Author's Note:
Well, I saw Wakanda Forever last night and I cried like a baby. Absolutely stunning visually and seriously an amazing film. One of the better Marvel ones that have come out since End Game. Very well done!
For those of who celebrated a moment of silence today to honour the men and women who gave their lives in the First World War and for all of those who have given us the freedoms we have today since then, on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month, we will remember him. Thank you for your service. 🇨🇦
Reviews and Comments: To Tmrpotterhead250: Sorry to make the waterworks return! Having Charlie lose it was a suggestion from celtics534 and I loved it! Arthur was a damn good father and will be missed very much by not only his family, but my friends as well. Theo met Sadira, albeit briefly. Yes, Dennis and Edie are both gone as well. Good memory and yes, that will be addressed if she survives. Thank you for reviewing on both sites! Thank you. To gemini614: I love long reviews! I'm glad your favourite character survived lol. It is very sad that Arthur died, but him dying to let his children live is very reminiscent of James and Lily. There will be lots of aftermath as you can see, 9 more chapters worth lol. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! I'm so glad you think it's wrapping up beautifully. Harry being alone with the babies was needed for a little relief and for Harry. Thanks for loving the scene with Bas and his maman. Thank you for all of your kind support! To AngelOfHisLove: Harry has done very good. We will see more of Bas' family soon. Thank you! To Padfoot777: Thank you! Sorry the chapter was too short for you, but there's 9 more to come! Thanks for liking Bas' parents. To minerdude: Thank you for liking the time I'm taking with the aftermath. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Seeing Charlie break down definitely drove it home for Ginny. Yes, defeating a dark lord and child-rearing are definitely different skill sets lol. Thank you.
To A Huge Fan: I love that you had so many feels! Being worried about Tonks is fair. Well, Bas said I love you, Theo did not say it back in his tantrum. Hinny will definitely always support each other and I think Molly's reaction was so true to her character. She loves and trusts Harry deeply and knows how good he is for her daughter. Harry would teach the kids a swear word lol. Thank you! It is a sense of accomplishment, but yes, also relief. Thank you! To scrappy8: Many people were lost, yes. Thank you! To darkhk: You're welcome for not killing Theo or Bas. Thank you! To riddermark: I'm sorry you're emotionally exhausted but thanks for saying it was worth it. Thank you! To puttyman24: Remus and Sebastian are both all right, yes. As to Tonks, we will see. Thank you. To Nightwing2013: Nope, Neville would not be surprised his grandmother kicked a dragon's ass, she is a bag for sure lol. Yes, the Bones line is extinct now. Theo definitely was a bit of a drama queen there but he needed to have that tantrum for his own well being. Sadira is awesome and I'm excited to show more of her. Thank you for loving the Hinny moment at the end. Thank you!
To Bluerain22: I'm glad you loved Harry teaching the babies to say fuck lol. Happy to provide a laugh amidst the tears. Bas is going to be all right, yes. Thank you. To A Voodoo Gypsy: Yes, it's finally ending. I was beginning to think it never would myself, but no, 360 chapters, I will not be splitting them up to drag it out. Thank you. To the Mandalorian terminator: Thank you for saying I'm one of your favourite authors! Don't worry I'll be back with the third instalment at some point. Thank you! To harstonks: Thank you for saying the last chapter was both heartwarming and heart crushing. Thank you. To Read and Fly: I'm sorry to make you cry, but Ginny finding out was definitely going to be emotional no matter which way I wrote it. We will find out more about Tonks in this chapter. Thank you for saying you can feel the end coming and that I have done a remarkable job. I appreciate the support. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! Yes, Voldemort is dead! To Emma Janet: Thanks for loving seeing Harry and Remus reunite. Remus truly understood the weight on Harry's shoulders indeed. Sorry, I have no plans of Remus and Zee ending up together. Thank you. To MissKnowItAll: Thanks for loving my story and providing a first review! Yes, Zee is Remus' sister-in-law for all intents and purposes. Thank you! To one-of-a-kind-copycat: Thanks for loving Sebastian's mum! Yes, Harry defeating Voldemort and then babysitting for toddlers and infants does make sense, doesn't it? Thank you! To Cristina: Yes, Augusta and Griselda are definitely badasses. I'm glad I could make you laugh. I know, losing Dennis was hard and yes, the scene with Arthur and his family broke my heart writing it. Thank you for saying the Remus and Harry reunion is one of the sweetest moments. Thanks for loving my Bas and Theo moment. As for Sorcha, she was listening to the wireless, but she was also taking care of three babies. The woman fell asleep and I can't say I blamed her. She knew Harry would do it and yes, she never even considered the possibility of Misha being killed because he was always on dangerous missions. It made it hit harder for her. Thanks for loving the moment of Harry with the all of the kids. Thank you!
To Slaidback: Thank you for saying I've managed to depict the chaos well. Thank you! To alix33: Sirius is definitely always smoking hot lol. Thank you! To Sets: Happy Theo's reaction to Auror Arsehole made you laugh. Thank you! To ellyann13: I figured this was you, but thank you for the clarification. Sirius absolutely took a moment to watch the two old witches kick butt lol. I think he and James both did. Yes, Colin has learned the realities of being a war correspondent. Luna is a great friend. Hermione is a great friend too and she knew Harry needed to know what was going on. Theo was very happy to mention how sexy Harry looked battling Voldemort lol. Yes, Harry does want to hide out with the babies and his girlfriend for a while. Yes, Bas said he loves him, but Theo did not say it back. Thank you! To ascfan: Very few people really deserve to die, but I'm happy Fred didn't die either. Thank you! To Mutt N Feathers: Thank you! We'll find out about Tonks in this chapter. To pix25: Thank you! To Ian: Thanks for catching up and I really appreciate your kind words. Thank you! To Knightowl34: Thank you! I have considered writing a Marauder's era fic, but I never have the desire to finish them. The memories of ASC and the snippets that have become The First Time Around is the most I've ever done and were actually mostly written before ASC began. I did also write a Jily fic eight years ago called Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Thank you! To tim2604: I loved having Remus and Theo find each other in that crucial moment. They both needed support. Yes, god of thunder and maybe some resemblance in a dark and dashing sort of way. Harry did create an unstoppable chain reaction in the swearing lol. I loved Theo arguing with Bas and yeah, not really how Theo wanted to meet his mum lol. Thank you!
To CorbanD17: I did kill Arthur, but yes, Fred is alive. Thank you! To 19HuffleClaws: You will have to wait and see about Tonks! Thank you! To briana_t: Sorry to make you cry again. Sorcha is devastated about Misha and shocked. Harry with the babies was much needed. Thank you! To free_bee: Sorry to make you cry at the disco lol. Thank you for loving how I show everyone's side of things. Thank you for saying reading has been an incredible journey. Thank you. To AQuickRead91: Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Sorry to extract more tears. I'm glad you loved the Theobas moment with Sebastian's mum. Theo will definitely let Sebastian meet Oliver at some point. Thanks for liking the different grief reactions to everyone. We will see what happens to Hermione's parents as well. Thank you! To Mackie919: I know, I'm sad it's coming to an end as well. Poor Weasleys, Zee, and Sorcha. Thanks for loving the scene with Sebastian and Sadira. Molly and Harry's conversation was the perfect end in my opinion. Thank you! To AmericanDesi: Very well said. Death is an odd thing and it's so much harder on those who are left behind. Thank you very much! To : Well, I'm sorry you're sobbing in your car while your husband looked bewildered and concerned (convince him to read it lol). Thank you very much and yes, Neville of course called Kevin a hero (he has a kind heart). Thanks for loving seeing Augusta kicking butt with her bestie. Thank you!
To Masonjar191: Thank you! Harry was a bit overwhelmed with the kids lol. Thank you! To LadyRava: Thank you! To Joyce Foesenek: I know, letting Arthur die was hard, but it had to happen. Theo is very happy Sebastian is alive. Thank you! To PurpleLotus: Thank you! To BadWolfKris: Thank you! To bandhoez9194: Yes, toddlers learning a new word lol, thank you. Charlie would never guess Harry's the one who taught Aydin, he would blame everyone else first lol. Thank you so much for saying you are "dreading the end of such a masterpiece." You are too kind. Thank you! To Quenrin: Thank you for nonstop reading! I love that I've made you laugh and pissed off and cry and it makes me feel better than you're a 29-year-old-male. I find it so refreshing when I learn men are reading fanfiction too. Thank you so much! Sorry, I never got into Eragon so definitely won't be writing that. Thank you! To TatiRena: Sorry for the tears, but thank you. To katelyn453: Thank you for loving how Ginny and Sorcha reacted to the loss of their loved ones. Thank you! To Endinium: I'm sorry to make you cry the whole chapter but thank you for saying it was beautiful. I cannot believe ASC is almost over either. It's been a wild ride. Thank you!
