Posted: October 2, 2004
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter and am not using this story for financial gain.
The Bonded
Chapter Three
Harry awoke to a white room and the unpleasant smell of antiseptics and medicine that signaled he was in the hospital. He sat up quickly and was rewarded with a slight spell of dizziness for his effort. Pausing far a second to allow his vision to clear once more, Harry got his bearings back and looked around the room. In the bed next to him lay Ginny, a small smile on her face, sleeping peacefully. Next to her, sitting in chairs were Cynthia, Dazna and to his surprise, Elder Kyle, a man whom Harry had become good friends with during his time on Phoenix Isle.
"Welcome back, Lad," Dazna's warm voice ran over him. "You've been asleep quite a while."
Harry frowned, "How long was I out?"
Dazna chuckled slightly to himself, "About twenty hours now, you were dead exhausted."
"No thanks to the little tap you gave me on the back of the head," Harry grumbled. "That hurt you know."
"Really? I'm sorry…" Dazna replied in a tone and a wicked gleam in his eyes that clearly said that he was not sorry.
Cynthia spoke up, "I'm proud of you Harry. You two did very well. If you hadn't had to go through the entire Army before facing us I think you just might have been able to take on Dazna and me." She brought a finger up to her chin and pursed her lips thoughtfully, a look that Harry had seen on Ginny's face many times. "Probably not though," she shook her had.
Harry scowled at her while Kyle and Dazna boomed with laughter. "With friends like these, eh Harry?" Kyle asked, mirth practically dancing in his eyes.
"Yeah…yeah…friends like these…" Harry stopped scowling and threw back the covers, hopping out of the bed. He grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up next to Ginny's bed, across from the Elders. He took up Ginny's hand in his own and looked towards Kyle, "Why are you here, Sir?"
"Come now, Harry." Kyle chided. "There is no need for such formalities between friends. As the Head of Council, it's my duty to formally recognize your new rank as a warrior mage." Seeing the confused look on Harry's face he expounded, "Besides, I wanted to see how you two were doing. Coffee?" He turned to a coffee maker that sat on a credenza behind him. Harry was certain that it hadn't been there when he had first awoken. Kyle poured Harry a mug, brewed in his traditional style, strong with a pinch of salt. He handed the cup to Harry.
"Danke," Harry responded, Kyle was born a German. "You mentioned something about rank?"
"Everyone is very impressed with you, young man. No one has shown a potential as high as yours in several millennia. We mages have been around a long time, I myself am proud to say that I helped the great Shakespeare with his play Macbeth. Anyway, I digress." Kyle reached into pocket and retrieved a small black box. He opened it and passed it to Harry.
Inside, Harry saw two silver bars resting on a black velvet cushion. Reaching his free hand into the box he pulled out the bars and felt the magic pulsing around them. He looked up at Kyle for an explanation.
"That signifies your place as Captain within the Order. Ginny also received that rank and the two of make up everyone in that ranking. The magic you feel around the bars is a spell that will cause them to adhere to your uniform and position them in the right place. As a Captain you will be a representative of the mages and may be called upon to escort high ranking officials or meet other leaders. Plus," Kyle smiled slightly. "You'll be out and about every now and then on missions for the Scarlet Phoenix Corporation. They usually don't last very long just a week or two, phoenix time."
Harry nodded and pocketed the box, reminding himself to attach them to his uniform later. The three of them sat there for a little while, Harry focused on Ginny's breathing and let his mind wander. He had always known that he wanted to be a warrior, a protector. It was there, within him, a deep seated need to help people in anyway he can even if it meant taking their pain as his own. For as long as he could remember the need was there, pulsing within him like strong heartbeat.
And now here he was getting that chance to protect people and instead of joy his mind was filled with worry over what sort of risks he would be put into. Risks that could leave Ginny alone and without her soul mate. Questions swarmed about him, would she be well taken care of, would she be protected, would she continue on? He resolved to, at the first opportunity, to consolidate his resources in both the mage and wizarding world and fill out a last will and testament so that, some of his worries, at least, would be put to rest.
