Chapter 12: Harry's Project.
When Harry rose early the next morning, Sirius was already in the kitchen, looking through the cupboards for something to eat. "I have to get up early because of Quidditch practice. What's your excuse?" Harry asked him, sitting down at the scrubbed pine dinning table and regarding him.
"Well I am the Deputy Headmaster of one of the premier wizarding schools in the world." Sirius pointed out, "And as Albus once to told me; 'The earlier you get up, the problems you find.'" He grinned as Harry regarded him sceptically. "Okay, okay. You caught me, I was never one to sleep late. Even when I was at Hogwarts. So anyway, how have you been Harry?"
"Fine. The Quidditch season's been. gruelling, to say the least. Next year's going to be even tougher. The qualifying rounds for the European Championships starts in three months, and that's on top of my Cannons commitments." Harry sighed and took another slug of his juice. "I guess it's just the price I have to pay. What about you?"
"I'm fine. I've had it easy this year." Sirius admitted, "I heard from Percy yesterday."
"And.?" asked Harry, nervously.
"The last travel permit has come through. Stage One is complete."
"Good, and Stage Two?"
"Neville seemed pretty confident he's secured us a building last time I heaerd from him. He just needs the funds to pay for the purchase and the re- decorating. I told Molly and she's agreed to help."
"Good."
"When do you think we should make the announcement?"
"Not yet. Soon though."
"What announcement?" asked Ginny, she'd just come in and heard the tail end of their conversation.
"Just a project Sirius and a couple of our friends are working on for me. It's a surprise."
"For me?" asked Ginny, sitting down beside Harry. Harry shook his head. "Not really, I'll tell you once everything's in place. That reminds me, have you decided what you're going to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
Ginny nodded. "I've got a couple of ideas, Libby Raries over at Obscurus has offered me a deal on a book proposal I sent her a month ago."
"What's it about?" Harry asked, curiously.
"You actually." admitted Ginny, "The working title is The Reality of Harry Potter. But it doesn't have the right ring to it. Not to worry, I'm sure one'll come to me."
Harry smiled warmly at her, "I'm so proud of you. You know that don't you?"
"I'm glad you are Harry. You're okay with the subject matter?"
Harry paused for a moment, considering it, then nodded. "Someone needs to right the story. The story of the real me, faults and all - Not this sugar- coated, melodramatic, next down from God, image that people have of me, but the real me the one that makes mistakes, gets things wrong and occasionally wishes that he could just be a ordinary guy."
Ginny sat there, struck dumb for a second, then frowned, "Are you sure you don't mind? I'll give it up if you want me to?"
"No. I wouldn't do that to you Ginny. It obviously means a lot to you, and I can't think of a better person for people to hear it from than you, my love." He reached over and took her hand, "I mean it, really." "Thanks Harry. I'm glad you're okay with it." said Ginny.
"Where are you getting your material from?" Harry asked.
"Well, obviously I'm going to include my own memories of our time together, you've told me a lot about what you did before we became friends. My brothers have filled in quite a few gaps as well, and then of course there's Hermione's diary."
"Hermione keeps a diary?"
"Yep. Totally Muggle of course and thoroughly checked for curses, jinxes and possession by evil dark wizards." Ginny said wryly.
"That sounds like our Hermione alright." confirmed Harry.
"Sirius and Remus even told me something of your time with your parents, before they died."
"Sounds like it's going to be a well rounded book. How much detail are you going to put in it about. us."
"Only as much as the public needs to Harry, don't worry." Ginny assured him. "So what's this new project of yours? And why can't I know about it?"
"It's not that you, can't, know about it. I'd just rather keep quiet about it until everything's finalised."
"Okay. I guess I can live with that. Maybe. So who does know?"
"A few Ministry officials, here and in the other ministries. Griphook, one of the Gringotts goblins. The Council. your mother, Bill, Neville, Sirius, probably Remus." Sirius nodded.
