Okay, sorry for the wait on this one, but I ended up rewriting it again. For some strange reason, inspiration has a bad habit of striking while I'm in class and there's nothing I can do about it. I had a good idea the other day in class, and last night was the first time I really had a chance to do anything about it. It did however, pretty much create an entire new chapter, so the next chapter may be a little while too.
Ginny apparated into her flat after a long day at work. "Harry, where are you?" she called, looking around for any sign of him. "Fred? George? If you're hiding from me it isn't funny!"
"I'm right here!" Harry called from the living room.
Ginny walked into the living room and saw him lying face down on the couch. "I'm going to kill Fred and George."
"They said you'd say that. So they dropped me off before they knew you'd be home. They showed me the best stuff though. It's fire that you can drink." Harry rolled off the couch and onto the floor and started laughing.
"I should have known they would have fed you Firewhiskey," Ginny said with a groan. "You're going to feel horrible tomorrow without a sobering or hangover charm."
"A whaty?" Harry asked, still laughing. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at him. She walked over the where he was and offered him a hand to help him up, but he was too strong for her and she fell on top of him. "Heeeeelllllllllllllloooooo," Harry said as Ginny lay on top of him.
"Hello yourself," Ginny responded quickly. She moved to get up but Harry grabbed hold of her waist. He reached up and pushed her hair out of her face and then pulled his head up and kissed her. She responded hungrily to his kiss and for a moment forgot about everything else going on. She was able to release years of pent up desire. She only regained her senses when she realized that she and Harry were in his bed. "Harry," she whispered, trying to pull herself away from him.
"Isn't this what you want?" Harry asked, kissing her neck.
"You're all I've ever wanted," Ginny said kissing him again, running her hands through his hair. "No! I mean yes this is what I want, but you're sloshed. You don't know what you're doing. And more importantly, you did magic to bring us to the bedroom." Finally she had succeeded in getting his attention.
"I did magic?" he asked pulling his mouth off of her body. Ginny nodded her head. "You mean that my magic brought both of us up the stairs, through my closed door, and on my bed?" Ginny couldn't help but smile as she nodded again. "So I can do magic without even trying?"
"Well you've done this before. It was actually one of the first things you did unintentionally. They said though you could only do it unintentionally if it was something you really wanted."
"So that must mean I really want you?" Harry asked cheerfully.
"You mean you don't know?" Ginny asked pulling away from him. "You don't know whether or not you want me after you magically moved me to your bed room?" Ginny's eyes flashed in anger.
"How could anyone not want you?" Harry teased as he rolled back on top of her. Ginny couldn't help but smile at him. It had been so long since she had felt his touch, and kissing him felt so good. He clasped her hands in his own. "We seem to fit together pretty well," Harry said, looking down at her from his position on top of her.
"Harry, you're doing it again," Ginny said quietly, gasping for breath.
"What am I doing?" he asked with a groan, rolling off of her.
"You were rubbing circles on my wrist. It was something you always used to do, I loved it. You're remembering things without even knowing it."
"But that's just it. It's not really remembering if I don't know it. So I have a few of my old habits, it doesn't mean I remember anything," Harry replied, groaning again in frustration.
"But it does mean that Harry's still in there somewhere. We just have to keep looking for him," Ginny answered, trying her best to comfort him.
"Will you lay here with me tonight and talk? Tell me more stories?" Harry asked.
"I would do anything for you. Never forget that." Harry smiled in response and pulled Ginny close to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they spent the night in each other's arms; Ginny telling Harry about their past.
"Ginny?" Harry asked quietly, trying to wake her up.
"Hmmm?" was her muffled reply.
"I've really got to use the bathroom and you're on my arm," Harry whispered in her ear.
Ginny snapped into consciousness and rolled over. It felt so good to wake up next to Harry. She watched him hurry off the bed and run to the bathroom. Ginny lay perfectly still on Harry's bed, not wanting to ruin the moment. It was the calmest she'd felt in years. When Harry came back into the room he looked at her sheepishly.
"I'm sorry if I forced you into anything last night. I really was completely sloshed."
"No, if anything, I should have stopped you sooner. But last night it just felt like old times, like we were meant to be together like that. Whether or not you remember our history, you've got to find it hard to deny our chemistry."
Harry smiled at her. "You're right, being with you like that did feel right, I just don't remember why."
"I guess that's all I can ask from you right now."
"Gin? Do you have to work today?" She shook her head. "Well can we do something a little different today? I think I need some time to digest all of this information about my life."
