Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, or items.
Comments: Hmm, mixed results as far as the Meliflua situation goes...some of you got it, some didn't. It will all be explained in this chapter, but first...fluffiness! (Hey, we need a break from all the cry cry, sob sob, fight fight, don't we?) Oh yes and there will be no Response to Reviews for this chapter either, because it's very late at night, I'm tired, and I want to get this chapter posted.
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Chapter 47 – The Aftermath
"Can you guys believe Dumbledore's punishment for us?" Ron asked incredulously as the four of them sat, alone, in the common room.
Silver giggled. "Yeah, we're not allowed to go to any classes today or tomorrow – whatever shall we do?" she said theatrically, putting a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes.
"I, for one, cannot be behind," Hermione said, standing up.
Harry and Ron rolled their eyes and Silver tried to conceal her amused smile.
"Don't look at me like that, it's true!" Hermione exclaimed, "I may not be able to go to classes, but I can still go to the library. Is anyone coming?"
For a moment, everyone was silent.
"Uh, Mione," Harry said, choosing his wording carefully, "I really think you can afford to just take it easy today. I mean, you're smart enough that you'll be able to catch up in no time."
Hermione gave him a patronizing look. "Harry, next year we have our N.E.W.T.s", she said, with particular emphasis on N.E.W.T.s.
He sighed. "Right."
"I'll be in the library if anyone needs me," Hermione said, throwing her nose defiantly up in the air and heading for the door.
Suddenly, Ron jumped up. "I, uh, had better go keep her company," he said quickly, trotting off after her.
Harry raised an eyebrow as the two disappeared outside the portrait hole. Silver giggled. "I'm sure those two are going to get a lot of studying done," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, and I'm sure they're going to the library," Harry replied.
Silver stretched out on the couch that she now had to herself, seeing as Harry was sitting on the floor. He watched her with a mischievous grin.
"So, what now?" she asked, closing her eyes.
He took the opportunity to grab a pillow from near her feet and hit her in the face with it.
"Pillow fight?" he suggested.
She squealed as it hit her in the face and fumbled for a pillow, grabbing the one from beneath her head and bringing it down squarely on top of his. They both jumped up, Silver laughing and Harry grinning wildly.
"Ah! Harry...stop...hitting...me...on...the head!" she exclaimed, hitting him randomly in between words.
"Don't like it?" he teased, hitting the top of her head lightly.
"No!" she replied, hitting him in the same spot, only a bit harder, "It...messes...up...my...hair."
He hit her first in the stomach, and then when her arms went down instinctively, atop the head once more.
"Your hair is fine," he said, abandoning the pillow and reaching forward to tickle her.
She hit him with the pillow as she squirmed in his arms, giggling with delight. He backed her to the couch, where she couldn't escape, and watched, pleased, as she laughed uncontrollably. Suddenly she tossed her pillow aside, stepped forwards, and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down onto the couch with her. He stopped tickling her as he landed atop of her, his face only inches from hers. It seemed like ages since they had kissed. He studied her eyes intently. She was looking up at him expectantly and eagerly, the latter making his stomach do cartwheels. Her hands slipped around his neck and her fingers fiddled with his hair a bit impatiently. He grinned at her as he caught on to this, and she blushed slightly, a bit of a shy smile lighting her face. He closed the distance between them and enveloped her in a kiss which she wholeheartedly returned.
"I love you, you know," he informed her as they parted, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.
She gave a small sigh. "I love you, too, Harry," she murmured.
He grinned suddenly. "What were you dreaming about earlier today?" he asked.
She looked puzzled. "Dreaming?" she echoed.
"Yes," he confirmed, "You were sleeping, and all of a sudden you said, 'No, I'm in love with Harry.' Snape just about killed me."
She giggled at his last statement, and then bit her lip in concentration. He gently smoothed her hair back as he waited.
"I can't remember," she proclaimed finally, frowning and looking at him as if she were afraid he might be upset.
"It's all right," he assured her, "You're just going to have to make it up to me...somehow."
He winked at her with his last word, and she giggled.
"Hmm...let me think," she said with mock thoughtfulness.
He chuckled and bent to kiss her neck, deliberately tickling her with soft, brief kisses. She giggled and squirmed, and he paused to look up at her. She reached up and gently pulled his head down to her, kissing him with both tenderness and passion. He slid one arm around her waist, and reached up with the finger of his other arm to run it gently from her shoulder to her elbow. The result was a shudder, and, thinking it was from fear, he pulled away concernedly. She opened her eyes and peered up at him curiously.
