Remus poured another generous portion of firewhiskey into his glass and set the bottle down a bit unsteadily on the metal table next to him. He leaned back into the shadows and stared out at the city from his vantage point on the hotel balcony. The old city was so different from London or any of the cities he was used to in England. Scattered among the office building, hotels, and apartment buildings, Remus could see several mosques and churches. He could see occasional lights twinkling out on the sea indicating boats on Lake Shkodra and in the other direction, he could see the silent mountains framing the city.
A noise behind him alerted him to his godson joining him out on the balcony. He looked up as Harry shut the sliding glass door behind him and sat down in the metal chair next to him.
Silently he poured a measure of firewhiskey into the other glass and handed it to Harry.
Harry took the glass from his godfather and sniffed it, swirling the smoking liquid around in his glass. His took a sip of his whiskey and looked over at his godfather, "How are you feeling, Remus?"
Remus sighed, "I don't know. I…I resisted ever having a relationship or falling in love for the sole reason that I was afraid I would hurt someone I loved."
He turned his tortured gaze to the younger man, "I've been married for less than two days and I tried to kill my wife."
"Remus, I think you are being a bit melodramatic." Harry replied. "You didn't lose control and try to kill her in cold blood. You were tricked by Voldemort. He designed that protection for the Horcrux so that whoever went in there, attacked their companion."
"No listen to me, Remus." Harry said when he saw that Remus was going to interrupt. "I saw Lucius Malfoy instead of Ginny. I attacked my own wife, just like you did. But it wasn't just us. Ginny saw Tom Riddle – he doesn't even exist anymore, at least not the way she saw him. Tonks saw Bellatrix – she's dead. It was the protection, not us."
Remus let out a shaky breath, "I know. Intellectually, I know that it was the protection for the Horcrux that caused me to attack Dora. But it just scares me how easily that happened."
"I know." Harry replied. Remus could tell that despite Harry's words, he too felt guilty for attacking his wife.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asked.
Harry shrugged and took another sip of his whiskey. "I'm okay. My leg is healed, I'm still a little sore, but overall I'm fine."
He chuckled softly, "I have to say, Ginny was brilliant. I wish it hadn't been directed at me, but she smashed through my shields. There aren't very many people who can do that."
"Is Ginny tolerating her potions any better?" Remus asked.
Harry's face fell, "She didn't throw up the last dose, but there is something in the potions that don't agree with her. She said there was some potion when she was little that she had this type of reaction to, but she doesn't remember what it was."
A noise in the darkened room behind the two wizards made Remus look back. "Dora should be waking up soon. She took a sleeping potion."
Harry stood up, "Talk to her, Remus. You love her and she loves you. Don't let what Voldemort did tear you apart. As everyone told me over and over again after…Sirius died, it was not your fault. Voldemort has tricked many people over the years. "
Hermione helped Ginny lean back against the pillows. "Are you feeling better?"
"At least I stopped throwing up." Ginny replied shakily. "My arm is fine, I just still feel a bit shaky."
Hermione sat down on the chair she had conjured up next to the bed. She had hurried into the ruins as soon as Harry had sent his Patronus saying it was safe to enter. Harry and Ginny had obviously both been injured, but they were both conscious. At Harry's request, Hermione had summoned Ben from Tirana. However just after she had done so, Harry and Ginny had both collapsed.
"It was so scary seeing you just collapse like that." Hermione said out loud to Ginny. "You didn't look like you were that badly hurt, but when Harry passed out you just collapsed."
"I think it must be the bond," Ginny replied. "When…when he…"
Ginny swallowed thickly before continuing, "I still can't believe what happened. I attacked the love of my life, seriously injuring him. I could have killed him, Hermione."
Hermione reached over and took Ginny's hand. She was worried about how pale and shaky her friend seemed. "Ginny, it is your bond that saved you. That is something that Voldemort would never have foreseen. Harry was able to sense you, that is amazing."
Reaching out for a drink of water, Ginny gave her friend a small smile, "It is. I just wish…I wish we could have stopped it earlier. Harry didn't need more injuries on top of everything else he has suffered recently. Remus either, he's suffered so much… and he and Tonks were just married."
