A/N: Hey, I realised something in my physics class the other day about the Weasleys. OK, so they have seven children. If each of those seven have another seven, then there'd be 49 grandkids, and if each of those 49 had 7, then there'd be 343 great-grandkids! And if each of them had 7...my mind gave up at this point! Can you imagine how long the Sorting would take, with most of them just Weasleys?! The Gryffindor tower would just split with all the excess students! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!.........OK, stupid pointless a/n over now. On with the story.
Disclaimer: Hi, my name is Shadowz, and I am a polo-a-holic...whoops, sorry, wrong speech! I mean, My name is Shadowz, and I only own what I own. The rest? All J.K. Rowling's.
Dedication: I guess the dedication has to go to J.K. Rowling in congratulations on the birth of her new son...but WHY didn't you call him Harry?!
Harry Potter and the Crystal of Dreams.
Harry could have sworn that any more indignant swelling on Madam Pomfrey's part might well lead to Filch complaining about cleaning up exploded school nurse from all over the hospital wing. She was bustling about, muttering darkly and shooting frequent dirty looks at him, which he did his best to ignore as he waited for Shannon.
She emerged from the curtains around her beda few minutes later, dressed and ready to leave, propped up on crutches. She grinned at him and limped over.
"Hi," he said, standing up. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. "Sure am." She looked over at the nurse. "Madam Pomfrey? Can I leave?"
The woman stalked over, pursing her lips as she said, "Not so fast, Miss Parks. I still need to make sure you're completely ready to be discharged!"
She eventually let them leave after a further ten minutes of unnecessary pulse takings and temperature readings, as well as giving Shannon strict instructions on when to come back for checks and medicine.
Shannon rolled her eyes as they took off down the corridor at the highest speed possible on crutches. "Honestly, the way that woman goes on, you'd think I had the Plague or something, not just a broken foot!"
Harry laughed and gestured to the crutches. "Why've you got those anyway?"
"Oh, dramatic effect." She giggled slightly. "but seriously, it's because of the way that it has to be mended. It'll take a few days, 'cause of it not being exactly a clean break, so..." She trailed off, giving an uneasy cough. Harry sensed a change of topic was in order.
"Well, at least you don't have crowded corridors to fight your way through." he pointed out. "It being a Hogsmeade trip and all."
"Yeah, I guess." She slanted him a sideways glance. "Why didn't you go, anyways? You've been free of Madam Pomfrey's clutches long enough."
Harry shrugged. "Didn't feel like it. besides, it wouldn't really be fair to leave you suffering in the wrath of the hospital wing, would it?"
"I don't mind. At least I'm out of there now!"
"Yeah, that's definitely good!"
"So...Ron and Hermione went to Hogsmeade?"
"Yeah."
"Together?"
"No, of course not." Harry said sarcastically. "Ron went with Malfoy and Hermione is going around with Parvati and Lavender. Of course together!"
Shannon grinned. "Well, we all know what THEY'LL get up to..."
Harry smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Argue?"
"Well, yeah, that as well. No, I'm referring to the OTHER possible thing they'll get up to."
They both halted and stared at each other for a long moment, frowns crossing their faces as realisation dawned. Shannon blinked.
"Ugh, not that far! At least...I don't think so...are you disturbed?"
"Very."
No more was said as they hurried down towards the lake, seating themselves under a tree at the end nearest the castle, their backs to the building. The conversation started again, going to Quidditch, pranks, schoolwork, and occasionally subsiding into a friendly silence as they watched the Giant Squid playing about in the water. It was in one such lull that Shannon turned her head to look at Harry.
"Hey, Harry?"
He glanced over at her. "Yeah?"
"Uhh..." she frowned slightly, avoiding his gaze. "I wanted to say...I mean...umm..." She focused on an interesting spot on the ground. "Thanks."
"What do you mean?"
She looked at him directly then. "I mean...thanks. for rescuing me and all. It means a lot to know my friends are there for me, even if I was acting pathetic..."
"You weren't." he said. "And...it's alright. I mean, I'll always be there for people who're important to me." He flushed when he said that, but she didn't seem to notice.
She laughed slightly. "Hey, I made the 'important' grade with one of the world's most famous superheroes. I can't be doing too badly then."
He raised his eyebrows. "Superhero?"
She laughed again, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, well, y'know..."
He snorted a bit, making her giggle again as she looked away at the lake. For some reason, he found himself staring at her.
"Shannon?" he asked before he even thought about it. she looked around immediately.
"Yeah?" She frowned and cocked her head when he didn't reply. "What?"
"Uhh...doesn't matter." He tried to look away, but she shifted slightly closer to make it difficult.
"No, really. What were you going to say?"