"Sorry," he said.
"For what?" she asked, considerably breathless from the kissing.
"That," he replied, looking down at her arm and stroking it with his finger once more.
She smiled up at him amusedly. "Trust me, you don't want to be sorry for that," she told him, pulling him back down to her.
It took Harry a moment to come to the conclusion that she actually liked it when he did that. Tentatively, he repeated the motion. He was rewarded by being pulled closer as she shook with delight. He smiled through the kiss, letting his hand rest on her shoulder for a moment. He felt her push on his chest a bit, and realized that he was too close for her to reach the buttons of his shirt. He pulled away, grinning.
"Problem?" he inquired.
"Not anymore," she replied, casually undoing a button on his shirt.
He chuckled and bent to immerse himself in kissing her once more. She raised no objection, and one of her hands abandoned his shirt in order to push through his hair, although the other loyally remained on the task of unbuttoning. He found himself wondering what exactly would happen were she to reach the last button – he was fairly sure he wanted to find out, and therefore left adequate space between them. The sound of the portrait opening made Harry's spirits drop considerably.
"Um, maybe we should go in first," Hermione was saying, pointedly and loudly.
"Yeah," Ron said, practically yelling through the portrait hole, "Just in case they're – studying."
As Harry pulled away, Silver burst into quiet giggles. As usual, she had come off looking better, for although her hair was a bit mussed, nothing else seemed amiss. Harry, on the other hand, could sense that he looked a mess, with his shirt halfway unbuttoned and his hair probably all standing up on end.
"Go change your shirt and comb your hair," Silver instructed as she combed through her hair with her fingers, "I'll say you were...getting a Transfiguration book or something."
He smiled, although he was still disappointed at being interrupted. "That'll work," he agreed, jumping over the back of the couch and heading for the boy's dorms.
As he changed, he wondered who was accompanying Ron and Hermione. Somebody ditching class, maybe? He ran a comb through his hair, but not with any particular hope of getting it to lie flat. Then he quietly exited and peered out at the common room. Lupin and Tonks were sitting down across from Silver, reminiscing about the days when they had sat in the very same seats. Harry looked at Silver, who was sitting sideways on the couch, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was laughing at a story Lupin was telling her, and her eyes were glittering irresistibly. He couldn't bring himself to join them for the simple fact that he was entranced from watching Silver. The way she tossed her head and ran her fingers through her hair, the smile that played upon her lips as she listened, and the attentive look on her face all captivated him. He found himself wondering how he could have gone his entire life without seeing these things. He didn't realize that Lupin was looking at him until he spoke.
"Harry," he said, in a voice that was obviously hoping to catch Harry's attention.
Harry tore his eyes away from Silver with difficulty. "Uh, hi Moony," he said, trying to make it look as if he had just exited the dorms.
He took a seat next to Silver, who put down her knees in order to sit closer to him. He glanced up and noted that Ron was staring at him strangely.
"What?" he asked.
"Were you wearing that shirt when we left?" Ron asked.
Hermione shook her head in a disappointed manner, and Silver blushed.
"Yes," he lied.
"Really, 'cause I thought you were wearing blue, not green, and – ouch!" Ron exclaimed as Hermione elbowed him sharply.
"So, Harry, I suppose you couldn't find the book?" Tonks asked, smirking.
"Book?" Harry echoed, "Oh, right, the book. Um, no, I couldn't find it. Don't know where it went. Nope."
Tonks giggled, and Lupin looked highly amused. A look of realization dawned on Ron's face.
"You were snogging!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Silver replied sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him.
He made a face back at her that caused her to giggle too hard to continue the exchange. Harry felt a twinge of jealousy that he wasn't the one causing her to laugh, but he refrained from making any faces at Ron.
"Anyway, we came to tell you that Dumbledore wants to have a meeting with the members of the Order plus you four tonight at seven," Lupin said.
"So we're like...members of the Order?" Ron asked excitedly.
"No, you're four kids that snuck out when you weren't supposed to and got involved in an Order mission," Tonks replied brightly.
Ron's face fell. "Well, that's close," he muttered.