"Ginny, you need to calm down." Hermione said soothingly. "It was a horrible experience, but everyone's injuries have been healed and you got the Horcrux."
Leaning over, Hermione gave her friend a hug. She sat quietly with Ginny as she drifted off to sleep. Watching Ginny sleep, she felt very guilty that she had been so mean to her the day before. Ginny had been right, they needed a day of fun before tackling the Horcrux. However, she had been so certain that she was right, that she had been a bit mean to both of her friends. In the time she had waited with her unconscious friends, waiting for Ben to arrive, the thought kept running through her mind that they could have all died. Her best friends could have died and the last day she had spent with them, she had been mean and petty because she didn't get her way. She didn't like that part of herself – the part that thought she knew better than others and got upset when she didn't get her way. After the events of the previous year, she was trying harder not to assume that she knew better than others, but she did still slip at times.
She turned as Harry walked into the bedroom. He walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "How is she?"
"She's much better. She stopped throwing up, she's just feeling a bit guilty." Hermione replied.
Harry nodded absently, his attention fixed on his wife. Hermione smiled at the look at love and devotion on his face. She stood and vanished the chair she'd been using. She leaned in and kissed her friend on the cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."
He smiled and hugged her briefly. "Thanks, Hermione. I don't know what we would have done without you."
"I'm just glad I could help." Hermione replied with a smile. "I'm going to check in with my parents, let me know if you need anything."
She slipped out of the room and placed a locking charm on the door. Harry quickly stripped off his jeans and t-shirt and climbed into bed with his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her unique scent. She rolled into his arms and together the two of them drifted off to sleep.
Ginny walked down the cool, stone hallway her black robes trailing on the uneven cold stone floor. Torches lit the darkened hallway, sending shadows flickering across her path. As she traveled down the hallway, it slowly changed to the ruins at Shkodra. She sank down onto one of the moss covered stones that made up the floor of the ruin. Through the filtered light that filled the room, she could see the columns that made up the room.
She stood up thinking she could make it out of the ruin when she heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around and as she did so, her long white nightgown swirled around her bare feet.
"Hello, Ginevra." Tom said softly.
She shook her head silently as she stared at him in horror. His cruel laughter wrapped around her. He continued, "You didn't think you could get rid of me so easily did you? You belong to me Ginevra. You attacked the supposed love of your life for me. Do you know how powerful that makes me?"
"You are not powerful," a voice rang out from behind Ginny.
She sagged with relief as she recognized Harry's voice. Her relief turned to horror when he continued, "I am much more powerful than you. I will crush you and all of those that support you, Tom."
Ginny turned slowly, she could see Harry standing in the shadows. As she watched, he stepped out into the light and to her horror instead of his beautiful green eyes, his eyes were a shining red. He laughed at her expression.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked in a taunting voice. "Don't you like the new me? You made me this way. You took my love and tried to kill me. I realize that you don't love me and you don't need me. Well, if you don't need me, I don't need you. Tom can have you."
Tears streamed down her face as she felt her heart shatter. Tom was laughing in the background. She jumped when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. She struggled for a moment, but her heart was not in it. If Harry didn't love her anymore, why was she struggling?
"Baby, it's okay. You're dreaming. That isn't me over there."
Ginny turned slowly, hardly daring to even breathe. To her relief, Harry stood behind her, his brilliant, emerald green eyes looking down at her. As she relaxed into his arms, she felt herself waking up.
She pushed herself up into a sitting position as she looked around the darkened hotel room. The bed shifted under her as Harry propped himself up on one elbow. He reached out his free hand and took her hand in his.
"Are you okay?" He asked in concern. "I felt you…it was horrible. You were scared and upset and then I could almost feel your heart break."
Ginny lay back down next to him and turned on her side so she was facing him. Reaching out she caressed his cheek with her hand. "I'm so sorry, love. I didn't mean to…hurt you. I…I just saw Riddle."
"I know, love. I know. I'm sorry, too. I never, never meant to hurt you." Harry pulled her into his arms and for a time they just lay there in silence, enjoying the closeness between them.