"Actually, I did have something a little different planned today," Ginny informed him.
"Oh really? And what would that be?"
"Well I need to go shopping for Rose's birthday present; her party is tomorrow and I'm afraid I've been too preoccupied to get any shopping done. And then there's someone who wants to see you, and I promised him I'd bring you by for dinner today," Ginny said with a smile.
"And who would this mystery person be?" Harry asked, his eyes lit with excitement.
"Actually it's supposed to be a surprise, so I'm not going to tell you," Ginny teased him. She paused, and her expression softened. "I do need to warn you though; time hasn't exactly been kind to him."
Harry looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know if anyone has told you this or not, but things just didn't suddenly become peaceful after you destroyed Voldemort. There were several other battles, and he was hurt pretty badly in one of them. He was really depressed, and well, he just hasn't been quite the same since. I'm hoping you'll be able to cheer him up some."
"Great, no pressure though, right?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Don't think about it like that. I think you'll really enjoy this."
Later that day Harry waited patiently as Ginny went from store to store looking for the perfect birthday present for her oldest niece. He was sure that she had dragged him into every store in Diagon Alley without making a single purchase. As they left another store empty handed, Harry let out a groan.
"What?" Ginny asked with a frown. "Is it so wrong for me to want to buy Rose the perfect present?" Harry rolled his eyes in response. "Okay then, hotshot, what are you getting her?"
Harry's face paled. "I keep forgetting I'm supposed to. Can I just sign my name on whatever you get her?"
Ginny laughed. "Oh no, not after all of this complaining. In fact, I think you should pick something out and I'll just sign my name on the card."
Harry couldn't help but grin. "Fine, I bet that I can find something in the next store we go in."
"Can I pick the store?"
"Sure, I'm sure I can find something she'd like in any store you pick," Harry bragged.
Ginny couldn't help but smirk. "Follow me." Ginny led Harry down the street and stopped in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Here?" Harry asked, his lack of confidence showing briefly.
"Would you care to back out of your bet?" Ginny asked.
Ginny's tone caused Harry's confidence to return. "I guarantee you I can find something a four year-old girl would like in this store." Harry strutted into the store, leaving Ginny grinning in his midst, sure of her own victory. Ginny entered the store and was admiring the newest model broom when Harry walked over to her triumphantly.
"Before you ask, she's too young to have a toy broomstick. The general age we Weasleys give those is five, especially for girls. Trust me, I would know," Ginny stated, confident that was what he had found.
"Too bad for you that's not what I found. We actually had the broomstick discussion the other day, and I think I promised to buy all of your nieces real broomsticks when they're old enough. This is brilliant though; it's a replica of a snitch, slightly bigger than a real one that flies low so you can catch it from the ground. It comes with a remote so you can adjust the speed at which it flies, so you can progressively make it go faster as you get better at catching it. And then there's a button on the switch that brings it back to the remote if even the slowest speed is too much for the child." Harry's grin broadened as Ginny looked at him in awe.
"It's perfect," Ginny said quietly.
"So I won?"
Ginny chuckled. "Yes, you won. I know when to admit defeat."
Harry's eyes flashed mischievously. "So what did I win?"
"Nothing. You failed to set the terms of your bet, therefore, you win nothing."
"That's not fair!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm not going to let you put your name on the card."
"So how do you intend on paying for it then?" Ginny asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Harry's face fell. "I don't have any money."
Guilt crept into Ginny's heart as she realized what she had brought up. "That's not entirely accurate," she said slowly. "Ron told you that you left your money to our family, right?" Harry nodded. "And he also told you about the Black family fortune. Well, all it would take is a trip to the bank to sign some papers and you'll have access to the vault. Then you can take out as much money as you wish. Actually, we really do need to take you to the bank."
"Can we do it now?" asked Harry. "I mean I know the bank's here, and I just feel like there are still so many loose ends I need to tie up."
Ginny nodded. "Just let me pay for this. It really is a brilliant gift. I should have let you pick something from the beginning."
Harry smiled at Ginny's attempts to lift his spirits. "Thanks."
Harry tentatively entered the bank with Ginny pushing him forward. He froze in his place and looked around the room, unsure of how to react to all of the goblins running around. "Ginny?" he whispered quietly, "Help!" Harry looked at her for some kind of guidance when he heard someone call her name. He turned around and saw a tall red head running towards them.
"Bill!" Ginny exclaimed throwing her arms around her brother's neck. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. I think the better question is: how are you?"
