Disclaimer: Yep. All mine. JK who? :::shaken awake by rabid lawyer::: Huh? Whozzat? awww, man...but I like that dream! :::evil rabid lawyer bites Bill on the leg::: Alright. Fine! Not mine... ::returns to the pouting corner:::
Dreams:
Harry Potter had plenty of experience with dreams. Too much, really. For more than half of the time he had spent at Hogwarts, his dreams had been occupied by bad memories, visions of things he didn't want to have to see, and people he would never again have the chance to see. How many nights he had done everything he could to avoid sleep, and dreams, he never knew. There were entirely too many mornings he had stumbled down to the Gryffindor common room with rings of black circles under his eyes, his scar standing out in red relief, either from fighting not to sleep, or from the dreams he had when he did drift off. For a time, the dreams had all but ruled his existence. Even now, despite what he had told Ginny, they sometimes intruded. The main difference now was that he knew that what he was seeing wasn't in the here and now. The events they showed were all in the past. He had known, through the connection with Voldemort his scar had provided, everytime the dark lord had cast cruciatus, had watched while one of his deatheaters had tortured someone. In one way or another, he had felt every one of the deaths Voldemort had caused.
For a long time, the young wizard had thought of those deaths as being attributable, at least in part, to himself. It had taken a lot for his friends to finally convince him that the blame was not his to claim. Rather, he finally realized, the blame for all that had happened could all be laid at the feet of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Ron, Hermione, and especially Ginny, had been able to make him see reason on this, and were relieved, hoping this would allow the dreams to abate. That hadn't been the case. What it had done was make Harry more determined than ever to make the Dark Tosser pay for everything he had done. To this end, he had convinced Professor Dumbledore to allow him the use of a pensieve, so that, when he awoke after a dream or vision, he could deposit it, to ensure that the memory of it wouldn't slip away. This done, they could be analyzed more clinically, at a later time. The intelligence they gained in this roundabout fashion proved to be invaluable, and had actually helped the side of the Light to prepare for the final confrontation, the one that had ultimately ended the war.
Fortunately, while all the bad dreams hadn't yet ebbed away, good dreams were much more common now. As he lay on the couch, the beautiful redhead in his arms, It was one of the better dreams that found him.
He was riding down the highway astride the big black Triumph, hearing the roar of the exhaust, feeling the wind riffling his hair, with Ginny's arms wrapped around his middle, snuggled up to his back. He wasn't sure where they were, but it was beautiful. There were mountains to each side, towering things, topped with snow. The sun was just setting, oranges and reds streaming along the undersides of the clouds. As they rode along, Harry was surprised to look to one side and see a bike almost identical to his own pulling alongside. Even more shocking was the rider of the other motorbike. He had shaggy black hair, shot through with white and grey, piercing grey eyes, and an almost feral grin. Harry pulled the bike to the side of the road, and braked to a stop, the other rider following suit. The young wizard and his girlfriend dismounted, as did the other.
Sirius ran up to Harry, throwing his arms around his godson. "Harry! It's been so long." They held each other a long time. When they parted, Padfoot grabbed Ginny up in a hug, too. When she stepped back, her hand sought out Harry's, and squeezed. All three had a few tears rolling down their cheeks.
Sirius was the first to speak. "Harry, you wouldn't believe how glad we all are to see that you finally left all that guilt behind you. When I saw what you were doing that summer after the Ministry, I did everything I could think of, to find a way to get back here, for just a few minutes, to kick your arse. I couldn't believe that you would blame yourself for the stupid, reckless things I did."
Harry shook his head ruefully. "I know that now. It just never occured to me to think that you had gone out the way you wanted to."
"Well, I don't know about all that, kiddo..." He paused, looking thoughtful. He then broke out in a grin, "The way I really wanted to go out was in bed with some cute little blonde, myself older than Dumbledore, and with a prank against Snivellus." Reflectively, he said, "But, if that wasn't to be, then this was a close second."
All three laughed at this."So, I see you found my old bike." He ran a hand proudly over the tank. "I see you had to add a little touch, here. It fits." He cast a look at the couple's hands, clasped together. "I see you also found something a bit more important, too. Not before time, either."
His godson replied, "Yeah, I finally opened my eyes, and saw what was right in front of me, all the time." He looked lovingly at Ginny, giving her hand a squeeze.