"I..." harry hoped he wasn't blushing as much as he thought he was. "I can't really explain."
She shrugged happily. "We've got all day. So go on."
"Uhh..." he wasn't sure how he was meant to say it, or even exactly what he was trying to say. She was watching him silently and patiently with wide, expectant eyes, and in that moment, he suddenly came up with an idea.
He leant down and kissed her gently, smoothing back some of her loose her behind her ear as he did so. Then, when his brain kicked in a few seconds later, he pulled away, watching her apprehensively as her eyes opened and she stared at him in something like shock. There was a long silence and she broke the gaze first, cheeks flushing.
"Well...umm...that was unexpected..." she said uncertainly. Harry had a terrible feeling in his stomach, as if someone had pumped it with lead.
"Shannon, I...sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No, it's OK." She interrupted, looking up at him with a lopsided smile. When he blinked in surprise, she laughed and leaned in closer, whispering, "I liked it." just before she kissed him again.
*****
Chloe huddled into her jacket, face grim as she watched the Aurors working about ten feet away, using every powerful spell they knew to drain the Crystal of Dreams of its dark magic.
A familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, and she didn't even flinch in shock. Instead, she leaned back against the person and said, "I though you weren't going to show."
"Got held up." Sirius said, kissing the top of her head. "I had to come."
"Mmm."
There was a silence which Chloe eventually broke with a small, humourless laugh.
"It's so ironic, you know?"
"What is?"
"Everything." She sighed heavily. "All this, over some lump of rock. All these problems caused by one person and his supporters."
"Yeah." He rested his chin on her hair and she sighed again, lowering her voice to barely a whisper.
"It's unfair."
This time, he knew exactly what she meant. Life.
"It always is, Chloe."
A silence hung between them as they both contemplated identical ideas. If life was fair, Voldemort wouldn't exist. Lily and James would still be alive. Harry would have grown up in a proper family enviroment, instead of with his uncaring Muggle relatives. They wouldn't have spent all those years apart. They might have been happy.
Might have.
Chloe eventually turned around, reaching up to kiss him. She drew back after a moment, meeting his dark gaze seriously.
"As much as I'd love to stay like this...we'd better go do our job."
He nodded, slowly letting go of her. "OK. Let's go."
They both began to walk down to the other Aurors, and Chloe reached out to grab his hand, trying not to show her fear.
*****
Ack! I hate this chapter. It sucks- and no, Silvermoon, don't finish that sentence! Oh, and btw, that whole hentai interpretation was for you. Lol.
Anyways, an epilogue is coming your way very soon, so please stay tuned!
Disclaimer: Hi, my name is Shadowz, and I am a polo-a-holic...whoops, sorry, wrong speech! I mean, My name is Shadowz, and I only own what I own. The rest? All J.K. Rowling's.
Dedication: I guess the dedication has to go to J.K. Rowling in congratulations on the birth of her new son...but WHY didn't you call him Harry?!
Harry Potter and the Crystal of Dreams.
Harry could have sworn that any more indignant swelling on Madam Pomfrey's part might well lead to Filch complaining about cleaning up exploded school nurse from all over the hospital wing. She was bustling about, muttering darkly and shooting frequent dirty looks at him, which he did his best to ignore as he waited for Shannon.
She emerged from the curtains around her beda few minutes later, dressed and ready to leave, propped up on crutches. She grinned at him and limped over.
"Hi," he said, standing up. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. "Sure am." She looked over at the nurse. "Madam Pomfrey? Can I leave?"
The woman stalked over, pursing her lips as she said, "Not so fast, Miss Parks. I still need to make sure you're completely ready to be discharged!"
She eventually let them leave after a further ten minutes of unnecessary pulse takings and temperature readings, as well as giving Shannon strict instructions on when to come back for checks and medicine.
Shannon rolled her eyes as they took off down the corridor at the highest speed possible on crutches. "Honestly, the way that woman goes on, you'd think I had the Plague or something, not just a broken foot!"
Harry laughed and gestured to the crutches. "Why've you got those anyway?"
"Oh, dramatic effect." She giggled slightly. "but seriously, it's because of the way that it has to be mended. It'll take a few days, 'cause of it not being exactly a clean break, so..." She trailed off, giving an uneasy cough. Harry sensed a change of topic was in order.
"Well, at least you don't have crowded corridors to fight your way through." he pointed out. "It being a Hogsmeade trip and all."
"Yeah, I guess." She slanted him a sideways glance. "Why didn't you go, anyways? You've been free of Madam Pomfrey's clutches long enough."
Harry shrugged. "Didn't feel like it. besides, it wouldn't really be fair to leave you suffering in the wrath of the hospital wing, would it?"
