Disclaimer: I'm supposed to say something here? Like what? Alright, alright, I get it. Nothing but the plot and the accompanying ferrets (ruddy little buggers they are, too) belongs to me. Dang copyright lawyers... ::grumble::
Summer from Winter:
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
Albert Camus
Harry and Ginny awoke late the next morning, still wrapped in each other. They would both be a bit stiff for a while, but it was worth it. Ginny came back from sleep first, but slowly. The first thing she was aware of was that she was in the arms of the man she loved, and had no desire whatever to be anywhere else. She turned slightly, very slowly, so that she could see his face. In repose was the only time he looked as young as he really was. When he slept, now, he was truly able to let go of it all. There was a peace to his features that, just a year ago, wouldn't have been there in sleep. Perhaps less then, than any other time. In the past, dreams were probably the worst times for him. They were when Lord Voldemort had the most direct access to his mind. That was when he'd suffered the most, feeling all the pain of the dark lord's victims.
Now, though, dreams might actually be something that would help him to heal. She remembered the dream they had shared last night, and smiled softly. It had been so good to see Sirius again, even if only in a dream. The summer before that disastrous year at school, her fourth and Harry's fifth, had largely been spent at 12 Grimmauld Place. One of the few bright spots of that summer had been spending much of it with Sirius, getting to know him, hearing stories about the Marauders, and about Harry's parents. She had heard about the night Harry was born, about his first birthday party (the only one he'd had, to Ginny's knowledge. Something that she intended to remedy). She had also heard Sirius talk frankly about his time in Azkaban. That conversation had both frightened her, and given her something to think about, for a long while. She could remember it like it was just yesterday.
One rainy afternoon, they had been sitting in front of the fireplace in the kitchen, talking over hot chocolate. The young witch had asked, hesitantly, about his time in the wizard's prison. His face had gone pale and immobile, and she'd thought she went too far. Finally, without opening his eyes, he'd spoken. "Azkaban was, to put it bluntly, hell. For a while, it was all I could do, to keep my fingertips wrapped around the edge of sanity. You see, the Dementors would toy with us. They would drive us right to the brink, making us remember all of the worst things, the most horrific, memories, the ones that caused us shame." He paused, for just a second. "Then, just as we were on the very brink of madness, the lip of sanity crumbling beneath us, they would retreat, to allow us to pull back. Not too far, or for too long. Just long enough to allow us to grab a breath, then they'd be right back. It was a never-ending cycle." He opened his eyes now, and the desolation she saw there shocked her. The only time she had ever seen pain like that was in Harry's after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "The only thing that saved me was being an animagus. Even then, it was a few years before I changed to Padfoot, in there. The first time it happened was in my sleep. I say sleep, but I had actually passed out. I keeled over from sheer exhaustion, and the next thing I knew, I was coming to as a huge black furball. It was then that I discovered the peculiar limitations of the guards of Azkaban. They couldn't sense the primitive emotions of a dog, so they passed me up. That, along with the knowledge that I was innocent, were the only things that allowed me to maintain my precious hold on my mind."
Sirius had risen then, to go into the sitting room for a moment. He had returned with an old book, the only legible words on it seemed to be the author's name. "I read this book near the end of my last year at Hogwarts." He'd grinned at a memory then. "As you may have guessed already, Remus was the bookworm in our group, much as Hermione is in yours. He was always reading, and I always teased him about it. One weekend over the winter, I managed to land myself in the hospital wing, after a prank had backfired on me. Remus came up to visit, and left this sitting behind on the nightstand. A couple of days later, I got bored. I mean, really bored. I had already counted the tiles in the ceiling, the holes in the tiles, the motes of dust around each hole...you get the idea." He'd continued at her nod, "Anyway, I picked that book up and started leafing through it, desparate for something to keep my mind of the boredom. Don't get me wrong, I didn't immediately turn into a bookworm, reading for pleasure and all that. There were a few things in here, however, that have stuck with me, all these years. There's a line in there that says, "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." What that means to me is that, no matter how bad things get, no matter how hopeless they may appear, there is something within each of us, that will allow us to reach better times. No matter how cold the winter, there must be a summer on the way."
As she lay there, she watched Harry awake. She saw his eyes start to open, the brilliant green in them shining. They focused, then swiveled toward her, locking onto her chocolate brown ones. They kissed tenderly then, parting only reluctantly. He squeezed her a little tighter for a moment, then released her. "I need to get up, love. Time to visit the loo." He got up then, dropping a kiss to her forehead as she sat up. When he came back out, he moved to the kitchen to make breakfast. When she returned from the loo herself, she sat down at the table, watching the way he moved around the small kitchen. He moved with an efficient grace, an economy of motion. The auburn-haired witch was amazed, as always, at the way he could manage to make even the most mundane of tasks seem sexy. She reflected to herself that it was a good thing they had gotten together. She was quite sure she wouldn't have been able to stand watching him with another woman. It would have driven her mad.
