Chapter 11:

"How's he doing up there?"

Sirius's voice startled Ginny out of her thoughts, and she almost knocked over her teacup. He smiled at her apologetically.

"Sorry, thought you heard me come in. That for Harry?" He indicated the tray of biscuits and finger-sandwiches she'd put together, and she nodded, giving Harry's godfather a sheepish grin.

"I thought he might like some coffee and something to nibble. He…hasn't been eating much."

Sirius nodded and ran his hand through his hair. "I've noticed. I'm trying to give him space. It's usually the only thing that helps Harry get through one of his sulks."

Ginny nodded as though she understood, even if she really didn't. She'd never been around for one of Harry's 'sulks,' and it had been a bit rattling for her to witness it now – her usually cheerful, loving boyfriend had been replaced by a very grumpy, moody sod. Still, she understood it. She didn't think she'd react very well to the news that her parents might have been murdered by a former friend of theirs any better than Harry had to be truthful.

"He hasn't kicked you out, so my hope springs eternal," Sirius was saying, and Ginny frowned at him. Sirius held up his hand.

"Not out of the house or anything, but usually he prefers to be completely alone. The fact that you're still allowed in a good sign, Ginny. Trust me. Whatever you're doing to help him? Keep at it."

Ginny nodded absentmindedly and turned her attention back to her tray. She made sure she had enough milk for Harry's coffee and sighed. A moment later, she felt Sirius place a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe I should ask how you're doing, too?"

She turned her head and saw the concern in Sirius's face and bit her lip. "I just don't know if…he doesn't want to talk about anything, Sirius. I feel…I'm starting to feel so useless."

Sirius pulled her in for a hug, and even though they had never done that before, Ginny found herself relaxing into his embrace. It felt like she was hugging a long-lost uncle or something. He smelled like pine-soap and engines and vanilla biscuits, of all things, and she smiled into his shoulder.

"Harry loves you more than anyone or anything I have ever seen, Ginny. Trust me. He'll come 'round. He always does. Feel free to talk to either Remus or me if you need to vent, okay?"

She nodded, and Sirius stepped out of the way so she could pick up the tray. She made her way upstairs and paused outside their bedroom door, taking a deep breath before entering.

"I've got nice, fresh coffee, Harry, and some food. Far too much for me to eat, so please help me. I'll never fit into my dress for the wedding at this rate." Ginny tried to ignore the immobile lump on the bed that was Harry and looked around the room, wondering where she should put the tray. She finally decided on the bed and started making small noises, clinking spoons against the cup edges, and moving the plates around just to get his attention. She finally glanced at him and sighed. He remained unmoved.

She grabbed her own cup of tea and poked at what she hoped was his back and was rewarded by a low groan. Pursing her lips, she fluffed her pillows out behind her and grabbed one of the sandwiches and started eating. Eventually, Harry turned over and squinted at her, his hair standing straight up. Of course, Ginny thought, he hadn't actually bathed in a few days. She was impressed his hair was doing anything at all. She ignored his look and reached for his coffee. She held it out to him without speaking, and he eventually took it from her, his hand wrapping around it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he breathed in the scent of it first and then took a tentative sip.

Ginny held back a smile as he frowned into the cup, and she reached for the extra milk she'd poured, handing it to him. He took it and mumbled something that sounded like thanks, and she felt hopeful as that had at least been part-way civilized.

"Well, how'd I do? Strong enough?" she finally asked, nodding at his coffee.

Harry sighed and turned his head, looking for his glasses, no doubt. He slipped them on and looked at her. Even though he'd been sleeping a lot, he still looked tired to Ginny. "Sirius didn't make it?"

"Nope, you can only blame me for its general foulness."

Harry grunted and took another sip. "It's not foul. It's…good."

Ginny didn't say anything and thought she'd try pushing her luck by offering him a sandwich. He took it without comment, and she felt mildly elated at that. Perhaps Sirius had been right.

"Aren't you going to work?" Harry finally asked, taking another sip of coffee. He ran his hand through his hair and frowned, as though noticing for the first time how unkempt it was.

Ginny curled her legs up underneath her. "Saturday."

Harry blinked at her. "No, it's not. It's…" he paused, frowning to himself. "Is it really? It's been a week?"

Ginny nodded and looked into her tea, not sure she could keep her face neutral. She heard Harry put his cup down, and then his hand was touching her face, pulling it towards his. His green eyes were full of emotion.

"Have I really been acting like an arse for a week?"