Dazna seemed to notice his worries but mistook their origin. "Don't worry, Lad," he spoke reassuringly. "With the difference in time between Phoenix Isle and the rest of the world, missions are not near as often as one would think."
That piqued Harry's curiosity. He, as all mages, was well aware of the time difference between the two worlds but for some reason it had never been explained to him how it was that this actually came to be. It seemed odd that such an important fact of the mage life had been left out of the curriculum. Harry broached the subject with a cautious air about him, "Yeah, that's right isn't it? How does that work anyway? The time difference I mean…"
He did not miss the small look that passed between Dazna and Kyle, nor did he miss the nod that was obviously in response to Dazna's implied question. Kyle let out a soft sigh and stood up from his chair slowly. He drank the last of his coffee and sat the cup down beside him. When he spoke it seemed to Harry as if a few years had just been tacked on to the already impressive life of the Head Elder. "Come, Harry. It is time that you learn a little more about the mages and the world that all humans live in, mage or not." Kyle turned and began to walk to the room's door, a confused but intrigued Harry right behind him.
It was not hard to guess were Kyle was taking him. The street that they were hading down only had one destination…Phoenix Tower. The war from ancient times however had left the tower in ruins and now all that stood there were a few columns and left over marble blocks the size of cars. Many animals had made their homes among the fallen rubble and even now as they walked up the hill Harry could see several squirrels running around and playing. A cautious doe and her fawn were drinking from the small river that ran nearby and helpful songbirds seemed to stand guard on a tree branch over hanging the pathway.
Harry had only been here once before, when he had first been inducted as a mage and Ginny was giving him a tour of the island. He had thought then that it was a very calm and beautiful place but he had never noticed anything odd. Now though, five years of intense training later, his magical senses were going haywire with warnings. It was as if someone had placed as much raw magical power as they could find and dumped it into the very earth around them. It became so much of an annoyance that Harry had to smother his magical sensing to almost to the point of nonexistence. Not liking being 'blind' in such a manner, Harry cast Kyle a worried look.
But Kyle paid him no attention and continued walking towards the pile of stones that had been one of the most magnificent buildings in the world. When he finally spoke, it was in a soft, stately spoken manner, as if they were visiting upon a cathedral. "You have noticed by now that the raw magic in this area is very nearly overwhelming. It is not something that everybody can sense, mostly only those who have trained in looking for and feeling magical energies would even know that it was here. You could place an adult wizard or sorcerer here and they wouldn't be able to feel a thing unless they were looking for it. Even most mages are not trained in sensing magic enough to feel the power within this place. It is mostly the war mages like you that can experience the dominant atmosphere." He broke of to reach out with a weathered, old hand and touched a hard slab of marble that sat to one side of the ruins. The stone around his hand slowly disappeared until a hole large enough for a man to walk through opened up. He walked down the staircase that appeared, looking back to make sure that Harry was following him.
"Throughout time, there has been bad and good, right and wrong, and though we would like to think it, mages have not always been good or right. Many ages ago when mages were powerful and numerable we lived in splendor and were full of arrogance. The mages of old could do things that we now could not even began to imagine, fly through the air unaided, cast any amount of spells with a mere thought, raise mountains from the very earth itself. Oh the power they could control without effort." Kyle trailed off, his mind clearly imagining the wonders of the mages of old. But he quickly snapped out of it and continued on with his story.
"But then they began to lose touch with their origins. Our long life spans and magical powers set us apart from the world, even the wizards and sorcerers were fearful of the destruction that a single mage could bring down. Some people even say that we began to think that we were untouchable by even the Goddess herself."
Harry remained silent, he had heard most of these stories before, never in so great as detail though. Most often it was simply enough to say that the mage's egotism and greed did them in. And while he had known that the mages of old were powerful he couldn't imagine having the power on a scale of what Kyle was talking about. It was frightening really.