"Okay. Stop right there." said Ginny, slight annoyed now. "Neville knows what it's about and I don't?"
"The only people that know, apart from maybe your mother and Remus, know because they are essential to the project." Harry replied. Ginny was still scowling, she wasn't convinced. "Okay, I guess it could do any harm to let you in on it. I'll be going public pretty soon anyway."
"Well thanks." said Ginny sarcastically.
"Can you wait for a bit though? If I'm going to go through this, I might as well tell Ron and Hermione as well." Ginny nodded at that. "They should be down soon, Ron's not an early riser but 'Mione is."
Sure enough, by seven o'clock, both Ron and Hermione had joined the other three in the kitchen. Sirius offered to cook the breakfast and Harry accepted for all of them. "Now, I have something I want to tell the three of you." Ginny harrumphed at that. "I'd hadn't planned on telling you so soon, but Ginny heard me talking to Sirius and persuaded me to tell you."
"Well? Come what is it?" asked Ron, "I knew you were doing something, but I didn't want to pry."
"Thanks for that." Harry said. "Well, it's two things really, the first one was easy enough."
"What was it?"
"The setting up of a charitable fund, mainly to aid people who have been victims in one way or another of Voldemort, the Death Eaters and Dark Creatures in general."
"Wow. In what sort of way?" Ron asked. "Any way it can, mainly with financial support of course." The others nodded, and then Ron thought of something. "Does it have a name?"
"Yes. The Prongs Foundation." Harry told him, "But it's really the tip of the iceberg. The really important one is the second one."
"Well your first project's big enough." mused Ginny, "What's the second?"
"Ah. Now that's more complicated, and the reason why I needed so many people's help."
"What is it?" asked Hermione, "And who's been helping you?"
Harry began to count them off on his fingers, "Well, a lot of the Ministries have been involved. Ours, the Canadians, the Americans, the Manx, the French, Germans, Russians. Most of the big ones in fact, and quite a few of the smaller ones too. Albus and Percy have been working to get some permits through the Council and the International Confederation of Warlocks. Sirius got word that the last permit came through yesterday morning. Apart from Albus and Percy, the main people who've been involved in Britain are: Molly, Neville and Sirius. Bill helped me out with a couple of things to though."
"What. Is. It?" asked Ginny. "And why all the paperwork?"
"It's, an orphanage. But a different kind of orphanage than usual. It will be intended as a sanctuary, where people who've been orphaned by the war can live, and hopefully heal."
"An orph. sanctuary? What gave you that idea?" asked Hermione.
"Well, it's complicated." Harry paused and took a deep breath. "I guess it was Voldemort?"
"Voldemort gave you the idea?" said Ron incredulously.
"I didn't explain that very well." Harry admitted. "He didn't give it to me really. His creation, and reasons behind it did."
"How?"
"Well. I don't know if you know this, but Voldemort, well Tom Riddle really, was actually a half-blood and an orphan."
Ginny and Hermione nodded, but Ron shook his head, "A half-blood. Voldemort."
"Yep. Witch mother, Muggle father." confirmed Sirius, as he put four plates of food down on the table and sat down.
"Then. why's he so down on Muggles, aside from the fact he's a Slytherin?"
"His father left his mother he found out she was a witch. Then when she died during childbirth, he was sent to a Muggle orphanage. He didn't enjoy it there."
"I'm sure he didn't." said Ron. "Now it starts to make sense. And with this project of yours, you're trying to.? Tackle, eliminate the problem before it develops?"
"Yep. The name of the project by the way, in case you were wondering, is the Rubeus Hagrid Sanctuary for Orphans." His three friends smiled at that. "Hagrid was there for me when I needed him. Albus told me a few months ago, that it was Hagrid that brought me to the, relative safety, of Dursleys in the first place. So I thought it would be appropriate for the Sanctuary to bear his name as it's going to continue that work."
"Have you got any residents lined up yet?"
"A few possibilities but nobody definite. We won't be opening for business for a while yet after all. Neville's just finalising the purchase of the building."