Ginny bit her lip and nodded. "Well, for the first few days, you were only half an arse. You didn't reach full arse-hood until sometime around Thursday night when you ignored my attempts to seduce you."

Harry raised his eyebrow at her. "I ignored you trying to seduce me?"

Ginny nodded. "I wore that cute little red nightie, and you didn't even blink an eye. It was a terrible blow to my ego."

Harry gave her a look and shook his head. He sat up and took her teacup away from her, placing it next to his coffee on the side table. He leaned closer to her and touched her face tenderly, resting his head against hers.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not. You just have a horrible way of dealing with things that bother you."

Harry snorted gently and closed his eyes. "It takes me a while to process things. I never wanted you to see me being such a prat."

"Harry," Ginny sighed softly and touched his hand. "You're not a prat. Well, not much of one. You had things to deal with, like you said. My only issue was that I wished you would let me in to help you. I was beginning to think I could have left for days, and you wouldn't have even noticed."

Harry swore and shook his head. "No, I would have noticed, trust me. I'm…I'm sorry, Ginny. Truly."

He kissed her gently, and it soon turned into something more, and Ginny felt her heart come alive again. She had missed him, even though he'd been right here, next to her, he hadn't been her Harry. She pushed him back on the bed so that she could lay on top of him and started kissing his neck as she felt his hand creep up under her shirt. She was pleased to notice that there was a lot about Harry that was finally looking up. She kissed him and then studied him. His green eyes had gone dark and wide, and he was staring at her intently.

Ginny smirked at him because she knew that look. "I think a shower is in order."

"Really? Can't we just…after?"

"Well," Ginny paused, and let her hand move down in between them, taking hold of him. Harry sucked in a harsh breath and then breathed out, causing her hair to move around her face. "No offense, love, but you are a bit ripe."

Harry blinked at her in confusion, and then he blushed. "I'm sorry. Oh, God, I must reek."

"It's okay, it's not major, and besides," Ginny said, shifting and moving off of him. "I do like to clean you up, you know that."

Harry shook his head at her and allowed her to lead him towards their shower. She batted his hand away when he tried to get undressed. She wanted to do it. Ginny made him lift his arms, and she pulled his shirt up and over his head. She untied the sweats he'd been living in and pushed them down his hips. She kicked them over towards the clothes hamper as he stepped out of them. She went towards the shower, turned on the taps, got the temperature right, and then looked at him over her shoulder.

"Come on, you first."

Harry gave her a small smile and then stepped into the shower, reaching for the soap. Ginny made sure he was okay and then quickly undressed, joining him a moment later. She took the soap from him and nodded for him to turn around.

Ginny took her time washing him, waiting until the tension had slowly relaxed in his shoulders. She noticed Harry's eyes were closed, and she smiled as she reached for the shampoo bottle. She started to slowly massage his temples as she worked the liquid through his dark hair. Harry's eyes opened when she finished, and he smiled at her.

"That felt nice."

"There's more where that came from," Ginny said lightly, nudging him under the spray so he could rinse.

They finished up quickly, and Ginny pushed him into the bedroom ahead of her. He sat down on the bed and smiled at her, holding out his hand. She joined him and rested her chin on his shoulder, letting her hands play in his damp hair.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, actually, I am. I'm sorry I've been such a git."

"I know," Ginny said softly. "So stop apologizing. You earned the right to have a bit of a sulk. That was some pretty heavy-duty stuff Sirius threw at you."

Harry sighed and slipped his glasses on again, looking sideways at her. He shifted back and then lay down on the bed, leaving room for her to lay down in front of him. She fitted into his arms, and he snuggled closer to her, sighing against her back as his hands wrapped around her waist. His voice was hesitant as he quietly began to speak.

"I always…that is, from what Remus and Sirius have always told me, believed that my parents, especially my Dad, were well-liked and cherished by everyone who knew them. I simply can't wrap my head around the idea that someone out there hated them that much. And then I started thinking that they must hate me, as well. And it's weird, you know, thinking there is someone out there who hates the fact that you exist. That they're out there laying the blame on you for things you didn't even do."

Ginny pulled Harry's arms tighter around her and murmured softly for him to continue. She could understand what Harry was feeling somewhat – she had often had similar thoughts while Riddle had been terrorizing her. She had often found it unnerving to think of him just…thinking about her, in any way.

