Setting: Five years out of Hogwarts.
~~~~*****~~~~~
Somewhere in the outskirts of France, a man was sitting in his tiny kitchen table, sipping his coffee while watching his wife who was making breakfast.
The man with unruly jet-black hair and mesmerizing emerald-green eyes smiled at his wife's bulging stomach. He put his coffee down and walked over to his wife, hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.
"Good morning dear." He greeted
Parvati turned to look at her husband's dancing eyes and smiled brightly.
"You look beautiful this morning." He whispered into her ear.
She let out a laugh. "You say that every morning." She turned over the pancake that she was making.
He grinned. "Not to mention, while you're combing your hair, while your cleaning, while making lunch, while eating lunch, while in bed," he grinned impishly, " also before I go to work, while you're-"
Parvati took a piece of toast and stuffed it into Harry's mouth to shut him up. Harry glared at his wife, who smiled cheekily at him.
Harry filled a glass with water and gulped it down together with the big piece of toast that filled his mouth.
He set the glass down and glared at his wife.
"That was mean.' He said with his lower lip sticking out.
A pop was heard from behind Harry.
"Exactly how old are you, Potter?" Draco said in his usual drawl.
Both husband and wife turned to look at the man with white blonde hair, and piercing gray eyes.
Harry rolled his eyes at their uninvited guest.
'I don't believe you were invited." Harry told Draco.
"Come now dear, he comes here every morning to eat breakfast with us," Parvati gestured towards the table heaping with food. "Besides, we have a lot of food to spare, and aren't we always supposed to share with the less fortunate." She added with a grin.
"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor." Draco muttered under his breath.
Harry grinned at his wife's witty comeback. His wife's fast comebacks were one of the reasons why he fell in love with her.
Parvati smiled at Draco, "Just kidding around Draco." She handed Harry a plate of pancakes.
"No harm done." And he took a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table.
Harry glowered at Draco, who smirked at him.
Harry rolled his eyes and put the plate of pancakes on the table and sat down.
Draco leaned closer to the table and grabbed a piece of toast, "Guess what. Dumbledore went through with it. Snape and Hagrid left last night."
Harry smiled into his coffee. "Good. Dumbledore had no choice, he had to go through with it." he put his coffee down.
Parvati nodded in agreement. "But why just now?"
"He didn't want to risk Hagrid and Snape." Harry answered.
Draco looked up, "That's what I was wondering. Isn't it that when you join the Order you risk everything for it, no looking back, no getting out." He looked at both Harry and Parvati. "Why was Dumbledore so reluctant?"
Parvati looked thoughtful, clearly thinking of what her husband's partner just said.
Harry on the other hand gave Draco a look that said 'shut up'.
Draco glared at his partner but complied.
"Anyway," Parvati said looking at the both of them, her smile back. "With Hagrid and Snape gone that means one thing."
"Hmm?" Harry turned to look at Parvati. "What?"
"There will be two more openings for Hogwarts this year, aside from Defense against the Dark Arts.""
"You're right." Harry looked at Draco and Parvati, "Whom do you think Dumbledore is getting?"
Before either Parvati or Draco could answer two owls swooped in the kitchen window and landed on the table, each with a letter tied on one leg.
Without another word, Harry took out his sneakoscope and placed it on the table beside the owls.
It didn't move.
Parvati breath out a sigh of relief and stood up, her plate in hand and went to the sink to start washing the dishes.
Harry untied the letters from each of the owls' leg. Once the letters were untied both owls took off and flew out the kitchen window.
Harry turned over his letter and handed Draco his.
Harry recognized the wax seal that was stamped in the front of the envelope. The stamp had a lion, a serpent, an eagle and a badger with a letter 'H' in the middle, connecting all four.
Yes, the letter was from Hogwarts.
Without a word he opened the envelope and took out the parchment. He read the letter over and over again, making sure he read everything correctly.
He looked up at his wife who was staring at him expectantly, ha smiled to reassure her. He looked over at his partner who was busy reading the letter, and waited until he was done.
"Well?" Harry asked when Draco put the letter down.
"Seriously?" he looked at Harry, "I'm not that surprised."
Parvati who started to clear up the table looked at them, clearly expecting an answer. She looked about ready to cry.
Upon seeing this, Harry rushed to his wife's side and held her. "Shhh, it's okay. Nothing's wrong."
"Then why won't you tell me what the letter is about?" she said her lower lip sticking out and her eyes wide and round. She looked like a lost puppy.
A small smile tugged on Harry's mouth.
Parvati saw this and swatted him playfully by the arm.
Harry's smile widened at his wife's actions, they rarely fool around anymore and he intended to make the most out of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mione?" Ron called out. "Are you in here?"
