Author's notes:
Standard disclaimer. It all belongs to JKR. Thank you for letting us play with your toys.
I will continue to use the occasional song lyric in the story and will give credit at the time when needed.
This is the seventh book in my Slytherin Harry series and covers Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts.
Book 1: Harry Potter and the Muggle's Daughter
Book 2: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Book 3: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book 4: Harry Potter and the Blood Traitor's Daughter
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book 6: Harry Potter; Flesh, Blood and Bone
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Lady of the Lake
If you haven't read books 1-6 you won't know what's going on. But the bonus is you've got six completed books before you even get to this one!
Fair warning, this story will continue to be dark and have mature language and situations in it.
Harry Potter and the Lady of the Lake
Chapter XXX
There is Incoming
Christmas came and went and before any of them knew it Slytherin had started the season with solid, but not dominating, performances over the Badgers 450-360 and the Birds 560-450 to sit top of the table at 2-0. The Lions were also undefeated but had only scored 610 points against Slytherin's 1010 to sit second in the standings. Ravenclaw sat third while Hufflepuff was fourth. Neither Slytherin nor Gryffindor were the teams they'd been the previous season, but after two matches Slytherin appeared to have lost the least. Having a full line up of reserves since her first year was serving Ginny well in her captaincy of the team now. Each of her three new starters had flown in actual matches the previous year with Jamison (J.J. or Jimmy Jam depending on her mood) having filled in admirably for Harry a number of times when he'd gotten hurt and or Ginny had benched him. Gryffindor on the other hand, well, Ron'd had only three people he could call reserves the previous year and it had been hit or miss if they'd shown up to practices. Suffice it to say, his new starters were nowhere near the standard of hers. The Lions were undefeated on the strength of their captain and keeper and while her brother was good, Ginny had lived this story before. Her first year had seen Slytherin field a team with a superstar keeper and one slasher with any experience. Everyone else, three slashers and their two beaters, had been first year starters. She and Harry had been first-years. They'd fought hard in every match, but without Marcus' brilliance at keeper and captain they'd have been destroyed. She didn't expect to destroy the Lions today, but she was cautiously confident. If they could just avoid anything like the fiasco that had seen her bench Harry the previous year she should go into the off week undefeated and well positioned to win her second quidditch cup.
"Oh!" Scarlett Johansen, said. She'd taken over the announcer position from Lee Jordan and given her skill at emceeing the talent competition Ginny couldn't have thought of a better person for the job. "And somehow Gryffindor's Jimmy Peaks has managed to drill Slytherin captain Ginny with a bludger to the shoulder. Slytherin has called time but I don't think she'll be back in the air today. If I'm not mistaken I don't recall anyone ever even coming close to hitting her much less taking her out of the match. Slytherin still lead by 60-30 in the early going here today but this could spell trouble for the defending champions.
"Well it's not broken and there's no ligament damage," Madam Pomfrey said. Ginny grimaced while her arm was manipulated through her full range of motion. "Can I have pain potion?"
"Not if you're going back in the air," the matron said.
"But she's cleared to fly?" Madam Hooch asked.
"Yes," the matron said, though she didn't look pleased to give it.
"You've got five minutes then, Captain," Madam Hooch said. "Ten if you're coming out."
"I'm staying in," Ginny said, massaging her shoulder.
"That's the spirit."
"Foolishness," Madam Pomfrey muttered walking away.
"Just don't understand that woman," Madam Hooch said.
Ginny ignored them both. "Ok," she said, massaging her shoulder. Harry stepped in and pushed her hand out of the way and took over. "Thanks," she said.
"No problem."
"Assignments stay the same. And I'd appreciate not having anymore bludgers missed." She glared at Osian.
"Sorry," he said. "Won't happen again."
"It better not," she said. She refrained from asking him why he was out of position on a set play. If he didn't know he'd messed up and she was beyond pissed then she hadn't been doing her job the last year and a half.
"It won't," Osian said again.
Ginny held her arm out, trying not to wince at the movement. She might have made a lucky escape but she was going to be in a world of pain later even with potion. Her team piled their hands on hers. "We are one," she said quietly.
"WE ARE ONE!" the team bellowed. Everyone but her and Harry quickly mounted their brooms and flew up into the air.
"You sure he asked?"
"Get in the air, Potter."
"Yes, Ma'am," he answered. Ginny followed, wind-milling her arm a number of times to try and keep it from stiffening up.
"And here we go!" Scarlett announced. "I didn't think she'd be back but it looks like Ginny may just be as tough as her husband. We'll see if she remains up to her usual standards but you can bet Gryffindor will look to capitalize on any weakness in the Slytherin captain."