"And then I started wondering if maybe Sirius and Remus had just been telling me the good stuff, because who wants to tell their godson their father was possibly a jerk? And…while you were at work, I would go through all my old boxes of stuff about them that I had. Mostly just letters and photographs, but there were a few local news articles too, which I'd forgotten about. My Dad gave a lot to charity, not just money, but his time, too. He and my Mum. They were good people, Gin."

Ginny turned her head to look at him; his green eyes were fierce behind the frames of his glasses. "Of course they were, Harry. You don't have to convince me of that. They made you, and you're bloody brilliant. The fact of their goodness is self-evident, right here in my arms."

Harry blinked at her and then gave her a soft smile. "I'm not trying to convince you, but I do think I needed to remind myself. I needed to see it in black and white, perhaps. If they were murdered, they did not deserve to die, I know that."

Ginny turned in his arms and touched his face. "So, what are we going to do about this Pettigrew person?"

Harry released a long breath. "If I see him again, I'm not sure. I might just confront him and let him know that Potter men do not scare easily, and if he is looking for some sort of payback or acknowledgment from me, he has a long wait. Or, I may just ignore him completely. I'm not sure I'll know until it happens."

"Well, that's honest," Ginny said, nodding. "And, I understand."

"I knew you would," Harry said, kissing her forehead. "Honestly, you have been the one…the one thing that kept me from completely spiraling out of control. I'm sorry if you felt ignored this week. And yes, I know, you understand. But still, it wasn't right, so let me just apologize and have you accept it, okay, Red?"

Ginny smiled at his nickname for her – he hadn't used it in so long, she realized she had missed it. She moved closer to him. "Okay, Harry. Besides, I have some ideas on how you can make it up to me."

"I figured you might."

Ginny kissed him, and like before, it soon turned into something more, and they were shifting on the bed, with Ginny removing Harry's towel. His hands traveled up and down her back as she settled on top of him. She took him in hand and started what she had begun earlier, and his eyes were bright and full of love for her. They touched each other as Harry moved his hand from her hip to in between her legs, and she widened her position to give him more access. They were soon both breathing rather heavily, and Ginny bent down to kiss him. He murmured her name, moving his other hand to her wet hair, tenderly touching the side of her face.

"I love you," Harry whispered, gazing at her. Ginny smiled as she nuzzled his nose with her own.

"And I love you."

Ginny sat back and then shifted forward, sliding onto his body in one swift move. They both stilled, enjoying the feeling for a moment. Harry brought his legs up behind her to support her as she rocked forward with her hips. His hands traveled across her breasts, teasing each nipple into stiff peaks. Ginny moaned and started moving a bit faster, his body felt wonderfully full and hard inside of her.

Harry let her control the pace, and she met his eyes as she rode him. She lifted her hands and held her hair in her hands and he licked his lips, his eyes wandering over her brazenly. She rested a hand on his chest as she rotated her hips in a lazy circle, rewarded by his quick intake of breath. She knew he wanted to move with her, but still, he stayed, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. It thrilled Ginny down to her toes, in a way, to be so in control. She patted his leg with her hand, indicating she wanted him to lower them, and he complied, giving her a wanton look.

She sat back again, moving a bit faster, and held out her hands. Harry linked his fingers with hers, and she lolled her head back, grunting. Ginny loved the way he felt inside of her, so absolute and perfectly fitted to her body. But she wanted more. Ginny was beginning to realize that she always wanted more Harry.

She leaned forward and started thrusting her hips in earnest, utterly controlling the angle and yet feeling him go even deeper. She gazed down at him, marveling at him. He had thrown his head back and was biting his lip as he watched her, looking unbelievably sexy to her. Ginny lowered her mouth down to his as she felt his hands stray down to her hips again, and then one snaked its way in between her legs, rubbing her. She smirked at him as she shifted her hair over her shoulder and felt her body grow slippery with her desire.

"Start moving," she murmured, leaning forward, and Harry answered with a full thrust, and she knew it must have been killing him not to move. She smiled at him, and he gripped her hip securely as he pushed up from the bed. Ginny moaned as her body tightened around his, causing him to swear rather exuberantly and completely unembarrassed.

"Such a mouth you have." Ginny giggled at him as he pushed her further onto him, rising half-way up to meet her. They kissed breathlessly for a few moments, and Ginny nodded when they pulled apart and allowed Harry to turn them over so that she was on the bottom. His glasses slid forward, but he didn't seem to notice as he pushed her legs further apart, and she sighed as he started thrusting deeper into her. Ginny let him take over, letting her hands wander back on the bed, her body shaking as he claimed her. She thrilled at the way he took her – she was his – in every way, and she felt the freedom of that rush through her.