Hermione Granger-Weasley popped her head out of one of the giant lounge chairs beside the fireplace of the staff room.
"Any replies?" She asked hopefully.
He shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips. "I just mailed them Mione." He walked closer to the chair where his wife was sitting. "Don't worry, they'll come."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because," he settled himself beside Hermione, "Dumbledore told me that the ministry doesn't need them right now." He finished with a smile.
"So, even if they don't accept they're coming home anyway?"
"Probably." He shrugged his shoulders.
"What's that?" He said, noticing the big, bulky book on Hermione's lap.
"Oh. This? It's-it's" she looked up at her husband. "Well, it's our photo album." She finished looking down at it again.
Trying to cheer her up, he reached for it. "Have you opened it yet?"
"I was about to."
"Together?"
She smiled genuinely at her husband. "Of course."
Ron opened the album to the first page.
Tears stung on his eyes as he looked at the pictures.
"Wow." He said softly.
"What?"
Ron pointed at the picture where he, Hermione and Harry were boarding the Hogwarts Express. All three had big smiles on their faces and were all waving frantically.
"How old were we here?" Ron asked, not taking his eyes of the picture.
"Twelve, I think."
"Who took this picture?"
Hermione smiled. "Colin Creevy, remember him?"
"Who wouldn't?" Ron said chuckling. "He used to idolize Harry," he looked up thoughtfully. "Still does, I believe."
Hermione laughed. "It was worse when his brother came."
"Dennis?"
She nodded and sighed.
Ron patted her shoulder and turned to the next page.
"Ah! Yes." Ron said.
Both smiled at the picture in front of them. The people in the picture, upon seeing them both, cheered and started jumping up and down.
"First year. House cup, I believe." Hermione said with a watery smile.
"We were so small." Ron said, looking disbelieving in the picture. "Tiny even!"
Hermione laughed.
"We helped win it, if I remember correctly."
"Yes. Yes we did." Hermione said nodding her head. She cracked a smile. "But, we helped lose points too."
"So what? We won didn't we?" He looked serious, well, trying to at least. "I won 50 points, so did you, and Harry, I believe, won 60? Yes 60 points."
He peered closer in the picture. "But why are we all hugging that fat guy?"
Hermione laughed so hard, tears were running down her cheeks. "That fat guy," she pointed at the picture. " is our neighbor, you prat!"
"Neville?" He said incredulously. "That can't be him!"
Hermione who was still laughing so had, managed to let the words out of her mouth. "He won 10 points remember?"
It dawned on Ron. "Oh!" He looked at his wife who was still laughing, clutching her stomach. "It's not my fault! He lost a lot of weight over the years. And remember when we were in Hogwarts, he was, what's the word he always used? Oh yes! 'Academically impaired'."
Hermione glared at him.
"Hey! Don't blame me," he held his hands up in front of him. "that's what he calls himself."
Hermione rolled her eyes, and laughed.
They stayed in the staff room the whole day, looking at more pictures, relieving most of them, all their memories together.
It was past midnight when they fell asleep, they couldn't take it anymore, they missed their best friend too much.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco glanced at the clock on his desk.
1:30 am
He ran a hand through his white-blonde hair.
"It's too late to be working on this." He muttered to himself.
He stood up and stretched a bit. He glanced around at his apartment.
Papers were everywhere.
After he came home from Harry's apartment, he right away started to work. He had to finish the papers that he and Harry needed.
"I need a break!" He said to the empty room. He made himself a cup of tea and sat down on the big couch in front of the fireplace.
He propped his feet on top of the coffee table and thought about the letter that he received that morning.
"Potions master for a year." He said softly to himself. "Who would have thought?" he said with a small smile.
He remembered when he was still in Hogwarts, he always planned on getting out of there, becoming independent, leaving his family. His dream was to become an Auror.
And who would have thought it would all come true.
He was the kind of guy who always makes goals and does everything he can to reach it, even if it meant leaving everything behind. He sighed. He didn't want to think about it anymore.
His sharp gray eyes spied a letter sticking out from under a book on the floor. He reached for it and stared at the letter for a moment before unfolding and reading it.
A smile played on his lips as he took in the fainted scent of Ginny's perfume on the stationery. It smelled of lavender and jasmine.
His favorite.
He read the letter with Ginny's familiar handwriting. His handsome facial features fell as he read the letter. Tears stung on his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Instead he flung the letter on the floor and leaned back on his chair feeling spent. It's been a really long day.
"I need some sleep." He said feeling groggy.
He stood up and walked towards his room, he was about to twist open the bedroom doorknob when he stopped. He looked back at the letter he just flung on the floor. He paused for a second before making his way back to it. He picked the letter up, and clutching it in his hand he made his way back to his bedroom.