After a time, Ginny propped herself up on his chest and looked up into his face. He opened his eyes as he felt her shift around. She brushed his hair back off his forehead, lingering slightly over his famous scar. "Are you sure you are okay?" She asked anxiously.
He smiled at her, "I'm fine. My leg is healed and my bruises are getting better." He ran his hand down her hair, "How about you? I was so worried when you kept throwing up your potions."
She made a face. "I hate potions. I've always had problems taking potions. I'm fine."
Pulling her up slightly, Harry leaned down and kissed her. "I love you, Ginny. Don't ever forget that. I will always love you and I will always need you."
He laughed softly, "Did I mention how proud I am of you? You may have been scared, but you fought so well. It takes a lot to get through my shields. You managed to break my leg – that's pretty impressive."
Ginny looked at him for a moment before she started laughing, "You are so…I don't even know what to say. I tried to kill you and all you say is I fought well."
He shook his head seriously, "No, baby, you didn't try to kill me. You faced your biggest fear with courage and you fought hard. But beneath all of that, I could feel your love and concern for me. That is what saved us. I followed that love and found you. That is something that Voldemort could never have foreseen. Together, we managed to defeat his protection and get another Horcrux. This gets us one step closer to defeating Voldemort."
Ginny searched his eyes and all she saw was love shining out from his eyes. "I love you, Harry."
He smiled and whispered huskily, "Show me."
Fleur opened the door to Charlie's knocking. "Bonjour, Charlie."
"Good morning, Fleur." Charlie responded. "Is Bill here?"
"Oui, come on in." Fleur led the way into the small kitchenette in their quarters where Bill was finishing his breakfast.
As Charlie sat down at the table, Fleur offered him a cup of coffee and Bill pushed a basket of pastries in his direction. Bill quickly cast a privacy and silencing charm as Charlie helped himself to an apple pastry.
When Bill nodded to Charlie that it was safe to talk, Charlie said, "I talked to Marcy last night. First of all, did you know that Remus and Tonks were planning to get married? They got married in Albania, Harry and Ginny were the witnesses."
Bill broke out into a big smile, he had come to have a lot of respect for the quiet older man. "That's great! I didn't know anything about that."
He turned to Fleur, "Did you know?"
"No, but that is wonderful. They deserve every happiness." Fleur responded with a smile.
Charlie nodded, "They do. I don't know Remus very well, but I remember Tonks from school. They seem very happy together. I'm glad they found a way around these crazy Ministry rules."
He reached down to his small knapsack and pulled out a book on the care of unicorns and slid it across the table. "I got this from the library early this morning."
Bill looked at his brother with confusion for a moment, then he pulled his wand and canceled the charms disguising the old Hogwarts yearbook. He pulled the book closer and noticed the year was 1947. Charlie said, "Her name is Phillipa Gordon, she was a Hufflepuff."
Bill flipped to the correct section and found a picture of a pretty, brunette witch. Under the picture was listed the clubs to which she belonged: Charms club, the Defense Society, and Assistance to War Victims.
"Fedorov married Peggy Kaganoff, daughter of Phillipa and Anton Kaganoff on May 5, 1983. From what I could find out, Phillipa became very involved in the effort to rebuild Europe after the war. She toured Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungry and Romania before she met and married Anton Kaganoff. He works for the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic and has never been associated with Dark Magic." Charlie explained.
"How did no one know this?" Bill asked in confusion. "Professor McGonagall told me before he came that he had no family."
"I don't know what to think." Charlie replied. "He and his wife were married in Barbados, I don't know if they were purposefully trying to hide their marriage or not. Voldemort would have been gone for what about a year and half at that point. Many Death Eaters were busy trying to prove their loyalty to their governments, I don't think it would have been a big deal for him to get married. They may have just eloped. Their marriage was on file here because Peggy is a British citizen. She was born in London, although she has lived most of her life abroad."
Bill looked at his brother. "So the question is, if he has tried to hide his marriage why did he come out and tell us about it? Based on the information about her mother, his wife does not sound like a typical Death Eater wife."
"Maybe, it was his way of telling us he is on our side." Fleur put in. "He may not really be a Death Eater."
