Disclaimer: the usual. Not mine. Song belongs to Enya.
Chapter 15
The entire Weasley family gathered in the living room with Hermione and the three IMPs they had at 5:50 on the evening of August 9th. With 9 people, each parchment would transport three each with their birthday gifts for Harry. Everyone was excited to finally see him and his new house, and Ginny in particular was fidgety and anxious. Ron knew his younger sister had had a crush on Harry ever since his first year, but thought that had fizzled out over a year ago. He hoped it did not decide to resurface now. *Like he doesn't have enough going on without my baby sister crushing on him again.*
At 20 seconds to 6 pm they all touched a parchment, which had begun flashing a dark blue unlike the normal sky blue for messages. Then precisely as the clock struck six, all 9 people felt a tug behind their navel and disappeared in a whirl of color. Unnoticed, all the hands on the family clock joined Harry's in spinning around without pausing.
Ron landed hard and almost tumbled into Fred, but caught himself in time. He helped Hermione to her feet and looked around. They were standing on a deserted moor somewhere up in the highlands. There was no human presence for miles around. Suddenly four more people popped into existence close by, each clutching a parchment. Remus with Arabella, Sirius and Dumbledore all looked windblown and confused when they saw no sign of Harry.
George cursed softly so his mum would not hear him. "Where the bloody hell are we?" "Are you sure the Portkeys were correct?" Ginny asked nervously, glancing around at the empty landscape. Sirius glared suspiciously at his parchment when suddenly it began flashing blue again. In fact, all of them did. He touched it and read the single line of text. "Walk forward twenty paces." He stared for a second, then shrugged and started pacing off, everyone following a second behind him.
The instant he reached twenty, Sirius felt a strange sensation run through him, as if he had just touched an electric wire. Behind him the Weasleys gasped and Remus called out, "Sirius?! Where'd you go?" Sirius frowned and turned around to face them. "Are you blind? I'm right here, not two meters in front of you." "You disappeared. Why can't we see you?" Sirius considered the weird feeling he had just experienced. "There's some sort of magical barrier between us. Just walk straight ahead."
With some trepidation Remus did so, holding Arabella's hand and with Ron right behind them. Soon they had all crossed the barrier, and once they looked up they gaped open-mouthed at the sight before them. Sirius had not noticed it before, and now he wondered how he could have missed it.
Where there was once an empty moor now stood a magnificent house over four stories tall, with a couple of small towers and three chimneys. A Quidditch pitch was visible off to the left, the golden hoops a dead giveaway. Over a wall to the left some branches and hanging vines gave an indication of a garden even more extensive then those at the Minister's mansion. On the covered front porch framed by the double doors stood Harry Potter, chuckling at their reactions.
"Welcome to my summer home!" He gestured expansively with a theatrical flourish that the twins no doubt taught him, and then ran down the walk to his surrogate family, grinning broadly. Smile of relief lit everyone's faces to see him apparently happy and healthy. *He's grown again* Sirius noted briefly as he wrapped his godson in a massive hug. Harry had shot up another inch or so, put on some muscle mass through his arms and shoulders while still maintaining his lithe, slender build, and his black hair, once perpetually messy, now hung to his feet tied back into a think braid.
Bill saw that and grinned to his mother. "And you think my hair's getting too long." Molly Weasley just shook her head in defeat and stepped forward to embrace Harry. "It's so good to see you again. You had us worried." "Yeah mate, she was having kittens over you. And happy belated birthday." The twins greeted him simultaneously with a flourish. "We come bearing gifts." Harry laughed. "Well come on inside." He led the way into the house.
"I hope you guys came hungry," he added as they deposited the present in the sitting room. "I've planned a great dinner, and Eva's spent all afternoon cooking." "Eva's here? You let her cook?" "And you're not helping her?!" Ron and Hermione instantly started babbling off questions, while the rest of the group looked confused. "Who's Eva?" Sirius asked, bemused. Harry quieted the torrent of questions, then invisibly removed the memory blocks on the Order members, not in the mood to retell everything quite yet. "Eva is my trainer. Yes, she's here and you can finally meet her. As for dinner, she's rather . . . territorial when cooking." Seeing their faces, he added with a grin, "She kicked me out of the kitchen."
A loud female voice suddenly intruded in on the conversation, shouting from the kitchen, "That's because you were getting in my way!" Harry yelled back, "How long?" "Give them a tour of the house." A sudden bang and some muttered cursing followed, then she continued, "End in the dining room and it'll be ready. But don't you dare come in here unless you want to lick the floor clean!" Harry shook his head. "See what I have to put up with?" he mock complained in a stage whisper to his friends. Dumbledore smiled as Eva hollered back, "Quit whining you big baby. Now get moving." "Yes warden," Harry replied softly, rolling his eyes. "I heard that!" "Good!"
Ignoring the snickers the exchange invoked, Harry led them upstairs and showed each of them their rooms, where they dropped off their belongings for now. In a sadistic twist, he put Sirius in the same room Snape had just vacated earlier that day. Despite all that had happened, they still despised each other, and probably would until hell froze over. Ron and Hermione were rooming next to each other, as were the twins and Remus and Arabella.
Soon the group regathered after admiring their rooms, and Harry led them through the Astronomy tower room, library, living room, game room, meditation rooms, and various other rooms. Then he skipped the kitchen area on threat of evisceration from Eva to show off his workout areas downstairs. Ron and Charlie smiled appreciatively when they saw the weight room, weapons arena, indoor pool, and padded sparring room. This place was fully equipped to train for practically everything, from rugby to Auror hell days. Harry saw the looks on their faces and promised they could try it out later. In contrast, Hermione was nearly as excited as Snape when he opened up the lab, itching to start playing with the toys and create her own potions for fun.
The final stage of the tour found them outside in the garden, which was a virtual jungle with nearly every type of plant know to the wizarding and Muggle worlds, under various climate charms. "I spend a lot of time back here. While it is mostly self-sustaining, I actually enjoy gardening. I grow most of my Potions ingredients here, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit for the kitchen. We'll be eating some of it for dinner." Harry passed briefly by the outdoor pool before he showed off his Quidditch pitch.
The Weasley men's eyes lit up with excitement when he got out the various balls- a professional set- and a couple of extra brooms he had gotten somewhere. "Wicked Harry! We have to have a game tonight!" "Yeah! There's 14 of us, enough for two full teams. What'd'you think, old people versus us young folk?" Fred grinned wickedly at his parents, who managed to look furious, insulted, indignant, and slightly nervous at the same time.
"Okay, but to make it even Charlie will have to play for the other side. It'll be a battle of the Seekers." Harry smirked as cheers and protests answered his suggestion. "It's settled. After dinner then." He checked his watch. "Dinner's probably ready by now. Let's go inside before Eva decides to serve my guts for dessert." As they headed in, Ron asked quietly, "Harry, is Eva living here with you?" "No, she's just staying a few days. She came by to drop off my birthday present and make sure I was still alive." He looked curiously over as the redhead seemed relieved for some reason, and inquired, "Why do you ask?" Ron muttered something inaudible, then complimented him on his house.
When they entered the dining room, Eva had already set the table and put out covered dishes of food, steam seeping out from under the lids and filling the room with their delicious aromas. Stomachs started growling in anticipation as she called out from the kitchen, "Go ahead and find a seat. I'll be out in a minute." The twins squabbled briefly over where the empty seat for Eva would be, but with some fuss and scraping of chairs, the entire family was finally settled.
Eva emerged with a grin and a large platter of grilled stuffed steaks, which she set down in the center of the table with a chef's proud flourish. Harry introduced her to everyone there quickly as she took a seat next to Sirius across from Harry, and she nodded at each person in turn. They sat staring at her for a moment before she encouraged them to "Dig in!"
The food was delicious and filling, and in enough quantities that even Ron had plenty to eat. For a while there was too much chewing for anybody to talk, when suddenly both Fred and George started gasping and sweating, their faces bright red. "What's wrong?" Remus asked, concerned. "Hot . . . too spicy," George managed to choke out. Eva looked stricken. "Oh sorry about that. I slipped a couple of habanera peppers in the steaks for me. I must have grabbed the wrong ones." Eva looked innocently contrite, but Harry could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she had purposely pranked the twins. This could only get better. "Try some water," he suggested.
They gulped their glasses in one breath and relaxed for a moment in relief, then their eyes bulged out. "Oops. Harry, you know better than that. Water spreads the oil around and makes it worse. You need bread," Eva informed them, and immediately Fred and George crammed huge spoonfuls of stuffing in their mouths. "Not that! The stuffing has chopped jalapenos and chiles in it. The combination increases the spiciness." This statement was proved when Fred almost screamed in pain while George panted, fanning his open mouth desperately. By now the entire table was trying not to snicker at their misfortune. Eva thought for a moment and said, "Milk might help."
In one fluid motion both boys shot from their seats like a salamander that swallowed a Filibuster Firework and ran for the kitchen. They yanked open the refrigerator and briefly fought over the bottle before draining it completely. For a second there was silence, then twin shouts of agony were heard, and Eva yelled at them, "Not the skim milk! The goat's milk in the back! There might only be enough for one!"
At that Ron burst into outright laughter, having caught the glint in Eva's eye. Ginny followed suit, as did Harry, and the entire table erupted in loud laughter. Bill had tears in his eyes as he choked out, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" "Who, me?" Eva said with an angelically innocent expression on her face, which was promptly spoiled by the diabolical smirk on her lips. "Of course I did." Sirius chuckled appreciatively. "Harry, you were right. She is worse than the Marauders." "You haven't seen anything yet. This was one of her mild pranks. She's being polite of my guests."