"Touch yourself," Harry commanded, his voice low, and she complied, her eyes never leaving his. She felt her body respond and knew she was very close; her fingers were drenched. He angled his hips and pushed her legs up, and Ginny knew nothing but the sweet feel of him deep inside her. Harry was all she needed or would ever need. She moaned as she came, her body taking him with her a few minutes later, and he grunted as he fell forward, his breath hot on her skin like a flame. She wrapped her arms around him and clutched at him, holding him as firm as she could.

When their breathing returned to normal, Harry finally lifted his head, and she laughed as she straightened his glass for him. "Hi," she said, smiling.

"Hi," he murmured back, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

"I missed you, I think," she murmured, touching his face when they broke apart.

"I think I missed you, too," he said, giving her an embarrassed grin. Ginny reluctantly let go of him and allowed him to move off of her. She turned on her side and put a hand on his chest. Harry's eyes were closed, and he was taking in long breaths. She let her eyes wander over his body; he was so bloody gorgeous to her. She inched her hand down his stomach and let her fingers get lost on the dark hair that began there. He stopped her by putting his own hand over hers.

"Let a bloke catch his breath, Red." Harry smirked at her, popping his head up to look at her.

Ginny felt her skin heat, but couldn't help it. She wanted him again and told him so. "I want you again."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her and turned onto his side, pulling her closer as their legs became entangled. "You're trying to kill me then with sex? I'm not 17 anymore, you know. This ancient age of 27 means I need some downtime."

"I can't help it, my body just…wants you."

"Hmm, I've definitely been neglecting you too much," Harry whispered, kissing her.

"No, it's just you being you, Harry. I've never wanted anyone the way that I want you. It's a bit scary to me, actually. But you can have me any way you want me."

He met her gaze, his face filling with emotion. He touched his finger to her lips, and she sucked it into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it.

"The feeling is mutual, Gin," he said softly, removing his finger from her mouth. "God, the feeling is so mutual."

She smiled and kissed him. When they finally broke apart, she rested her head against his. "There are other things we can do until you're back up into functioning mode."

Harry chuckled against her neck and pulled back to look knowingly at her. "I reckon so."

Ginny sighed as he nudged her onto her back, his dark head moving slowly down her body. She was so glad that Harry was on his way to being back to normal. They would have to talk more about his need to completely cut himself off from everyone when dealing with things, of course, but for now…for now, Ginny just wanted to be with him. And love him. And be loved back in return.

o-o-o-o-o

"Ugh, I hate salads," Ginny mumbled, and Hermione smirked at her as she took a bite of her roasted chicken sandwich. They were out to lunch with Dora and her friend Abigail, having just come from a somewhat disappointing (for her, at any rate) dress fitting. Ginny had been reminded again that she'd put on almost half a stone since deciding on what dress to wear to the wedding and stabbed her butter lettuce with anger, spearing it with her fork.

She glanced at her sister-in-law, frowning as Hermione seemed to be eating with glee. "I don't understand why you're not more worried."

Hermione shrugged. "I get to just be a guest, who cares what I'll look like? You're the one who'll have to stand up with Harry since he's the best man."

Dora shook her head at them. "Ginny, we just had to let your dress out a tiny bit. It does not look like a 'bloody circus tent,' as you so eloquently put it. You've barely gained five pounds, and you had a busted ankle for a while. Besides, I know for a fact that Harry that enjoys your backside on the plump side. That was his hand I saw on it before we left, right?"

Abigail giggled with the others and took a drink of her water. She gave Ginny an understanding look. "I've been starving myself since the age of two, Ginny, so trust me when I say you really don't have anything to worry about. That dress looks absolutely lovely on you."

Ginny sighed. She really wasn't one of those types of girls who worried about her weight, so she wasn't sure why she was letting it bother her. She hadn't gained that much, and as Harry liked to tell her, she'd been almost too lean to begin with. Now she was soft and shapely, and there was nothing he enjoyed more than handling her curves. She smirked at the other women.

"You're right. I just…want to look sensational for Harry, for some reason. It's making me hyper-aware of everything."

"Practice for your own big day," Dora said, nodding. "I get it. But don't look too beautiful, or no one will be looking at me, the actual bride." Dora laughed as Ginny looked worried.

"Dora, no one is going to be able to take their eyes off you! Your wedding dress is bright pink! And absolutely gorgeous!" Ginny insisted. "I wish I could wear pink and look as lovely as you do. I always feel like a git in pink, it clashes so horribly with this." She pointed to her hair.