Bill was still skeptical, "Professor McGonagall checked with her sources and they all believe that Fedorov is a Death Eater. Why would the Ministry bring him in to oversee Hogwarts if he does not share their beliefs?"
"Hermione wrote to Viktor Krum to see if he knew anything relevant about Fedorov." Charlie said, "I don't think she's heard back, but she's hoping to hear something soon."
Narcissa Malfoy peered into the boiling caldron, stirring it the required four turns clockwise. She smiled as the warm pink steam filled her well stocked potions room. She had always enjoyed making potions and it was one of her passions to find unique and little known potions. Lucius had always indulged her hobby by buying her rare and sometimes illegal ingredients, letting her spend large amounts of money at estate sales and auctions to buy some of the rarer texts.
A wave of her wand sent the love potion into the box of discrete pink bottles. She had never planned it, but somehow she had ended up doing a steady business selling love potions, contraception potions, and even abortion potions to a group of select Pureblood witches. It had served her and her family well, making connections and spreading the Dark Lord's influence.
She turned her thoughts to the upcoming school year and a wave of sorrow swept over her. It would have been Draco's final year at Hogwarts. She missed her son and while she was excited about the new baby, she knew that she would mourn Draco's death every day for the rest of her life.
"Are you okay, my dear?"
Narcissa turned at the voice and gave her husband a watery smile. "I'm fine, my love. I'm just…missing Draco."
His smile faltered, but he strode into her lab. "I know, Narcissa. I miss him as well."
Glancing around the lab, in an effort to change the subject he asked, "Are those new love potions?"
Wiping her eyes, Narcissa drew upon the strength of her upbringing. "Yes, I have a new batch ready to go to Hogwarts. I spoke to Pansy yesterday. She is having trouble with…everything, but she is willing to help."
Wrapping his arms around his wife, Lucius said, "I am so proud of you Narcissa. You have managed to do so much. Have you decided what to do?"
Narcissa leaned into his embrace and kissed him on the cheek. "I have investigated this soul bond. It does seem to be legitimate. I don't know that a love potion would work on him again."
She straightened up and as she finished packing up the box of love potions, she considered her options. "My new contacts at Hogwarts will be coming for tea today. I will see what they can tell me about the new Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
Lucius smile, "You have found someone to replace Severus?"
"No one will be replacing Severus." Narcissa replied. "He was truly dedicated to our cause and served us and the Dark Lord well. That fool, Dumbledore, had no idea that Severus would never betray the Dark Lord. Our new contact at Hogwarts…I just don't have the same comfort level. I don't know how dedicated they are to the cause."
"So what is your plan?" Lucius asked. He knew that his wife had a plan, to him she was the epitome of a Slytherin wife – beautiful, smart, and devious.
"I am going to start slowly and see what information they can bring me. I will be checking with the girls to ensure that what I'm being told is accurate. If that works, we have bigger plans we can enact."
Harry woke to the sound of retching. By the time he realized what he was hearing, the sounds of a flushing toilet followed by running water filled the still room. He watched with concern as Ginny crawled back into bed and curled up at his side.
"Are you okay?"
Ginny glared up at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. That's why I was puking my guts out."
Harry cringed slightly under her glare. He realized that it was a rather stupid question, but he was concerned about her. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her while she fell back asleep. He didn't even realize he had drifted back to sleep until he woke up an hour later. Ginny was just stirring. His concern melted under the sleepy smile she sent his direction.
"Feeling better, love?"
"Actually, yes, I am." Ginny said with a touch of surprise. "I'm actually hungry. I guess it was just the last of the potions working through my system."
When they made their way down to the hotel lobby, Harry was pleased to see Remus and Tonks laughing and holding hands. He had been so afraid that his godfather would throw away his chance at happiness.
Ginny immediately made her way over to Remus and Tonks, enveloping each of them in a big hug. "Are you two okay?" She asked anxiously.
Remus locked eyes with his wife over Ginny's head. "We're fine. Thank you, Ginny. If you and Harry hadn't stunned us, I don't know what would have happened."