Eva laughed delightedly at the expressions on their faces. "Don't worry, Harry's told me so much about their exploits I had to see if they could take as well as give. Those were the only two spiced steaks. The rest of the food is fine." She punctuated her statement by taking a big bite out of her steak. The twins chose that moment to enter, directing glares at the girl that could have made a Death Eater shiver. She only smiled. "Better now boys?" "I hate goat's milk," they grumbled together as they sat down sullenly. She giggles maniacally and everyone joined in.
After a scrumptious dessert of cherry pie a la mode, they all gathered in the living room to let dinner settle a bit before the Quidditch match. Dumbledore started off with a few questions for Eva. "How were you designated to be Harry's personal trainer?" She settled back into the armchair as attention focused on her. "Well, there were several factors. His ancestors were looking for someone with the necessary skills and knowledge, not to mention practical experience. They wanted someone who could also teach him some culture, not turn him into some hardened battle axe with no sense of humor. And James and Lily wanted the best practical joker to teach him to carry on the Marauder tradition, without being corrupted by Sirius' childishness."
Most turned to Sirius, chuckling at his slightly insulted expression before he gave a grudging grin, but Harry leaned forward. "You never told me you've spoken to my parents." "You never asked." She added, "They're very proud of you, of the young man you've become and the responsibilities you've shouldered." Remus began to rub his forehead as if trying to ward off a headache. "Wait. How is it possible for you to have spoken to dead people?" Eva glanced over at Harry, then sighed. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. There exists multiple dimensions, some parallel in time while others branch off. Not quite multiverses, because there are no repeats in time."
Most people simply stared at her in complete bewilderment, and she grimaced before trying again. "Have you ever thought 'What if?' Multiverses are the idea that there exists a universe for every possible decision to a life changing situation. Such as what if Sirius had been the Potter's Secret Keeper? This is a nice theory, but not quite correct. Picture this dimension as a string on a loom. Next to it are other strings or dimensions parallel to it, but not exactly like it. Each string represents a different realm, of time or space or something else entirely. When someone here dies, their soul leaves this realm and moves to a different one. There are actually two realms that store the souls. One is commonly referred to as Heaven, and the souls there can actually visit some of the other realms, including mine. The other is the Underworld or Hell, and once you're there you're stuck there. They do exist, but I'll leave the theological and philosophical ramifications of that to someone else. With me so far?"
At their slightly hesitant nods, she continued. "The Guardians are the ones in charge of the loom of dimensions. I am a special type of being, because while I do not have the full powers of the Guardians, I am able to travel across the strings and affect the weave. Meddle, if you wish, to a certain extent. I'm the only one of the Guardians allowed direct contact with mortals in their lives, but they've put some restrictions on me. Most of my power is constrained to my own realm, where I trained Harry. Time has no meaning there, so while we spent nearly 16 months there, only 3 months passed here." Eva sighed. "It's hard for the dead and most of the living to travel to my realm, so their visits are infrequent as best. That's why I travel between realms, parallel dimensions, so I can interact with others. Unfortunately I'm forbidden from some of them."
Arabella looked intrigued. "So in a sense you travel through time." "Not quite, but close enough. Time flows, but I don't have to follow it." "So how old are you? Or are you immortal?" Eva laughed. "Nope, not quite. I'm not really sure how old I am. Time is a relative measure, so it would be different in each realm and incalculable in some. How old do I look?" Arabella looked her over critically. "I'd say about 23 or so." Sirius interrupted, "But with the maturity level of a four year old." Eva only grinned at that. "I'll share a little secret with you. Something many philosophers and wise men never figure out in all their lifetimes, and some of the Guardians still can't comprehend." She beckoned them all to lean in, and when they did, she said in a conspiratorial whisper, "The universe has a sense of humor."
Their various reactions to that pronouncement were quite amusing to watch. Bill changed the subject. "So Harry, how did you get your hair so long? I've been letting mine grow for a few years new, and it's nowhere near the length of yours." "Yes dear, it's really getting quite silly. I could trim it back for you," Molly offered, fingering her wand. Harry stifled a laugh. "It wouldn't help. Thanks to a weird law of nature Eva's never been able to fully explain, it grows faster than a Snitch can fly. Lucky for me it doesn't grow past my feet, or else I'd have to use a lawn mower to keep it in check."
Eva jumped in, "Besides, a queue like that can be a useful weapon." "A what?" "A queue. In ancient China, the Imperial Guard were not allowed to cut their hair, and instead pulled it back in a long braid that doubled as a whip or a club. It was a symbol of their honor and devotion, and to chop off their queue was a worse fate than death." Dumbledore looked mildly impressed. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable on the subject." "I should be. I studied in China for several years and traveled with the Imperial Guard." Eva giggled suddenly. "It's a good thing they didn't know I was a woman."
Sirius gaped. "How could they miss something like that?" "Well . . ." Harry began with an impish twinkle in his eye. Eva smacked his arm playfully. "Shut up. I know what you were thinking," she added at his injured innocent expression. "For your information, I was disguised with a little trick I learned from the Egyptians, and I wanted to test it out in dangerous situations." Hermione looked delighted. "Egyptians, huh? Do you know much about the Greeks?" "Yep, both Muggle and magical history. Fascinating civilization. Of course, Atlantis has always been my favorite in terms of this realm's history and culture. That's where Muggles and wizards coexisted peaceably together and came up with some truly wondrous innovations. Its collapse and destruction led to the creation of the war mages, as well as the magical society's withdrawal from Muggle life." Now Dumbledore was suitable impressed, and Hermione was nearly bouncing with excitement. "Maybe I should hire you to replace Professor Binns." Eva just laughed. "Believe me, you don't want to." Harry agreed wholeheartedly, "There'd be no survivors."
Charlie checked his watch. "Well, I believe it's time for Quidditch! C'mon, let the slaughter begin." Ron smirked as he rose from his seat. "You that eager to die? Harry's gonna wipe the pitch with you." "In your dreams. Let's go!" The enthusiasts raced for the outdoor pitch, while the slightly less excited members followed as a decent pace. The teams quickly split up and mounted their brooms (Harry had transported the Weasleys', Sirius' and Remus' brooms over earlier). Eva came out to referee and released the balls. "This should be fun. Okay, ready, go!" She tossed the Quaffle up, and chaos erupted.
The twins started a Beater battle with Sirius and Bill, the Bludgers flying furiously among Remus, Arthur, Molly, Hermione, Ginny and Percy. Dumbledore guarded the goals on one side, creating quite the sight with his long robes and hair on the broom, while Ron played Keeper on the other. Above them all soared Charlie and Harry, both eyeing each other while searching for the elusive Snitch. The Weasley parents were surprisingly good Chasers, but Hermione shocked them all with her determination and flying skills. Apparently she had been practicing when no one was looking. She and Ginny made a strong offense, while Percy seemed competent but subdued. He was never really interested in playing Quidditch. The Quaffle changed hands constantly, the score holding at zero due to Ron's goalkeeping skills and Percy's tendency to attract Bludgers.
Suddenly Harry pelted into the swarm of Chasers, heading straight for Remus who held the Quaffle. He dropped it in surprise, and Ginny scooped it up, then dodged around Dumbledore and threw the ball through the middle hoop. "Finally! The little people get past the old farts. Ten to nothing. This is really rather pathetic," Eva teased a bit, but then she had to dodge both Bludgers as all four Beaters smacked them at her in annoyance. Play resumed quickly, and Harry decided to see just how good Charlie was. He had heard stories while at Hogwarts, but never had seen him in action yet. Harry dove for the ground and heard Charlie follow him barely a second behind, sticking right on his tail.
Only a few meters from the ground, he recognized a Wronski Feint and pulled up, banking off low to the right before soaring up again. Harry waited a second more before pulling out and to the left, feeling his fingertips graze the grass. He rose and circled until he was directly opposite Charlie, and they grinned briefly at each other in recognition of the other's skill. Harry was bored with passive seeking, so he descended to the Chaser's level and began pulling some defensive flying tricks he developed to interfere with the other team, all the while keeping an eye out for the Snitch.
Just as Harry ducked under a Bludger Sirius had sent his way for nearly unseating Remus, he caught sight of the Snitch hovering in the middle of a knot of Chasers. Charlie saw it too, and both of them took off after it. The tiny winged ball shot upwards, flittering here and there but refusing to remain still for more than a split second, then changed course and headed for Ron's goal. The Seekers flew right in its wake, pushing each other to try and get an edge on speed. Charlie tried a Transylvanian Tackle, but Harry remained unfazed and angled his broom into the other, shoving him off course. Ron quickly got out of the way as they shot towards him. There were almost there, both had a hand out to grab the Snitch, when it abruptly dropped, circling the goalpost like a mini tornado and hovering barely two inches above the ground.
Charlie braked quickly and dove downwards, but lost his momentum. Harry shot through the goal like a human Quaffle and latched onto the goalpost, using it as an anchor point as he flew in a full speed spiral down the post, copying the Snitch's route. He kept his eyes wide open and ignored both the dizziness and the burning in his hand from the friction, opting instead to concentrate on the tiny gold ball. Just as Charlie reached it, held out his hand and started to close his fingers on it, Harry let go of the post and blasted out sideways at top speed, snatching the Snitch right out from Charlie's hand.