After he finished preparing their meal, Harry set the plates down and pulled out a chair, reclining a bit as he sat. He watched Ginny tuck in, marveling at the thought that such a beautiful young woman could want him. He was amazed at the love he felt for her. Until recently, it was a foreign thing to him. To say the least, love was not something he had seen at Privet Drive. At least, not directed toward him. It had taken him a long time to know what these feelings were. He had seen it developing between Ron and Hermione, but it was different with them. He grinned wryly at the memory of watching those two finally come to the same realization that everybody in Gryffindor Tower, indeed the whole school, had reached years before. They were meant for each other. The residents of the tower had been coming to the point of locking the in the Room of Requirement to work it all out, when they finally did. They never did stop quibbling, though they did seem to have more fun with it now.
Once they were finished eating, Harry got up to clean everything up. Ginny sat there a moment, devouring him with her eyes. She silently patted herself on the back once more for picking out those jeans for him. She was startled to realize that he was asking her something, and she had missed it. "Focus, Ginevra!" she sternly admonished herself. "I'm sorry, Harry. Were you saying something?"
"Yeah. I was wondering where you want to go from here. I've been thinking it's time to go, again. Any ideas?"
She was a bit uneasy about what she was going to say, but forged ahead. "Well, I was thinking. I'll need to get back home before too long, so I can start getting ready for that training this fall. Do you mind terribly if we go home? I know Mum and Dad would love to see you. Truth be known, I am starting to get a bit homesick."
Harry mulled it over while he finished the cleaning up. "I think you're right. You do need to start getting ready for that, and there's that project I've been thinking about. It's time to get a start on that. Besides, we haven't properly congratulated Ron and Hermione, yet. Remus and Tonks, either, for that matter."
"True. So, do you think the Twins have managed to prank the Dursleys yet?"
"Why? Did they say something to you?"
"No, but you didn't see the look on their faces before and after they went with Dad and Ron to get you for the World Cup. They were still incredibly pissed that there were bars on your windows the first time they went there. After they got back, Dad said that after you didn't have to live there anymore, those awful muggles were fair game." She grinned, "You know how protective he is over muggles," she said, shaking her head.
Harry's mind boggled at the thought of what the fertile imaginations of those two would do to them. The pranks they pulled on the people they liked were bad enough. What they would do to people they actively loathed... He almost felt a tinge of sympathy for his aunt and uncle, but it quickly passed. Then he got a grin. "I hope they get pictures."
Laughing at these happy thoughts, they moved around the apartment, packing up, making sure nothing was left behind. Once this was finished, and the trunk once again small enough to fit in Harry's pocket, they stepped through the portrait hole, letting it reseal.
The couple headed out through the store, hand in hand. The store manager, Jason, came up to them, asking, "Where are you two headed today? A little more sight-seeing?"
Ginny said, "Actually, no. We've got to get home, as we have a lot we need to do. We've absolutely loved it here, though. This town is great, and we met some really very nice people. We'll miss it, but it just isn't home for us."
The short man extended a hand. "I wish you well. You two have been great to have around. Barely knew you were around most of the time, to tell the truth. So, how are you getting home?"
Harry said, "Well, I suppose we'll fly back. Hadn't given it much thought, actually. Why?"
"Well, they did just open the new distance floo travel connection at Gringott's a couple months ago. It's one of only a few that connects worldwide."
Ginny turned to Harry with a grin. "Fancy surprising a few people?"
He grinned back. "As a matter of fact, I do." He looked at Jason, "Gringott's, you say?"
Jason smiled at the couple. "You two have a good trip. You'll be missed."
Before they left, Ginny was struck with inspiration. She headed to the back of the store, and grabbed a Teddy-Mantula. She needed something to keep handy, if Ron ever started getting out of hand. She tried to pay for it, but Jason refused to take her money.
The two of them struck out down the street, heading towards Gringott's, discussing where to arrive in Britian. Once there, they went in and got directions to the international floo area. Harry paid for the two of them, they each took a pinch of pearlescent floo powder, threw it on the flames, and said, "12 Grimmauld Place," and stepped into the fire.
A few moments later, the two of them stepped, hand in hand, out of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, the former Black mansion. This was the first time either had been here since the previous summer. They both wanted to see Remus and Tonks, to congratulate them.
Harry called out, "Remus! Dora! Where are you?"
Hearing voices in the kitchen, the professor rushed out. It sounded like Harry, but it couldn't be. He was in... "Harry! When did you get back?" He ran up to Harry, to give him a hug. Then he noticed whose hand his former pupil's hand was clasped in. He smiled, raising an eyebrow. "You two are together?" At their nods, "That's great! Does Molly know? Of course she does. Sit down, sit down. I'll get us some tea." He rushed around the kitchen, getting everything together. The couple traded a silent laugh. "So, how was your trip? Tell me all about it."
Grinning, Harry said, "Sit down for a few minutes, and we will." After Remus had settled himself, Harry and Ginny spent the next few hours telling him about their journey. They were only interrupted once, when Tonks came in the door. Seeing Ginny sitting in Harry's lap, natural as anything, actually shocked the morphmagus into dropping back to her true appearance. She wasn't quite surprised enough, however, to allow Harry to call her anything other than Tonks. They had an enjoyable visit, congratulating the newly engaged couple, discussing wedding plans. Harry and Ginny both looked forward to standing up for the two of them.