To Sloopyqueen4: Thanks for catching up! I know, Dobby and Lady G back to to back and I left questions about Remus and Tonks. Yes, Mr Weasley and Misha as well. Thanks for loving Bas' mom. Thank you! To EnigmaticEmperor: Aftermaths are always hard. Yes, I wanted to make sure I had a throwback to Augusta and Griselda being awesome after they tried so hard to get into the Terra Troops to begin with. Yes, the fourth Patronus was rare and cool as fuck! Theo definitely met Sebastian's mum in style lol. Thank you for saying I have "mind-blowing world building." Thank you! To bihinnyshipper: Thank you very much! Theo is totally a diehard Hinny shipper, thanks for loving them as much (and him). You're welcome. I don't write a lot of f/f stuff just because it's not something I really want to do, but Padma and Lavender snuck up on me. Thank you so much for loving my world! To SMalfoy09: Wow! Thank you so much for saying while reading the chapter it felt like "the scene is playing right before me." Thank you! To ravenclaw_rockchick: I'm so sorry you sobbed so much it resulted in a headache, but I am completely honoured you reacted that way at the same time. Theo and Remus both needed each other there. Theo flirting is second nature, to be honest, I think it helps calm him sometimes. Thanks for loving Bas' mum and loving Harry taking care of the kids and teaching them to swear. It was fun. It was an emotional chapter. Thank you!
To Obscure-Reference-Girl: I love that you have so many feelings! Thank you for saying that means I'm doing something right as a writer! Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you very much! Yes, Dennis dying was meant to be reminiscent of Colin. Everyone was just reacting and trying to come to terms with everything that has happened. Neville's grandmother is definitely a very stubborn woman. Yes, the next few weeks will be a lot for Harry. Thank you! To Guest: Thanks for catching up! That's awesome that you've been reading for six months and caught up in time for the final ten chapters! Thank you! To Pearl1234: Thanks for catching up in time for the final ten chapters! Thank you! To notyap989: Thank you! To TomAvery: Thank you very much! To Saz J: Catching up before I post, Saz? I love it! Thanks for loving Harry with the kids and the Weasley grief. We will cross our fingers for Tonks to pull through. Thank you! To saucyswimmer: Thank you! We are all relieved about Remus, Zee, and Ginny. Thank you for saying the "closure these chapters are bringing to this part of the story is so beautiful and wonderful." Thank you for your kind words! To Guest: All true, but Harry takes things personally and holds the blame on his shoulders. Thank you! To Gigi87: Thank you! You are right, if Voldemort had dragons, I can totally see Augusta and Griselda taking one out — they are that badass! Thank you for finding Arthur's death so devastating, I wanted to show the family grieving such a wonderful man and father. You think Tonks will live but will be unable to have children. Yes, if Tonks were to become a werewolf, Remus would never forgive himself. Thanks for saying Harry's reaction to Remus being alive was so pure. Thank you! Bas finally told Theo he loves him and poor Theo was too shocked to reply — you're one of the only people to notice this lol. Yes, Theo is a bit afraid to verbalize his feelings because of what happened to Finn. Harry did give Ginny time to grieve with her family and then he definitely fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Thanks for loving the little Harry and Molly moment. Thank you very much!
To reginaphalange: Thank you! Yes, we do hope McGonagall will recover as well. Thank you for saying my "style of writing is absolutely powerful and messes with your emotions." You're welcome and thank you! To Oniros304: Bonjour in France! Your English is very clear, don't worry. Thank you very much for saying my story is one of the best you've read. The death of Sirius crushed me to write it so thank you for appreciating it. Yes, the story did need to pass onto Harry. Thanks for loving Harry and Ginny's relationship and thank you for saying the bloodlust potion chapters "were a pain to read as a reader but as a writer it was incredible storytelling." Thank you! I look forward you reading The First Time Around and leaving your thoughts. Thank you! To Kathythomas: Thank you for leaving a review, but it does say in the description of the story it will be a Hinny story so I really don't understand why you're shocked and disappointed. I have never shipped Harry and Hermione and don't write them together ever nor read any stories where they are together. Ron is one of my favourite characters and I do think he deserves Hermione. I don't know if you will keep reading or not, but if not, thanks for reading as much as you did. To Bellmel: Thank you for loving Theo yelling at Bas because he scared the crap put of him and then proceeding to yell at him some more because he told him he loved him when Theo thought he was dying. Aww, I'm so glad you liked Sadira. She knows her son well and yes, her sass to her son was so fun to write. Bas does think of him as "his Theo" and his mother knows him well. Yes, Ginny didn't know about her dad and having to find out was heartbreaking for her. Harry is worried about Ginny and of course blaming himself. Thank you for loving Remus' panic and heartbreak and Theo coming to comfort him. These two men, leaning on each other in a way neither expected. Remus and Zee needed to talk a bit about Harry because yes, they are very proud parents. Thank you! Thank you very much!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE:
The One With the Dance in the Rain
Sebastian found that arguing with Theo was almost impossible.
They left the hospital after the healers made him stay for five incredibly long days instead of the two they had first mentioned. There had been an internal infection from the kidney removal. He'd been forced to undergo more potion treatments while he stayed in the hospital before they would even consider releasing him. When he protested, his mother told him that she could make him stay in the hospital even longer if he didn't behave.
Sebastian knew better than to mess with Sadira Kane.
But he was starting to go a bit stir crazy between how the curse hit him, the removal of his kidney, and the potions they were making him take. He'd thankfully spent a lot of his time sleeping, but when he was awake, he was left to stare at the ceiling or twiddle his thumbs. The healers wouldn't let him read for more than an hour at a time because it was a strain on his eyes and he swore that the wireless was playing the same things over and over. Even Hidden Passions wasn't holding his attention the way it usually did. When Theo or his parents did visit, they clucked over him like mother hens. He was thankful when D and J showed up, until they took the healer orders just as seriously and refused to let him get out of his bed. Rotten friends, the lot of them. But when he'd snarled, Jin had only kissed his cheek.
"Yes, we're terrible. Now lie down and listen to us."
Sebastian had only scowled harder.
As to leaving St Mungo's, the healer insisted that he wouldn't be able to go home to an empty flat and Theo was refusing to budge on the taking care of him thing. He tried to talk Theo out of making him go home with him, but to no avail. His parents had finally left after that first day, but had popped in to check in on him twice after — not including his mother stopping in before, after, and during her shifts at the hospital, despite Sebastian's insistence that he was fine.
Now he was finally leaving the hospital and despite successfully convincing his parents, Theo wasn't budging. Theo accepted the car from St Mungo's to drive them to Fakenham, ignoring Sebastian's grumbles that he would be fine at his flat.
It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with Theo because he definitely did, but the last thing that Sebastian wanted was to be an inconvenience to his boyfriend. He just wanted to stay home and heal by himself so that he could show Theo how much he appreciated him when he was better. He didn't want to be a bother to anyone. He didn't want to make Theo take care of him when he had things to do.
Once they were through the gates, Theo stubbornly insisted on making him stay in the wheelchair provided by St Mungo's, ignoring Sebastian's protests that he could clearly walk. His protests were met upon deaf ears as Theo ordered Clove and Esmeralda to help him get Sebastian up to his bedroom.
Ten minutes later, the house elves had levitated him in the wheelchair up the stairs and Theo had settled Sebastian into the huge bed in the master suite.
"This is bloody ridiculous! I can walk!"
"No," Theo said, tucking him in and fluffing the pillows behind his head. "You're still sore and the healer's orders were to take it easy and to get help moving around for at least another week."
"Theo," Sebastian began for the umpteenth time. "I don't need you to take care of me. I'll be fine in my own flat, I swear it."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that I'm stupid, Sebastian?"
"What?"
"Do you think that I'm stupid?"
"No!" Sebastian exclaimed, bewildered. "Why in Merlin would I think that?"
"Well, obviously you do," Theo insisted. "Because we both know that if I let you go back to your own flat, you wouldn't take it easy. You would in fact do things that you aren't supposed to be doing and oh yeah, you most certainly wouldn't take care of yourself properly."
Sebastian pouted. "I'm not stupid either, you know."
Theo leaned in and kissed the end of his nose. "Let me take care of you, Bas. It's my fault that you were hurt."