"Time!" Ginny called near an hour later. She'd just missed another pass and that was on top of Ron stuffing her cold her last six shots. She circled back into the Slytherin end of the pitch and waited for her team to join her. "Harry, switch with me. Michael, you take Harry's job, Jimmy Jam, you're third slasher now." She stopped considering her silent team. "Honest question, do you want me in the four slot or do I send up Xui?" No one said a word. "And that's all the answer I need," she said. She slid off the captain's armband and passed it to Harry before flying down to the bench. "We're making a substitution," she said, on her way past Madam Hooch.
"Ten minutes then," she answered.
"Xui," Ginny said, beaconing to the girl as she walked past the bench to where the matron was sitting, "get up there."
"You got it, Cap," the fourth-year said. She jumped to her feet, mounted her broom and flew up to join her teammates. The quaffle was tossed to her and she easily made the snag Ginny doubted she could have managed just then.
"Can I have the pain potion now?" Ginny asked. The matron silently handed her the phial and she quickly downed the contents. "Thank you," she said handing it back. The matron took it from her and Ginny joined the rest of her reserves on the bench, taking a seat next to Michael Eddinger.
"I wasn't sure you'd hold yourself to the same standard as the rest of them," he said. Ginny only grunted, her eyes on the action above. "You've done a good job, Ginny," he added, "As long as none of the other first-team goes down we should be fine."
She glanced at him. He'd surprised her a bit with the enthusiasm for the plan she'd given him. And truthfully made her job far easier than simply accepting her proposition would have done by taking on a managerial/coaching roll during practices. She couldn't see everything happening on the pitch while playing herself and the extra eyes had helped her get the team functioning at a higher standard much faster than she would have without his help. That said nothing for the scouting reports he'd prepared of the other teams. "I couldn't have done it without you, Michael. But thank you all the same."
He turned his eyes to the sky again. "The pros have a position coaches for all three positions plus a manager to oversee the whole team. We're only following the path of every successful squad to play the game."
"And here we go again!" Scarlett said. "Slytherin have sent fourth-year Xui Fung up in place of their injured captain. Gryffindor launch forward with the quaffle and a slim 140-130 lead over the defending champions.
Harry rocketed forward and intercepted a pass from Dean Thomas to Colin Creevey. Feinting left he launched a pass across the pitch. "Jimmy Jam!" The fourth-year snagged it and slammed it past Ron through the left hand hoop.
"That's another ten to Slytherin and puts Eldred on four goals; tying him for the lead among all slashers at the moment."
"JIMMY JAM!" Ginny shouted, jumping to her feet with the rest of the team as he snagged his second snitch of the match. "GET BACK! GET BACK! GET BACK!"
"And that snitch vaults Slytherin ahead 380-330. We've about ten minutes left and it's been a battle out there today. The Lions have been solid and taken every advantage they can after Slytherin's captain went down to injury but the Snake's depth is showing as they have the lead and fifty points worth of snitch available to them if Fung can make the grab. She's racing up now and Gryffindor captain Weasley has elected to let her go uncontested, hoping the four on three advantage in the chase can push either Thomas or C.C. to six goals and a chance to go at the Seek again."
"POTTER!" Michael shouted. Harry shrugged off Dennis Creevey, rolled away from one bludger and pulled up short of the second before launching the quaffle to the seventh–year. Collin Creevey, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan descended on him. Michael wrapped the quaffle up and in a move reminiscent of Marcus five years previous ripped his way free of all three of them.
Ginny's mouth dropped. Of course she knew Michael was big. She practiced with him near daily. But one thing he'd been lacking in his game was playing big. Finesse, precision, they were the hallmark of her game and she shouldn't have been able to wrest the quaffle from him with the ease she regularly did. He just seemed to lack a certain ferociousness. She'd been on him about it, but till just now, he'd not responded. The burly seventh-year roared down the pitch and slammed a rocket of a shot off Ron's outstretched arm off the center hoop and through.
"Now let's just hope it's not a one off," Michael said beside her.
"He better hope it's not," Ginny said.
"And that's it!" Scarlett announced. "Gryffindor fight to the end, but Slytherin prevail 390-340 and go into the midseason bye-week top of the table at 3-0. Gryffindor sit second at 2-1 while Ravenclaw are third at 1-2 and the Puffs sit bottom at 0-3."
"Are you entirely certain you don't wish to cover that, Dear?"