"Neville? Why him?" asked Ron.
"Well, two reasons. One, any home that's going to be taking war orphans will have to a healer on staff, that was one of the Confederation's conditions and I agree; and two, because he knows what it's like."
"Well, I know he lived with his grandmother, so presumably his patients are dead but." Ron began, but Harry cut him off.
"Neville's father was Frank Longbottom, an Auror. He and his wife were captured by a group of Death Eaters, including Barty Couch Jr, nearly eighteen years ago, not long after my first defeat of Voldemort. The Death Eaters used the Cruciatus Curse on them for hours, trying to find out where Voldemort had gone. The Longbottoms didn't know of course, no-one did then."
"They died?" asked Ron. Harry shook his head and sighed. "I think Neville would be happier if they had. No, they survived, but the Curse drove them mad. Neville used to visit them in the holidays, maybe he still does. So, as you can see, Neville does knows what it's like."
Ron nodded. "Poor Neville. Why did we never think to ask?"
"He doesn't like to talk about it 'Mione." Harry told her, "I only found out by accident. At the time, Albus swore me to secrecy."
At that moment an owl flew in the kitchen window and landed on the table in front of Sirius. Harry recognised the owl. "That's Ptolemy, Megan Jones' owl. He must be Neville's answer."
"To what?" asked Ginny.
"Neville was due to finalise the purchase of the old Parcelcus Psychiatric Institute yesterday. He had a meeting with Miranda Cadis, the buildings manager at St. Mungo's last night." Sirius explained. "He said he'd owl me back with the answer as soon as he could." He unhooked the letter from the tawny owl's leg and handed it to Harry. "You might as well open it. We'll get in contact with him later." he told the owl, who hooted and took off.
Harry slit open the envelope and took out a piece of official St. Mungo's stationery. "Neville must have had to work last night." he noted, unfolding the parchment.
ST MUNGO'S HOSPITAL FOR MAGICAL MALADIES AND INJURIES
Director: P. A. Olympus
Sirius,
Good news, Madame Cadis has agreed to sell us the old Parcelcus building for 200 thousand Galleons as agreed. I've owled Molly and the decorators will be moving in, in three days. We'll be ready for residents by mid- August. I've also organised getting equipment from St. Mungo's to set up a full Infirmary there, Madame Danvers is handling that, so we'll be billed separately. We're all set for the Grand Opening in the last week of the holidays.
See you soon.
Neville Longbottom
"Two hundred thousand?" said Ron. "That's a lot of money."
"It's worth it." said Harry, "It's got about thirty bedrooms, and four or five huge common areas. Plus about three acres of land and more concealment around it than anywhere apart from Hogwarts, the old World Cup Stadium included. We were lucky to get it at that price."
"If you say so," said Ron, sceptically. "So what you going to do today?" he asked his friends. "Me, I've got to go to work." With that he rose and started to gather his things to leave. "Not to sound like Percy, but I can't afford to take any more time off at the minute."
"I'm not sure." admitted Harry. "But we'll see you later Ron."
"Yeah bye."
"Bye."
----
In the end, the three friends and Sirius went over to Diagon Alley and spent a quiet day there. Ginny and Hermione went into Madame Malkin's to buy Hermione some bigger robes, Sirius bought a new book on truth potions from Flourish and Blotts, and Harry had an interesting conversation about racing broom manufacture with one of the assistants at Quality Quidditch Supplies, when he went in to pick up a new set of Chudley Cannons robes.
At one o'clock, they met back in the Leaky Cauldron for a late lunch and then Harry drove them back to the Eyrie. Sirius and Hermione disappeared into their rooms to do some paperwork as soon as they got in, and Harry and Ginny settled down to relax in the sitting room, to wait for Ron to come back. A quick glance at Harry's Reperire showed that he was still at 'work'. "I think I'll send a message to Neville asking him to send any updates to me now." Harry mused.