"Maybe it was the rumors spreading ideas about our being gods on Earth," Kyle continued to speak as the walked down the winding staircase. "That finally pushed them to take that extra step. Whatever the reason, being blinded by their impressions of superiority, the mages of old began to mess with that which should never be touched." They stepped down the last step into a large cavern. All around them, shadows were cast by a single glowing emerald that sat in the very middle of the floor. It pulsed with immense raw magical power, giving off the effect of a heartbeat. As if it was the very heart of the island itself.
Gazing on this stone and piecing together the story that Kyle was telling him along with what he knew about Phoenix Isle Harry finally understood. "Time…"
Kyle nodded in confirmation, "Yes, they began to mess with the powers of time. In the want of an endless lifespan they sought to create a place were mages would never age, in short they wanted to become immortal. Many mages lost their lives in the creating of the spell. Mistakes were commonly fatal but their thirst would not be quenched until they had succeeded." He pulled in a deep breath and sighed, "The wizards and sorcerers were fearful of what would happen should the mages succeed in their quest and they sought to stop it from happening, thus the beginning of the war. For many long years, the wizards, sorcerers, and even muggels waged battle against the mages. Their superior numbers offset our untouchable power. We finally drove them off but both sides were too weak to continue on. Unable to take Phoenix Isle the wizards and sorcerers retreated while we tended to our wounded and drastically reduced numbers. It was during the last battle that was fought here on Phoenix Isle itself that the spell was finally completed."
A mysterious smile lit Kyle's face as he continued on, "But the mages succeed and failed at the same time. While they created a time and aging difference, they did not achieve immortality." Kyle looked sidelong at Harry, who was gazing at the stone while listening to the Head Elder speak. "Do you know why they failed?"
Harry fought back his instant response of 'no' and looked closer at the spell that was woven into the emerald. Spell study was an aspect of training and he quickly fell back into the state of mind that would allow him to see the interweaving threads of magic. Walking slowly around the stone, taking in every possible detail, he began to speculate aloud. "The spell is two fold: one seems to encompass what I would assume to be the whole of Phoenix Isle and acts as a shell for the inner spell. The second aspect seems to almost fold in upon itself…warping the space and time around it as if linking to…" Harry's eyebrows shot to the top of his head and he looked at Kyle with a look of what could only be astonishment. "…as if it were linking to a place outside circles of the universe!"
Kyle chuckled, "Yes, by linking the inner spell to an extra dimensional pocket of space and time they were able to alter the passage of time within the outer spell, the shell. Twisting it like a Mobius strip to punch through the physical boundaries of space. Really an amazing piece of work. But why did it only slow down time instead of stopping it?"
Suppressing his amazement at the amount of physical laws that were broken right in front of him, Harry continued his examination of the spell. For many minutes he simply walked around the stone, probing and testing, trying to figure out where the mages of old had went wrong. And finally he understood a tiny flaw was all that was wrong. "Balance," he stated simply. "The spell is not in balance. The problem with inverting a spell in upon itself is that at the point of inversion, the spell would be vulnerable; a singularity being of only one dimension is susceptible to being destroyed or undone. This spell," he said pointing to the emerald. "Is not. Where it twists upon itself and punctures through the space time continuum there is absolutely no weakness were there should be. The mages of old knew of the vulnerability and decided to protect the spot by drawing power from the extra dimensional pocket to protect it. Therefore, too much of the spells energy affects the pocket and not enough is directed towards Phoenix Isle, like a teeter-tot wit a heavy kid on one end and a lighter on the other."
"Precisely right, Harry!" Kyle clapped his hands together in glee. "When they attempted this spell, mages were at the pinnacle of their capability but they purely didn't think things through. In nature objects balance as a defining regulation, effortlessly and openly, but when human deliberation is regulating the force, natural balance can be…redirected. They altered the spell from its natural equilibrium and shunted supplementary force to its insubstantial constitution thus invalidating the spells fundamental intentions.