Ginny moodily glowered at the mirror above the bureau. It was the day of the Valentine's ball and the stupid thing just wouldn't shut up about her bare shoulders and the massive yellow and purple bruise that covered the entirety of her upper right arm from shoulder to elbow. Harry had been massaging and applying bruise paste to it for her every night and it was loads better. She had full, easy movement in it again, but there was no arguing it looked a fright. But while most girls would be mortified to appear at a formal ball looking like they'd been beaten, Ginny was not most girls. In her book battle wounds from quidditch were to be worn proudly.
"No," she said, "and I'll thank you to stop harping on it already."
"Well it's that or your complexion, Dearie."
Ginny stiffened. "Excuse me?"
The mirror, proving it had zero sense of self-preservation, said, "Well you've already got so many blemishes."
"They're freckels," Ginny bit out.
"Yes, yes, but most boys prefer something like my Daphne. Blonde, blue eyes per—" Whatever else the mirror was about to say didn't get said because Daphne picked up the paperweight from the desk and hurled it at the thing, shattering it to a million shards.
"And keep your mouth shut," she hissed.
Ginny spun around. "What the hell?"
"I have enough issues with you and your self esteem without the help of some idiotic, inanimate object adding to them. There is nothing at all wrong with your complexion. You are stunning and your freckles give you an appeal only a handful of girls in the world can match!"
A knock on the door preceded Harry poking his head in. "Erm, everything ok—what happened to the mirror?"
"It wouldn't keep its mouth shut," Daphne said.
Harry shrugged. "I've never liked the things anyway; always on about my hair or something."
"Exactly," Daphne agreed.
"You look nice by the way."
"Why thank you, Harry."
He focused on Ginny. She had gone for a dress in deep forest green; cliché, she knew, but she was a redhead and she looked good in green. The neck was a crisscross halter top that left her shoulders bare. The silhouette was a-line, hugging her lithe frame across her chest, tummy and down to mid thigh where a looser, scalloped ruffle dropped to just above her knees in the front, lengthening along the sides and the back where it just brushed at the floor. She'd paired the dress with a three-inch stiletto sandal in nude and then added a single band bracelet of emeralds and matching pendant earrings. Her mane of red hair and been artfully piled on top of her head in a mass of curls with two lockes hanging down either side of her face. She'd even let Daphne do her makeup, accentuating her melted chocolate eyes and high cheekbones.
"By the goddess," Harry breathed. In a trance he drifted across the room to her.
Ginny flushed from the top of her head to the very tips of her toes. She'd have thought by now there was nothing Harry could do to her she hadn't already experienced and it just wasn't fair at all he could turn her into a puddle of goo with just a look. All thoughts of snarky mirrors or what other boys preferred in girls fled her mind. No other boy mattered when the one she wanted looked at her like he was now. Not even his ever-multiplying collection of sisters bothered her when he turned his full attention to her. None of them had ever seen the way his eyes would darken. None of them had ever heard his voice become all husky. None of them had experienced the way his hands shook as they slid over her naked flesh. And none of them ever would. Whatever he gave them, there were vast expanses of himself he reserved for her alone.
"Looking pretty good yourself there, Potter," she said reaching to tug at the hem of his collar. His hand went to her hip, pulling her middle to his. Dipping his head he pressed a long sensual kiss to her lips.
"I'm going to have to kill a dozen blokes tonight if I have to kill one."
"Mmmm," Ginny agreed, resting her forehead against his.
"If you two are quite finished, some of us might like to at least attend the ball and spend a few moments with our significant others before the night is over."
"Don't let us stop you," Harry said. But he turned and offered his arm to the other girl. "Allow me to escort you, Lady Greengrass."
"Do you ever feel left out?" Hermione asked. She and Luna had been swaying around the dance floor for a good hour together when the seeming inequities of the night got to be too much.
"Left out of what?" Luna asked.
"Everything."
"Well that certainly narrows it down for me, Love," Luna teased.
"Well, it's just, Harry is Harry, but Ginny, Daphne and Neville practically have to fight to dance with each other. The only people cutting in on us are the four of them."
"Well I don't personally see that as a bad thing."
"I don't either really. But it…"
"Leaves you feeling as if the rest of our friends don't really consider us to be friends at all?"
"Exactly," Hermione said.
"Well I don't really think that's the case, but I do see your point."
"I wonder if they think there's something wrong with us, or if they're afraid the gay is catching."
Luna looked around. "Well, Daphne and Ginevra do seem to be immune but hardly represent a significant sample size. Whom do you think we should attempt to recruit next?"
Hermione swatted at her. "Oh, hush."
Luna giggled and snuggled in to rest her head against Hermione's chest. They danced for a bit longer before she stopped moving and pushed back enough to look up at Hermione. "You know where I do feel left out?"
Hermione shook her head. "Where?"