Lupin snickered at Ron's comment. "Not really," he replied, "Actually, Dumbledore wasn't all that mad about you sneaking out. Snape's the one who went ballistic. He almost told Dumbledore that if he couldn't remember simple things like locking windows, he shouldn't be headmaster. He didn't, of course, but it was pretty easy to tell what he was thinking by the look on his face and the things he was muttering under his breath."
Silver sighed. "I suppose he's mad at me?" she asked.
Lupin snorted. "Try everyone except you. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell him that you've ever done anything wrong."
Silver brightened considerably, much to Lupin's amusement. He and Tonks exchanged glances and stood up.
"We've got to go," he announced, "And I would tell you to get back to what you were doing, but, well..."
He broke off as he saw that he had satisfactorily caused both Harry and Silver to blush profusely, then winked at them and walked out behind Tonks. Harry glanced at Ron to find that he was smirking at them.
"So, Ron, how did the studying go?" he asked pointedly.
Both Ron and Hermione blushed, and Silver giggled. "Yes, did you get some good practice?" she chimed in.
"Well...uh...yeah," Ron stammered.
Harry and Silver burst into laughter at the look on Ron and Hermione's faces, and soon all four of them were laughing.
"Do you think Dumbledore will actually decide to punish us?" Hermione asked once they had recovered themselves.
"Nah," Harry replied, "Although I can't say the same for Snape."
"He won't punish you," Silver said, "Well...at least not badly."
"Yeah, if you beg him not to," Harry replied.
She smiled. "True," she admitted, "Especially since he knows how it must have been your guys' idea to ride Charisma."
This earned her three pillows thrown in her direction, causing her to giggle and fall back onto the couch. Harry found it incredibly hard not to bend over her and kiss her, especially when she took the opportunity to stretch, causing her shirt to reveal a sliver of what looked to be incredibly smooth and shiny skin. His eyes traveled upwards to her face, and he tried to imagine what it would be like without seeing that face. He wasn't surprised to find that he honestly didn't think he could live without her. In the six years that he had known Ron and Hermione, he had come to feel that without them, he wouldn't be himself. But in the three- quarters of a year that he had known Silver, he had come to feel exactly the same way. He wondered how long, exactly, it had taken him to feel that way about Ron and Hermione. He estimated that by the end of his first year, he couldn't live without them. But he certainly hadn't realized it until he had been separated from them that summer. With Silver he was faced with the realization when she was right next to him. She looked down at him questioningly as she realized that he was looking at her.
"Love you," he told her.
She smiled, and he was surprised when she answered right away. "Love you, too."
She sat up and kissed him lightly on the lips, causing him to grin uncontrollably. He leaned back against the arm of the couch and pulled her with him. She lay her head against his chest and sighed with contentment.
"So, how long 'til seven?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Dunno, you're the one with the watch," Ron replied.
"It's in my pocket," Harry answered, and then, a bit mischievously, "Wanna get it out for me, honey?"
"Nope," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him as she lifted herself up to allow him to get his watch.
He feigned disappointment as he fished it out and popped it open.
"We have six hours to do whatever we want," he announced, "Well, actually only one and a half to ourselves."
He carefully closed the watch and put it back in his pocket, and Silver immediately snuggled up to him once more. He rubbed her back as he looked over at Ron and Hermione.
"Got any ideas on what to do now that you're done studying?" he asked.
He noticed that both Ron and Hermione appeared to be studying him and Silver intently, and he shifted uncomfortably beneath their gazes. Silver, appearing to be in a very snuggly mood, slid one arm down so that it rested on his side. She caressed it with her thumb in what Harry knew was a very deliberate, and yet sneaky manner, seeing as Ron and Hermione couldn't see what was making Harry's eyebrows raise as he looked down at her.
"I was thinking maybe we could all just kind of hang out here," Hermione offered in reply to his question, "I'm a bit tired."
"From all the fence-jumping?" Silver inquired teasingly, still rubbing against Harry's side with her finger, "Or wait, that would be fence-falling for Ron, wouldn't it?"
"It's not my fault Harry gave me a bad boost!" Ron protested.
"I did not!" Harry exclaimed.
"Did too!" Ron replied.
"Your ankles are just too big," Harry retorted.
This sent all four of them into waves of laughter. Silver stopped caressing Harry's side, which made him momentarily irritable, but she started up again once she had successfully recovered from her giggles.
"They are not," Ron protested once he was able to stop laughing.