Harry's team cheered wildly, and at that point he became aware that everyone else had stopped to watch. Even Charlie, while looking a bit disgruntled, still was very impressed with his amazing catch. Harry landed unsteadily and almost fell as the world continued spinning around him. Ron laughed and yelled, "Hey Harry, what d'you call that move?" Harry looked up and grinned. "Spin cycle. Don't try it at home." He started toward the broom shed, but stumbled and fell flat on his back, the sky whirling around like a kaleidoscope in his vision. "You alright there Harry?" Eva giggled.
"Somebody stop the world please, I'd like to get off." Everyone laughed as they landed all around him. "Too bad you're not as graceful on the ground as you are in the air. No wonder you haven't got a girlfriend," Sirius teased him. "Shut up you. Once I figure out which one of the two of you is the real one, you are going to pay for that. "Oh really? You and what army?" Harry grinned lopsidedly. "Just me." "Oh, bring it on hotshot." Harry chuckled and made a face. "Maybe tomorrow. When I can see straight again. Hey Ron, if I try that one again, please hex me." "My pleasure," Ron bared his teeth in a mock evil grin, and more laughs greeted that.
Once they had all made their way back inside, Sirius snapped his fingers. "We all forgot. Alright Harry, since we all missed your birthday, you have to open your gifts tonight. Come on now." Harry was a bit embarrassed; he'd never had a real birthday party before. The twins gave him a complete set of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, every joke item they had developed and sold in their new store, plus some prototypes not available to the public yet. Their shop, incidentally, had opened at the beginning of the summer in Diagon Alley and was an instant sensation. They were actually thinking of opening a second store in Hogsmeade to get the Hogwarts business, to compete with Zonko's.
Hermione had given Harry a brand-new book on Quidditch, as well as refills for his Broomstick Servicing Kit. Ginny, trying to hide a furious Weasley blush, gave him a leather wristband hand-etched with the emblem of a lion in red and gold. It fit perfectly on his wrist and felt natural, like it was meant to be there. He thanked her sincerely, and she looked delighted.
Ron seemed a bit uncomfortable as he handed over his wrapped present, and felt the need to explain it. "Well, you see . . . I was kind of wandering down Diagon Alley the other day, and I didn't know what to get you. I walked past this store, and in the window there this was, see? And I don't know, it seemed to, well . . . suit you, I guess. I couldn't take my eyes off it. I felt like I had to get it for you." He looked on nervously as Harry tore open the wrappings and opened the box. Harry's mouth fell open and his eyes widened in astonishment as he pulled out a pendant on a long silver chain. It was a circular silver disk with carvings of a phoenix in flight clutching a serpent in its talons. The phoenix's eyes were emerald chips, while the serpent glared balefully with rubies. A ring of emeralds surrounded it, flashing in the firelight, and engraved on the edge was a line of flowing script. It was completely unreadable, but as he examined it, something stirred in his heart, and he began muttering in a strange tongue. Suddenly noticing the strange glances directed his way, he desisted and slipped the chain over his head, the pendant resting above his heart. He met Ron's eyes, still unsure, and gave him a big grin. "It's perfect. Thank you." The redhead's face brightened in relief.
Remus cleared his throat. "Sirius and I decided to give you a combined gift." He passed over a beautifully wrapped box. Harry cocked an eyebrow wryly. "I take it you didn't wrap it." Sirius scowled and pointed at Hermione, mumbling "I never was any good at decorating." They chuckled as Harry opened the parcel to reveal two wands and a book in velvet wrappings. He picked them up reverently, noting one was made of willow, the other mahogany, and instinctively know who they belonged to. "My parent's wands." He glanced over at his godfather who nodded. "They were recovered from the wreckage of the house that night, and we found them stored in Remus' attic last month. I know you have so little of them; your parents would have wanted you to have them."
Swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, Harry began leafing through the book. The front half held many pictures of a young Lily and her friends, progressively aging as they traced through her years at Hogwarts and beyond. He found a photo of his family celebrating his first birthday with Sirius and Remus, and he could not speak. The second half was filled with a neat, flowing handwriting.
Remus explained, "Lily kept this journal and album ever since she arrived at Hogwarts. I remember her writing in it practically every night in the Common Room, and even after we graduated. I swear she must have taken it on their honeymoon." Harry blushed a bit at that little jest. "She would take pictures of some of our pranks, both successes and failures, and reminded us that one day our children would look back on all of this and laugh." Harry surreptitiously wiped his eyes, got up and gave Remus and Sirius a hug that conveyed more than any words could.
For a minute or two the group sat in silence, and then Dumbledore drew Harry's attention. "The remainder of the Weasley family and I have also conspired on your gift. As you are the heir of Gryffindor, we felt that you should have something that he once cherished." Charlie took a small whistle out of his pocket and tossed it to Harry, who looked at it quizzically. "Give it a blow." The teen shrugged, put it to his mouth and whistle out a note that sounded a bit like a bird's song. Almost immediately an answering whistle sounded from outside, and a large bird soared in through an open window, singing.
Harry recognized it as a phoenix, but unlike Fawkes, this one had an even mix of crimson and gold feathers. It was also slightly larger than Dumbledore's companion. It circled once around the room then landed gracefully on Harry's outstretched arm. The two regarded each other for a moment, then the phoenix spread its wings and bowed. Greetings Lord Phoenix. I am Eredfire, Emperor Phoenix and companion to Godric Gryffindor. You are my master now. Harry blinked in surprise at the unearthly voice echoing through his head.
*I didn't know I could speak to phoenixes mentally.* Oh yes, that is one of the abilities as heir and lord, master. I will show you what else you can do later, if you wish. *I would like that. And please, call me Harry.* Very well, master Harry. I have a letter for you. It was only then that Harry noticed the envelope tied to Eredfire's leg. He untied it and opened it to find a letter and a little wrapped object.
The letter read, "Happy Birthday Harry! Ron told us that you've been sporting an earring for a while, and Charlie and I decided to enhance your jewelry selection. This is a claw from the Hungarian Horntail you took on in your fourth year. We shrunk it to a manageable size and had it set in platinum. Maybe this will help you with the ladies. Signed, Bill and Charlie. PS: Mum doesn't know about this." Harry snickered at that and unwrapped the earring. Hiding it from view of the others in his hand, he got up and announced, "I'll be right back," and the phoenix fluttered over to the back of the chair as he tore up to his bedroom at a run. This was perfect. He quickly threw on his black leather pants, dragon hide boots, a black shirt and vest, then pulled on his leather trenchrobe over the ensemble. He inserted the earring in his ear, and glanced at his image in the mirror. Something was missing. He snapped his fingers, and a pair of dark glasses popped into his hand, and he slipped them on over his eyes. There, perfect.
Harry quietly slunk his way downstairs and towards the living room entrance, where he could hear the murmur of conversation, mainly questions about the phoenix and the unseen present. He chuckled quietly to himself then sauntered back into the room. Utter silence fell over the group as they regarded him with wide eyes and a mix of expressions. He kept his face blank and tossed his head to the side so the earring was clearly visible. Bill and Charlie started grinning madly, as did Sirius and the twins, while Molly looked vaguely horrified. Ron did a very accurate impersonation of a landed carp, and Hermione could not decide whether to be disapproving or admiring, so her face was a comical mixture of both. Ginny was practically drooling but trying to hide it.
Harry turned to Bill and Charlie and asked "Well, what do you think?" Eredfire twittered and hopped back onto his shoulder. Interesting choice of apparel, master Harry. It suits you he chuckled. Remus looked over at the two guilty redheads. "You gave him all that?" "No, just the earring. I wanted to show off the full effect," Harry answered him, and Sirius laughed. "You look like a hellion. All you need now is a black motorcycle." Eva giggled as Harry grinned, "Already covered."
At the assembled stunned glances, Harry beckoned them the all to follow him outside, where he wheeled out his Vincent Black Shadow. To Sirius, Eva explained, "I decided that he should have something that you once cherished too. Since yours was destroyed, I got him another flying cycle." Remus buried his head in his hands and groaned. "Oh no, not another one. You've created a monster." Now Ron was the one practically drooling, eyeing the machine. "Wicked! This is even better than the flying car! How fast does it go?" "I've topped her out at 200 km/hr on straight-aways, and over 230 on dives. She handles like a dream."
Harry glanced slyly at his friend. "Want to go for a ride?" Ron's eye lit up with excitement. "Hell yes!" He clambered on behind Harry, and they took off before Molly could get a strongly worded protest out. Eredfire spread his wings and flew after them, easily pacing the two teens. Harry shot a challenging look over at him. *Shall we see if you can keep up?* Try all you want to shake me, but I can certainly match anything you do, master Harry. He grinned and yelled back at Ron, "Hang on!" then sent them into a steep dive, the phoenix right behind him. He pulled up to touch down on the road and gunned the accelerator, quickly reaching 160 km/hr before the first series of curves. He dared a quick glance over his shoulder, spotting Eredfire about 10 meters behind him, grinned and shot though the next curve, leaning nearly 45 degrees to the road.
Harry straightened up through the next one and waited until they reached a curve with a particularly dangerous drop-off and drove straight for the edge. He could hear Ron yell as he realized where Harry was going, which turned into a full-blown scream as they launched themselves into thin air. The Shadow dropped at an incredible rate, the ground reaching up to embrace them, and then Harry kicked in the levitation and invisibility boosters at the same time. He pulled up sharply to clear the cliff on the other side and flew straight back towards his home.