"No, baby, it's not," Sebastian insisted. "I'd make the same choice every time."
Theo's cheeks heated. "Then shut up and let me take care of you for once."
Sebastian sighed. "What am I supposed to do all day?"
"Rest," Theo quipped. He stood up and opened the case with the potions in them, lining them up on the bedside table. "Here, this is the first one you need to take. Don't roll your eyes at me, either, or I really will tie you to the bed."
Sebastian's lips twitched as he accepted the measured out potion that Theo passed him. He drank it down with a grimace and passed the cup back to him. "There. Happy now?"
"Not entirely," Theo said.
Sebastian watched as he took a few minutes to tidy up the potions, organizing them on the night table with the list of instructions from the healer. He reached out to grab his hand and Theo's brown eyes fell on him.
"I'm really okay, baby; you know that, right?"
Theo's eyes softened as he sat on the side of the bed. "I'm glad of it, but you're still my prisoner until your potions are all gone."
Sebastian felt the drowsiness of the potion already kicking in as he nodded. "Fine, but is it too much to ask for you to at least be naked while you play healer?"
Theo chuckled and kissed his cheek. "No strenuous activity, Sebastian. That was the healers orders."
"I can keep my hands to myself," he mumbled, his eyes drooping. "I'd just appreciate the view."
His eyes were already closing when he felt Theo's lips press against his forehead.
"Goodnight."
Theo left Sebastian sleeping in his bed, feeling a little less stressed now that his boyfriend was tucked away safely. He knew that the fact that Sebastian was so surly and growly meant that he was indeed going to be all right.
The potions he was taking were to keep infection away after removing his kidney, to help remove all traces of dark magic, and to assist in healing any bruised organs. Theo was well aware that Sebastian could walk by himself. He no longer had any sharp pains in his side and was doing very well, but the healers had said that he needed to take it easy and to spend at least another week resting. Theo was going to make sure his boyfriend did exactly that.
He made his way down into the kitchens to talk to the house elves and instructed them that under no circumstances was Sebastian to be moving from that bed. He had a few errands to run and most likely would be back before Sebastian woke up, but he wasn't going to risk it just in case.
It was why he'd attended Ciara's funeral alone that afternoon. When Harry had shown up, he turned into the man's arms, grateful for the warm embrace as he grieved. He spoke to the Alexander family, offering his condolences. Niamh hugged him tightly, telling him how important he was to her daughter. Theo couldn't express how much he was going to miss his little duck.
He went over to speak to Julian, to see how he was doing. The boy was devastated at losing his two best friends, but seemed to be doing all right considering. Theo told him to write to him if he ever needed anything and had been surprised when Julian hugged him in response.
After the funeral, he ran a few errands before returning to Norfolk Manor. He was exhausted both physically and mentally and relieved when Kiki told him that Sebastian was still sleeping. Kiki asked him what he would like for dinner and he requested soup. Sebastian hadn't had much of an appetite the last few days and with his hunger finally returning, he didn't want to give him too much to handle. Plus, he thought warm soup would be comforting all around right about now.
He hurried upstairs to check on Sebastian and the sight of him sleeping soundly made him breathe a sigh of relief. His head was turned into the pillow and a purring Oliver was stretched out half on Sebastian's neck and half on the pillow as if he was guarding him. He reached over to pet Oliver behind the ears and the cat leaned into his hand. He was glad Oliver was watching over him, too. Theo knew that he wanted to take care of Sebastian and he knew that despite how much better he was doing, he was going to get only more surly over the next week or so.
Part of him was even kind of looking forward to dealing with Auror Arsehole.
Not to mention the one unspoken thing that neither of them had mentioned.
Sebastian had told him that he loved him and Theo hadn't said anything back.
He bit his lip as he quietly put away his purchases and moved into the bathroom to take a shower. Hearing Sebastian say those words had been everything that he hadn't realized he'd been waiting for and yet, he hadn't been able to say them back. He wasn't sure why, not entirely. All he knew was that he'd almost lost him. Sebastian had been bleeding out in his arms and all Theo could see was the downward spiral he'd fallen into after losing Finn.
If he lost Sebastian, he wasn't sure that he would survive it.
And then there was the Patronus.
Ron, of all people, had made the connection, and bloody hell, a matching Patronus wasn't something that happened every day. And they didn't just match, they were the same bloody animal! That somehow terrified him even more. Theo wanted nothing more than to sit by Sebastian's bedside and tell him that he loved him. He wanted to hold his hand and tell him how desperately he'd fallen and how much he needed him in his life.
But the words got stuck in his throat.
And Sebastian hadn't said the words again.
So, instead, Theo thought that he would do what he did best — ignore it. For now. Once Sebastian was back on his feet, he would tackle it again. Until then, he was going to make sure that his boyfriend was comfortable, healing, and happy.
And he had the perfect start to making him smile.
It wasn't until a few days later though that he was able to put it into motion. When Sebastian woke up, Theo was sitting in the sitting room of the master suite, the wireless on low. He heard the movement and turned to look over and saw Sebastian's blue eyes on him.
"Hi," Theo said, standing up. "Did you sleep all right?"
"Good, yeah," Sebastian said, his voice scratchy. "Can I get some water?"
Theo moved to pour him a glass of water from the pitcher and passed it over to him. Sebastian drank greedily, his blue eyes roaming over the short white robe that Theo was wearing. It had brass buttons all down the front and they were buttoned all the way up and went almost to his knees.
"What are you wearing?"
Theo grinned and turned around to show Sebastian the caduceus design on the back. "It's a healer's robe. I wouldn't want you to think that I'm not taking this seriously."
Sebastian snorted. "You bought an outfit to take care of me in?"
"Yes," Theo said, urging him to drink more water. "Healer Nott at your service."
Sebastian reached out to trace his finger over the white lapels of the robe, buttoned up almost to his neck. "I think the lack of trousers means that I can't consider it to be a real healer's robe."
"Bollocks, I really thought it was professional," Theo teased, pouting. "I'll just unbutton it."
Sebastian's eyes darkened as Theo unbuttoned the short robe. "Do you have anything on under there?"
"Hmm… maybe?" Theo teased, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
He continued to unbutton the robe until it was spread open and Sebastian's eyes widened. Theo was wearing nothing beneath the robe except for a white g-string with the caduceus symbol over his groin. Theo pulled his wand out of his pocket.
"Let me check your temperature. You look a little… flushed."
Sebastian licked his lips as Theo held the tip of his wand to his forehead and then leaned in to fluff his pillow some more. "You're a tease." When Theo's hand rested on his thigh, he closed his eyes. "Fuck…"
Theo tried not to smirk at the growl Sebastian emitted. "Hmm, that's not plausible right now. You ready for something to eat?"
"I certainly want to eat something," Sebastian said, eyeing his arse with interest.
Theo slapped the hand away that was kneading his arse. "Nothing strenuous, Auror Arsehole. It's your job to rest."
"I would definitely be resting," Sebastian said. "My tongue in your arse wouldn't be strenuous for me at all."
Theo blushed and scampered off down to the sitting room to get the tray of food that Kiki had prepared for them. He carried it up the step towards the bed and carefully placed it over his lap.
"Kiki made you loaded potato soup instead of chicken noodle. Let's give you something with a little more sustenance."
Sebastian let his gaze drop down to Theo's groin before those blue eyes met his and he licked his lips. "Right, sustenance."
Theo thought that he might actually die from being so turned on, but he ignored his boyfriend and ordered him to eat.
Sebastian ate the soup, not as much as he normally would have, but he finished half a bowl with a smile and took his potions without complaint before insisting he needed to use the loo. He glowered at Theo as he helped him to his feet. Theo was pleased to see that he was moving fairly well, but he still kept his arm around him for support as he knew Sebastian's legs were a little weak still from being in bed and resting.
"Need me to hold it for you?" Theo teased.
Sebastian shoved his pyjama bottoms down and tossed a look over his shoulder. "If you hold it for me I'm going to have a problem that has nothing to do with needing to take a piss."
Theo grinned and left him alone to do his business.
The next four days were very much the same. Sebastian slept through most of them, his eyes darkening when Theo gave him sponge baths in the bed, always wearing that white healer robe and g-string (Theo had bought four of the outfits) and as the potions winded down, Sebastian was starting to feel more like himself. He wasn't sleeping as much and he was able to stand and take a few steps on his own without any pain. When Theo asked him if he wanted another sponge bath, Sebastian shook his head.
"No, I want a bloody shower," Sebastian admitted.