"Yes, Ron has often said the same thing," Hermione said, her mouth twisting into a half-smile. Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend.

"So when are we doing the hen party?" Abigail said, taking a bite of her own salad. She looked at Ginny and Hermione. "Do you two have any ideas for entertainment? Oh, please say you do. Someone terribly fit and gorgeous, perhaps?"

Hermione laughed. "I only know boring business types or too young-for-us-students. Ginny still knows a few footballers, though."

Abigail's face brightened. "Oh, do tell! Do any of them need extra money for taking their kit off? I've got a lot of one pound notes saved."

"We are not having a stripper at my hen do!" Dora said, laughing. "Remus would kill me."

"Harry could do it," Hermione snickered, which caused Ginny to feel scandalized, and Dora to blurt out 'No!' rather quickly. Hermione raised her eyebrow at the other woman.

"It's just… Harry is like a kid brother to me at this point. And that would be wrong on so many levels."

Ginny nodded. "Besides, Harry is far too shy. And also, I don't like the idea of other women seeing the goods, as it were. He's all mine, ladies. Eat your heart out."

Hermione chuckled. "Well, there's always…Sirius. I'm sure he'd do it. We probably wouldn't even have to pay him. He'd probably pay us."

All four women stopped eating and looked at her. Dora raised her eyebrow and looked deep in thought for a moment and then giggled. "Can you imagine it? Sirius Black stripping for us?"

Ginny snorted. "He is fit, I'll give him that, but wouldn't Remus really object to that?"

Dora's face had turned an interesting shade of pink. "Well, probably. I mean. You know. Er, we may have um talked about um…"

Abigail gasped at her friend and put her hand on the other woman's arm. "You said you never mentioned that kink to Remus!"

Ginny and Hermione shared a glance and looked at the other two women. Dora sighed and shook her head.

"Remus and I share everything, Abby. But I don't think either of us would ever be drunk enough to actually do it."

Ginny smirked at Dora and went back to eating. Abigail just looked disappointed in her friend. Ginny cleared her throat. "Besides, Sirius has Zee now. Not sure he'd be up for it anymore. Although he keeps insisting they're just dating."

"But we're not in love or anything," Dora said, doing her best impression of Harry's godfather. "Right. Pull the other one, Sirius. That man is so stubborn. Thank God I met Remus first and fell for him. If it had been Sirius, I would have just been another in a series of broken hearts, I'm sure."

"Well, then, I reckon the hen do will just be us and some hardy alcohol and a few romantic movies on TV," Abigail said, sounding disappointed.

"That sounds like bliss, actually," Dora said. "I've been working my arse off before we go on our honeymoon. A night in with you lot sounds perfect. Do you know what Harry has planned for their night of debauchery?"

Ginny shook her head. "He hasn't mentioned it. Maybe he's forgotten he actually has to do that. He's had other things on his mind lately, to be honest."

Dora nodded in understanding, even though Hermione and Abigail didn't know what she was talking about. They finished up their lunch, and Hermione and Ginny went one way since Hermione had driven them, while Dora and Abagail went back to the dress shop. Abigail promised to let them know when and where they could have their night of drinks and movies, probably in the next week or so.

"So," Hermione said as she started her car. "What's going on with Harry these days? Ron's been working a lot and hasn't seen him."

Ginny sighed. "He had a bit of bad news last week. He's better now, but he was in a sulk. I doubt he would have seen Ron at all, even if he had been free. He likes to keep to himself when things go wrong."

Hermione nodded and glanced at her. "How did you fare during that then?"

"Okay. It was just so frustrating. I love him so much, Hermione, but he wouldn't let me help him. We need to talk about that, but he's in such a good mood these days and has finally snapped out of it, that I don't want to remind him about it. It involved his parents."

Ginny would not say more than that because she knew it wasn't her confidence to reveal. But she knew Hermione would understand, and the other woman only nodded at her words, not pushing.

"Harry…he feels things sort of deeply. I think he's just always going to be that sort, Gin." Hermione finally said as they pulled up to the house.

"I know. I eventually just let him be, without, you know, buggering off somewhere or nagging him to talk about it. He was very apologetic afterward, admittedly."

Hermione smirked at her. "I bet. I bet the two you of really just worked it out."

Ginny chuckled. "We did spend all day in bed."

"Ah, I miss those days," Hermione said as Ginny reached behind the seat to grab the box her dress was in. Ginny looked at her sister-in-law.