A loud whistle behind them revealed that Eredfire had lost them, but guessed by the sound that Harry was heading back. The phoenix knew how to track his master anywhere, even invisible, especially since the engine was still running. Right as they crossed the barrier onto his property, Harry removed the invisibility booster, and swooped down for a landing right in front of the porch where everyone was waiting. He shut the Shadow down, then turned to Ron.
Ron's bright red hair was sticking up in all directions, even worse than Harry's used to, contrasting sharply with his pure white face, his freckles almost black. His mouth was wide open in a silent scream as his eyes bugged out. His hands clutched the back of Harry's trenchrobe in a death grip, and he appeared frozen in his seat. Eredfire flew up and landed on Harry's shoulder, chuckling. I think your stunts might have scared him a bit. Harry shook Ron's shoulder. "Hey Ron, it's over. You can get off now." He simply sat there.
Harry and Eredfire exchanged amused looks as they considered him, then the phoenix emitted a single note which seemed to revive the teen. Ron blinked, let go of Harry's robe and tottered off the bike. He stood there for a moment, a dazed expression on his face, before a huge smile broke out and he let out a huge whoop. "That was wicked Harry! I thought you were crazy on a broom, but bloody hell! This was awesome! Let's do it again!" Harry laughed. "Not tonight." They walked inside, Ron still gushing about the experience to the envious twins and a horrified Molly, while Harry compared stories with Sirius.
Molly lost her disapproving glare as she yawned discreetly, and looked at her watch. "Goodness gracious, it's late. I think I'll head off to bed now." The older ones followed her example, agreeing that they needed sleep. Remus turned to the teens still downstairs "Don't stay up too late." Eva rolled her eyes. "Yes mother." The others snickered as Remus flushed a bit before bidding them goodnight. Bill and Charlie both decided to hit the weight room downstairs, while Hermione took off at full speed for the library with Ginny. Eva showed Ro down to the sparring room and she worked with him on various techniques that Harry had taught him. Harry smile happily while he briefly cleaned the Shadow and wheeled her back into the covered garage he had built specially for her.
Harry joined Ron and Eva down in the gym. They had a lot of fun play fighting and fooling around a little, and before they knew it, it was after midnight. Eva headed up to bed, but Harry pulled her aside and whispered to her, "The twins have been setting up a few pranks in your room." She grinned maliciously and whispered back, "I know," with a devilish look of anticipation on her face. He just shook his head as she headed up, wondering at the resurgence of her strange behavior and headed up to the library. Sure enough, Hermione and Ginny had both fallen asleep in their chairs curled around books. Percy lay sprawled at the desk; his head resting on a stack of parchment, probably some work form the Ministry. Too bad if it was, because he was currently drooling on it. Ron shook him awake so he could stumble off to bed while Harry quietly picked up Ginny. Ron gathered Hermione in his arms.
Cradling the sleeping girls, they headed upstairs to deposit them into their proper beds. Ron gently kissed his girlfriend goodnight as he tucked the covers in around her, then headed off to his own bed with a sleepy sort of smile on his face. Exhausted but elated, Harry stripped down to his boxers and collapsed on the bed, sound asleep in seconds.
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Eva stirred awake, flicking her eyes and senses around the room to see what had awakened her in the middle of the night. Abruptly she realized the trouble was not in her room, but in Harry's. While their mental connection did not allow her to see his dreams, she could pick up on his emotions, which were now battering her mind with the force of a tornado. She shucked on a robe and sprinted silently to his room, hoping not to wake the others. Especially not the twins, since they should not find out about the full effects of her retaliatory prank until morning. Slipping inside, she cast a Silencing charm around the room just to be safe.
Harry lay asleep in bed, but not getting any rest. He writhed and tossed amid the tangled sweat-soaked sheets, and his face contorted in a grimace of pain. Despite his clenched teeth, a loud moan escaped his lips followed by a quick gasp and panted breaths. Eva leaned over and touched his forehead, and was relieved to discover that this was not the Dream Stand again. Still, this connection with Voldemort allowed him to see and feel the torture he inflicted on others. Harry's muffled cries made up her mind.
She shook his shoulder, trying to snap him out of the nightmare. When that failed, she laid her hand over his scar and concentrated, attempting to mute the link since she could not sever it completely. Gradually Harry settled, but the vision gave way to a nightmare, possible even more terrifying to him since it involved his friends. Eva sighed; there was still one thing left to do.
Eva lifted him up off the bed and cradled him against her tenderly, murmuring soft words as she stroked his head. The bed sheets piled themselves in a corner while fresh ones arranged themselves over the mattress. When she endeavored to place Harry back down in bed, though, he whimpered and clutched her robe tightly, refusing to let go. It almost broke her heart. ^He's never had anyone mother him like this before,^ she realized with a deep sense of . . . something, weighing heavily on her heart. ^Even he can't be strong all the time. He's still human after all.^
She acquiesced and lay down on the bed, snuggling closer until Harry's head lay pillowed on her chest, and continued to run her fingers through his hair. His breathing calmed and he slipped into a deep sleep, far away from dreams. He sighed in his sleep and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Rocking him gently with her arms around him, Eva began to sing softly.
May it be an evening star shines down upon you.
May it be when darkness falls your heart will be true.
You walk a lonely road, oh how far you are from home.
Mornie utulie. Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie. A promise lives within you now.
May it be the shadows call will fly away.
May it be you journey on to light the day.
When the night is overcome you may rise to find the sun.
Mornie utulie. Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie. A promise lives within you now.
Eva sang it as a blessing from her heart. She loved him deeply, but knew he had a destiny that she could not interfere with. He could never love her back, or anyone else for that matter. She knew that Fate had decreed their warrior could never know or feel romantic love, since that was seen as a weakness among the Guardians. They had seen too many civilizations fall and wars fought over love. She sighed in defeat. More fools they, and just more proof that Fate really was a bitch. Eva drifted off to sleep, sharing a bed with Harry, their arms wrapped contentedly around each other.
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Sirius woke the next morning feeling amazingly refreshed and fully rested. The bedside clock informed him that he had overslept, but not hideously so. After a quick but luxurious shower and a fresh change of clothes, he headed down to the kitchen. The three professors and elder Weasleys were seated at the table, eating and chatting while Percy sat listening. Bill and Charlie were cleaning their dishes, and the other teens were laughing at the twins in the breakfast nook.
Sirius noted with amusement that Fred and George now had orange and green polka-dotted skin, shocking pink hair with cute little matching bows, and the only visible clothes they wore were bright yellow smiley-face boxers. And just to add insult to injury, they had shrunk to about the size of house elves. The ex-convict chuckled as he served himself some eggs and pancakes. "Tried to prank Eva last night, did we?" he asked casually.
Fred spoke up in their defense. "We spent two hours setting our prank up in her room, and this morning she's completely untouched. And those were some of our best sellers too. We have to find out how she did it." His voice induced a fit of giggles among those present, because he sounded like he had been inhaling helium all night. Hermione choked out, "Could you repeat that, I don't speak balloon!" before another set of laughter rang out and she collapsed against Ron, shaking with uncontrollable giggles. Sirius snorted into his plate.
Just then Eva entered, obviously just come up from the weight room. She sauntered through the kitchen to grab a full bottle of water and drain it thirstily, then turned to grin at the twins. "I believe you left something in my room last night. Here, you can have it back." She tossed a bag at them, which they opened to find every single joke item they had so carefully set up. Fred and George glanced at each other, then back at Eva. "Okay, we admit it. You are the superior prankster here, and we kneel before your greatness."
Simultaneously they kneeled down and grabbed her hands, proclaiming loudly, "Eva is the prankster queen, worthy of the Marauders of old. We will be your humble apprentices, bowing down at your feet until you teach us your divine secrets." Eva could not hold in the snickers any longer as they bowed down before her like peasants before a pagan altar. "Alright you two. Let's quit while I'm ahead. You've taken it well, and I commend you on your efforts. Truce?" "Truce!" they echoed gleefully in their squeaky voices. Eva snapped her fingers and they popped back to normal, including their clothes.
Sirius glanced around and asked Eva, "Where's Harry this morning?" She jerked a thumb towards the back. "Out swimming his daily workout. He should be finishing up by now." Ginny's eyes lit up. "Let's go check out the pool. We didn't really get to see it last night." Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione suppressed a grin. *You mean let's check out Harry swimming again.* He remembered the chaos it caused the last time, and hoped fervently that it would not resort to that again. He followed his sister out the door, and eventually everyone joined them outside in the sunshine to enjoy the beautiful day.
They settled into seats around the pool, still talking but also keeping an eye on Harry, who was swimming laps back and forth. After a couple minutes he finished and hoisted himself out, water streaming off his tanned muscles as he reached for a towel. "Morning," he greeted them as he dried off. He turned around to head for the changing room when Sirius noticed something. "Harry, where'd you get those scratches on your back?"
Harry looked startled and slightly guarded. "What scratches?" "These ones. They look like . . . fingernail marks?" Incredulous, Sirius stepped up to his godson to inspect them closer, but spotted something else that drew his attention. "Is that a . . . no, it can't be." Ron glance up at his friend, and his eyes widened as he saw what Sirius had commented on. "Oh my God. Harry, is that . . ." Ginny's face was a picture of shock, while Hermione looked scandalized through her giggles. "What?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder and said with all seriousness, "You have a hickey on your neck."