She smiled, "I think that is the first time anyone has ever thanked me for stunning them."
"Hermione told me you were having problems with the potions." Tonks said with a touch of concern. "Are you feeling better now?"
Ginny's face wrinkled, "I threw up this morning, but I'm feeling much better."
"Was it that pale blue potion?" Tonks asked.
"Yeah, I don't even know what that was, but it was horrible." Ginny replied.
"That's really strange. I'll have to ask my mum about it, because it made me feel sick to my stomach as well." Tonks said.
Remus slipped his arm around his wife and kissed her on the side of the head. "I'm glad both of you are feeling better. Harry and I need you around to keep us in line."
Tonks laughed, "I hope there are other reasons you are keeping us around."
Rolling his eyes, Remus said to Ginny, "We were going to explore a bit of downtown today. Do you two want to join us? Hermione mentioned a bazaar not too far away."
Glancing at her husband who had joined them, Ginny nodded, "That would be great. I'd love to see more of the city."
Narcissa looked in the mirror as she brushed her sleek blond hair. She was very proud of the way she and her husband had been able to assist the Dark Lord. She thought back to the day five years earlier when her husband had shared with her what he had done.
"Narcissa!"
Turning, Narcissa caught sight of her husband and her son returning from Diagon Alley. To her surprise, Lucius was sporting a black eye and his shirt was ripped in several places. Draco on the other hand appeared fine.
"Lucius, what in Slytherin's name happened to you?" Narcissa hurried forward with her wand in hand.
He waved away her wand, "It's nothing, love. I'm fine."
Turning to Draco, he said. "Why don't you take that to your room? You may practice flying in the garden, but I expect you dressed for dinner tonight."
"Yes, father." Draco turned and kissed his mother on the cheek before hurrying up the stairs with his belongings.
Once Draco was gone, Lucius turned and pulled Narcissa into his study. "I did it, Cissa. I planted the diary on the Weasley girl."
Narcissa gaped at him in amazement as he described his fight with Arthur Weasley and the way he was able to drop the diary into young Ginny's cauldron.
"Do you know how the diary works?" she asked her husband.
He shook his head, "Not exactly. The Dark Lord simply said that it would enable the right person to open the Chamber of Secrets. He said that with the diary, he could make someone do his bidding. If we can reopen the Chamber of Secrets and have it blamed on Arthur Weasley's daughter…that would destroy not only his reputation but also any chance of the ridiculous piece of Legislation he drafted of passing."
He made is way over to the sideboard and poured himself a generous portion of firewhiskey for himself and a glass of wine for Narcissa. As he relaxed with his drink, he allowed Narcissa to heal his black eye and torn garments.
"Won't she notice an old battered diary in with her school books?" Narcissa asked with a touch of concern as she settled on the couch and watched her husband relax in his favorite chair by the fireplace.
"No, most of her books were old and second hand. You know the Weasleys, they have more children than they do money. She'll probably think that her parents got it for her. The only new books she had were the books that Potter gave her."
"Potter." Narcissa made a face. Draco had been ranting about Potter all summer. "What does he have to do with anything?"
"He appears to be staying with the Weasleys." Lucius replied. "He managed to get himself in the papers today. That fool, Lockhart, will be teaching Defense this year. He gave Potter a whole stack of his books for free, but Potter didn't want them. He gave them to the Weasley girl."
Narcissa frowned, she felt a vague childhood memory resurfacing. Turning to her husband, she asked. "What does the Weasley girl look like?"
Lucius looked taken back by her question, but he answered. "She's small, long red hair, freckles. Not much to look at to be honest."
Narcissa gasped. She stood and started pacing in front of the well appointed hearth. Could this be the time? Was this the one of whom the warning spoke?
Watching his wife with concern, Lucius asked. "Narcissa? What is wrong?"
She halted her pacing and turned to her husband. "When I was a little girl, we spent a lot of time at my Grandparent's house, the old Black house. My Grandfather Pollux Black would tell us all about the house and our Black heritage. He was very proud of the family and our family history. My sisters were not as interested, but I loved hearing the stories. There is a…kind of nursery rhyme he taught me. It is a warning, really."
