked.

"Maybe about ten, I haven't even started packing yet," she said. They were silent again for a time. Harry's eyes were heavy; his entire body felt languorous. The tension they'd witnessed between Remus and Tonks seemed very far away… there was no tension in this room, none at all. Contentment stole over him; it wasn't the sexual pleasure, but it was a pleasure nonetheless. It didn't originate at his penis, but somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. It warmed him more effectively than the fire in the grate.

He could've sat like this for another several days, he was sure, but it wasn't long before Ginny's stomach gave a rumble, and they were reminded that it had been many hours since they'd eaten. With obvious reluctance, they parted, freshened themselves up, dressed, and made their way back down to the kitchen.

"I'll miss having you here so freely," Harry said.

"I'll miss it, too," said Ginny. She eyed him up and down. "But we'll have my new place… are you still going to help me move tomorrow?"

"Try to stop me," Harry said.

Her arms looped around his neck, and she pressed a kiss against his chest. "Never," she said. "Never, ever."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Author's Note: I am so, so glad they are finally having sex.

So I don't know if you know about NaNoWriMo, or Camp NaNo, but this month of July, I am going to buckle down and do at least 30,000 words of Peverell. You heard it here first! I didn't write as much as I wanted to in June, but July is going to be much better.