~~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~~ Well? Well? Well? What do you think? Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~littlewhitehorse~~~
~~~~*****~~~~~
Somewhere in the outskirts of France, a man was sitting in his tiny kitchen table, sipping his coffee while watching his wife who was making breakfast.
The man with unruly jet-black hair and mesmerizing emerald-green eyes smiled at his wife's bulging stomach. He put his coffee down and walked over to his wife, hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.
"Good morning dear." He greeted
Parvati turned to look at her husband's dancing eyes and smiled brightly.
"You look beautiful this morning." He whispered into her ear.
She let out a laugh. "You say that every morning." She turned over the pancake that she was making.
He grinned. "Not to mention, while you're combing your hair, while your cleaning, while making lunch, while eating lunch, while in bed," he grinned impishly, " also before I go to work, while you're-"
Parvati took a piece of toast and stuffed it into Harry's mouth to shut him up. Harry glared at his wife, who smiled cheekily at him.
Harry filled a glass with water and gulped it down together with the big piece of toast that filled his mouth.
He set the glass down and glared at his wife.
"That was mean.' He said with his lower lip sticking out.
A pop was heard from behind Harry.
"Exactly how old are you, Potter?" Draco said in his usual drawl.
Both husband and wife turned to look at the man with white blonde hair, and piercing gray eyes.
Harry rolled his eyes at their uninvited guest.
'I don't believe you were invited." Harry told Draco.
"Come now dear, he comes here every morning to eat breakfast with us," Parvati gestured towards the table heaping with food. "Besides, we have a lot of food to spare, and aren't we always supposed to share with the less fortunate." She added with a grin.
"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor." Draco muttered under his breath.
Harry grinned at his wife's witty comeback. His wife's fast comebacks were one of the reasons why he fell in love with her.
Parvati smiled at Draco, "Just kidding around Draco." She handed Harry a plate of pancakes.
"No harm done." And he took a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table.
Harry glowered at Draco, who smirked at him.
Harry rolled his eyes and put the plate of pancakes on the table and sat down.
Draco leaned closer to the table and grabbed a piece of toast, "Guess what. Dumbledore went through with it. Snape and Hagrid left last night."
Harry smiled into his coffee. "Good. Dumbledore had no choice, he had to go through with it." he put his coffee down.
Parvati nodded in agreement. "But why just now?"
"He didn't want to risk Hagrid and Snape." Harry answered.
Draco looked up, "That's what I was wondering. Isn't it that when you join the Order you risk everything for it, no looking back, no getting out." He looked at both Harry and Parvati. "Why was Dumbledore so reluctant?"
Parvati looked thoughtful, clearly thinking of what her husband's partner just said.
Harry on the other hand gave Draco a look that said 'shut up'.
Draco glared at his partner but complied.
"Anyway," Parvati said looking at the both of them, her smile back. "With Hagrid and Snape gone that means one thing."
"Hmm?" Harry turned to look at Parvati. "What?"
"There will be two more openings for Hogwarts this year, aside from Defense against the Dark Arts.""
"You're right." Harry looked at Draco and Parvati, "Whom do you think Dumbledore is getting?"
Before either Parvati or Draco could answer two owls swooped in the kitchen window and landed on the table, each with a letter tied on one leg.
Without another word, Harry took out his sneakoscope and placed it on the table beside the owls.
It didn't move.
Parvati breath out a sigh of relief and stood up, her plate in hand and went to the sink to start washing the dishes.
Harry untied the letters from each of the owls' leg. Once the letters were untied both owls took off and flew out the kitchen window.
Harry turned over his letter and handed Draco his.
Harry recognized the wax seal that was stamped in the front of the envelope. The stamp had a lion, a serpent, an eagle and a badger with a letter 'H' in the middle, connecting all four.
Yes, the letter was from Hogwarts.
Without a word he opened the envelope and took out the parchment. He read the letter over and over again, making sure he read everything correctly.
He looked up at his wife who was staring at him expectantly, ha smiled to reassure her. He looked over at his partner who was busy reading the letter, and waited until he was done.
"Well?" Harry asked when Draco put the letter down.
"Seriously?" he looked at Harry, "I'm not that surprised."
Parvati who started to clear up the table looked at them, clearly expecting an answer. She looked about ready to cry.
Upon seeing this, Harry rushed to his wife's side and held her. "Shhh, it's okay. Nothing's wrong."
"Then why won't you tell me what the letter is about?" she said her lower lip sticking out and her eyes wide and round. She looked like a lost puppy.
A small smile tugged on Harry's mouth.
Parvati saw this and swatted him playfully by the arm.
Harry's smile widened at his wife's actions, they rarely fool around anymore and he intended to make the most out of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mione?" Ron called out. "Are you in here?"
Hermione Granger-Weasley popped her head out of one of the giant lounge chairs beside the fireplace of the staff room.