"This serves as an instance, a model if you will for all of life. Everything must maintain some sort of balance. It is the solitary most imperative law you will ever learn and I want you to take it to heart. In the absence balance there is only chaos and where chaos reigns, death, destruction, and disaster follow." He watched the green-eyed boy for a moment as if judging whether or not Harry really understood what was being said. He was apparently satisfied with whatever he saw as he turned around and began to walk back up the staircase. "Make no mistake, Harry. Chaos is an innate component of life but it too must be countered by order and structure."
Harry watched the old man disappear around the curve of the staircase, and his voice floating down from the spiral steps with a fierce conviction, "Everything must balance."
Ginny didn't need the prior knowledge to tell that something big was coming up. Knowing the way her Harry usually fought – his trademark unassuming, almost casual style, and the fact that he seemed perpetually ready for combat – whatever the dress or environs, well, this was different.
Starting from the bottom up, the methodical, careful way he armed for this battle revealed a side she doubted a very few people had ever seen. The simple black silken trousers which had been sufficient for daily training were now accompanied with the various components of his armor. The black and silver wrought greaves were buckled on over his pants and tightened to fit comfortably.
Harry continued to suit up; his upper body was bare of clothing save a wrap around his stomach that showed of his well defined abs quite nicely. Ginny shook her head, Mind on the present girl. The black and silver phoenix etched across his chest shifted with his muscles and seemed to move as if it were alive. Ginny had often contemplated on the significance of the phoenix as his tattoo. The ceremony caused a tattoo of the animal that associated with you the most to appear on your body. She herself had an almost exact duplicate of Harry's phoenix written across her back.
She had been inducted into the mages a scant year before Harry had. The completion of her ceremony had ended with a silver and black phoenix etched across the small of her back in exquisite design. When she had first seen Harry's tattoo she was flummoxed but with the bond and revealing that they were soul mates she now understood why they were the same. Either way she viewed it as a good sign for his successful completion of this trail. After all, why would he be closest to the phoenix if he was not going to be the next Phoenix?
Harry strapped on his breast plate over the wrap and the armor molded over him like a second skin. The breastplate was devoid of anything but black lacquer but in her minds eye, Ginny could see the silver phoenix that was soon to be magically etched across it. The armor left his shoulders and arms bare but he quickly put his armguards on over his forearms.
"Harry, you look ready to infiltrate the London Palace." She smiled as he slid a pair of her throwing knives into sheaths on his back. "How come I've never seen you dressed up like this before?"
"Because there was never a need to," Harry replied. He quickly tied his tai-chi sword to his back and slipped two more knives into sheaths near his ankles. Turning, the young mage made a show of posing before his wife to be. "Two throwing knives, one tai-chi sword, and two daggers – so how do I look?" He smiled dryly.
"Like a true warrior mage," came the reply from behind. Both turned to see Dazna standing by the door frame. He walked up to Harry and looked him over briefly. "Looking good Harry, how are you feeling?"
"About as well as I could be I guess."
"You'll do fine Harry. I have faith in you." The Phoenix's Accession was not an easy thing to achieve. It involved an unsupported trip into an actual combat situation followed by a no holds bared match against the current Phoenix at the end. Such was the difficulty of the test; most people that would end up trying were all over three hundred years of age. It was a tribute to Harry's abilities that he was undertaking this dangerous venture at the tender age of sixteen.
"Harry…" Dazna's voice was strangely serious and Harry paid instant attention. "I just want you to know, that no matter what happens, it has been my greatest pleasure to watch over you these last few years. Once you pass this test you will no longer be under my care," he smiled a wry sort of a smile. "Actually, you're going to end up being my boss. But anyways, my door will always be open to you and Ginny and I will always think of you as the son I never had. I just wanted you to know that."