"You and Ron don't get frisky anymore? I'll have Fred and George give him a talking to if you want."

Hermione snorted. "No, we do. We just…have so little time anymore to truly lounge about with each other. He's working really hard right now, and I've got so many different pots on the proverbial hob these days. It's hard to find the time, I reckon. Every relationship has times like this, I suppose. You just don't realize it because you and Harry are still so new and fresh."

"I can't imagine not wanting Harry as much as I do right now," Ginny admitted.

"Oh, I still want your brother," Hermione said, and then she blushed when she saw Ginny's look. "Sorry, I know you don't want to hear that. He still makes me crazy in that certain way of his. But, it's just life gets in the way sometimes, I suppose. Hmm. Maybe I'll hurry home and try to see if I can surprise him when he comes in."

Ginny laughed. "Don't want to know the details, but yes, you should. Enjoy yourself, too."

Ginny got out of the car and waved as Hermione drove away. She made it to the front door and frowned when she saw a package was sitting on the mat. Shrugging, she picked it up and put it on top of her dress box, noticing that it was addressed to Harry. He must have ordered something.

After juggling the boxes and unlocking the door, she set them on the kitchen counter and wondered if anyone was home. "Harry? Sirius?"

There was no answer, and Ginny shrugged to herself, grabbing the box her dress was in and headed upstairs. She took it out of the tissue the salesgirl had wrapped it in and stared critically at it. It was a stunning dress – it was a light purple, almost lavender in color, and off the shoulders. She had wanted something long and slinky, and this dress was it, with a nice slit up the side that she knew Harry would appreciate. She'd have to get a new pair of heels, though. The shopgirl had mentioned something about them being able to die her shoes to match the dress. She hung the garment up on the inside of the wardrobe and let the material slide through her fingers.

She heard a noise on the stair and turned just as Harry entered the room, taking off his jacket. He smiled at her.

"Have a good lunch with the girls?"

"Yes, we smashed the place, got pissed, and now you owe the restaurant a new chandelier."

Harry raised his eyebrow at her. "Just one chandelier? Between you and Dora, I would think at least two."

Ginny chuckled and went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I missed you. How did your meeting with Ian, go?"

Harry shrugged and threw his jacket on the bed, pulling her closer. "Boringly. We've decided to hold off opening another center next year. I think five is a good place to pause for now. I don't want the other ones to suffer because we've stretched ourselves too thin."

"That's very wise and astute of you, my footballer-slash-businessman-slash-philanthropist." Ginny breathed in Harry's scent and smiled; he smelled like the fresh outside autumn air and something that was always just uniquely him.

"Hmm, it's mostly because Ian wanted to start branching out to Scotland and Wales, and I don't fancy being away from home, to be honest."

"That would be a bit tricky," Ginny agreed. "You got a package today, it's downstairs in the kitchen, did you see it?"

Harry shook his head, distracted, and playing with her hair. She chuckled and pulled on his hand. "Come on, let's make some coffee, and you can open it."

Ginny started making the coffee as Harry grabbed the box from the counter. He frowned and looked around the kitchen for a moment before pulling one of the knives out of the drawer. She sat down at the table as the coffee started and watched him slowly open the package. He frowned as he looked down into the box.

"What the hell?" Harry murmured, and he pulled out a snow globe. It was a globe of him as a player. Ginny frowned as they both stared at it. She had a vague recollection of an item like it from years ago when Harry had been at the height of his playing career.

"Who sent that to you?" Ginny asked as he set it on the table. He tilted the box and looked inside.

"I don't know, there's no note."

"Well, be thankful it's not a musical one, or they'd probably have you kicking the ball in time to God Save the Queen or something."

Harry smirked and picked the globe up again, frowning. He turned it over and frowned. "There's something taped to the bottom here." He reached out and tugged at whatever it was and before either of them knew what had happened, the snow globe shattered in his hands.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny saw the crimson blush of his blood hit the inside of the globe and mix with the water still inside it. It fell to the table with a loud thump. She quickly stood up and reached for one of their towels and wrapped Harry's hand up within it. The towel immediately started turning red.

"Bloody hell, Harry, you've really cut yourself."

"Yeah, thanks, noticed that, Gin. Ow." Harry pulled his hand away and held it close to his chest. "What in the hell made it fall apart like that?"

Ginny didn't know and didn't really care at the moment. She made Harry get up and go to the sink. She turned on the tap and slowly unwrapped the towel. He'd only nicked his finger, thank goodness, and she made him keep it under the water while she looked for a plaster to wrap around it. After finding a few in the side drawer, she indicated he should dry his finger off and apply some pressure.