"I'll tell you what, Harry. Prongs and Lily are very proud of you. Not just what you did. That was damn impressive, but it was just something you knew you had to do. What they're proud of is the man you've become." He jerked a thumb skyward, saying, "James has been insufferable, lately, strutting around the way he has. I mean, yes, we all know you're his son, and well, you did manage to do what nobody else could. But, he's even starting to aggravate Lils. She came to me the other day, wanting some help to prank him, just to shut him up for a while." Sirius looked at Ginny. "They both approve of you, Gin. They've seen how good you are for him. Don't either of you ever let the other go." To Harry, he said, "If you ever hurt her, there won't be anything to protect you from that arse-kicking, either." He smirked. "That's assuming she leaves anything of you, of course. I'd not want to get on the bad side of her."
Ginny asked, "Sirius, what are they like? Harry's parents I mean? Harry had a lot of doubts for a while, after seeing Snape's memories that time in his pensieve, but from what everyone's said, they don't sound anything like what he saw."
"Well, there's two things to remember. One, we were all sixteen, and I don't know of anybody, even Harry at times, who isn't a bit of a prat at that age. James did have a couple of annoying habits. Always messing his hair up on purpose, knowing how much the girls liked it. Playing with the Snitch, when he wasn't even a seeker, kinda got on my nerves sometimes. Plus, like any fairly popular adolescent, he was a little arrogant sometimes. Two, the memories you see in a pensieve, after time, become tainted by your perceptions of them, and of the events and people in them. So, the things you saw there weren't quite accurate. Snivellus saw your father through his own prejudices. He could never deal with muggles or half-bloods, so when James started showing an interest in Lily, who was half-blood, well, that just added to it. The fact that your mum and dad were some of the most powerful natural talents to arise in their generation didn't help."
"James and Lils were, and are, two of the most loving, caring people I've ever known. They befriended Peter, which I never really understood. They always maintained that there was something inside him that just drew them to him. Then there was Remus. As bad as the biases are now against werewolves, they're nothing compared to twenty or thirty years ago. They knew what Remus was, and didn't care. They saw him not for what he was, but who he was, and is." He shook his head, wonderingly. "Then there was me. I was an outcast. All my family were in Slytherin, heavily involved in the Dark Arts. I got sorted into Gryffindor. Most of my housemates didn't want anything to do with me, as I was a Black. The Slytherins, including most of my family, wouldn't associate with me because of where the Sorting Hat put me. Like I said, an outcast. They took me in, and we all became the Marauders. Lily was really the fifth Marauder. She was just smart enough not to get identified." He grinned, saying "That way, at least one of us was always on the loose."
"Maybe that tells you a little something about them."
Ginny nodded fervently, casting an adoring gaze over Harry. "Yes, it does. It also explains a lot about their son."
Sirius looked a bit startled for a moment, then agreed, saying "You know, I'd not thought of it in that light before, but you're right. It does."
The subject of the conversation casually conjured a comfortable chair and sat down, a bemused look on his face. "When you two are done speaking in riddles, please let me know, if you would."
His girlfriend rolled her eyes, a bit exasperated. "Harry, are you trying to tell me that you saw none of yourself in that description of your parents? I mean, I realize you can be a bit thick at times, but really."
Sirius snickered at this, muttering "A bit?" and was silenced by a quick glare from the redhead.
Ginny sat down across Harry's lap, her arm around his shoulder, and explained, "Well, let's get the most obvious part of it out of the way, first. You obviously have the most powerful magical talent seen in quite a few generations, If I'm any judge. Whether it's because of what happened when your parents died, or if you had it already, is irrelevant. You have the power, and are the right person to wield it. I shudder to think what almost anybody else would have done with it. It never even occured to you, to misuse it." She stopped a moment, and giggled. "Well, it may have occured to you, once or twice in Potions, but you never did it.
"Secondly, there's the friends you've made since coming to Hogwarts. Ron, me, and the rest of my family, poor as we always were, were never the most popular family. We may be purebloods, but that never really meant anything to us, if you'd never noticed. Dad's alway had a fascination with muggles, and the ways they find to get through life. That always translated into more acceptance of them than you'd normally see from wizards. For a pureblood family, that's simply not done. In a lot of ways, we were outcasts as well. It was always Dad's obvious sympathy for muggles that always kept him from advancing in the Ministry, until recently. Also, Hermione may be the most powerful witch in her year, but she's muggle-born, so she would have been an outcast to a lot of people in our world, too. Neville? With his memory the way it's always been, he would have been in no better of a position.