Ginny nodded. She got up off the sofa and went into Harry's room bringing back his favourite eagle feather quill, which he'd had since Hermione had bought it for him and some parchment.
"Thanks Ginny." Harry said, accepting the two items. He quickly scribbled a note to Neville and then got up. "I'm going to send it now? Do you want to come?" Ginny nodded and followed him out the door. It only took a moment to climb up the stairs to the Owlery on the roof. It was small, there were only a dozen birds of varying sizes there, including a very familiar snowy- white female. "Hi Hedwig. Are you up for a short delivery, it's just to Neville?" Hedwig hooted and held out her leg to let Harry tie the message to it. Harry did and Hedwig immediately took off, flying over the roofs further into the London suburbs.
Harry and Ginny stood on the roof for a while, looking out over the city. "I like this view, I wonder what the view will be like from the Sanctuary?"
"It's different." admitted Harry, resting his head on Ginny's shoulder as he held tight her snugly against him, his arms crossed over her belly. "But it's nice to. I'm sure you'll adore it my love." Ginny smiled, "When I'm with you, everywhere is beautiful Harry."
"Thank you Ginny. That means a lot." Harry told her. "So you'll come to the Sanctuary with me.?"
Ginny nodded, but paused as Harry took one of his other purchases, a black jewellery box, out of his pocket and flicked it open. A gold ring with a sapphire encircled by tiny rubies lay against the red velvet. ". As my wife?"
"Harry James Potter, I would be honoured to accept." said Ginny, taking the engagement ring out of the box and slipping it carefully on the third finger of her left hand. "I guess I'm going to have to add a new chapter to my book." she said, tilting her head to invite Harry to kiss her.
"I guess you are." agreed Harry, before taking her up on her invitation. Padfoot. She agreed.
Congratulations Lion.
A/N: So what did you think of that? Too mushy? About right? I look forward to hearing your comments. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try and make it as soon as possible. As always please review, either at FFN or by sending me an e-mail at behomuk@yahoo.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!
When Harry rose early the next morning, Sirius was already in the kitchen, looking through the cupboards for something to eat. "I have to get up early because of Quidditch practice. What's your excuse?" Harry asked him, sitting down at the scrubbed pine dinning table and regarding him.
"Well I am the Deputy Headmaster of one of the premier wizarding schools in the world." Sirius pointed out, "And as Albus once to told me; 'The earlier you get up, the problems you find.'" He grinned as Harry regarded him sceptically. "Okay, okay. You caught me, I was never one to sleep late. Even when I was at Hogwarts. So anyway, how have you been Harry?"
"Fine. The Quidditch season's been. gruelling, to say the least. Next year's going to be even tougher. The qualifying rounds for the European Championships starts in three months, and that's on top of my Cannons commitments." Harry sighed and took another slug of his juice. "I guess it's just the price I have to pay. What about you?"
"I'm fine. I've had it easy this year." Sirius admitted, "I heard from Percy yesterday."
"And.?" asked Harry, nervously.
"The last travel permit has come through. Stage One is complete."
"Good, and Stage Two?"
"Neville seemed pretty confident he's secured us a building last time I heaerd from him. He just needs the funds to pay for the purchase and the re- decorating. I told Molly and she's agreed to help."
"Good."
"When do you think we should make the announcement?"
"Not yet. Soon though."
"What announcement?" asked Ginny, she'd just come in and heard the tail end of their conversation.
"Just a project Sirius and a couple of our friends are working on for me. It's a surprise."
"For me?" asked Ginny, sitting down beside Harry. Harry shook his head. "Not really, I'll tell you once everything's in place. That reminds me, have you decided what you're going to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
Ginny nodded. "I've got a couple of ideas, Libby Raries over at Obscurus has offered me a deal on a book proposal I sent her a month ago."
"What's it about?" Harry asked, curiously.
"You actually." admitted Ginny, "The working title is The Reality of Harry Potter. But it doesn't have the right ring to it. Not to worry, I'm sure one'll come to me."