Theo shook his head. "You're not strong enough to stand in the shower that long yet. I'll draw you a bath instead."
He helped Sebastian into the huge master bathroom and ordered him to sit down on the small seat next to the large raised tub. Sebastian sat, eyes alight in amusement as Theo dropped in different coloured products and then ordered him to undress and get in.
"Going to give me a bath, Healer Nott?"
"Yes, Auror Arsehole," Theo teased. "Get in the tub."
Sebastian did as instructed, slowly lowering himself down into the water. After over a week of nothing but sponge baths and refreshing charms, it felt like heaven on his aching body. The water was hot and frothy in pink bubbles that smelt like raspberries and cream with a hint of lavender. Theo sat on the steps of the tub, a warm cloth in his hand as he gently began to wash his shoulders.
Sebastian sighed. "Thank you."
Theo paused in his ministrations. "Oh?"
"This is nice," he admitted. "You taking care of me. I'm sorry that I was such a wanker about it."
"I want to take care of you," Theo said. "I want to make sure you heal. Lean forward."
Sebastian did as instructed, closing his eyes as Theo ran the warm wet cloth over his back and shoulders. "No one ever has before."'
Theo traced his thumb over Sebastian's jaw. A beard was starting to grow in, he noted, the stubble thickening around his face since he hadn't shaved. He brushed his bottom lip.
"Maybe that's because you didn't let them."
"No," Sebastian said. "No one ever tried. I caught the Black Cat Flu when I was with my ex and it was… bad. I was off work for over a week, kind of bad. Only my mum came to check on me."
"Your boyfriend didn't take care of you?"
"No," Sebastian said. "I could take care of myself, but it would have been nice if he'd at least checked in to see if I was okay or offered to bring me food or something."
Theo continued to run the warm cloth over Sebastian's back and chest, taking his time to wash his arms, tracing every finger. "Well, I like taking care of you. You took care of me when I needed it and now it's my turn to repay the favour."
"It's not the same," Sebastian said, sighing in pleasure as the warm cloth moved over his throat. "You just needed to talk and to be held and I'm… this is different."
"It's not," Theo insisted. "Now shush and let me bathe you."
Sebastian's blue eyes met his, a soft smile on his lips as the warm cloth moved under the water to move over his thighs. "Well, Healer Nott, you look like you're getting a bit flushed, why don't you unbutton that frock?"
"That would be highly unprofessional, Auror Arsehole."
The warm cloth brushed over Sebastian's groin and his eyes darkened.
"Unbutton it, Theo. I want to see if you're still wearing that ridiculous g-string underneath it."
The gruff, demanding voice made him pause, but Theo dropped the cloth in the bubbles and stood on the bottom step looming over the large bathtub. He'd rather enjoyed traipsing about the house wearing only his healer robe, knowing that it was driving Sebastian completely mad to not know what he wore beneath it. Theo had intentionally not let his boyfriend see beneath the robe since that first day. He turned around, eyes on the huge mirror on the wall that reflected his body back at him. He could see Sebastian's head in the tub, the way those eyes raked him in. He took his time, unbuttoning every brass button before he slowly dropped the robe off of his shoulders and to the floor. The sharp intake of breath that escaped Sebastian's lips had him looking back over his shoulder.
"Does it look ridiculous?"
Theo had to admit, he'd never worn anything like this before, but when he'd seen it as part of the healer costume, he'd been unable to resist. It barely covered him and yet he'd worn it every day under his white robe and nothing else as he took care of Sebastian, refusing to unbutton his robe again since the first day and show his boyfriend. He'd known it had driven him mad. He couldn't count the number of times that Sebastian's hands had attempted to slide up his thighs under the robe and how many times Theo had pushed him off.
He wasn't going to let his boyfriend start something that they couldn't finish. And Theo very much wanted to finish.
"Fuck me," Sebastian murmured, a hand reaching up to cup a butt cheek. His finger slipped under the string, tracing the cleft of his arse. "I thought you didn't wear these kinds of knickers?"
"I don't usually," Theo said. "But it was part of the costume and I thought you might like it."
"Like isn't the word I'd use," Sebastian muttered. "Fuck, this is sexier than I remembered. Have you been wearing this every day?"
Theo moved away from his hands and sat on the steps of the tub again. "No. Sometimes I've worn nothing at all."
Sebastian's eyes darkened. "Theo…"
"Nuh-uh. Now that you've seen what's underneath my robes, let me finish giving you a bath."
Theo picked the washcloth back up, taking his time to wash his boyfriend's thighs, stroking his calves, his ankles, between his toes. He snuck a look back at him and saw the tip of his hard cock was sticking out of the bubbles.
"Oooh, that looks like it might be a problem. Shall I wash that too?"
Sebastian growled and leaned forward to grip the back of his neck, tugging him closer. His lips crashed into his and Theo groaned into his mouth as they kissed long and hard. Theo slid his hand down Sebastian's strong defined chest and wrapped his hand around him. The hiss Sebastian made caused Theo's lips to curve against his.
"Healer Nott at your service," he teased as he began to pump him.
Sebastian's head fell back. "By all means, heal me."
Theo worked him faster, his hand gripping him the perfect amount as he pumped his cock, using his other hand to play with his balls.
"Mmm," Sebastian said, reaching his hand out to pull Theo's mouth to his. "Oh, fuck, yeah…"
Theo kissed him, keeping it soft and gentle while he jerked him off with his hands and when Sebastian came, he grunted and moaned Theo's name. Theo kissed his cheek as he finished him off and then picked up the wash cloth again.
"Looks like you've gotten rather dirty again, Auror Arsehole. Let me take care of you."
Sebastian kept his eyes on his as Theo washed the mess from his chest and finished wiping him down in the warm bubbles. Then he stood up, his own erection barely contained in the white g-string. He reached for a towel as Sebastian turned his head, dragging his tongue across the white silk and Theo shuddered.
"No, no, no," he hissed, jumping away from him. "No strenuous activity! Healer's orders!"
Sebastian licked his bottom lip. "My mouth wasn't injured, Theo."
Theo ignored his aching cock and held the towel out for his boyfriend. Sebastian slowly stood up from the tub, his tall muscled body looking even more gorgeous as water droplets dripped down his skin. Theo couldn't stop himself from taking him in and it made his cock stir even more.
"Let me dry you off and then you're getting back into bed."
Sebastian didn't say anything, but those blue eyes stayed on him as Theo took more time than was necessary to dry him off. Then he grabbed a bottle of moisturizing lotion and took his time rubbing it over every inch of his boyfriend's skin. By the time he finished, Sebastian was hard again. Theo grabbed a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms that he'd bought for Sebastian, holding them out so that Sebastian could step into them. He stared at him in amusement but Sebastian let him assist in dressing him.
"Did you buy me another pair of pyjamas?"
"Yes," Theo said. "Silk is nice, isn't it?"
His lips curved in amusement. "Thank you."
Theo took his arm and led him back into the bedroom, urging him to get back into bed. He tucked him in and pulled his healer robe back over his shoulders. "Okay, now I'll go get you some food and we'll listen to the wireless, all right?"
Sebastian grabbed his hand and before Theo could protest, he yanked hard enough to make him topple down onto the bed next to him. Sebastian hovered over him, forcing a leg between his to hold him in place.
"As much as I'm enjoying you playing healer, baby, I think it's time you realize I'm feeling better."
"I know you're feeling better," Theo breathed. "It's been over a week and you only have one more day of potions."
"Yes," Sebastian said. "One more day which means I'm basically good as new."
"You're still weak."
"That's because you won't let me get out of bed."
"That's not… after your potions are done, we'll go for a walk around the gardens and get your strength back."
Sebastian's mouth pressed against his throat. "I think I just need a little inspiration."
Theo pushed his shoulder to no avail. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Absolutely. Resting is very good. I'm lying down, aren't I?"
"With me underneath you," Theo protested. "That doesn't count!"
Sebastian chuckled, his lips moving down Theo's neck, over his collarbone, and down his chest. "Mmm, make me stop."
He would. He absolutely would, he thought as that hot mouth moved lower and lower and lower. When his tongue swiped over the white silk again, Theo trembled.
"Seems someone is anxious to get out of here," Sebastian teased.
"Bas… fuck, no, stop! You need to be taking it easy."
Sebastian palmed him through the scrap of silk. "I am taking it easy. My hands and mouth weren't injured." He palmed him again and smiled. "Hmm, a wet spot here… you wouldn't be enjoying this, would you, Healer Nott?"