"Our best friends are either married or engaged. And while I feel like I'm married to you in my heart it hurts that being magically bonded to you isn't even an option for us."
Hermione blinked a number of times as she looked down on her girlfriend. "You would want that?" she whispered.
"Hermione, I want to spend my life with you. Why would you ever think I didn't want that?"
"But you could," Hermione countered. "You don't have to be with me. And don't try and tell me you couldn't be happy with a boy. I know you far to well for that."
"Then you don't know me nearly as well as you think you do."
"You're not hurting my feelings admitting the truth, Luna."
Luna put her hand over Hermione's mouth. "Maybe, in a life where I had never met you, I could be happy with a boy. But I have met you, Hermione Granger. I have held you. I have loved you. I have been yours. And there is no boy I have ever met or ever will meet who could take your place." She slowly removed her hand from Hermione's mouth.
"You're insane," Hermione said, though there was no bite in her words. "You don't have to live this life."
"But I do. Because I should regret every moment that I did not."
Hermione pulled her tight again, tucking Luna's head under her chin. "I love you, Luna."
"I love you too, Hermione."
Neville nodded towards Hermione and Luna. "Seems pretty heavy over there."
Daphne glanced at the couple. She'd felt something was eating at both her friends lately but hadn't been able to figure out just what. Though she was a bit worried about Luna as she'd caught her looking at both Harry and Neville a bit wistfully recently. She didn't really want to think that Luna was coveting either of the boys, but she knew the look of someone pining and Luna had it. Three years ago she'd have been even more confused. But a book on human sexuality from Andromeda had been more than just a bit enlightening. She now knew that just because Luna was with Hermione it did not have to me she was gay. "I'm a bit worried about them," she said.
"I sometimes worry they feel left out," Neville said.
Daphne tipped her head, perplexed. "How do you mean?"
"Well, they've actually been together longer than you and I, or even Harry and Ginny. I think the only longer running couple in the school is Matthew and Stephanie and they're betrothed now. You and I are betrothed. Harry and Ginny are married. I just wonder if they feel like they can't have that." Daphne was so shook by his observation she stopped dancing and just stared at him. "Daphne?" he asked.
She grabbed him by the face and pulled his lips to hers in a hard kiss. "You are the most astonishing, insightful man I have ever met," she said when she released him.
"I am?" he asked.
"Yes." She led him into dancing again till he took over once more. "I think you're right. Now we just have to determine what to do about it?"
"What to do about it? Not to be a cad or anything, but they're gay. There isn't really anything we can do about it."
"Oh, we'll see about that," she said.
"You want to what?" Harry asked. He, Ginny and Daphne were back in their shared suite in the Slytherin dungeons after the ball.
"You heard me," Daphne said.
"I am not going into the forest to seek out the goddess. And you shouldn't either."
"Why not? You did fourth-year. Or are only your issues considered important enough to warrant her attention?"
"That's bullshit and you know it."
"Then why won't you even consider it?"
"Because, every interaction with her has a cost, Daphne. And trust me when I tell you, you won't like the price."
Daphne watched him with calculating eyes. "Just what did happen between you and her?"
"Ask her," Harry said and stalked from the room.
Daphne watched him go before turning to Ginny. She shrugged helplessly. "He won't tell me. Though I would have to say that she seems to know what's going on and if she wished to answer your question she or Kai would be here."
Daphne stared at her, something twigging at the edge of her thoughts. "Knows what's going on," she repeated to herself. Her eyes widened and her hand shot to cover her mouth. "Oh! Oh my. No… She wouldn't have."
"What did you just think of?" Ginny asked.
Before Daphne could answer, the door to Harry and Ginny's room opened and he stepped out. "Fine," he said angrily. "Let's just go and…" he trailed off on seeing Daphne staring at him with what could only be described as abject horror on her face. Harry closed his eyes as he let out a beaten breath. "Should have just agreed you idiot," he muttered.
"It's true?" Daphne whispered. A tear slipped down her cheek.
Harry slumped into a chair. "Yes."
"B–but—"
"But what?" he demanded bitterly. "Why? You think I got an answer beyond anything more than mere humans can't comprehend?"
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because I have to trust her… and I don't."
"And you wanted to spare us," she whispered.
Harry shrugged. "Worked out well, didn't it."
Silence settled on them for a few moments, broken when Ginny asked, "Would one of you care to enlighten me? Not that I don't have a fair idea already."
Already white, Daphne paled so much she took on a deathly pallor. She stared at Harry, slowly shaking her head. "Yeah, sure," Harry said flippantly. "Don't worry, I'll tell her. What's one more kick in the face from the universe?"