"I don't mind. At least I'm out of there now!"
"Yeah, that's definitely good!"
"So...Ron and Hermione went to Hogsmeade?"
"Yeah."
"Together?"
"No, of course not." Harry said sarcastically. "Ron went with Malfoy and Hermione is going around with Parvati and Lavender. Of course together!"
Shannon grinned. "Well, we all know what THEY'LL get up to..."
Harry smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Argue?"
"Well, yeah, that as well. No, I'm referring to the OTHER possible thing they'll get up to."
They both halted and stared at each other for a long moment, frowns crossing their faces as realisation dawned. Shannon blinked.
"Ugh, not that far! At least...I don't think so...are you disturbed?"
"Very."
No more was said as they hurried down towards the lake, seating themselves under a tree at the end nearest the castle, their backs to the building. The conversation started again, going to Quidditch, pranks, schoolwork, and occasionally subsiding into a friendly silence as they watched the Giant Squid playing about in the water. It was in one such lull that Shannon turned her head to look at Harry.
"Hey, Harry?"
He glanced over at her. "Yeah?"
"Uhh..." she frowned slightly, avoiding his gaze. "I wanted to say...I mean...umm..." She focused on an interesting spot on the ground. "Thanks."
"What do you mean?"
She looked at him directly then. "I mean...thanks. for rescuing me and all. It means a lot to know my friends are there for me, even if I was acting pathetic..."
"You weren't." he said. "And...it's alright. I mean, I'll always be there for people who're important to me." He flushed when he said that, but she didn't seem to notice.
She laughed slightly. "Hey, I made the 'important' grade with one of the world's most famous superheroes. I can't be doing too badly then."
He raised his eyebrows. "Superhero?"
She laughed again, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, well, y'know..."
He snorted a bit, making her giggle again as she looked away at the lake. For some reason, he found himself staring at her.
"Shannon?" he asked before he even thought about it. she looked around immediately.
"Yeah?" She frowned and cocked her head when he didn't reply. "What?"
"Uhh...doesn't matter." He tried to look away, but she shifted slightly closer to make it difficult.
"No, really. What were you going to say?"
"I..." harry hoped he wasn't blushing as much as he thought he was. "I can't really explain."
She shrugged happily. "We've got all day. So go on."
"Uhh..." he wasn't sure how he was meant to say it, or even exactly what he was trying to say. She was watching him silently and patiently with wide, expectant eyes, and in that moment, he suddenly came up with an idea.
He leant down and kissed her gently, smoothing back some of her loose her behind her ear as he did so. Then, when his brain kicked in a few seconds later, he pulled away, watching her apprehensively as her eyes opened and she stared at him in something like shock. There was a long silence and she broke the gaze first, cheeks flushing.
"Well...umm...that was unexpected..." she said uncertainly. Harry had a terrible feeling in his stomach, as if someone had pumped it with lead.
"Shannon, I...sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No, it's OK." She interrupted, looking up at him with a lopsided smile. When he blinked in surprise, she laughed and leaned in closer, whispering, "I liked it." just before she kissed him again.
*****
Chloe huddled into her jacket, face grim as she watched the Aurors working about ten feet away, using every powerful spell they knew to drain the Crystal of Dreams of its dark magic.
A familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, and she didn't even flinch in shock. Instead, she leaned back against the person and said, "I though you weren't going to show."
"Got held up." Sirius said, kissing the top of her head. "I had to come."
"Mmm."
There was a silence which Chloe eventually broke with a small, humourless laugh.
"It's so ironic, you know?"
"What is?"
"Everything." She sighed heavily. "All this, over some lump of rock. All these problems caused by one person and his supporters."
"Yeah." He rested his chin on her hair and she sighed again, lowering her voice to barely a whisper.
"It's unfair."
This time, he knew exactly what she meant. Life.
"It always is, Chloe."
A silence hung between them as they both contemplated identical ideas. If life was fair, Voldemort wouldn't exist. Lily and James would still be alive. Harry would have grown up in a proper family enviroment, instead of with his uncaring Muggle relatives. They wouldn't have spent all those years apart. They might have been happy.
Might have.
Chloe eventually turned around, reaching up to kiss him. She drew back after a moment, meeting his dark gaze seriously.
"As much as I'd love to stay like this...we'd better go do our job."
He nodded, slowly letting go of her. "OK. Let's go."
They both began to walk down to the other Aurors, and Chloe reached out to grab his hand, trying not to show her fear.
*****
Ack! I hate this chapter. It sucks- and no, Silvermoon, don't finish that sentence! Oh, and btw, that whole hentai interpretation was for you. Lol.
Anyways, an epilogue is coming your way very soon, so please stay tuned!