Harry was truly touched; though the Dursley's were his living relatives he had never considered them family. Now the man that he had so often thought of as a father told him that he shared the same feelings, it was almost too much for the young man. In a rare show of affection, Harry embraced Dazna tightly. "Thank you."
Ginny watched the two men with a warm smile on her face. She almost jumped in surprise when her grandmother laid an arm across her shoulder. "It's wonderful isn't it?" she asked.
Cynthia nodded, "It's rare that those two ever show any affection. I think that this will do them both good." Suddenly aware of the presence of others, Harry and Dazna separated quickly and shook hands. Cynthia gave a kind laugh, "Oh you two." Ginny joined in with her laughter and the two boys stood watching their amused female counterparts.
"Any idea what's up with them?" Harry asked Dazna.
"You will find, Lad," Dazna said sagely. "That though you will live many hundreds of years, you will never understand woman."
Harry nodded, "Indeed." Sobering up Harry turned to face Dazna full on. "Okay," he said, squaring his shoulders. "What is my task?"
Dazna followed suit, "A call for aid was given to the Scarlet Phoenix corporation approximately one day ago phoenix time (twenty-four minutes real time). A small town in America is under organized attack by various vampires and their ghouls. Forces are currently being engaged but will be unable to adequately protect their flanks from the secondary force their scouts have reported coming in. You are to depart within the hour to protect that flank and deal with the vampires. Wizards from the Counterstrike office in America are dispatching teams within the next fifteen hours to help assist you in the situation."
Harry was surprised at this, "Wizards will see me?"
Dazna nodded, "They know that you are a specialist and come from our corporation, age will not matter to them, nor will the methods you use to deal with the vampires." Harry nodded in understanding. "Anyways, the wizards are stretched thin so if it is a force you can deal with alone, call headquarters and give them an all clear. The wizards will return to the front and leave you to yourself. Upon elimination of all the targets you are to await the arrival of the current Phoenix. From there, you will participate in a full on duel with the Phoenix and should you defeat him you will become the new Phoenix."
Harry gulped, "And should I fail?"
Ginny interrupted whatever Dazna was going to say, "Don't even think like that, Harry. You are going to win and you are going to return to me alive and well, you got that mister?" Beside her Dazna and Cynthia were nodding their heads.
"Yes," Harry sighed. "I'll beat this thing and be back in…"
"Time allotted for completion, seven phoenix days (three hours)," Dazna spoke up.
"I'll be back in seven days then," Harry said. He gave Ginny a hug and chaste kiss on the lips, causing them both to blush a bright red. He gave Cynthia a quick hug and shook Dazna's hand before turning and leaving the room without a glance backward glance.
Watching him leave the barest of frowns marred Ginny's face. "I hope that he will be all right, or at least avoids serious injury."
"I think we needn't worry," Dazna replied. "I would be the most shocked of us all if anyone could injure that student of mine."
"Arrogance?" Cynthia smirked; Dazna was not an arrogant man. She poked his arm teasingly.
"Hardly false pride, Cynthia - only reality."
By sheer force of will, Harry steadied his breathing to an inaudible waft that was carried away on the mountain current passing through the valley. Though the light of day had disappeared hours ago, there remained a glow on the horizon, indubitably from the pitched battle that was going on between the vampires and wizards on the north end of town.
Dispassionately analyzing the situation, the mage took stock of the situation. It was given that he was going to be outnumbered by almost thirty to one and ghouls, while lacking any type of combat skill, took a lot of punishment before they were put down. Vampires themselves were also a lot to handle and immune to many types of magic. Almost absently, he reached back to touch at the soft gripped hilt of his black lacquered blade, somehow comforted by its presence. He had lined the edge of the sword with silver upon receiving the knowledge he would be fighting vampires and was glad he had taken that extra precaution.