Harry just grinned cheekily at him.
For the rest of the afternoon until dinnertime, the foursome stayed in much the same positions, talking and joking, and although at times the conversation strayed very close to somebody asking Silver about her mother, it never quite made it. Harry couldn't deny that he was very curious to learn more about her, but he didn't want to pressure Silver at the moment – she had gone through enough in the past two days to deserve a break. Ron and Hermione seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and so the subject was carefully avoided the entire time. After a rather late dinner, they all headed to Dumbledore's office, all of them silent.
Upon entry, which was exactly three minutes before seven, they could see that they were definitely the last ones to arrive. Mrs. Weasley had saved a seat for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but it was evident that Silver was to take a seat next to Snape, who was sitting a good few feet away. So, Silver parted and Harry was left to watch her carefully, as if afraid that she might disappear at any moment. The opening of Dumbledore's speech was lost on him, but his attention was soon caught at mention of himself – well, him, Ron, Hermione, and Silver.
"...a few escapees decided to join in the battle that occurred just outside of the house. Those would be, if you hadn't guessed, the four underage wizards currently among us. I am to understand that Miss Riddle was held as a hostage, but was soon released due to some Charms work by Harry."
Dumbledore paused to give Harry a wink, and then continued. "Miss Riddle will be facing a trial of custody sometime during the summer, and I would appreciate it if everyone who witnessed the battle today would attend."
Everybody who had been there nodded solemnly, realizing that if Silver's mother gained custody, Silver would be in for a rough time of it. Harry glanced at Silver and saw the fear that had entered her eyes. At Dumbledore's words, she had tensed up and bitten her lip, but Harry wasn't the only one who noticed. Snape subtly placed a hand on her shoulder, and she immediately sought refuge in the front of his robes. Although he didn't openly embrace her, or even put his arms around her, he fastened the one that had been on her shoulder around her waist. Harry figured that for him, that was the equivalent to jumping up, pulling her into a hug, and swinging her around. The mental picture made Harry grin.
"Now, I think it's time to explain a bit about your heritage, Silver, wouldn't you say?" Dumbledore asked, abandoning her formal title of 'Miss Riddle'.
Silver nodded slowly, not moving from her position in Snape's arms...well, actually, arm.
"For those of you who didn't know," Dumbledore said, his eyes lingering on Harry for a moment, "Silver's mother is Alexandra Meliflua, the only daughter of Araminta Meliflua. Araminta Meliflua was a member of the Black family, and..."
"She's related to Sirius!" Harry blurted suddenly as realization dawned on him, "Araminta Meliflua was his mother's cousin! She tried to make muggle hunting legal!"
Harry remembered the scenario clearly, now. He and Sirius had been looking at the Black family tree last year before school had started. Harry had been amazed that Sirius was related to the Malfoys, and...Lestrange. He gave a start as he realized that Silver was related to both Draco and Lestrange.
Dumbledore paused, his eyes resting on Harry for a long moment before answering. "Very well then, Harry," he said finally, "You've saved me some explaining."
Dumbledore then continued talking, but Harry was deaf to it all as he watched Silver. She was hiding her face in Snape's robes, as if too embarrassed to look at anyone. He realized that she must not have wanted to tell him because of all the – to put it plainly, idiots – she was related to. He thought it was rather silly, but then again, Silver was sensitive – it was one of the many things he loved about her.
"Hello, Earth to Harry!" Ron called, swinging his hand in front of Harry's face and obstructing his view of Silver.
Harry jumped up in order to be able to see Silver clearly once more. "What is it?" he asked.
"I hate to break it to you, mate, but she's not going anywhere," Ron said, "Seriously. Calm down."
Harry flatly ignored Ron, and a grin spread across his face as Silver said something to Snape, gave him a hug, and then turned and walked in their direction.
"Harry...Harry...Harry," Ron was saying, trying to get his attention.
Harry turned to him, still grinning. "She's beautiful," he announced.
He then turned to look at her again, and found, to his delight, that she was looking at him, as well.
"You're crazy," Ron commented.
Harry ignored him as Silver came within arm's length. He reached out and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a tight hug. She put her arms around him and hugged back, and he closed his eyes. It was as if he had become whole by having her in his arms. He didn't ever want to let go, for fear that he wouldn't be able to hold her again. This, he thought to himself as he tightened his arms around her, Is how things are supposed to be.