"Better than I've been in a long time," she answered honestly.
Bill raised an eyebrow in Harry's direction. "Are you sure?"
"Things are hard, and I'm exhausted, but I'm good."
"Harry, good to see you again," Bill said, taking Harry's hand firmly in his own.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Egypt?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Well Fleur and I are going to France for a few days, and I had to clear some things up here before we left," Bill explained.
"So you're missing Rose's party?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, Charlie's already threatened to send dragons after me for it, but I promised my wife... She says that we spend all of our time with our family and none with hers. I guess she has a point. What are you guys doing here?" Bill looked over at Harry, as if he was sizing him up.
"Maybe you can help us," Ginny said, sensing an odd tension between her brother and Harry. "Harry needs to sign some papers for Sirius's will. Do you know where we should go?"
"I can take care of it for you," Bill replied. "I can go talk to someone, get the papers myself. Things will go a lot faster that way. Then I can give you the vault key and one of the goblins will take you down to the vault." Harry and Ginny followed Bill into a office and waited while Bill left to find the files they needed. He returned with a very thick folder. "Well this is a bit more complicated than I thought. It seems that in addition to whatever is in the vault, he also left you his family home. I'm afraid the house has been empty most of the time you've been gone, so there's no telling what kind of condition it's in."
"Well that's not too bad," Harry said.
"There's more. Apparently Sirius set up a trust fund for your first born child. Now I won't bore you with all of the details, but it seems like there was some kind of a time constraint left on the trust fund," Bill explained. He handed Harry a sheet of paper. "Here's the note he left explaining it."
"Harry, this is to ensure that you don't push everyone out of your life. Let people love you, and love them back. Now I'm not saying to run out and knock up the first witch you find; simply offering encouragement for you to have a family, Voldemort be damned. Consider this inspiration not to wallow alone in self pity for the rest of your life," Harry read aloud. He heard a sniffle beside him and turned to see tears streaming down Ginny's cheeks. "Gin?" he asked hesitantly, but she didn't respond. He reached out to take her hand, but she jumped up from her seat and ran out of the room.
"What did you do?" Bill accused.
"Nothing!" Harry exclaimed defensively.
"Well something had to set her off like that, and I know it wasn't me!"
"You know as much as I do, probably more," Harry replied sullenly. "Can I sign whatever I need to quickly so I can go make sure she's okay?"
"Why don't you sign, and I'll go look for her. I'll have one of the goblins come in and take you to the vault in a few minutes." Bill said, not leaving the topic open for discussion. He showed Harry where he needed to sign and went after Ginny. Bill finally found Ginny weeping in a deserted office. "Pumpkin, what's wrong?"
Ginny looked up and dried her eyes. "Nothing, I just got a little emotional back there." She forced a smile for her protective brother.
"Don't lie to me," Bill said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Ginny snuggled up to him, cursing the fact that he could read her better than anyone. "It's just that hearing Sirius's letter brought back so many memories of everything I thought I lost."
"But Harry's back now," Bill said gently.
"Maybe his body is, but my Harry hasn't found his way back yet. I'm just working every day to help him and hoping that he comes soon."
"Well, I think you need a break from Harry; he's obviously upsetting you," Bill said.
"No, that will just make things worse. I need to keep doing this, no matter how hard it may be," Ginny replied firmly. "Let's go find Harry." They found Harry waiting uncomfortably in the lobby with a sack of money. He looked at Ginny questioningly, but she simply smiled at him. "Ready to go?" she asked and Harry nodded. "Bye Bill, see you soon!"
"Bye Gin, Harry. Keep safe."
Ginny led Harry out of Diagon Alley and into muggle London. She walked at a brisk pace, almost leaving Harry in her dust. As they continued to walk, the buildings became farther apart and soon they were facing a wood. Harry paused, but continued to follow Ginny as she walked silently amongst the trees, darting here and there. Just as Harry was about to give up, Ginny stopped so abruptly Harry walked right into her. He looked around his new setting; a small rundown cottage in a clearing of the forest. He felt Ginny's hand on the small of his back, guiding him towards the cottage. As he hesitantly made his way forward he noticed an old man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, accompanied by a snowy white owl. Upon closer inspection, the man appeared to be younger than Harry had first guessed, but he looked like stress had taken years off his life. When they reached the porch, Harry could see the man's eyes were glistening with tears.
"Hello Remus," Ginny said softly. "And Hedwig," she added with a laugh when the owl hooted at her. "Harry, this is Remus Lupin."