"I could go on all day with this list, but I don't have too. The same applies for most of your friends. You don't care about those kinds of distinctions. What matters to you is that you're willing to lay it all on the line for them, and they know it. Because of that, they'd do the same for you, at the drop of a hat. I think that was what that damned prophecy was talking about, when it mentioned, "A power the dark lord knows not." That was, I think, the power of love and friendship. In the end, it gave you something to draw on, that he could never know or understand.
"Last, there's the fact that you are the most loving, caring, sincere man I've ever known. After I finally put that silly crush behind me, I began to see the person you really are. I started seeing all the things I've mentioned, and more. That was when I really started to fall for you. It was only then, that I realized that all I wanted was for you to be happy. Even if it turned out that your happiness could only be had with another woman. I was willing to give you up, if you'd be happy." She grinned hugely. "I'm just glad it didn't happen that way, Mr Potter." With this, she kissed him soundly.
After a few minutes, Sirius cleared his throat, getting their attention. "As happy as I am to see you two so happy, and impressed at the breath control you're exhibiting," The happy couple blushed a bit at this. They hadn't come up for air for a few minutes. "We are on my knut, so to speak." He eyed the two steadily for a moment. "I have to go now. I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you both. Your parents are, too, Harry. Very proud."
Harry and Ginny got up to embrace his godfather. "We really have missed you, Padfoot. It wasn't easy to go on, after you were gone. I never had the chance to say goodbye. Do we have to now?"
Sirius nodded. "I'm afraid so, Harry. It's time for you to move on. You know, I had this whole speech prepared, telling you to have some fun, find yourself a girl, live your life. You rather took the wind out of my sails, here." At his godson's grin, he continued. "I'm so glad to see that it wasn't needed. Goodbye, Harry. Just remember, we love you."
A moment later, Harry and Ginny opened their eyes. They knew, somehow, that they had both had the same dream. They smiled at each other, kissed, and closed their eyes, to return to sleep.
Perchance, to dream...
A/N: Did you know that plot ferrets are perfectly happy, chasing you around in your dreams? Me either. At least not til the night before last. Persistant little buggers, they are. A bit like lawyers, really. If any of you, dear readers, are lawyers, then I apologize. I'm really really sorry you ended up as lawyers. Ok, I'll hush now. The Boss (aka wife) says I'm being mean to lawyers. Gonna have to sleep with an eye open, tonight. Hmmm... Wonder if Mad-Eye would lend me the...naaah It'd just scare the cats, and those two are wierd enough already. But I digress. Once again, I'm very grateful for the feedback all of you have given me so far. Thanks you very much, for allowing me to drag you along with me on this little ride. It's been a lot of fun, so far. I think this part of the story may start winding down, soon. No worries, though. There will be at least a few more chapters coming. I very much doubt that Harry and Ginny (not to mention the plot ferrets...OW! Gerroff!) will let me end this too quickly. Please bear with me for a moment more, as I reply to a couple of comments.
GiGiFanFic: It took me a good hour or so to work out why you thought I was from Sweden or some such. When I finally did, I giggled at random intervals for the rest of the afternoon. I needed that today. Thank you, dear lady. By the way, if you have some of those home-made pies just pining away for a good home, just let me know. I can guarantee I'll find a loving home for them. LOL
Byron245: I liked the two of them as well. It was fun to have an OC with a completely outside viewpoint. Ashley is just like my niece, as she was at that age, when I first met her.
Xayne: Good point. To be honest, though, I actually proposed to my wife a very few months after we met, we wed less than six months later, and remain together twelve and a half years later. We got incredibly lucky, but my point is that it really can work that way, for the right couple. Actually, I doubt that Harry would be ready to propose yet, though Ginny might be ready to accept right now. Remember, she's loved him for as long as she can remember. At the same time, he's taken quite a few years, just to realize exactly what he feels for her. Until he went to Hogwarts, Harry had obviously never had any experience with love. At least, not since he was fifteen months old.