"Ready?" she asked after a few minutes, and Harry nodded. She leaned forward and wrapped the bandage around the cut, making sure it was secure. She sealed another one around that to better protect it. She glanced up at him.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No, not as much as before. Thanks."

Ginny looked at the mess they'd made and started picking up the pieces of glass that had fallen to the floor, noting the one that had cut him had the most blood on it. Harry started to help her, but she held up her hand.

"No, let me, Harry. I don't need you to bleed to death quite yet at this stage of our relationship. Keep holding your hand up for a little bit."

"Hah," Harry said, but he sat down at the table and watched as she cleared away the mess. Ginny was just dumping the last few pieces into the bin when Sirius came in. He glanced around, frowning.

"What's going on?"

"Harry received a weird package and cut himself," Ginny said, shaking her head. Sirius immediately went to his godson.

"What? How? Did they send you a machete, and you wanted to impress Ginny with your juggling skills?"

Harry snorted. "No, it was a bloody snow globe, and it just fell apart in my hands, I just nicked my finger on one of the pieces of glass. It's throbbing a little less now."

Sirius frowned. "How deep was it? Cuts don't usually throb unless they're super deep."

"It was more than superficial," Ginny admitted as she joined them. "But it was starting to slow down after we applied some pressure to it. He should survive. We won't have to amputate or anything just yet."

"I love the vote of confidence, Ginny," Harry said, smirking at her. He winced a moment later as Sirius poked at the plaster she'd wrapped around his cut. "Hey, we just got that on there, leave it."

Sirius frowned and then shrugged. "Fine. But if it is still hurting after you take some paracetamol, then we're calling up Dora and having her look at it."

"I'll be fine," Harry said.

Sirius looked at him and then at Ginny and shrugged again. "Did you put it all in the bin? I'll take it out."

Ginny sat down next to Harry as Sirius started fussing with the bin liner. "He's trying to cope by doing something."

Harry chuckled. "He's always been a mother hen."

Sirius stopped and glared in their direction. "Standing right here, you two. And yes, I'm trying to feel needed. Shut up."

Harry and Ginny laughed as Sirius marched the garbage outside to dispose of it. Ginny remembered the coffee and poured them both a cup, grabbing the milk out of the refrigerator for them. Sirius joined them, still frowning at Harry's hand.

"I don't like to think of you get weird gifts that maim you, Harry."

"It probably just got tossed around in the post and was precarious. When I poked at the bottom, it was probably just in the right spot and wham, broken glass and bleeding finger."

Ginny nodded as that indeed had been the gist of it. Still, it had been odd how quickly the globe had seemed to break. "It was a weird thing to send you," she said now, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Probably a collector's item," Harry said. "Although there's probably not a huge market for has-been players immortalized in snow globes. It was probably one of my old mates, rubbing it in or something. I doubt it was a sinister delivery."

Sirius frowned at Harry but didn't say anything, and Ginny gave Harry a little smile. "Maybe it was Cho."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, stage one of Get Harry Back; send a silly gift that maims. Brilliant."

"Why would it be Cho?" Sirius asked, looking between them. Ginny realized they'd never told him they'd ran into her. Harry quickly relayed the story, which had Sirius looking at Ginny appraisingly.

"You handled the ex pretty good there, Weasley. Well done."

"I still say you were wrong," Harry said. "She didn't want me back."

Ginny shrugged but knew Sirius had also understood that part of the story better than Harry had. Sirius smirked at her.

"So how did lunch with Dora and Abigail go? You guys want me for your hen do?" Sirius asked, changing the subject rather abruptly. Ginny blinked at him and then narrowed her eyes.

"How did you know we were talking about that?"

Sirius looked smug for a moment. "Abigail. She loves me, Ginny. Loves me. She's always trying to get my kit off in one way or another. How long did she wait to mention it? Two minutes? Three?"

Harry chuckled but sobered when he saw Ginny's look. She shook her head at Sirius. "Actually, it was Hermione who mentioned it."

Sirius looked surprised. "Really? Wow, good to know." Sirius grinned at them and put his hands behind his head, looking far too pleased with himself. A wide grin filled his face, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Sirius," Harry said, sounding amused. "Ginny doesn't know you're taking the piss. Stop it." Harry looked at Ginny. "Sirius and Abby had a thing. For a while. He always likes to insist she's still crazy about him. I'm pretty sure she's not."