After a while, they decided they'd better get going. It was time to go home. They exchanged hugs with Remus and Tonks, and apparated to the backyard quidditch pitch at the Burrow. They walked up the path to the back of the house, just quietly enjoying being back for a moment or two. Ginny turned to her boyfriend and said with a grin, "Ready for this, love?"
Harry made a show of bracing himself and said "Ready as I'll ever be." They laughed and walked up to the house.
As they walked through the door, Molly saw them, and seemed to apparate to the doorway, enveloping them both in a hug that had each checking their ribs afterwards. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" she berated them.
"We didn't decide until this morning, Mum." Harry grinned at her, green eyes twinking. "Besides, we wanted to surprise you. Did it work?"
Molly placed a hand on each side of his face. "In more ways than one, ever since we've known you, dear." She gave him a mock stern look then. "Please tell me though, that you don't have any more shocks as big as that lurking. I doubt this old heart of mine could take any more like that."
Harry looked at Ginny, the two sharing a look of mischief. "Well..."
"Harry?" Molly gave him a slightly worried look.
The couple could stand it no longer and burst out laughing. "Nothing, Mum. Just having you on."
"You two have obviously spent entirely too much time around those twins, if you think that's funny." she huffed and turned to the icebox, putting a snack together for them. Of course, Molly Weasley's idea of a snack was just a bit different from what most people's would be, so the table was soon groaning under the weight of the 'snack.'
The three of them sat down at the table, catching up on recent events. Molly updated them on recent happenings around the Burrow, starting with the engagement of her youngest son, all the way up to the latest news at the Ministry. Before telling her about the trip, Harry excused himself for a few minutes, heading upstairs. When he arrived at his room (Percy's old one), he doffed his jacket, and set the shrunken motorcycle on the dresser, and setting the reduced trubk at the foot of the bed. After restoring it to full size, he rummaged through it, retrieving the pictures they had taken along the way. As he went out of the room, Harry heard a soft double pop from downstairs. The next thing he heard, immediately after was two female voices, yelling, "Ginny!" "Hermione!" He went back into the room for a moment, retrieving more items from the trunk, then heading downstairs.
As Harry excused hinself from the table, the two women watched him go, fond expressions on both faces. They turned to each other, and Molly asked, "So, how are things between the two of you?" An eyebrown lifted. "I assume you still remember those spells?" She knew she didn't have to specify which ones, at the slight pink tinge on her daughter's face.
"Things are great, beyond great, Mum! I finally feel complete, and I think he does, too." She shot her mother a look, saying "And of course I remembered the spells, Mum. Honestly. Those have been burned into my brain, after all." She giggled now. Molly was gratified to see her daughter so happy. As she started to ask more, they were interrupted by a soft double pop behind them. Ginny turned, and was on her feet in a trice. Her look of surprise was instantly replaced by a huge smile, as Ginny and Hermione hugged each other hard, each yeiing the other's names. At the same time, Ron came over and gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. He and his sister shared a hug by way of greeting.
Ron was the first to speak. "So, where is he, then?"
There was a voice behind him. "Right here, mate." Harry set the photos and a few packages down on the table, to shake his friend's hand, then pull him into a rough hug, released quickly. As soon as he let go of Ron's hand, Hermione was on him, her hug rivaling Molly's in intensity. He hugged her back just as fiercely, then released her, moving over to slip his arm around Ginny.
Ron grinned hugely at the couple. "So it's true, then. You two finally figured it out?" As they nodded, he gave a smugly satisfied look. "Known it since fifth year, I have."
They all took seats around the table, Harry and Ginny congratulating the other couple on their engagement. Ron, Hermione, and Molly all wanted details on the trip, so the pictures were pulled out, as were travel stories. As Harry spun the tales from their recent travels, Ginny listened, contributing where she needed to. She enjoyed just listening to him tell about their journey. As she watched and listened, she thought back to that fireside conversation with Sirius. She knew now that, for them, each was the invincible summer that lay at the depths of their winters. With each other, no matter where they were, they were home.
A/N: Just a few quick notes. Once again, I really, really appreciate the kind words and reviews from everybody. That has meant so much to me. Getting the kind of feeback has really made it easier to let the ideas flow. Thank you. I hope you continue to enjoy my small efforts here. This really is a lot of fun. I'm even starting to get a little attached to the plot ferrets, and may even name them. Maybe I just have too much free time? I dunno. LOL
GiGiFanFic: If we ever do get a chance to get up that way, we'll definitely take you up on that. Pie is always good. :-)
Byron245: Wow. The Naked Quidditch Match was the story that got me into fanfic, and even into HP. I loved it when I first read it, and so I had to read the books, to find out more about this entrancing world. I've been stuck there ever since. To have my story compared to that one is high praise indeed. Thank you.