Harry smiled warmly at her, "I'm so proud of you. You know that don't you?"
"I'm glad you are Harry. You're okay with the subject matter?"
Harry paused for a moment, considering it, then nodded. "Someone needs to right the story. The story of the real me, faults and all - Not this sugar- coated, melodramatic, next down from God, image that people have of me, but the real me the one that makes mistakes, gets things wrong and occasionally wishes that he could just be a ordinary guy."
Ginny sat there, struck dumb for a second, then frowned, "Are you sure you don't mind? I'll give it up if you want me to?"
"No. I wouldn't do that to you Ginny. It obviously means a lot to you, and I can't think of a better person for people to hear it from than you, my love." He reached over and took her hand, "I mean it, really." "Thanks Harry. I'm glad you're okay with it." said Ginny.
"Where are you getting your material from?" Harry asked.
"Well, obviously I'm going to include my own memories of our time together, you've told me a lot about what you did before we became friends. My brothers have filled in quite a few gaps as well, and then of course there's Hermione's diary."
"Hermione keeps a diary?"
"Yep. Totally Muggle of course and thoroughly checked for curses, jinxes and possession by evil dark wizards." Ginny said wryly.
"That sounds like our Hermione alright." confirmed Harry.
"Sirius and Remus even told me something of your time with your parents, before they died."
"Sounds like it's going to be a well rounded book. How much detail are you going to put in it about. us."
"Only as much as the public needs to Harry, don't worry." Ginny assured him. "So what's this new project of yours? And why can't I know about it?"
"It's not that you, can't, know about it. I'd just rather keep quiet about it until everything's finalised."
"Okay. I guess I can live with that. Maybe. So who does know?"
"A few Ministry officials, here and in the other ministries. Griphook, one of the Gringotts goblins. The Council. your mother, Bill, Neville, Sirius, probably Remus." Sirius nodded.
"Okay. Stop right there." said Ginny, slight annoyed now. "Neville knows what it's about and I don't?"
"The only people that know, apart from maybe your mother and Remus, know because they are essential to the project." Harry replied. Ginny was still scowling, she wasn't convinced. "Okay, I guess it could do any harm to let you in on it. I'll be going public pretty soon anyway."
"Well thanks." said Ginny sarcastically.
"Can you wait for a bit though? If I'm going to go through this, I might as well tell Ron and Hermione as well." Ginny nodded at that. "They should be down soon, Ron's not an early riser but 'Mione is."
Sure enough, by seven o'clock, both Ron and Hermione had joined the other three in the kitchen. Sirius offered to cook the breakfast and Harry accepted for all of them. "Now, I have something I want to tell the three of you." Ginny harrumphed at that. "I'd hadn't planned on telling you so soon, but Ginny heard me talking to Sirius and persuaded me to tell you."
"Well? Come what is it?" asked Ron, "I knew you were doing something, but I didn't want to pry."
"Thanks for that." Harry said. "Well, it's two things really, the first one was easy enough."
"What was it?"
"The setting up of a charitable fund, mainly to aid people who have been victims in one way or another of Voldemort, the Death Eaters and Dark Creatures in general."
"Wow. In what sort of way?" Ron asked. "Any way it can, mainly with financial support of course." The others nodded, and then Ron thought of something. "Does it have a name?"
"Yes. The Prongs Foundation." Harry told him, "But it's really the tip of the iceberg. The really important one is the second one."
"Well your first project's big enough." mused Ginny, "What's the second?"
"Ah. Now that's more complicated, and the reason why I needed so many people's help."
"What is it?" asked Hermione, "And who's been helping you?"
Harry began to count them off on his fingers, "Well, a lot of the Ministries have been involved. Ours, the Canadians, the Americans, the Manx, the French, Germans, Russians. Most of the big ones in fact, and quite a few of the smaller ones too. Albus and Percy have been working to get some permits through the Council and the International Confederation of Warlocks. Sirius got word that the last permit came through yesterday morning. Apart from Albus and Percy, the main people who've been involved in Britain are: Molly, Neville and Sirius. Bill helped me out with a couple of things to though."