"Hello," Harry said, extending his hand to the other man. "You were friends with my father."
With that comment the tears began to fall from Lupin's eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He met Harry's hand with his own. "Yes, yes I was."
"Why don't we go inside and talk," Ginny suggested, leading the men into the house.
When they had all settled down in the living room and Ginny had made a pot of tea Lupin began to speak. "Harry, I'm sorry I'm so emotional, but seeing you means so much to me. I loved your father and godfather like brothers, and losing both of them in the wars was so hard for me. Not to mention being betrayed by one of our friends. But I was able to move on as long as I maintained some kind of hope. You, Harry, were that hope." He paused to wipe the tears from his face. "I never had an easy life, being a werewolf and all, but having friends who loved me despite that made everything worth it. But I lost them, and then I lost you. I couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for your death, even though I think just about everyone felt that way at first."
"Why would you be responsible for my death?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Because it was my job to train you that year. I felt like I didn't do my job sufficiently. I just wanted to apologize for that."
"I'm sure that your apology is completely unnecessary. I don't really remember much, but I know that you cared about me. I know that you did everything in your power to help me," Harry assured him.
"You did," Ginny added. "You helped me too. You were one of the only people who was suffering like I was when we thought Harry died. Not only did you help to sharpen my magical skills, but you were there for me as a friend when I was mourning."
"You helped me as much as I helped you," Lupin said with a sad smile. "You shouldn't have had to; I'm an adult."
"You're an adult who lost all of the people in his life who were important to him because of the same person; you had every right to feel depressed," Ginny spoke up, by now her own tears flowing freely.
"I hate that I did this to everyone," Harry said quietly.
"I didn't bring all of this up to make you feel guilty," Lupin said quickly. "I just had to get that off my chest so it would stop eating me up inside. I don't know how many times I've made that speech to your memorial."
"If we keep this up we're going to be wallowing in our tears all day," Ginny said, forcing a smile. "Why don't we go ahead and eat dinner?"
"That sounds like a good idea. I've got a roast in the oven; it should be ready in just a minute," Lupin said, walking into the kitchen.
A few minutes later they sat down at the table, filling their plates with hot food. They sat in silence, eating their lunch for several minutes when Lupin spoke up again. "You know, we always used to say that you looked so much like your father, but now I think the resemblance to your mother is uncanny."
Harry couldn't help but grin. "You think so?"
"Oh yes. I've always known you had her eyes, but your other features look more like hers now too. You're not the same skinny boy I knew; you've grown into a real man."
"Thanks," Harry replied, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.
"Your father was always quite the trouble maker, but your mum was always able to keep him in check. He always stood up for what he felt was right; even if it meant getting in a fight. Your mum, on the other hand, I think I only saw her lose control of her temper once, and it was for a damned good reason."
"I wish I could remember them," Harry mused.
"Honestly Harry, you wouldn't remember much about them even if you had your memories. They did die when you were only a year old," Lupin said gently.
"There's a way you can know more about them, though," Ginny piped up. "I have something that once belonged to you; a gift from Sirius."
"I was wondering what happened to that," Lupin said, his eyes sparkling.
"Do you care to let me in on what that is?" Harry asked, growing impatient.
"You see, for your sixteenth birthday present, Sirius stored some of his memories of your parents in a journal that you could look at. He died before he had a chance to finish it, so there aren't many memories in there, but there are enough to see how much your parents loved each other," Lupin told him with a smile.
"The journal's full," Ginny said quietly, not looking either man in the eye.
"What do you mean?" Lupin asked curiously.
Ginny finally looked up. "Well, you see, I tracked down the people who helped Sirius make the journal and they showed me how to store my own memories. I added a lot of my favorite memories with Harry, so I had a sort of sanctuary where I could be with him again."
Harry looked at her, barely able to contain his excitement. "You mean I can see the things that happened in my past?"
"Yes," Ginny replied sheepishly.
"Why didn't you mention this before now?"
"I don't know, I didn't know how you'd take it, and the events are from my perspective, not yours," she mumbled.
"Ginny can we look at some when we go home?"
Ginny couldn't help but laugh at his anticipation. "Yes."
"Well then I won't keep you two any longer," Lupin said with a smile.
"No! I mean we don't have to rush out," Harry stammered, embarrassed by his lack of courtesy.
"Go ahead, its fine. Just having you here at all means the world to me. I know I'll see you again soon," Lupin assured him.
Harry jumped up from the table. "Okay then, let's go!"