Theo trembled. "No. Not at all. Nope. Nope." He pushed Sebastian off of him and scrambled off of the bed. "Rest. You need to rest."
Sebastian groaned and buried his face in the pillow. "I've rested enough. Come back here."
"No," Theo said. "Not unless you promise not to touch my cock."
Sebastian bit his bottom lip, his eyes dark in desire. "I will never promise that."
"Stay," Theo ordered, hurrying away from the bed and into the bathroom.
"Theo, if you touch yourself in there, we're going to have a problem," Sebastian threatened.
Theo closed the door behind him and let out a long breath. Yup, Sebastian Kane was going to kill him. He stood there, trying to breathe slowly and trying to think of anything and everything to kill the massively hard erection that he was sporting. When nothing seemed to be working, he merely marched to the shower and turned the water on ice cold. He yelped when it hit him, but it certainly helped.
When he came back into the bedroom, Sebastian was looking at him in amusement. "Was that really necessary?"
"Yes," Theo insisted. "You need to rest and not overexert yourself. Now, back under the covers, Auror Arsehole."
Sebastian sighed, but did as Theo ordered, smiling when Theo crawled into the bed next to him. "Change your mind?"
Theo ignored him and waved his wand to turn on the wireless. "Shush. It's time for Hidden Passions."
Sebastian entwined his fingers with his, moving over to wrap his arms around Theo, spooning him in the huge bed. "Okay, we'll lie here and snuggle while we listen, then."
Theo closed his eyes as Sebastian's hard cock nestled against his arse. He was suddenly regretting this decision already. But Sebastian was smiling and healing and nothing else mattered.
Oliver hopped up onto the bed, meowing, settling himself up near Sebastian's face. Sebastian reached up to stroke the cat, his lips pressed against Theo's shoulder.
"You're amazing, Theo. I adore you."
Theo rolled over to face him. "Are you really feeling better?"
"Yes," Sebastian promised. "I feel good. My personal healer has been taking very good care of me."
Theo's lips curved. "Okay, we can go outside for a walk. Just let me get dressed."
"Nuh-uh," Sebastian said, kissing Theo's forehead. "I want my healer to stay in his healer robes."
"Fine. But we're just going for a walk around the gardens. Not far."
Sebastian chuckled as he got out of bed. "You forget that your garden is massive."
"Good," Theo said, tossing a pair of socks at his boyfriend along with his trainers. "Maybe you'll be too tired to want to suck me off then."
Sebastian licked his lips. "Nope. I will definitely not be too tired for that."
Theo put on his own socks and trainers before he walked around the bed to take Sebastian's hand in his own. "Okay, new deal. We're going to walk around the garden and if you can make it around at least half without being winded or sore, I'll let you suck me off."
"And if I don't?"
"Then you come right back up here, get into bed, and take a pain potion. Deal?"
Sebastian pecked his lips. "Challenge accepted. Let's go."
"It wasn't a challenge," Theo began, but Sebastian was already moving to the door of the bedroom with a gleam in his eye and Theo couldn't help but smile.
Yeah, his boyfriend was definitely feeling better.
~ ASC ~
The next few weeks went by in almost a blur in Harry's mind. He spent his free time helping rebuild the castle with Ron and Hermione in between the constant influx of funerals that he felt obligated to attend.
Most he wanted to. Most he felt like he needed to be there for, but some of them… some were just hard. Especially the ones of those he didn't know, but who had died trying to help defend the castle. Those were the most difficult, not knowing the person behind the face and knowing that they'd died to help him win against Voldemort; those, he took responsibility for.
Arthur's funeral was large. All of the Weasley cousins and aunts and uncles had been in attendance to pay their respects towards the great man. Molly kept moving between the arms of one of her children as she stared stoically at the coffin when it was lowered to the ground. According to Ginny, she was trying to keep up appearances, to be strong for her kids, but she spent her nights crying in their bed.
Her children did their best to console her.
Misha's funeral had been the next one. A powerful and well known Auror, he'd drawn people in from all over the world. His family had come over from Russia to grieve and to remember him and Harry had found himself engulfed in the arms of Misha's parents. Harry did his best to make time to be there for those around him, to lend a shoulder to Zee and Sorcha whenever he could.
Harry and Zee buried Lady Godiva themselves, outside in the garden of Black Cottage, right next to Marauder under the large tree. Then McGonagall held a memorial service at Hogwarts for everyone who had been killed including the house elves who had given their lives to the cause. It wasn't only Dobby who had passed, but six elves who worked in the kitchens and two who handled the cleaning.
Members of the different defence squads had all taken hits. Fifty-seven people had been killed from the defence squad and even though Harry had never known any of them alive, he knew their names now. On top of the fifty-seven, the Order of the Phoenix lost Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher, and Alastor Moody. Eight other Aurors had been killed as part of the explosion of Amethyst Inferno along with Misha. It had taken over a week to identify the remains. Five wolves had been killed: Maia Roberts, Hawk Roberts, Damion Adams, and two others whose names Harry didn't know. Two Merpeople were killed, one centaur, Killian the Norwegian Ridgeback, and almost all of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts. Hogwarts lost forty-three students and two professors during the Battle of Hogwarts including Mila St James, Ciara Casey, Dennis Creevey, Terry Boot, Susan Bones, Lily Moon, Natalie Monroe, Freya Sloan, Edith Carlyle, Tracey Davis, Parvati Patil, Kevin Entwhistle, Imogen Landers, David Gunderson, Su Li, Bettina Addersworth, Stephen Cornfoot, Lavender Brown, Professor Babbling, and Professor Trelawney. Professors Sinistra, McGonagall, and Birmingham were all seriously injured in the battle, but were thankfully going to make a full recovery.
McGonagall, after trying to keep control and coordinate people in the Great Hall, had collapsed due to her injuries. After the slight panic that had caused, Flitwick took over keeping the castle organized. McGonagall was taken to St Mungo's (under protest) as Flitwick helped usher students to bed and arranged trips home for others. Half the students had stayed the night in the castle and taken the Hogwarts Express home in the morning, but many students had gone home with their families after the battle.
Zee only spent one day in St Mungo's before the healers released her to return home. Tonks spent six. Once she'd regained consciousness, her health had started to improve. She was still weak from the blood loss and sore in her side from where she'd been hit, giving her another nasty scar, but she was alive which was all that mattered. Whatever it was that had hit her, had almost killed her and the only way to save her life had been to remove her uterus in a complete hysterectomy. The spell had done too much damage and when she woke in the hospital and the healers told her the news, she'd cried. But Remus only kissed her and held her close, telling her how grateful he was that she was alive.
The healers had also revealed that Remus' blood had done nothing to Tonks' body and once the healers left, Tonks told Harry and Remus that she already knew she was safe from that.
"How?" Remus asked. "Fuck, you could have suffered an even worse fate because of me!"
"No," Tonks whispered. "Maia told me that once we were equals, you can't turn me."
Remus' eyes widened in surprise. "I… I forgot. I have never seen it tested."
Tonks kissed his hand. "I'm all right, Remus. I'm going to be okay. Promise."
Remus kissed her forehead tenderly and Harry left them alone to have a moment, feeling better knowing that Tonks was going to be coming home safe and sound.
Harry took care of Teddy most of the days that she was in the hospital, trying to help Remus as much as he could since Remus didn't want to leave his wife's side. Teddy slept between Remus and Harry's arms almost in constant rotation. Once Tonks had gone home, Harry told them that if they needed anything to let him know, but he knew that Remus was just anxious to get her back home and safe. Remus spent two more days making sure his wife was settled before he returned to Hogwarts to help with the reconstruction of the castle.
Losing Misha had been hard on the family. Sorcha wasn't as vibrant as usual and Colt and Flo were spending more time at the cottage to help Zee with Mina and Leo. They checked in with Sorcha and tried to keep her mind off of things, but the grief in her eyes was raw. Zee had taken it hard as well. Harry tried to comfort her, putting the twins to bed and holding her as she cried. He understood her grief. Losing a father was one of the hardest things in the world.
Everyone had lost someone and it was difficult to process that; to figure out where to go next.
Each funeral only further stressed that growing sense of loss. Each funeral had been different and yet very much the same. Harry remembered how he'd found Theo standing alone at Ciara's funeral last week. Harry had gone to stand next to him, wrapping an arm around him as the man cried, wishing that he could do more to help his friend through his grief. Harry had stood in the back as Lavender's mother made a speech at her daughter's funeral and watched Padma cry in Mandy's arms. He stood next to Mandy and Anthony when Padma spoke about her sister and what it was like to lose a twin. He watched Aurors tell tales about Moody and each funeral only further proved how many people had truly been lost.