"A warning?" Lucius prompted when Narcissa fell silent.
"Slytherin's faithful unite, the Dark Lord to protect. The flame haired witch and her chosen mate, the faithful must separate. The stone must be kept hidden until Slytherin's true heir can reclaim it." She recited.
"This rhyme has been passed down in our family for years. If the Dark Lord is truly Slytherin's heir and he will return, then it is possible that the Weasley girl might be the flame haired witch."
Lucius raised his eyebrow, "So getting rid of her may help us in more ways than one."
Narcissa shook her head at the old memory. Their plans had been disrupted by Potter, of course. Not only had he managed to save the girl and destroy Slytherin's creature, he had also stolen their house elf.
The ringing of the bell brought her back to the present. She rose and made her way down to the drawing room. Her guests were being shown in as she arrived.
"Mrs. Malfoy."
Narcissa smiled at the young witch. "Susan, it is good to see you again."
She turned and surveyed her other guest. "It is good to see you again as well, Professor. I hope you had no problem getting here."
"No, I followed your instructions and I believe we hid our tracks well." Glancing over at Susan, the guest continued. "Is she…?"
Narcissa smiled understanding the unspoken question. "Susan approached me last year asking about a love potion. It seems that she had taken an interest in young Mr. Potter."
"She approached you?"
"Surprising, isn't it? Given her family, I was quite suspicious of her at first and did not plan to add her to my client list. But circumstances changed and Susan has proven quite helpful. Severus discovered that she is susceptible to suggestion. Severus and then Lucius have had her under the Imperius Curse." Narcissa explained, enjoying the look of surprise on her guest's face.
"She has been quiet helpful." Narcissa said. "She is firmly entrenched in the…shall we say opposition. Unfortunately, Potter seems to know that she used a love potion. He is not very trusting of her these days."
"So why is she here?"
"I wanted to ensure that the two of you knew each other." Narcissa replied. "I have a feeling that you will need each other this next school year, Professor."
Turning to Susan, Narcissa said, "You can go wait in the garden, dear."
The older pair watched the young witch left the room.
"What can I do for you?" The Professor asked once Susan was safely out of earshot.
"What can you tell me?" Narcissa countered.
"As I'm sure you know, Potter recovered completely from his injuries and the werewolf was not injured at all. I have not seen Potter or his wife around all week, but she is set to take her O.W.L.s soon. They are both still planning on attending school this year. The two oldest brothers are often in each other's company, but they have some sort of spell that gives them privacy. All you hear when you are around them in a buzzing sound." The Professor replied.
Narcissa gave a sad smile. "That sounds like Muffliato, it is a spell that Severus discovered. The incantation 'Retextum Muffliato' is the reversal spell, but it is not a guarantee. The strength of the caster of the original spell is what decides if the spell can be reversed. The more powerful the wizard, the more difficult it will be to break."
The professor nodded, "They seem to be working on something. Bill is often seen in the library and while he could be preparing for his classes, I think it is something more. I think they are researching something, but I have no idea what it may be."
"What about the rest of the Weasleys? Are they around much?" Narcissa asked.
"The twins have been by for lunch with their brothers several times and Ron, the youngest son, came with them once. I haven't seen the parents or the one who works at the Ministry. And as I told you, I haven't seen Potter or the girl." The Professor paused before continuing, "Potter seems to have become what they call a Protector of Hogwarts. He can come and go through the gate as he pleases and he does not need a password to get into any of the rooms. As I said, I haven't seen much of him since that was discovered. I will let you know what else I discover."
After a bit more small talk, the Professor collected Susan and left Malfoy Manor.
"How was your tea, my dear?"
Narcissa turned and smiled at her husband. She gestured for him to join her as she told him what she discovered.
"Have you heard news of them from any more of your sources?" Lucius asked as he helped himself to a cranberry scone.
"Potter and his wife were seen at Slytherin Manor as you know. Two of the Weasleys were seen at Stonehenge, but I don't know what they are up to." Narcissa said.
"Do you know how they broke the block to their bond yet?" Lucius asked.