Chapter 15
The entire Weasley family gathered in the living room with Hermione and the three IMPs they had at 5:50 on the evening of August 9th. With 9 people, each parchment would transport three each with their birthday gifts for Harry. Everyone was excited to finally see him and his new house, and Ginny in particular was fidgety and anxious. Ron knew his younger sister had had a crush on Harry ever since his first year, but thought that had fizzled out over a year ago. He hoped it did not decide to resurface now. *Like he doesn't have enough going on without my baby sister crushing on him again.*
At 20 seconds to 6 pm they all touched a parchment, which had begun flashing a dark blue unlike the normal sky blue for messages. Then precisely as the clock struck six, all 9 people felt a tug behind their navel and disappeared in a whirl of color. Unnoticed, all the hands on the family clock joined Harry's in spinning around without pausing.
Ron landed hard and almost tumbled into Fred, but caught himself in time. He helped Hermione to her feet and looked around. They were standing on a deserted moor somewhere up in the highlands. There was no human presence for miles around. Suddenly four more people popped into existence close by, each clutching a parchment. Remus with Arabella, Sirius and Dumbledore all looked windblown and confused when they saw no sign of Harry.
George cursed softly so his mum would not hear him. "Where the bloody hell are we?" "Are you sure the Portkeys were correct?" Ginny asked nervously, glancing around at the empty landscape. Sirius glared suspiciously at his parchment when suddenly it began flashing blue again. In fact, all of them did. He touched it and read the single line of text. "Walk forward twenty paces." He stared for a second, then shrugged and started pacing off, everyone following a second behind him.
The instant he reached twenty, Sirius felt a strange sensation run through him, as if he had just touched an electric wire. Behind him the Weasleys gasped and Remus called out, "Sirius?! Where'd you go?" Sirius frowned and turned around to face them. "Are you blind? I'm right here, not two meters in front of you." "You disappeared. Why can't we see you?" Sirius considered the weird feeling he had just experienced. "There's some sort of magical barrier between us. Just walk straight ahead."
With some trepidation Remus did so, holding Arabella's hand and with Ron right behind them. Soon they had all crossed the barrier, and once they looked up they gaped open-mouthed at the sight before them. Sirius had not noticed it before, and now he wondered how he could have missed it.
Where there was once an empty moor now stood a magnificent house over four stories tall, with a couple of small towers and three chimneys. A Quidditch pitch was visible off to the left, the golden hoops a dead giveaway. Over a wall to the left some branches and hanging vines gave an indication of a garden even more extensive then those at the Minister's mansion. On the covered front porch framed by the double doors stood Harry Potter, chuckling at their reactions.
"Welcome to my summer home!" He gestured expansively with a theatrical flourish that the twins no doubt taught him, and then ran down the walk to his surrogate family, grinning broadly. Smile of relief lit everyone's faces to see him apparently happy and healthy. *He's grown again* Sirius noted briefly as he wrapped his godson in a massive hug. Harry had shot up another inch or so, put on some muscle mass through his arms and shoulders while still maintaining his lithe, slender build, and his black hair, once perpetually messy, now hung to his feet tied back into a think braid.
Bill saw that and grinned to his mother. "And you think my hair's getting too long." Molly Weasley just shook her head in defeat and stepped forward to embrace Harry. "It's so good to see you again. You had us worried." "Yeah mate, she was having kittens over you. And happy belated birthday." The twins greeted him simultaneously with a flourish. "We come bearing gifts." Harry laughed. "Well come on inside." He led the way into the house.
"I hope you guys came hungry," he added as they deposited the present in the sitting room. "I've planned a great dinner, and Eva's spent all afternoon cooking." "Eva's here? You let her cook?" "And you're not helping her?!" Ron and Hermione instantly started babbling off questions, while the rest of the group looked confused. "Who's Eva?" Sirius asked, bemused. Harry quieted the torrent of questions, then invisibly removed the memory blocks on the Order members, not in the mood to retell everything quite yet. "Eva is my trainer. Yes, she's here and you can finally meet her. As for dinner, she's rather . . . territorial when cooking." Seeing their faces, he added with a grin, "She kicked me out of the kitchen."
A loud female voice suddenly intruded in on the conversation, shouting from the kitchen, "That's because you were getting in my way!" Harry yelled back, "How long?" "Give them a tour of the house." A sudden bang and some muttered cursing followed, then she continued, "End in the dining room and it'll be ready. But don't you dare come in here unless you want to lick the floor clean!" Harry shook his head. "See what I have to put up with?" he mock complained in a stage whisper to his friends. Dumbledore smiled as Eva hollered back, "Quit whining you big baby. Now get moving." "Yes warden," Harry replied softly, rolling his eyes. "I heard that!" "Good!"
Ignoring the snickers the exchange invoked, Harry led them upstairs and showed each of them their rooms, where they dropped off their belongings for now. In a sadistic twist, he put Sirius in the same room Snape had just vacated earlier that day. Despite all that had happened, they still despised each other, and probably would until hell froze over. Ron and Hermione were rooming next to each other, as were the twins and Remus and Arabella.
Soon the group regathered after admiring their rooms, and Harry led them through the Astronomy tower room, library, living room, game room, meditation rooms, and various other rooms. Then he skipped the kitchen area on threat of evisceration from Eva to show off his workout areas downstairs. Ron and Charlie smiled appreciatively when they saw the weight room, weapons arena, indoor pool, and padded sparring room. This place was fully equipped to train for practically everything, from rugby to Auror hell days. Harry saw the looks on their faces and promised they could try it out later. In contrast, Hermione was nearly as excited as Snape when he opened up the lab, itching to start playing with the toys and create her own potions for fun.
The final stage of the tour found them outside in the garden, which was a virtual jungle with nearly every type of plant know to the wizarding and Muggle worlds, under various climate charms. "I spend a lot of time back here. While it is mostly self-sustaining, I actually enjoy gardening. I grow most of my Potions ingredients here, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit for the kitchen. We'll be eating some of it for dinner." Harry passed briefly by the outdoor pool before he showed off his Quidditch pitch.
The Weasley men's eyes lit up with excitement when he got out the various balls- a professional set- and a couple of extra brooms he had gotten somewhere. "Wicked Harry! We have to have a game tonight!" "Yeah! There's 14 of us, enough for two full teams. What'd'you think, old people versus us young folk?" Fred grinned wickedly at his parents, who managed to look furious, insulted, indignant, and slightly nervous at the same time.
"Okay, but to make it even Charlie will have to play for the other side. It'll be a battle of the Seekers." Harry smirked as cheers and protests answered his suggestion. "It's settled. After dinner then." He checked his watch. "Dinner's probably ready by now. Let's go inside before Eva decides to serve my guts for dessert." As they headed in, Ron asked quietly, "Harry, is Eva living here with you?" "No, she's just staying a few days. She came by to drop off my birthday present and make sure I was still alive." He looked curiously over as the redhead seemed relieved for some reason, and inquired, "Why do you ask?" Ron muttered something inaudible, then complimented him on his house.
When they entered the dining room, Eva had already set the table and put out covered dishes of food, steam seeping out from under the lids and filling the room with their delicious aromas. Stomachs started growling in anticipation as she called out from the kitchen, "Go ahead and find a seat. I'll be out in a minute." The twins squabbled briefly over where the empty seat for Eva would be, but with some fuss and scraping of chairs, the entire family was finally settled.
Eva emerged with a grin and a large platter of grilled stuffed steaks, which she set down in the center of the table with a chef's proud flourish. Harry introduced her to everyone there quickly as she took a seat next to Sirius across from Harry, and she nodded at each person in turn. They sat staring at her for a moment before she encouraged them to "Dig in!"
The food was delicious and filling, and in enough quantities that even Ron had plenty to eat. For a while there was too much chewing for anybody to talk, when suddenly both Fred and George started gasping and sweating, their faces bright red. "What's wrong?" Remus asked, concerned. "Hot . . . too spicy," George managed to choke out. Eva looked stricken. "Oh sorry about that. I slipped a couple of habanera peppers in the steaks for me. I must have grabbed the wrong ones." Eva looked innocently contrite, but Harry could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she had purposely pranked the twins. This could only get better. "Try some water," he suggested.
They gulped their glasses in one breath and relaxed for a moment in relief, then their eyes bulged out. "Oops. Harry, you know better than that. Water spreads the oil around and makes it worse. You need bread," Eva informed them, and immediately Fred and George crammed huge spoonfuls of stuffing in their mouths. "Not that! The stuffing has chopped jalapenos and chiles in it. The combination increases the spiciness." This statement was proved when Fred almost screamed in pain while George panted, fanning his open mouth desperately. By now the entire table was trying not to snicker at their misfortune. Eva thought for a moment and said, "Milk might help."
In one fluid motion both boys shot from their seats like a salamander that swallowed a Filibuster Firework and ran for the kitchen. They yanked open the refrigerator and briefly fought over the bottle before draining it completely. For a second there was silence, then twin shouts of agony were heard, and Eva yelled at them, "Not the skim milk! The goat's milk in the back! There might only be enough for one!"
At that Ron burst into outright laughter, having caught the glint in Eva's eye. Ginny followed suit, as did Harry, and the entire table erupted in loud laughter. Bill had tears in his eyes as he choked out, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" "Who, me?" Eva said with an angelically innocent expression on her face, which was promptly spoiled by the diabolical smirk on her lips. "Of course I did." Sirius chuckled appreciatively. "Harry, you were right. She is worse than the Marauders." "You haven't seen anything yet. This was one of her mild pranks. She's being polite of my guests."