But the hardest part of all of it was figuring out how to move forward and what to do next. While Hogwarts was rebuilding, it meant that classes had ended. For sevens this wasn't a problem, as they'd only had a week left before NEWT preparation began. It was the same for those getting ready to write their OWLS. The other years examinations had been cancelled altogether due to the Battle of Hogwarts, which the Daily Prophet had aptly named the May Second Attack. McGonagall and Henry Richardson were organizing OWLs and NEWTs to be written at the Ministry of Magic during the last week of May and the first week of June. Letters had already gone out with dates and times that Harry was required to be present at to write his final exams. It was a plan which somehow made it easier on him; one less thing for him to worry about.
In between funerals, Harry spent his free time playing with Mina and Leo, visiting more with Teddy, and going to and from the castle to help with the rebuilding. He convinced McGonagall to come home for dinner with him nine times out ten, and her mood always brightened when she snuggled with Mina and Leo and kissed them before bed. Dean and Professor De Milo were working on restoring the paintings and portraits that had been ruined in the battle along with help from other artists that Kellan Morgan, Dean's father, helped recruit. Professors and magiarchitects worked together to build walls back up, reinforce wards, and put together the mess that the battle and explosions had caused. Most of the seventh years from Defence Club travelled back and forth to Hogwarts and worked as a team to help clean the castle, to work on the castle wards, and to help wherever the professors needed them.
It was a slow process, but Harry could already see the improvements taking place. It was all slowly coming together. At the end of one afternoon that involved Neville giving directions on how to fix the destroyed landscape, Anthony Goldstein had cleared his throat to invite everyone to his house the second week of June.
"I know that none of us feels like celebrating," Anthony began. "But I think that we deserve it. I want our year to get together, to celebrate our futures, and to remember the friends we lost. I'll be sending invites to everyone officially for when exams are done."
Padma, who had been by every day to help, let out a sob. Harry looked over at her as Mandy put her arm around the witch. He knew that she was definitely having a hard time. Parvati had been killed outright in the battle, but Lavender… she'd been torn apart by werewolves and vampires and been in critical condition for almost five days before finally passing. From what Harry understood, Padma hadn't left her girlfriend's bedside and when the healers told her that Lavender had died, she'd lost it. He couldn't imagine losing a twin sister and the woman he loved all within a span of a few days. He thought maybe Goldstein had a point.
Maybe they did need this.
Between funerals, keeping busy, and trying to be everywhere that he was needed, Harry did have one thing that he couldn't stop thinking about. Higgins and Atwell had popped by Wrexham to check in on Tonks a few days after she'd come home from St Mungo's. Harry had been visiting at the time and Atwell dropped a bombshell on them.
There were a few Death Eaters who had escaped through the Forbidden Forest, either by making a deal with the Acromantulas to get through or somehow escaped by means yet unknown. But three of them had disappeared in secret and no one had figured out how they'd managed to escape the castle once Voldemort had fallen: Bellatrix Lestrange, Belladonna Brambilla, and Barty Crouch Jr. The thought of those three being out there made Harry sick as they were the worst of the lot.
Atwell assured him that they would be found. "They can't get far, Potter. With Voldemort gone, his death has taken down most of their hideouts. MIA Aurors already found Avery Castle and cleaned it out along with a handful of other holdings. Those who were captured have been singing like canaries. They know that he's really gone this time around and no one is willing to hold anything back."
"It took some doing," Higgins continued, "but we finally managed to get the goblins to assist us in freezing their assets in Gringotts. They don't have access to anything. They can't stay in hiding forever."
Harry listened with half an ear as Atwell explained how they were wanted for crimes against humanity all over the world and how their wanted posters were being distributed in countries all over. Since the French, Bulgarian, and Russian ministries had all applied aid through the defence department, many of them were assigning crimes to Death Eaters for crimes committed in their countries as well. The MIA were keeping track of the ones who had committed crimes internationally and they were to be sentenced by an international Wizengamot and sent to Nurmengard Prison instead of Azkaban.
People were talking. Jones and Jameson were making sure that no one who was associated with Voldemort was being let off the hook.
Luna had gone back to collect the broken Horcrux shells on the shore of the Black Lake after the battle had ended. Harry had been half asleep with Mina and Leo in his arms when she'd come out of the Floo the next morning and informed him that one part was missing — the Resurrection Stone. Knowing who escaped and knowing that the stone was missing on top of it made dread rise up inside of him. After thanking Luna and taking the broken Horcruxes back from her, he'd immediately sent a Patronus to Kingsley asking to talk.
"They won't be able to get to him, Potter," Kingsley assured him when he Floo called to speak with him. "The coroner did a full autopsy last night and this morning, we cremated him. I stood there myself. His ashes were disposed of; scattered to the wind. There's nothing left of Lord Voldemort aka Tom Marvolo Riddle. There's no amount of dark magic that can bring him back. Not this time. Not without a body or a part of his body and I can guarantee you — we burned all of it."
Harry trusted that Kingsley was right about that. He knew that it had been the end, there had been no Horcruxes left for Voldemort to cling to, but it still filled him with a sense of dread that he couldn't process.
It was why it was still on his mind almost a week later as he sat by the pond at the Burrow on a conjured blanket. It had been almost three weeks since the Battle of Hogwarts and today was the first time that Harry had really given himself a moment to breathe; to take it all in. Between funerals and hospital visits, helping with Mina, Leo, and Teddy, and helping rebuild and reconstruct the damage done to Hogwarts during the battle, Harry was exhausted. He sat now on the soft blanket under the big English oak. He had his legs spread so that Ginny sat between them, her back resting against his chest. His fingers entwined with hers in her lap as they sat in contemplative silence, looking out over the field and the water.
Harry had made time to come by and see her almost every day since the battle, to check in on Molly and everyone, to see if he could help. They were all taking it one day at a time, but losing Arthur had left a hole that they all felt. Harry spent most nights with Ginny as well. Twice they'd fallen asleep talking on the mirrors and once Harry had woken to find Ginny wrapped around him in his bed, but most nights, he went to her. Molly didn't say anything and Harry was pretty sure that she knew, but he held Ginny close at night and she clung to him.
He knew that she needed that closeness just as much as he did.
The first drop of rain hit his cheek; jolting him out of his thoughts as he looked across the pond. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the dark clouds moving in.
"Want to go inside?" he asked, pressing his lips to Ginny's ear.
Ginny shook her head, leaning back against Harry more securely. "No. I love the rain. Can we just sit here a little longer?"
Harry kissed her temple. "As long as you want."
The drops came down a little quicker now and when the skies seemed to open up rather suddenly, Ginny let out a startled laugh. Harry watched as she jumped up to her feet, her arms up above her head as she looked up at the sky and laughed in the rain.
As he watched her, Harry realized that it was the first time he'd really heard her laugh since her father had died. It was the first time that he'd seen her smile. He stayed seated on the blanket as the warm spring rain fell and just watched her. Her long red hair was soaked to her back, to her neck. Long strands were stuck to her face and he watched her twirl and laugh, face upturned towards the sky. Her brown eyes were alight in pure joy and he clambered to his feet to grab her hands.
She shrieked in delight when he spun her into a dance. Her eyes lit up as the lightning glimmered across the sky and the tempo of the rain increased. Neither of them spoke as they stood there, swaying in the warm rain. When she stood on her toes, sliding her hands up his chest to kiss him, he tasted the rain on her skin.
The moment her lips touched his, Harry realized how much he'd missed kissing her. How much he missed touching her. Between the healers' orders, the funerals, and their grief, neither of them had done more than hold hands and hold each other late into the night. But now with her lips on his, he was suddenly ravenous for her.
The warm spring rain continued to pelt down on them, but neither of them made any effort to move. He moved his hand up her spine, holding her hip with the other as his lips brushed hers again and again and again. When their tongues met, she moaned, and the sound went straight to his cock.
"Harry…"
He pulled his lips from hers to pepper hot kisses down her throat. Ginny tilted her head back to give him better access and when he sucked on her pulse, she trembled against him.
"Touch me. Please."
Harry pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. Her lips were swollen from his and her gaze dark in desire. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, rain still falling down on them.
"What do you want, Gin?"
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving his. "I want…"
"What?" he whispered.
Her tongue darted out to touch his thumb and desire shot through him.
"I want to come on your tongue."
Harry was pretty sure every drop of blood in his body was now between his legs. He crushed his mouth to hers, walking her backward to the blanket on the grass as the rain slowed. He used a drying charm on the blanket as he lowered her onto it and as his mouth met hers, a shield jumped around them to keep the rain as well as anyone away from the area.