Narcissa shook her head, "Between the obliviations done by Dumbledore and the spells I cast, they should have been kept apart. Part of the spell I cast was to make it seem like a good idea to keep them apart. I've been trying to discover if Potter went to that camp on his own or if he went to find her."
"So we need to see if we can discover what triggered this turn of events." Lucius summarized.
Harry looked up as Remus sat down at the table next to him. "Hey, Remus. What did you find out?"
"Dora talked to Ben and we will be heading to Tirana on the train tomorrow and we're booked on a flight to London the next day. We should be back home late Wednesday night." Remus reported as he relaxed at the poolside table with his godson.
"Good." Harry replied. "I'm ready to get back home, but at least we have the rest of today to relax and recuperate."
"I'm going to let Mark and Sarah know the plan," Remus said. "I'll see you in a bit."
"Harry!"
He turned to see Ginny coming out onto the pool area. She was wearing an oversized Hogwarts t-shirt that her assumed must have belonged to one of her brothers. He smiled as she leaned over and kissed him. "Hey, beautiful."
"Tonks and I have been shopping." She told him excitedly as she sat down on his lap.
He laughed. "Should I be worried?"
Her eyes glimmered with laughter as she shook her head. "No, we found this cool little jewelry booth and I got presents for Fleur and Angelina."
Harry made admiring noises as she showed him the bracelet and earrings she had purchased. She leaned in and kissed him again, this time a little more passionately.
"I got you a present, too." She said quietly.
"You didn't have to do that." He said as he played with her hair.
"I know, but trust me you'll like this." She stood up and glancing around the almost deserted pool area, she pulled her t-shirt off to reveal a new green and gold bikini.
Harry's brain froze as he stared at his wife. The sound of her laughter slowly penetrated and he blushed as he realized he'd been staring at her. He looked up into her dancing brown eyes. "Does that mean you like your present?" she teased.
Harry stood and made to grab her, but Ginny laughed and took off for the pool. Harry caught up with her at the pools edge. He grabbed her around the waist and then sending her a mischievous look, he dove into the pool taking her with him.
Ginny surfaced sputtering, but she recovered quickly and swam to the opposite end of the pool. Harry followed, but not fast enough as she sent a wave of water in his direction. The couple spent the next hour playing in the water, before Harry pinned her up against the step at the far end of the pool.
She sat on the step, while he had pulled himself up so his elbows were resting on either side of her thighs. She ran her hands through his hair as he looked up at her with a smile on his face.
"I love you, baby." Harry said softly as he looked up at her. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you."
Ginny looked down at him, "Love, that's the way I've felt most of the summer. I can't do this without you."
Reaching up, Harry pulled her back into the water and bracing her against the step he kissed her deeply. Ginny wrapped her legs around his hips as she kissed him back enthusiastically. Harry wrapped one arm around her and braced it on the step behind her. With the other hand, he started exploring his wife's body as he started kissing a path down her neck.
When Ginny moaned slightly, Harry lifted his head long enough to make sure they were alone. With a wave of his hand, he cast a privacy charm as well as a slight Confundus charm so they would not be disturbed. Then he returned his attention back to his wife, running his hand up her leg. He lifted her up slightly and as he kissed his way down to her breast, he slid his other hand into her bathing suit bottoms.
Ginny gasped as she felt his finger enter her and arched up against him. Harry continued his loving assault until he felt her finish around his hand. He lifted his head and watched her as she melted back against the step behind her. She opened her eyes and stared into his smoky green eyes. "I love you."
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He started to lift her out of the water, but she stopped him. With a playful glint in her eye, she asked, "Will those charms you cast last a little longer?"
He nodded silently as he felt her pulling down his swimming trunks. Her bikini bottoms soon joined his trunks at the bottom of the pool as she wrapped herself around him. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, Harry slowly entered her. Ginny gasped as he filled her completely.
He held her hips completely still for a moment as he tangled one hand in her hair, kissing her deeply. Lifting his head, he whispered. "I love you, Ginny Potter. I don't ever want to lose you."
He started moving, driving into her slowly at first but building up speed. With each stroke, he chanted her name as if assuring himself that she was real. They came together in an explosion of sensation and love.