"Any replies?" She asked hopefully.
He shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips. "I just mailed them Mione." He walked closer to the chair where his wife was sitting. "Don't worry, they'll come."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because," he settled himself beside Hermione, "Dumbledore told me that the ministry doesn't need them right now." He finished with a smile.
"So, even if they don't accept they're coming home anyway?"
"Probably." He shrugged his shoulders.
"What's that?" He said, noticing the big, bulky book on Hermione's lap.
"Oh. This? It's-it's" she looked up at her husband. "Well, it's our photo album." She finished looking down at it again.
Trying to cheer her up, he reached for it. "Have you opened it yet?"
"I was about to."
"Together?"
She smiled genuinely at her husband. "Of course."
Ron opened the album to the first page.
Tears stung on his eyes as he looked at the pictures.
"Wow." He said softly.
"What?"
Ron pointed at the picture where he, Hermione and Harry were boarding the Hogwarts Express. All three had big smiles on their faces and were all waving frantically.
"How old were we here?" Ron asked, not taking his eyes of the picture.
"Twelve, I think."
"Who took this picture?"
Hermione smiled. "Colin Creevy, remember him?"
"Who wouldn't?" Ron said chuckling. "He used to idolize Harry," he looked up thoughtfully. "Still does, I believe."
Hermione laughed. "It was worse when his brother came."
"Dennis?"
She nodded and sighed.
Ron patted her shoulder and turned to the next page.
"Ah! Yes." Ron said.
Both smiled at the picture in front of them. The people in the picture, upon seeing them both, cheered and started jumping up and down.
"First year. House cup, I believe." Hermione said with a watery smile.
"We were so small." Ron said, looking disbelieving in the picture. "Tiny even!"
Hermione laughed.
"We helped win it, if I remember correctly."
"Yes. Yes we did." Hermione said nodding her head. She cracked a smile. "But, we helped lose points too."
"So what? We won didn't we?" He looked serious, well, trying to at least. "I won 50 points, so did you, and Harry, I believe, won 60? Yes 60 points."
He peered closer in the picture. "But why are we all hugging that fat guy?"
Hermione laughed so hard, tears were running down her cheeks. "That fat guy," she pointed at the picture. " is our neighbor, you prat!"
"Neville?" He said incredulously. "That can't be him!"
Hermione who was still laughing so had, managed to let the words out of her mouth. "He won 10 points remember?"
It dawned on Ron. "Oh!" He looked at his wife who was still laughing, clutching her stomach. "It's not my fault! He lost a lot of weight over the years. And remember when we were in Hogwarts, he was, what's the word he always used? Oh yes! 'Academically impaired'."
Hermione glared at him.
"Hey! Don't blame me," he held his hands up in front of him. "that's what he calls himself."
Hermione rolled her eyes, and laughed.
They stayed in the staff room the whole day, looking at more pictures, relieving most of them, all their memories together.
It was past midnight when they fell asleep, they couldn't take it anymore, they missed their best friend too much.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco glanced at the clock on his desk.
1:30 am
He ran a hand through his white-blonde hair.
"It's too late to be working on this." He muttered to himself.
He stood up and stretched a bit. He glanced around at his apartment.
Papers were everywhere.
After he came home from Harry's apartment, he right away started to work. He had to finish the papers that he and Harry needed.
"I need a break!" He said to the empty room. He made himself a cup of tea and sat down on the big couch in front of the fireplace.
He propped his feet on top of the coffee table and thought about the letter that he received that morning.
"Potions master for a year." He said softly to himself. "Who would have thought?" he said with a small smile.
He remembered when he was still in Hogwarts, he always planned on getting out of there, becoming independent, leaving his family. His dream was to become an Auror.
And who would have thought it would all come true.
He was the kind of guy who always makes goals and does everything he can to reach it, even if it meant leaving everything behind. He sighed. He didn't want to think about it anymore.
His sharp gray eyes spied a letter sticking out from under a book on the floor. He reached for it and stared at the letter for a moment before unfolding and reading it.
A smile played on his lips as he took in the fainted scent of Ginny's perfume on the stationery. It smelled of lavender and jasmine.
His favorite.
He read the letter with Ginny's familiar handwriting. His handsome facial features fell as he read the letter. Tears stung on his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Instead he flung the letter on the floor and leaned back on his chair feeling spent. It's been a really long day.
"I need some sleep." He said feeling groggy.
He stood up and walked towards his room, he was about to twist open the bedroom doorknob when he stopped. He looked back at the letter he just flung on the floor. He paused for a second before making his way back to it. He picked the letter up, and clutching it in his hand he made his way back to his bedroom.
~~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~~ Well? Well? Well? What do you think? Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~littlewhitehorse~~~