Ginny's breath hitched as he undid her jeans, tugging the damp denim down her thighs and tossing them next to them. Then he pressed his mouth to her damp cotton knickers and she let out a tiny squeal.
"Mmm," he murmured. "Fuck, I've missed you."
Ginny reached down, her hand tangling in his wet hair and Harry used two fingers to push the cotton aside before his tongue slid into her.
Merlin, he'd missed the taste of her. He missed the feel of her on his tongue, the sounds she made as he licked her. He missed how she smelt and how she felt beneath him. He twirled his tongue through her folds, using his thumb to touch her clit and she whimpered, her fingers clutching his hair tighter as the rain pinged off of the shield in a steamy rhythm.
Harry slid a hand under her bottom to lift her more and buried his tongue deeper; the sound she made had him grinding into the blanket below him. Gods, he loved going down on her. He loved making her squirm, making her reach for him. He loved listening to her sounds of pleasure and her cries for more. He loved knowing that he was the one doing this for her. It was all him and that alone made him love it that much more.
She made a strangled cry, her hips arching more towards him as it echoed over the pitter-patter of the rain drumming on the shield around them. Harry twirled his tongue over the right side of her bud, knowing that it would send her over the edge. His name burst from her lips as she came and he kept licking, using his tongue to finish her off until she was a trembling mess beneath him.
Harry kissed her thighs before he kissed his way up her wet tee shirt, sucking a nipple through her wet shirt and bra, taking his time before he found his way back to her mouth.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips.
Harry kissed her again, keeping it soft and light as his fingers danced over her hips. "I love you, too."
The sound of someone calling their names had Ginny scrambling to tug her jeans up as Harry reluctantly took down the shield. Light rain pattered down on them again and Ginny laughed. Then she took his hand and pulled him over to the large tree by the side of the garden and snogged his brains out all over again until Ron's voice grew closer.
When Harry looked down into her blazing brown eyes, he knew with absolute certainty that his future was right here and there was nowhere else he wanted to be.
~ ASC ~
Harry found that the month of May went by much faster than he expected. When he wasn't attending funerals and spending time with Ginny, he was consumed with Mina, Leo, and Teddy or studying for his NEWTs. McGonagall was over for dinner a few times a week, filling Harry and Zee in on the progress of the castle. Harry loved watching her sit on the living room floor and play with the twins, her face alight in pure joy. But other than that, all of his time was spent with Ginny, the kids, or studying. It was why he was lying on a pile of blankets and pillows in the treehouse with Ron and Hermione spread out around him, perusing their notes and books.
It felt almost weird to be worrying about something as simple as exams after everything that had happened, but it was also normal. Harry's first NEWT was going to be in Charms and it was scheduled for Monday, the twenty-sixth of May, which was only two days from now. He couldn't believe how fast the month had flown by.
Hermione was muttering under her breath as she rattled off facts and incantations while Ron lied on his back, tossing a Quaffle up and down.
Harry nudged him with his foot and Ron tossed the Quaffle to him. "You okay?"
Ron shrugged. Harry knew that the last month had been hard on all of the Weasleys. Losing Arthur had left a void that none of them quite knew how to get past. Harry had been doing his best to be supportive to all of them, but there was a lot going on. He knew that Ron had taken the loss of his father hard, as they all had.
"Some days are better than others," he admitted. "But um, Hermione and I are going to Australia after our NEWTs."
Harry looked over at Hermione in surprise. "Yeah?"
Hermione nodded. "I need to find my mum and dad, Harry, and return them to normal. I only hope that they'll forgive me for what I did."
"Ron's going with you?"
"Yes. He said that I shouldn't be going alone."
"No, you shouldn't be," Harry agreed. "Are you going to find a healer there or do it yourself?"
"I feel confident enough to do it myself," she admitted. "To be honest, that's the only thing I am confident in. I think once they get their memories back, my confidence will wane."
"They're going to forgive you," Ron insisted.
Hermione bit her lip. "I hope so, but I know it's going to be hard on them and will take some time for them to process everything; to process what I did."
"It will work out, Hermione," Harry told her. "You'll have Ron there with you and everything will work out. Hopefully you can try to enjoy a holiday out there a little bit too, yeah?"
"That would be nice," Ron admitted. "I think I'd really like to lay on a beach and bake in the sun."
"You would," Hermione said. "You would be a lobster in twenty minutes if you decided to bake in the sun."
"Twenty is generous," Ron scoffed. "Try ten. But still, a holiday would be fantastic."
"Yeah, it would," Harry agreed.
Ron scratched his long nose. "You planning one? I mean, if any of us deserve a holiday to sit around and piss off, it would be you, wouldn't it?"
Harry shrugged, a half smile on his lips. "I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to one. Especially if I could get Ginny to come with me."
Ron rolled his eyes. "So the two of you can have more sex? Honestly, are you rabbits? It's like the two of you have a sticking charm attached to your naughty bits. Back off, mate. Let the witch breathe."
Harry snorted. "How do you know it's not her?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Fair point. You're both way too randy."
"Maybe you and Hermione aren't randy enough?" Harry countered.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but Ron and I shag lots."
"We do," Ron agreed. "I mean, we could definitely do it more, I wouldn't complain…"
"Ron!"
Harry snickered. "Now who's randy?"
"You two are idiots," Hermione said, turning back to her Charms book.
Harry leaned back on his arms, his eyes on his friends. "A holiday would be nice though."
"You should do it," Ron coaxed. "We're done exams in two weeks, than Goldstein wants to have his little get together thing. Ginny doesn't start with the PQTC until the first week of August and we don't start at Basic Training until mid August… you should definitely go."
Harry had to admit, the more Ron pushed it, the more he rather thought it was a good idea. It would be really great to get away for a few days, hell, even a week or two. Somewhere nice where he and Ginny could just relax, maybe surf. He wondered if his girlfriend would be interested in something like that.
"I'll consider it," Harry agreed.
"Good," Hermione said. "Now you can quiz me on the basic definitions of varying charm types."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you already know them all."
"You can never be too prepared, Harry."
Harry and Ron exchanged a look and when they snickered, Hermione grumbled.
"Fine! I'll learn it myself."
Harry stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "You got this, Hermione. I'm going to find something to drink, you guys want?"
"That Muggle fizzy pop if you have any," Ron said, staring down at his own Charms book.
"I'd love a cuppa."
Harry promised to be back and hurried out of the treehouse and towards the kitchen to get his friends some beverages, a smile on his face.
~ ASC ~
Harry decided after the first three days that NEWTs were definitely aptly named. After writing his Charms NEWT, which included a written and a practical portion, he was definitely nastily exhausted. The written portion was over three hundred multiple choice questions and the practical had taken almost an hour as he stood there and tested out his knowledge with the department of education agent assigned to him. Then he'd returned the next day to do Potions which was a three day exam.
After writing a five hundred question test that had taken him most of the morning, he'd been moved into a potions room to brew Veritaserum, an antidote to Veritaserum, and the Draught of the Living Death. He had three days to brew the three Potions, keeping them all non volatile and properly cared for. When he'd left the third day, he felt fairly confident, but wasn't sure if he'd done as well as he'd hoped for.
Ron was cursing up a storm and claimed that it was nasty test for many reasons. Harry had to agree. They spent the Friday morning writing their written Herbology exam of two hundred questions and then working with asphodel, alihotsy, and how to extract Floo powder from the flowers of the Floo plant. Harry felt like he'd done quite well on that one.
The second week was meant for Transfiguration and then Defence Against the Dark Arts. Transfiguration took up Monday and Tuesday. The written was four hundred questions and the practical involved small tasks before building up to human transfiguration. Since Harry was a registered Animagus, his instructor asked him to demonstrate that as well. Defence Against the Arts was Wednesday. The written portion was in two sections. The first part in the morning was four hundred multiple choice questions before another one hundred short-answer questions in the afternoon. The practical, like Potions, was a two day event.
Like Remus' exams, it was an obstacle course of sorts. Harry had no problems with it and easily got past the obstacles or magical creatures in his path. The second day was more hands-on as an official tested them on nonverbal spells, the Patronus Charm, and then asked Harry to show off some of what he used in the battle, including his calling on the storm and making a giant snowman.
Harry knew without a doubt that he'd received top marks on that one.
He waited for his friends as they left the Ministry, feeling more than nastily exhausted, but completely spent. He couldn't ever remember being tested so vigorously before. He ran his fingers through his hair when Hermione came over to them.