"What. Is. It?" asked Ginny. "And why all the paperwork?"
"It's, an orphanage. But a different kind of orphanage than usual. It will be intended as a sanctuary, where people who've been orphaned by the war can live, and hopefully heal."
"An orph. sanctuary? What gave you that idea?" asked Hermione.
"Well, it's complicated." Harry paused and took a deep breath. "I guess it was Voldemort?"
"Voldemort gave you the idea?" said Ron incredulously.
"I didn't explain that very well." Harry admitted. "He didn't give it to me really. His creation, and reasons behind it did."
"How?"
"Well. I don't know if you know this, but Voldemort, well Tom Riddle really, was actually a half-blood and an orphan."
Ginny and Hermione nodded, but Ron shook his head, "A half-blood. Voldemort."
"Yep. Witch mother, Muggle father." confirmed Sirius, as he put four plates of food down on the table and sat down.
"Then. why's he so down on Muggles, aside from the fact he's a Slytherin?"
"His father left his mother he found out she was a witch. Then when she died during childbirth, he was sent to a Muggle orphanage. He didn't enjoy it there."
"I'm sure he didn't." said Ron. "Now it starts to make sense. And with this project of yours, you're trying to.? Tackle, eliminate the problem before it develops?"
"Yep. The name of the project by the way, in case you were wondering, is the Rubeus Hagrid Sanctuary for Orphans." His three friends smiled at that. "Hagrid was there for me when I needed him. Albus told me a few months ago, that it was Hagrid that brought me to the, relative safety, of Dursleys in the first place. So I thought it would be appropriate for the Sanctuary to bear his name as it's going to continue that work."
"Have you got any residents lined up yet?"
"A few possibilities but nobody definite. We won't be opening for business for a while yet after all. Neville's just finalising the purchase of the building."
"Neville? Why him?" asked Ron.
"Well, two reasons. One, any home that's going to be taking war orphans will have to a healer on staff, that was one of the Confederation's conditions and I agree; and two, because he knows what it's like."
"Well, I know he lived with his grandmother, so presumably his patients are dead but." Ron began, but Harry cut him off.
"Neville's father was Frank Longbottom, an Auror. He and his wife were captured by a group of Death Eaters, including Barty Couch Jr, nearly eighteen years ago, not long after my first defeat of Voldemort. The Death Eaters used the Cruciatus Curse on them for hours, trying to find out where Voldemort had gone. The Longbottoms didn't know of course, no-one did then."
"They died?" asked Ron. Harry shook his head and sighed. "I think Neville would be happier if they had. No, they survived, but the Curse drove them mad. Neville used to visit them in the holidays, maybe he still does. So, as you can see, Neville does knows what it's like."
Ron nodded. "Poor Neville. Why did we never think to ask?"
"He doesn't like to talk about it 'Mione." Harry told her, "I only found out by accident. At the time, Albus swore me to secrecy."
At that moment an owl flew in the kitchen window and landed on the table in front of Sirius. Harry recognised the owl. "That's Ptolemy, Megan Jones' owl. He must be Neville's answer."
"To what?" asked Ginny.
"Neville was due to finalise the purchase of the old Parcelcus Psychiatric Institute yesterday. He had a meeting with Miranda Cadis, the buildings manager at St. Mungo's last night." Sirius explained. "He said he'd owl me back with the answer as soon as he could." He unhooked the letter from the tawny owl's leg and handed it to Harry. "You might as well open it. We'll get in contact with him later." he told the owl, who hooted and took off.
Harry slit open the envelope and took out a piece of official St. Mungo's stationery. "Neville must have had to work last night." he noted, unfolding the parchment.