Eva laughed delightedly at the expressions on their faces. "Don't worry, Harry's told me so much about their exploits I had to see if they could take as well as give. Those were the only two spiced steaks. The rest of the food is fine." She punctuated her statement by taking a big bite out of her steak. The twins chose that moment to enter, directing glares at the girl that could have made a Death Eater shiver. She only smiled. "Better now boys?" "I hate goat's milk," they grumbled together as they sat down sullenly. She giggles maniacally and everyone joined in.
After a scrumptious dessert of cherry pie a la mode, they all gathered in the living room to let dinner settle a bit before the Quidditch match. Dumbledore started off with a few questions for Eva. "How were you designated to be Harry's personal trainer?" She settled back into the armchair as attention focused on her. "Well, there were several factors. His ancestors were looking for someone with the necessary skills and knowledge, not to mention practical experience. They wanted someone who could also teach him some culture, not turn him into some hardened battle axe with no sense of humor. And James and Lily wanted the best practical joker to teach him to carry on the Marauder tradition, without being corrupted by Sirius' childishness."
Most turned to Sirius, chuckling at his slightly insulted expression before he gave a grudging grin, but Harry leaned forward. "You never told me you've spoken to my parents." "You never asked." She added, "They're very proud of you, of the young man you've become and the responsibilities you've shouldered." Remus began to rub his forehead as if trying to ward off a headache. "Wait. How is it possible for you to have spoken to dead people?" Eva glanced over at Harry, then sighed. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. There exists multiple dimensions, some parallel in time while others branch off. Not quite multiverses, because there are no repeats in time."
Most people simply stared at her in complete bewilderment, and she grimaced before trying again. "Have you ever thought 'What if?' Multiverses are the idea that there exists a universe for every possible decision to a life changing situation. Such as what if Sirius had been the Potter's Secret Keeper? This is a nice theory, but not quite correct. Picture this dimension as a string on a loom. Next to it are other strings or dimensions parallel to it, but not exactly like it. Each string represents a different realm, of time or space or something else entirely. When someone here dies, their soul leaves this realm and moves to a different one. There are actually two realms that store the souls. One is commonly referred to as Heaven, and the souls there can actually visit some of the other realms, including mine. The other is the Underworld or Hell, and once you're there you're stuck there. They do exist, but I'll leave the theological and philosophical ramifications of that to someone else. With me so far?"
At their slightly hesitant nods, she continued. "The Guardians are the ones in charge of the loom of dimensions. I am a special type of being, because while I do not have the full powers of the Guardians, I am able to travel across the strings and affect the weave. Meddle, if you wish, to a certain extent. I'm the only one of the Guardians allowed direct contact with mortals in their lives, but they've put some restrictions on me. Most of my power is constrained to my own realm, where I trained Harry. Time has no meaning there, so while we spent nearly 16 months there, only 3 months passed here." Eva sighed. "It's hard for the dead and most of the living to travel to my realm, so their visits are infrequent as best. That's why I travel between realms, parallel dimensions, so I can interact with others. Unfortunately I'm forbidden from some of them."
Arabella looked intrigued. "So in a sense you travel through time." "Not quite, but close enough. Time flows, but I don't have to follow it." "So how old are you? Or are you immortal?" Eva laughed. "Nope, not quite. I'm not really sure how old I am. Time is a relative measure, so it would be different in each realm and incalculable in some. How old do I look?" Arabella looked her over critically. "I'd say about 23 or so." Sirius interrupted, "But with the maturity level of a four year old." Eva only grinned at that. "I'll share a little secret with you. Something many philosophers and wise men never figure out in all their lifetimes, and some of the Guardians still can't comprehend." She beckoned them all to lean in, and when they did, she said in a conspiratorial whisper, "The universe has a sense of humor."
Their various reactions to that pronouncement were quite amusing to watch. Bill changed the subject. "So Harry, how did you get your hair so long? I've been letting mine grow for a few years new, and it's nowhere near the length of yours." "Yes dear, it's really getting quite silly. I could trim it back for you," Molly offered, fingering her wand. Harry stifled a laugh. "It wouldn't help. Thanks to a weird law of nature Eva's never been able to fully explain, it grows faster than a Snitch can fly. Lucky for me it doesn't grow past my feet, or else I'd have to use a lawn mower to keep it in check."
Eva jumped in, "Besides, a queue like that can be a useful weapon." "A what?" "A queue. In ancient China, the Imperial Guard were not allowed to cut their hair, and instead pulled it back in a long braid that doubled as a whip or a club. It was a symbol of their honor and devotion, and to chop off their queue was a worse fate than death." Dumbledore looked mildly impressed. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable on the subject." "I should be. I studied in China for several years and traveled with the Imperial Guard." Eva giggled suddenly. "It's a good thing they didn't know I was a woman."
Sirius gaped. "How could they miss something like that?" "Well . . ." Harry began with an impish twinkle in his eye. Eva smacked his arm playfully. "Shut up. I know what you were thinking," she added at his injured innocent expression. "For your information, I was disguised with a little trick I learned from the Egyptians, and I wanted to test it out in dangerous situations." Hermione looked delighted. "Egyptians, huh? Do you know much about the Greeks?" "Yep, both Muggle and magical history. Fascinating civilization. Of course, Atlantis has always been my favorite in terms of this realm's history and culture. That's where Muggles and wizards coexisted peaceably together and came up with some truly wondrous innovations. Its collapse and destruction led to the creation of the war mages, as well as the magical society's withdrawal from Muggle life." Now Dumbledore was suitable impressed, and Hermione was nearly bouncing with excitement. "Maybe I should hire you to replace Professor Binns." Eva just laughed. "Believe me, you don't want to." Harry agreed wholeheartedly, "There'd be no survivors."
Charlie checked his watch. "Well, I believe it's time for Quidditch! C'mon, let the slaughter begin." Ron smirked as he rose from his seat. "You that eager to die? Harry's gonna wipe the pitch with you." "In your dreams. Let's go!" The enthusiasts raced for the outdoor pitch, while the slightly less excited members followed as a decent pace. The teams quickly split up and mounted their brooms (Harry had transported the Weasleys', Sirius' and Remus' brooms over earlier). Eva came out to referee and released the balls. "This should be fun. Okay, ready, go!" She tossed the Quaffle up, and chaos erupted.
The twins started a Beater battle with Sirius and Bill, the Bludgers flying furiously among Remus, Arthur, Molly, Hermione, Ginny and Percy. Dumbledore guarded the goals on one side, creating quite the sight with his long robes and hair on the broom, while Ron played Keeper on the other. Above them all soared Charlie and Harry, both eyeing each other while searching for the elusive Snitch. The Weasley parents were surprisingly good Chasers, but Hermione shocked them all with her determination and flying skills. Apparently she had been practicing when no one was looking. She and Ginny made a strong offense, while Percy seemed competent but subdued. He was never really interested in playing Quidditch. The Quaffle changed hands constantly, the score holding at zero due to Ron's goalkeeping skills and Percy's tendency to attract Bludgers.
Suddenly Harry pelted into the swarm of Chasers, heading straight for Remus who held the Quaffle. He dropped it in surprise, and Ginny scooped it up, then dodged around Dumbledore and threw the ball through the middle hoop. "Finally! The little people get past the old farts. Ten to nothing. This is really rather pathetic," Eva teased a bit, but then she had to dodge both Bludgers as all four Beaters smacked them at her in annoyance. Play resumed quickly, and Harry decided to see just how good Charlie was. He had heard stories while at Hogwarts, but never had seen him in action yet. Harry dove for the ground and heard Charlie follow him barely a second behind, sticking right on his tail.
Only a few meters from the ground, he recognized a Wronski Feint and pulled up, banking off low to the right before soaring up again. Harry waited a second more before pulling out and to the left, feeling his fingertips graze the grass. He rose and circled until he was directly opposite Charlie, and they grinned briefly at each other in recognition of the other's skill. Harry was bored with passive seeking, so he descended to the Chaser's level and began pulling some defensive flying tricks he developed to interfere with the other team, all the while keeping an eye out for the Snitch.
Just as Harry ducked under a Bludger Sirius had sent his way for nearly unseating Remus, he caught sight of the Snitch hovering in the middle of a knot of Chasers. Charlie saw it too, and both of them took off after it. The tiny winged ball shot upwards, flittering here and there but refusing to remain still for more than a split second, then changed course and headed for Ron's goal. The Seekers flew right in its wake, pushing each other to try and get an edge on speed. Charlie tried a Transylvanian Tackle, but Harry remained unfazed and angled his broom into the other, shoving him off course. Ron quickly got out of the way as they shot towards him. There were almost there, both had a hand out to grab the Snitch, when it abruptly dropped, circling the goalpost like a mini tornado and hovering barely two inches above the ground.
Charlie braked quickly and dove downwards, but lost his momentum. Harry shot through the goal like a human Quaffle and latched onto the goalpost, using it as an anchor point as he flew in a full speed spiral down the post, copying the Snitch's route. He kept his eyes wide open and ignored both the dizziness and the burning in his hand from the friction, opting instead to concentrate on the tiny gold ball. Just as Charlie reached it, held out his hand and started to close his fingers on it, Harry let go of the post and blasted out sideways at top speed, snatching the Snitch right out from Charlie's hand.