"Are you sure you want to do this Harry?" Ginny asked as she pulled the worn green notebook from her desk. Harry nodded eagerly. She opened the book to the middle and tapped the page with her wand. "Memoritas!"
Harry looked around the cozy room he and Ginny were now standing in. "Where are we?" he whispered, unsure of how to act.
"This is the Gryffindor Common Room. Don't worry, no one can see or hear us. We're just observing." Ginny pointed Harry's direction to two people sitting in the corner. Harry recognized himself and Ginny, both looking much younger. He heard the memory version of her speak up.
"Harry, I know you don't like to talk about V-Voldemort, and Merlin knows neither do I, but it's a common bond we share. I want to be prepared for the next time I have to face him. I want to learn extra lessons with you."
"Ginny, there's something you don't know. Last year, the prophecy, I have to kill him, or be killed by him. That's what it all comes down to. Me or him." Harry observed the young Ginny take his hand. He could see her eyes were filled with tears. "I haven't told anyone. But, I wanted you to know because, well, I really like you, and I would really like to get to know you better. But before I can ask you anything you need to be completely aware of my situation."
"Harry," young Ginny began as the tears started flowing down her cheeks. "I've always liked you. All admit, at first it was because you were the boy-who-lived, but then it became because you were the boy who saved lives, the boy who was loyal to his friends, the boy who would risk his life for others. So, I would love to get to know you better. I don't care what you have to face, I only care about you."
Young Harry began to smile. "Well then I don't see any reason why you can't take lessons with me. You just have to promise me one thing; you won't tell anyone about, um, getting to know me better. It'll only paint a target on your back and I can't have that. We can tell our close friends, you know Hermione and Ron, when we're ready, but don't fight me on this. It's for the best."
"I'll promise not to tell if you promise me that you'll never push me away for my own good."
"I promise. But we've got to leave now or else we're going to be late for Moony." Harry watched as the young couple stood up and embraced each other, as if the simple gesture was taking all of the pain away from their lives. The image faded away and Harry and Ginny were back in Ginny's flat.
"Is that it?" Harry asked disappointed, sitting down on Ginny's couch.
"That's all for that memory, but there are others," Ginny replied with a smile. She paused, noticing the strange look on Harry's face. "What's wrong?"
"I felt like as long as you were in my arms everything would be okay. It felt like you were taking away my pain. It felt like by simply telling you what I had been hiding a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders," he answered in a foreign, far off voice.
"Harry?" Ginny asked, trying not to get her hopes up.
"But we had to go, and then Colin came in the room as we were leaving and we didn't want to tell anyone yet," Harry continued. Ginny walked over to where Harry was sitting, tears streaming down her cheeks and collapsed in front of him on her knees.
"You remember?"
"Only what I told you." Harry's voice still sounded as if he wasn't sure what he was saying.
"But it's something." Ginny's head dropped and she placed it on Harry's knee as she wept tears of joy. After a few moments she looked up when she realized Harry wasn't saying anything. "What's wrong?"
"It feels so strange, to have a memory that's real and not about pain and suffering. But at the same time, it's like I found the first piece of the puzzle, and the rest are still in the box in a jumble. I think I had expected it to all come pouring back at once."
Ginny reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "With as serious as your condition is, we never knew exactly what to expect. We'll just have to keep taking baby steps, not force anything."
"What if that's all I ever have again, just bits and pieces?" Harry asked quietly.
"Then we'll all be happy you even have that. You can't forget that there are two different things working on keeping your memories locked away. We don't know which memories were actually erased," Ginny reminded him gently.
"This didn't even come on its own though, I had to see it happen before I remembered anything about it."
"It doesn't matter. I'll show you as much as you want me to, and I'm sure Ron and Hermione will do the same thing if you want," Ginny said, looking up at him from her place on the floor. "I'll do whatever you think will help you."
Harry stood up from the couch and pulled Ginny up from the floor. "Will you just lay with me again? It's been such a long and emotional day and I don't want to be alone right now." Ginny nodded, and Harry slipped his arm behind her back and led her up to his bedroom.
Okay, I hope this chapter is up to your standards. This was the quickest I've written something and posted it with this story. Your reviews were what inspired the meeting with Lupin, and then I decided to bring my notebook back. And then of course I had completely forgotten about Rose's birthday, but I had some ideas about that in class today. To clarify something else, when I said you don't know who the woman with Colin is, I meant you REALLY don't know. You'll find out soon enough. Thanks again for all of your support, it really is what's keeping me going.