"I think you're right as she never even mentioned it," Ginny said, pursing her lips.

Sirius looked put out. "She was hiding her glee at the suggestion, trust me."

Ginny chuckled. "Anyway, we decided to just have a girl's night of hard liquor and sappy movies. It should be quite fun."

"What are we going to do, Harry? It's your job to arrange a stag night, you know. Oh, your father would have loved it. He could have broken out his antlers, lord help us." Sirius laughed, and Ginny frowned at them.

Harry looked slightly embarrassed but smiled as he explained the reference to her. "My Dad had these antlers he liked to wear…he was wearing them when he met Mum and…well…my Dad had a nickname like Sirius is Padfoot, and Uncle Remus is Moony. My Dad was Prongs."

"Because of the antlers?" Ginny asked, not following.

"Lily picked it," Sirius said, laughing. "Like Harry said, he had those bloody things on his head the first time they met. And she still snogged him later, if you can believe it. Just goes to show you, love is blind sometimes. Anyway, from then on, he was Prongs, and he always, always wore them whenever he could. Remus and I tried hiding them, chucking them into the bin….one time I even tossed them out the car window, and he still found them! I have a secret theory that Lily had given him twenty pairs one Christmas, and he just kept pulling out new ones every time we tried something."

Harry laughed. "I think Uncle Remus said my mum thought they were cute."

"Yeah, well, there's no accounting for taste," Sirius said, snorting. "But then that was your mother. She thought James hung the moon. He could have been dressed as a mustard bottle, and she still would have fallen hard. Thank God he wasn't dressed as a mustard bottle, or his nickname would have something horrible like Colman's or Dijon or something equally ridiculous. Prongs actually suited him."

"Did Harry's mum have a nickname?" Ginny wondered.

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, not really. Lils, maybe. But only James ever used that. Mostly we called her "Evans," and then "Potter Too" after they got married."

"Well, I'm hungry, even if you aren't, Gin," Harry said, stretching and standing up. He looked at his godfather. "How about we make ourselves some chips."

"You can't eat just chips, Harry," Ginny scolded her boyfriend. He winked at her.

"I'm sure Sirius has an idea or two up his sleeve."

Ginny laughed as Harry's godfather nodded his head enthusiastically, and the two men started moving around the kitchen.

"Well, I'm going to go have a bath. Don't make too much of a mess," Ginny said, teasing them.

"No promises, love," Sirius said as he told Harry to put on gloves and start washing the potatoes, his hands already full of some sort of meat.

Ginny hoped they saved her some chips for later. Surely she deserved something delicious after eating a mere salad for lunch, right?

o-o-o-o-o

In the alleyway behind the Potter house, there was movement. It was slow and sure, and a neighbor walking by would not have noticed there was anyone there at all, if they'd looked. Dressed all in black, the man quietly removed the lid to the trash bins and found his prize. Wrapping it up within a small, dark cloth, he pocketed the glass and put the lid back on, stepping back into the shadows.

He smiled to himself. The Dark Lord would be pleased his idea had worked so well – they now had a sample of Potter's blood. He had scoured various rummage sales and church fetes and charity shops all over Devon looking for that blasted snow globe. He just hoped it was a significant enough sample for what he needed to do with it.

He moved quickly into the oncoming evening, his steps sure and steady. Severus Snape was nothing if not methodical, after all. And being a wiz at chemistry meant he knew that various substances had power, and that most could be imitated synthetically. But blood…blood was something special. He couldn't wait to get started.

And if he felt a slight twinge on his heart when he thought of Lily, his childhood friend, he ignored it. She had made her decision when she's joined up with Potter, hadn't she? Severus would have gladly died for her, at one point in time. But he had been a foolish young man with romantic notions then. This time he was not so young, and definitely not so foolish. The fact that her son may help in their endeavors was just destiny having a laugh at him, no doubt.

Severus had never held the young man any actual ill will, but that didn't mean he wouldn't use him in a heartbeat if it meant that Tom Riddle could pull off what he was trying to do. Severus wanted power. Riddle was offering it. It was that simple.

Patting his pocket without realizing, Snape moved into the light of the village's main street and let the evening crowds swallow him back into oblivion. No one noticed him — the tall, severe-looking man with the ink-black, thin hair and sallow skin – just the way he preferred it. He would keep to the shadows until he had what he wanted. Until he had what he needed. Then they would notice him, and they would be afraid. Very afraid.

o-o-o-o-o