Harry's team cheered wildly, and at that point he became aware that everyone else had stopped to watch. Even Charlie, while looking a bit disgruntled, still was very impressed with his amazing catch. Harry landed unsteadily and almost fell as the world continued spinning around him. Ron laughed and yelled, "Hey Harry, what d'you call that move?" Harry looked up and grinned. "Spin cycle. Don't try it at home." He started toward the broom shed, but stumbled and fell flat on his back, the sky whirling around like a kaleidoscope in his vision. "You alright there Harry?" Eva giggled.
"Somebody stop the world please, I'd like to get off." Everyone laughed as they landed all around him. "Too bad you're not as graceful on the ground as you are in the air. No wonder you haven't got a girlfriend," Sirius teased him. "Shut up you. Once I figure out which one of the two of you is the real one, you are going to pay for that. "Oh really? You and what army?" Harry grinned lopsidedly. "Just me." "Oh, bring it on hotshot." Harry chuckled and made a face. "Maybe tomorrow. When I can see straight again. Hey Ron, if I try that one again, please hex me." "My pleasure," Ron bared his teeth in a mock evil grin, and more laughs greeted that.
Once they had all made their way back inside, Sirius snapped his fingers. "We all forgot. Alright Harry, since we all missed your birthday, you have to open your gifts tonight. Come on now." Harry was a bit embarrassed; he'd never had a real birthday party before. The twins gave him a complete set of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, every joke item they had developed and sold in their new store, plus some prototypes not available to the public yet. Their shop, incidentally, had opened at the beginning of the summer in Diagon Alley and was an instant sensation. They were actually thinking of opening a second store in Hogsmeade to get the Hogwarts business, to compete with Zonko's.
Hermione had given Harry a brand-new book on Quidditch, as well as refills for his Broomstick Servicing Kit. Ginny, trying to hide a furious Weasley blush, gave him a leather wristband hand-etched with the emblem of a lion in red and gold. It fit perfectly on his wrist and felt natural, like it was meant to be there. He thanked her sincerely, and she looked delighted.
Ron seemed a bit uncomfortable as he handed over his wrapped present, and felt the need to explain it. "Well, you see . . . I was kind of wandering down Diagon Alley the other day, and I didn't know what to get you. I walked past this store, and in the window there this was, see? And I don't know, it seemed to, well . . . suit you, I guess. I couldn't take my eyes off it. I felt like I had to get it for you." He looked on nervously as Harry tore open the wrappings and opened the box. Harry's mouth fell open and his eyes widened in astonishment as he pulled out a pendant on a long silver chain. It was a circular silver disk with carvings of a phoenix in flight clutching a serpent in its talons. The phoenix's eyes were emerald chips, while the serpent glared balefully with rubies. A ring of emeralds surrounded it, flashing in the firelight, and engraved on the edge was a line of flowing script. It was completely unreadable, but as he examined it, something stirred in his heart, and he began muttering in a strange tongue. Suddenly noticing the strange glances directed his way, he desisted and slipped the chain over his head, the pendant resting above his heart. He met Ron's eyes, still unsure, and gave him a big grin. "It's perfect. Thank you." The redhead's face brightened in relief.
Remus cleared his throat. "Sirius and I decided to give you a combined gift." He passed over a beautifully wrapped box. Harry cocked an eyebrow wryly. "I take it you didn't wrap it." Sirius scowled and pointed at Hermione, mumbling "I never was any good at decorating." They chuckled as Harry opened the parcel to reveal two wands and a book in velvet wrappings. He picked them up reverently, noting one was made of willow, the other mahogany, and instinctively know who they belonged to. "My parent's wands." He glanced over at his godfather who nodded. "They were recovered from the wreckage of the house that night, and we found them stored in Remus' attic last month. I know you have so little of them; your parents would have wanted you to have them."
Swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, Harry began leafing through the book. The front half held many pictures of a young Lily and her friends, progressively aging as they traced through her years at Hogwarts and beyond. He found a photo of his family celebrating his first birthday with Sirius and Remus, and he could not speak. The second half was filled with a neat, flowing handwriting.
Remus explained, "Lily kept this journal and album ever since she arrived at Hogwarts. I remember her writing in it practically every night in the Common Room, and even after we graduated. I swear she must have taken it on their honeymoon." Harry blushed a bit at that little jest. "She would take pictures of some of our pranks, both successes and failures, and reminded us that one day our children would look back on all of this and laugh." Harry surreptitiously wiped his eyes, got up and gave Remus and Sirius a hug that conveyed more than any words could.
For a minute or two the group sat in silence, and then Dumbledore drew Harry's attention. "The remainder of the Weasley family and I have also conspired on your gift. As you are the heir of Gryffindor, we felt that you should have something that he once cherished." Charlie took a small whistle out of his pocket and tossed it to Harry, who looked at it quizzically. "Give it a blow." The teen shrugged, put it to his mouth and whistle out a note that sounded a bit like a bird's song. Almost immediately an answering whistle sounded from outside, and a large bird soared in through an open window, singing.
Harry recognized it as a phoenix, but unlike Fawkes, this one had an even mix of crimson and gold feathers. It was also slightly larger than Dumbledore's companion. It circled once around the room then landed gracefully on Harry's outstretched arm. The two regarded each other for a moment, then the phoenix spread its wings and bowed. Greetings Lord Phoenix. I am Eredfire, Emperor Phoenix and companion to Godric Gryffindor. You are my master now. Harry blinked in surprise at the unearthly voice echoing through his head.
*I didn't know I could speak to phoenixes mentally.* Oh yes, that is one of the abilities as heir and lord, master. I will show you what else you can do later, if you wish. *I would like that. And please, call me Harry.* Very well, master Harry. I have a letter for you. It was only then that Harry noticed the envelope tied to Eredfire's leg. He untied it and opened it to find a letter and a little wrapped object.
The letter read, "Happy Birthday Harry! Ron told us that you've been sporting an earring for a while, and Charlie and I decided to enhance your jewelry selection. This is a claw from the Hungarian Horntail you took on in your fourth year. We shrunk it to a manageable size and had it set in platinum. Maybe this will help you with the ladies. Signed, Bill and Charlie. PS: Mum doesn't know about this." Harry snickered at that and unwrapped the earring. Hiding it from view of the others in his hand, he got up and announced, "I'll be right back," and the phoenix fluttered over to the back of the chair as he tore up to his bedroom at a run. This was perfect. He quickly threw on his black leather pants, dragon hide boots, a black shirt and vest, then pulled on his leather trenchrobe over the ensemble. He inserted the earring in his ear, and glanced at his image in the mirror. Something was missing. He snapped his fingers, and a pair of dark glasses popped into his hand, and he slipped them on over his eyes. There, perfect.
Harry quietly slunk his way downstairs and towards the living room entrance, where he could hear the murmur of conversation, mainly questions about the phoenix and the unseen present. He chuckled quietly to himself then sauntered back into the room. Utter silence fell over the group as they regarded him with wide eyes and a mix of expressions. He kept his face blank and tossed his head to the side so the earring was clearly visible. Bill and Charlie started grinning madly, as did Sirius and the twins, while Molly looked vaguely horrified. Ron did a very accurate impersonation of a landed carp, and Hermione could not decide whether to be disapproving or admiring, so her face was a comical mixture of both. Ginny was practically drooling but trying to hide it.
Harry turned to Bill and Charlie and asked "Well, what do you think?" Eredfire twittered and hopped back onto his shoulder. Interesting choice of apparel, master Harry. It suits you he chuckled. Remus looked over at the two guilty redheads. "You gave him all that?" "No, just the earring. I wanted to show off the full effect," Harry answered him, and Sirius laughed. "You look like a hellion. All you need now is a black motorcycle." Eva giggled as Harry grinned, "Already covered."
At the assembled stunned glances, Harry beckoned them the all to follow him outside, where he wheeled out his Vincent Black Shadow. To Sirius, Eva explained, "I decided that he should have something that you once cherished too. Since yours was destroyed, I got him another flying cycle." Remus buried his head in his hands and groaned. "Oh no, not another one. You've created a monster." Now Ron was the one practically drooling, eyeing the machine. "Wicked! This is even better than the flying car! How fast does it go?" "I've topped her out at 200 km/hr on straight-aways, and over 230 on dives. She handles like a dream."
Harry glanced slyly at his friend. "Want to go for a ride?" Ron's eye lit up with excitement. "Hell yes!" He clambered on behind Harry, and they took off before Molly could get a strongly worded protest out. Eredfire spread his wings and flew after them, easily pacing the two teens. Harry shot a challenging look over at him. *Shall we see if you can keep up?* Try all you want to shake me, but I can certainly match anything you do, master Harry. He grinned and yelled back at Ron, "Hang on!" then sent them into a steep dive, the phoenix right behind him. He pulled up to touch down on the road and gunned the accelerator, quickly reaching 160 km/hr before the first series of curves. He dared a quick glance over his shoulder, spotting Eredfire about 10 meters behind him, grinned and shot though the next curve, leaning nearly 45 degrees to the road.
Harry straightened up through the next one and waited until they reached a curve with a particularly dangerous drop-off and drove straight for the edge. He could hear Ron yell as he realized where Harry was going, which turned into a full-blown scream as they launched themselves into thin air. The Shadow dropped at an incredible rate, the ground reaching up to embrace them, and then Harry kicked in the levitation and invisibility boosters at the same time. He pulled up sharply to clear the cliff on the other side and flew straight back towards his home.