"You're angry with the goddess because she didn't stop Lamia and Narcissa, aren't you?" Ginny asked. Harry and Daphne both looked at her sharply.
"Among other things," Harry answered.
"Going all the way back to the diary?" she asked. Harry nodded.
Ginny stood from her seat and moved to kneel in front of Harry. Taking his hands in hers, she asked, "Do you remember, that day in my tree house where you saw the home Kai had made and me telling you she was more special to me before I knew who she really was?"
"Yes."
"I've questioned her motives and actions ever since I knew the truth, Harry. I've wondered what she knew and when she knew it and why she chose to act in some places, but not others. Believe me I know, when you know she can see futures, or events occurring and she does nothing to stop them, it is not easy at all to believe she has made the best choice she could and things would have been far worse had she done something different, just how difficult it is to have faith in her."
"Y–you already knew she let them… rape Harry?" Daphne whispered.
Ginny never took here eyes off Harry. "I try my best to remember that without her I would not be alive, and that as difficult as some things in my life have been, I would rather live them again than be dead."
"How long have you known?" Harry asked.
"I've kind of suspected since you refused to kneel before her. You wouldn't talk about it though and I thought it best to let you try and work through it without pushing you… That was a mistake, wasn't it?"
"It might have been nice to know you were feeling some of the same things." He shrugged. "But then I could have talked to you as well, yeah?"
She raised his hands to her lips. "We'll do better, yes?"
He bent and kissed her brow. "Promise."
She stood, tugging him with her over to Daphne where she pulled the other girl up into a hug in which she and Harry enveloped her completely. It was probably a half hour later, with the three of them on the couch, Harry on one end while Ginny was spooned behind Daphne on the other that Daphne let out a sigh, and said. "I supposed we should head to bed."
"I'm good right here," Ginny answered. Harry only let out a soft snore. "And there's my husband's vote."
Daphne didn't say anything for a few near a minute. "I miss sleepovers in Lily's parlor."
Ginny kissed the back of her head. "I'm just glad I'm not one of the other three."
"Yeah," Daphne agreed.
Two days after the ball the sextet was up in the clock tower, each couple on their preferred balcony, when a squeal of delight broke the silence. "Da hell was'zat?" Harry asked.
Ginny shrugged. "No idea, but as there is incoming I'd say we're about to find out." Harry chuckled, the pounding of feet descending the stairs was growing closer.
"Ginevra!" Luna cried rushing around the corner. She ran up to them as they slid out of the window onto the floor and shoved her hand in Ginny's face. "LOOK!"
Ginny stared at the ring on Luna's finger a moment before breaking into a huge smile. "That's brilliant," she exclaimed, grabbing her oldest friend in a tight embrace.
"What on earth is going on?" Daphne asked appearing with Neville behind Hermione, who had moved just a bit slower than her… fiancée in descending from their balcony to Harry and Ginny's.
"They're engaged!" Ginny cried.
Daphne's jaw dropped before she let out a squeal and rushed to join the two girls in their hug and gushing excitedly over Luna's ring.
"Well," Hermione mused, watching them, "I guess we know which of us is the man in our relationship."
Harry grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. "Congratulations, Sis," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her crown."
She crushed him in her arms. "Thank you, Harry." The two held each other for a few moments and when he let her go she swiped at the tears on her face.
Neville grabbed her and pulled her tight. "Congratulations, Hermione."
"Do you know when you're going to get married?" Daphne was asking.
"I did only just ask her," Hermione said.
"But you will get married, yes?"
"Well we'll exchange vows of course," Hermione said. "But I don't know that anyone would be willing to perform the bonding for us."
"The hell they wouldn't," Harry said. "I'll perform it." Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"Harry," Daphne said gently. "I'm pretty sure it's against the law."
Harry stared back at her. "Ask me if I give a damn."
"You'd go to prison over this?"
"And just which prison are they going to put me in? And what are they going to do when I refuse to deal with old Moldyshorts?"
"Look," Neville said, "let's not argue over it. I mean it's a year or more off yet, isn't it? We'll talk to Lily and Gran and they'll go about getting the law changed."
"And if that doesn't work," Ginny said, "We'll ask the goddess to perform the bonding."
Daphne cocked her head back. "Well, I'd certainly like to see someone tell her she can't do it."
"Exactly," Ginny said. "Now come on, it's late and two of us have quidditch tomorrow morning." The group set off, excitedly chattering amongst themselves.
Hermione sidled in next to Harry. "It really means a lot that you'd do it," she whispered. Harry just wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight to his side.
Author's notes:
Do you get a sense that something bad has to happen soon and the longer it doesn't, the worse it will be?
And next week's torture: Chapter 31, Tediously Mind Numbing