"Well?"
"I think it went splendidly!"
"Was that the last one?" Ron asked. "Bloody hell, anyone that has to go into week three makes me pity them. I'm fucking done!"
"Me too," Harry admitted. "Are there more NEWTS?"
"No," Hermione replied. "Defence Against the Dark Arts was the last one. Those of us who were going for a NEWT in Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures had those exams the week before."
"And Astronomy was last Saturday," Dean said, coming up from behind Harry with Seamus. "We had to stay late to do the practical."
"So… everyone is really done?" Harry asked in amazement.
"We're really done," Dean said, clasping Harry's shoulder. "As long as none of us fails that is."
"Don't put that out into the universe, Thomas!" Ron exclaimed. "I definitely do not want to sit through those bloody tests a second time!"
Harry had to agree with that. According to his last tester, their results would be available by the first of July and if they had to retake any of them, they would have to register with the Department of Education to get them done before August. Harry really hoped that wasn't going to be the case, but he knew the grades were a requirement for a lot of programs.
"So, who wants to get a drink?" Seamus asked, stretching his arms up over his head.
"Nah," Harry said, shaking his head. "I want to go to bed."
"I second that," Ron agreed. "My brain hurts."
"Plus we have Goldstein's thing tomorrow," Harry added. "You're all going, right?"
Seamus nodded. "Yeah, we wouldn't miss that. You were in Georgia last time he threw one of his parties and you missed out. He really knows how to throw a party."
"Fucking Goldstein," Ron muttered.
Harry elbowed him and his lips twitched. "He's starting to grow on you, admit it."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Never."
Dean chuckled. "We'll all go tomorrow and get pissed and celebrate these bloody tests being over."
"Sounds good," Seamus agreed. "See you lot tomorrow."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione said goodbye as Dean and Seamus took off and Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder.
"I could have a nap myself right now."
"Food first," Ron declared. "Then a nap sounds perfect."
As Harry said goodbye to his friends, he couldn't have agreed more.
~ ASC ~
Crouch was tired of staying in hiding.
It had been over a month since the Battle of Hogwarts had taken place and it seemed that there was nowhere safe for him to be. Nowhere for him to clear his head.
He still couldn't believe that Potter had actually bested the Dark Lord. His precious Dark Lord was gone and he refused to believe it. He pelted pebbles at the wall, not even looking up when the two women entered.
"Stop moping, Bart," Bellatrix lectured.
"It's not fair!" Crouch exclaimed. "Our master is dead, Bella! He's dead!"
"He is," Bellatrix said. "And Potter will pay for that, but first, we need to talk about the stone."
Crouch raised an eyebrow. "What stone, dearie?"
"This one," Belladonna said, cradling it in her hands. "Merlin, it's torture to hold it!"
When Crouch looked over, he saw she had tears running down her cheeks. "What is it?"
Belladonna threw the stone at Crouch. "Keep that away from me! Please!"
Crouch caught it, but not before he caught sight of the little girl who cried out, "Mamma, don't leave me!"
Belladonna slammed her eyes shut, her face tense. "My Alessia… she's not real. That's nothing but a tease! She's not real," she repeated, her voice shaky.
Bellatrix snorted. "Of course she's not real, Donna! It resurrects the spirit or the soul to torture you, not the real thing."
Belladonna glared. "She was my daughter!"
"And she's been dead for over a decade," Bellatrix spat. "Get over it. We have bigger issues here. Do you have any idea how important that stone is?"
Crouch carefully examined the small black cracked stone. "No. Should I?"
Belladonna took a seat next to Crouch on the floor. "Potter used this against the Dark Lord. It hit him and… it brought back spirits. Like my Alessia has been… she's been with me since I took the stone from the grounds of Hogwarts; haunting me."
Crouch raised an eyebrow. "Spirits?"
"I saw them," Bellatrix said. "I'm not sure how it worked, but spirits came from the stone and they surrounded the Dark Lord."
"What kind of spirits?" Crouch asked suspiciously.
"Spirits of the people he's killed," Bellatrix replied. "Donna may see her daughter when she touches the stone, but the Dark Lord saw the people he killed. They all appeared, surrounding him as if they'd returned from the dead to seek vengeance upon him."
Crouch licked his lips. "Vengeful spirits… I find that very intriguing, but I don't understand it."
"I don't understand why all of Donna's dead husbands didn't appear to her," Bellatrix said, "but the stone must work in mysterious ways."
Belladonna glared at her. "It's because it's a Hallow and I wished to see my Alessia when I touched it."
"The Hallows," Bellatrix repeated with a nod. "That's what Grindelwald told the Dark Lord about. He told him of their power, of their worth, and this stone brings spirits. Do you not see it, Barty?"
Crouch stared at the stone for a moment before his eyes dawned in understanding. "You think it's the Resurrection Stone?"
Belladonna passed it over to Crouch. "Hold it tightly. Do you feel anything?"
Crouch wrapped his hands around the small black stone, squeezing it in his palm, trying to feel its power. He felt it grow warm and then suddenly, Bellatrix gasped.
The shadowy figure of Lord Voldemort hovered over them and his lips curved.
"Ah, my special boy, do you miss me?"
"My Lord!" Crouch exclaimed reverently, bowing before the shadow. "Is it really you?"
"It is," Voldemort declared, his eyes moving to Bellatrix and then to Belladonna. "And yes, that is the Resurrection Stone given by Death itself. Maybe Grindelwald did know what he was talking about. Potter was the Master of Death."
"My Lord! Tell us what to do! Tell us how to return you to us!" Crouch begged.
Bellatrix took the stone from Crouch and the shadow of Lord Voldemort disappeared.
"No!" Crouch cried. "Give it back! Give it back right now!"
"Stop throwing a tantrum, Bart! The Dark Lord is gone. He's in the wind — literally!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "No matter what we do, Bart, bringing the Dark Lord back like he was… it's not possible."
"It is possible!" Crouch shouted, his eyes wide. "He was resurrected before and he can be resurrected again! Please, Donna! Don't your runes have a way? We need him! Potter can't get away with this! He can't get away with taking him from me!"
Bellatrix licked her dry lips. "I agree. We do need to exact revenge on Potter. Death would be too easy for him."
"I wouldn't say that," Belladonna said. "The past has proven he's notoriously hard to kill."
Crouch pouted. "I want to torture him! I want to string him upside down by his bollocks and tear him apart piece by piece."
Belladonna touched the stone again and the sight of her daughter brought tears to her eyes and Bellatrix's lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"I think that I might know a way for us to kill Potter."
Crouch jumped to attention. "How? Tell me! What do we have to do?"
Bellatrix turned to look at Belladonna as Crouch took the stone back, once more manifesting the Dark Lord before them. Bellatrix stared at Lord Voldemort's shadowy figure and her eyes gleamed.
"If we can pull this off — truly pull it off — Potter will fall apart before we even get to him."
"What is it?" Crouch demanded. "Tell me!"
Bellatrix turned to Belladonna. "Let's go talk more about the runes."
End Author's Notes:
Here is the final list of those who were killed in the Battle of Hogwarts:
Ciara Casey (original character)
Mila St James (original character)
Arthur Weasley
Parvati Patil
Lavender Brown
Hestia Jones
Mundungus Fletcher
Dennis Creevey
Terry Boot
Susan Bones
Lily Moon
Natalie Monroe (original character)
Freya Sloan (original character)
Edith Carlyle (original character)
Tracey Davis
Kevin Entwhistle
Imogene Landers (original character)
David Gunderson (original character)
Su Li
Stephen Cornfoot
Alastor Moody
Misha Zacarias (original character)
Bathsheda Babbling
Sybil Trelawney
Maia Roberts (original character)
Hawk Roberts (original character)
Daimon Adams (original character)
Killian the dragon (original character)
Lady Godiva (original character)
Dobby
As well as 6 other house elves, 2 wolves, 57 people from the defence squads, 8 Aurors, 2 Merpeople, all of the Blast-Ended Skrewts, and 26 other Hogwarts students.
Fenrir Greyback
Cassia Lestrange
Rabastan Lestrange
Walden Macnair
Octavius Greengrass
Castor Parkinson
Lord Voldemort
Vincent Crabbe Sr
As well as 8 other wolves, 6 vampires, 14 other Death Eaters, 2 giants, and 3 trolls. All others were arrested or escaped. The main ones who escaped: Bellatrix Lestrange, Belladonna Brambilla, and Barty Crouch Jr.
Thanks for reading and please review!