A loud whistle behind them revealed that Eredfire had lost them, but guessed by the sound that Harry was heading back. The phoenix knew how to track his master anywhere, even invisible, especially since the engine was still running. Right as they crossed the barrier onto his property, Harry removed the invisibility booster, and swooped down for a landing right in front of the porch where everyone was waiting. He shut the Shadow down, then turned to Ron.
Ron's bright red hair was sticking up in all directions, even worse than Harry's used to, contrasting sharply with his pure white face, his freckles almost black. His mouth was wide open in a silent scream as his eyes bugged out. His hands clutched the back of Harry's trenchrobe in a death grip, and he appeared frozen in his seat. Eredfire flew up and landed on Harry's shoulder, chuckling. I think your stunts might have scared him a bit. Harry shook Ron's shoulder. "Hey Ron, it's over. You can get off now." He simply sat there.
Harry and Eredfire exchanged amused looks as they considered him, then the phoenix emitted a single note which seemed to revive the teen. Ron blinked, let go of Harry's robe and tottered off the bike. He stood there for a moment, a dazed expression on his face, before a huge smile broke out and he let out a huge whoop. "That was wicked Harry! I thought you were crazy on a broom, but bloody hell! This was awesome! Let's do it again!" Harry laughed. "Not tonight." They walked inside, Ron still gushing about the experience to the envious twins and a horrified Molly, while Harry compared stories with Sirius.
Molly lost her disapproving glare as she yawned discreetly, and looked at her watch. "Goodness gracious, it's late. I think I'll head off to bed now." The older ones followed her example, agreeing that they needed sleep. Remus turned to the teens still downstairs "Don't stay up too late." Eva rolled her eyes. "Yes mother." The others snickered as Remus flushed a bit before bidding them goodnight. Bill and Charlie both decided to hit the weight room downstairs, while Hermione took off at full speed for the library with Ginny. Eva showed Ro down to the sparring room and she worked with him on various techniques that Harry had taught him. Harry smile happily while he briefly cleaned the Shadow and wheeled her back into the covered garage he had built specially for her.
Harry joined Ron and Eva down in the gym. They had a lot of fun play fighting and fooling around a little, and before they knew it, it was after midnight. Eva headed up to bed, but Harry pulled her aside and whispered to her, "The twins have been setting up a few pranks in your room." She grinned maliciously and whispered back, "I know," with a devilish look of anticipation on her face. He just shook his head as she headed up, wondering at the resurgence of her strange behavior and headed up to the library. Sure enough, Hermione and Ginny had both fallen asleep in their chairs curled around books. Percy lay sprawled at the desk; his head resting on a stack of parchment, probably some work form the Ministry. Too bad if it was, because he was currently drooling on it. Ron shook him awake so he could stumble off to bed while Harry quietly picked up Ginny. Ron gathered Hermione in his arms.
Cradling the sleeping girls, they headed upstairs to deposit them into their proper beds. Ron gently kissed his girlfriend goodnight as he tucked the covers in around her, then headed off to his own bed with a sleepy sort of smile on his face. Exhausted but elated, Harry stripped down to his boxers and collapsed on the bed, sound asleep in seconds.
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Eva stirred awake, flicking her eyes and senses around the room to see what had awakened her in the middle of the night. Abruptly she realized the trouble was not in her room, but in Harry's. While their mental connection did not allow her to see his dreams, she could pick up on his emotions, which were now battering her mind with the force of a tornado. She shucked on a robe and sprinted silently to his room, hoping not to wake the others. Especially not the twins, since they should not find out about the full effects of her retaliatory prank until morning. Slipping inside, she cast a Silencing charm around the room just to be safe.
Harry lay asleep in bed, but not getting any rest. He writhed and tossed amid the tangled sweat-soaked sheets, and his face contorted in a grimace of pain. Despite his clenched teeth, a loud moan escaped his lips followed by a quick gasp and panted breaths. Eva leaned over and touched his forehead, and was relieved to discover that this was not the Dream Stand again. Still, this connection with Voldemort allowed him to see and feel the torture he inflicted on others. Harry's muffled cries made up her mind.
She shook his shoulder, trying to snap him out of the nightmare. When that failed, she laid her hand over his scar and concentrated, attempting to mute the link since she could not sever it completely. Gradually Harry settled, but the vision gave way to a nightmare, possible even more terrifying to him since it involved his friends. Eva sighed; there was still one thing left to do.
Eva lifted him up off the bed and cradled him against her tenderly, murmuring soft words as she stroked his head. The bed sheets piled themselves in a corner while fresh ones arranged themselves over the mattress. When she endeavored to place Harry back down in bed, though, he whimpered and clutched her robe tightly, refusing to let go. It almost broke her heart. ^He's never had anyone mother him like this before,^ she realized with a deep sense of . . . something, weighing heavily on her heart. ^Even he can't be strong all the time. He's still human after all.^
She acquiesced and lay down on the bed, snuggling closer until Harry's head lay pillowed on her chest, and continued to run her fingers through his hair. His breathing calmed and he slipped into a deep sleep, far away from dreams. He sighed in his sleep and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Rocking him gently with her arms around him, Eva began to sing softly.
May it be an evening star shines down upon you.
May it be when darkness falls your heart will be true.
You walk a lonely road, oh how far you are from home.
Mornie utulie. Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie. A promise lives within you now.
May it be the shadows call will fly away.
May it be you journey on to light the day.
When the night is overcome you may rise to find the sun.
Mornie utulie. Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie. A promise lives within you now.
Eva sang it as a blessing from her heart. She loved him deeply, but knew he had a destiny that she could not interfere with. He could never love her back, or anyone else for that matter. She knew that Fate had decreed their warrior could never know or feel romantic love, since that was seen as a weakness among the Guardians. They had seen too many civilizations fall and wars fought over love. She sighed in defeat. More fools they, and just more proof that Fate really was a bitch. Eva drifted off to sleep, sharing a bed with Harry, their arms wrapped contentedly around each other.
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Sirius woke the next morning feeling amazingly refreshed and fully rested. The bedside clock informed him that he had overslept, but not hideously so. After a quick but luxurious shower and a fresh change of clothes, he headed down to the kitchen. The three professors and elder Weasleys were seated at the table, eating and chatting while Percy sat listening. Bill and Charlie were cleaning their dishes, and the other teens were laughing at the twins in the breakfast nook.
Sirius noted with amusement that Fred and George now had orange and green polka-dotted skin, shocking pink hair with cute little matching bows, and the only visible clothes they wore were bright yellow smiley-face boxers. And just to add insult to injury, they had shrunk to about the size of house elves. The ex-convict chuckled as he served himself some eggs and pancakes. "Tried to prank Eva last night, did we?" he asked casually.
Fred spoke up in their defense. "We spent two hours setting our prank up in her room, and this morning she's completely untouched. And those were some of our best sellers too. We have to find out how she did it." His voice induced a fit of giggles among those present, because he sounded like he had been inhaling helium all night. Hermione choked out, "Could you repeat that, I don't speak balloon!" before another set of laughter rang out and she collapsed against Ron, shaking with uncontrollable giggles. Sirius snorted into his plate.
Just then Eva entered, obviously just come up from the weight room. She sauntered through the kitchen to grab a full bottle of water and drain it thirstily, then turned to grin at the twins. "I believe you left something in my room last night. Here, you can have it back." She tossed a bag at them, which they opened to find every single joke item they had so carefully set up. Fred and George glanced at each other, then back at Eva. "Okay, we admit it. You are the superior prankster here, and we kneel before your greatness."
Simultaneously they kneeled down and grabbed her hands, proclaiming loudly, "Eva is the prankster queen, worthy of the Marauders of old. We will be your humble apprentices, bowing down at your feet until you teach us your divine secrets." Eva could not hold in the snickers any longer as they bowed down before her like peasants before a pagan altar. "Alright you two. Let's quit while I'm ahead. You've taken it well, and I commend you on your efforts. Truce?" "Truce!" they echoed gleefully in their squeaky voices. Eva snapped her fingers and they popped back to normal, including their clothes.
Sirius glanced around and asked Eva, "Where's Harry this morning?" She jerked a thumb towards the back. "Out swimming his daily workout. He should be finishing up by now." Ginny's eyes lit up. "Let's go check out the pool. We didn't really get to see it last night." Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione suppressed a grin. *You mean let's check out Harry swimming again.* He remembered the chaos it caused the last time, and hoped fervently that it would not resort to that again. He followed his sister out the door, and eventually everyone joined them outside in the sunshine to enjoy the beautiful day.
They settled into seats around the pool, still talking but also keeping an eye on Harry, who was swimming laps back and forth. After a couple minutes he finished and hoisted himself out, water streaming off his tanned muscles as he reached for a towel. "Morning," he greeted them as he dried off. He turned around to head for the changing room when Sirius noticed something. "Harry, where'd you get those scratches on your back?"
Harry looked startled and slightly guarded. "What scratches?" "These ones. They look like . . . fingernail marks?" Incredulous, Sirius stepped up to his godson to inspect them closer, but spotted something else that drew his attention. "Is that a . . . no, it can't be." Ron glance up at his friend, and his eyes widened as he saw what Sirius had commented on. "Oh my God. Harry, is that . . ." Ginny's face was a picture of shock, while Hermione looked scandalized through her giggles. "What?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder and said with all seriousness, "You have a hickey on your neck."