ST MUNGO'S HOSPITAL FOR MAGICAL MALADIES AND INJURIES
Director: P. A. Olympus
Sirius,
Good news, Madame Cadis has agreed to sell us the old Parcelcus building for 200 thousand Galleons as agreed. I've owled Molly and the decorators will be moving in, in three days. We'll be ready for residents by mid- August. I've also organised getting equipment from St. Mungo's to set up a full Infirmary there, Madame Danvers is handling that, so we'll be billed separately. We're all set for the Grand Opening in the last week of the holidays.
See you soon.
Neville Longbottom
"Two hundred thousand?" said Ron. "That's a lot of money."
"It's worth it." said Harry, "It's got about thirty bedrooms, and four or five huge common areas. Plus about three acres of land and more concealment around it than anywhere apart from Hogwarts, the old World Cup Stadium included. We were lucky to get it at that price."
"If you say so," said Ron, sceptically. "So what you going to do today?" he asked his friends. "Me, I've got to go to work." With that he rose and started to gather his things to leave. "Not to sound like Percy, but I can't afford to take any more time off at the minute."
"I'm not sure." admitted Harry. "But we'll see you later Ron."
"Yeah bye."
"Bye."
----
In the end, the three friends and Sirius went over to Diagon Alley and spent a quiet day there. Ginny and Hermione went into Madame Malkin's to buy Hermione some bigger robes, Sirius bought a new book on truth potions from Flourish and Blotts, and Harry had an interesting conversation about racing broom manufacture with one of the assistants at Quality Quidditch Supplies, when he went in to pick up a new set of Chudley Cannons robes.
At one o'clock, they met back in the Leaky Cauldron for a late lunch and then Harry drove them back to the Eyrie. Sirius and Hermione disappeared into their rooms to do some paperwork as soon as they got in, and Harry and Ginny settled down to relax in the sitting room, to wait for Ron to come back. A quick glance at Harry's Reperire showed that he was still at 'work'. "I think I'll send a message to Neville asking him to send any updates to me now." Harry mused.
Ginny nodded. She got up off the sofa and went into Harry's room bringing back his favourite eagle feather quill, which he'd had since Hermione had bought it for him and some parchment.
"Thanks Ginny." Harry said, accepting the two items. He quickly scribbled a note to Neville and then got up. "I'm going to send it now? Do you want to come?" Ginny nodded and followed him out the door. It only took a moment to climb up the stairs to the Owlery on the roof. It was small, there were only a dozen birds of varying sizes there, including a very familiar snowy- white female. "Hi Hedwig. Are you up for a short delivery, it's just to Neville?" Hedwig hooted and held out her leg to let Harry tie the message to it. Harry did and Hedwig immediately took off, flying over the roofs further into the London suburbs.
Harry and Ginny stood on the roof for a while, looking out over the city. "I like this view, I wonder what the view will be like from the Sanctuary?"
"It's different." admitted Harry, resting his head on Ginny's shoulder as he held tight her snugly against him, his arms crossed over her belly. "But it's nice to. I'm sure you'll adore it my love." Ginny smiled, "When I'm with you, everywhere is beautiful Harry."
"Thank you Ginny. That means a lot." Harry told her. "So you'll come to the Sanctuary with me.?"
Ginny nodded, but paused as Harry took one of his other purchases, a black jewellery box, out of his pocket and flicked it open. A gold ring with a sapphire encircled by tiny rubies lay against the red velvet. ". As my wife?"
"Harry James Potter, I would be honoured to accept." said Ginny, taking the engagement ring out of the box and slipping it carefully on the third finger of her left hand. "I guess I'm going to have to add a new chapter to my book." she said, tilting her head to invite Harry to kiss her.
"I guess you are." agreed Harry, before taking her up on her invitation. Padfoot. She agreed.
Congratulations Lion.
A/N: So what did you think of that? Too mushy? About right? I look forward to hearing your comments. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try and make it as soon as possible. As always please review, either at FFN or by sending me an e-mail at behomuk@yahoo.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!