He had arrived slightly out side the village on the north side, near a small forested area with a small dirt pathway cut down the middle. Vampires were at home with the night but their ghouls were not the stealthiest of beings so Harry ruled out any type of sneak attack coming from the dark creatures. Indeed even as he stood there, he could hear the approaching enemy clumping through the forest.
His best bet was to deal with the vampires first. If he took them out of the picture, the ghouls would wonder aimlessly with no one to give them orders. It would be easy to pick them off one by one after that. In order to do that though, he would need to get them separated. He was counting on their natural cowardice and had created some images of wizards in robes off to his left. With any luck the vampires would order their ghouls to attack the images and Harry would be free to deal with them as he pleased.
And so, Harry had positioned himself in a location that would best suit this advantage - the tree limbs overhanging the path. He didn't have to wait long as a minute later the entourage made its way into his vision. There were more ghouls than he expected but there were only five vampires. It was a force he could easily deal with if he kept up the surprise attack. I guess I still have a little bit of luck, Harry thought as he dialed headquarters and gave the all clear.
Upon sighting the wizard images Harry had created, the vampires quickly ordered their minions to attack. The ghouls growled in reply and took of in a strange loping run towards the images. Perfect, Harry smirked. An open duel would be suicide in such a confrontation so Harry opted to take them out as quickly as possible. Dropping to the ground silently behind the vampires he unsheathed his sword and pulled a throwing knife free. He would have to hurry as the ghouls had almost reached his ploy, as lifelike as his images were, they were no substantial beings.
Arm whipping like a coiled spring, Harry unleashed the throwing knife at one of the vampires, piercing its heart through its back. In the next two seconds Harry was a blur of motion as he stabbed his sword through the chest of one vampire and loped the head off a third with a sweep of his blade. All three of the vampires dissolved to ash upon their death.
Harry moved onto the forth but it saw him and let out a strangled cry before its throat was cut and a silver dagger speared through its heart. Harry turned to the final vampire, ignoring the burning ashes behind him. Unfortunately, the final vampire had been alerted by the last's death cry and was ready for confrontation.
The vampire appeared to be taught in the ways of combat. He was readied in a low combat stance and had two katanas unsheathed and ready for a fight. Harry got into his own stance and gave the vampire a feral smile, "Are you ready to die?"
"Quiet mortal!" the vampire snapped back. "You may have got the surprise on my companions but I will end your pathetic life here and now." The beast snarled and Harry could see the moonlight reflecting off its gleaming fangs. Reacting under an instinct which he could not entirely comprehend, the boy had his guard up in good time to meet the monster's forceful double overhead chop.
Wasting no time, he took advantage of the momentary shift in inertia to foot swipe the ground clean of all other occupants. Thrown bodily, the vampire tucked and rolled with the fall, but nonetheless crashed heavily into the ground. Reeling slightly from the impact, the beast nonetheless vacated the spot with barely enough clearance to avoid the downward stab of Harry's sword. Flipping randomly to the off side, it was only sheer luck that prevented another fall.
Realizing that he was clearly outclassed, the vampire turned and made a run for it. Grinning like a gleeful child, Harry fixed the speed of the vampire's escape and drew his second throwing knife. He swiftly and silently sent the blade at the monster where it lodged in its back with a meaty thunk. The vampire stopped and stood still for a moment, as if needing someone to tell it that it was dead, before it to burst into ashes like its previous companions.
With no one left who possessed any combat skills, Harry quickly dealt with the remaining ghouls. As he was finishing up the last one he felt a red hot tingle run up and down his spine. He whirled about to see who had teleported in so close to him and came face to face with a man that appeared to be in his mid forties.
"Greetings Harry, I am the Phoenix."
Harry sheathed his dagger and pulled his throwing knife out of the back of a ghoul that lay fallen on the ground. He wiped the black ichors that served as the monsters blood off of his knife on a fallen cloak. He absently polished the blade as he watched the man called Phoenix like a hawk, never leaving the man an open opportunity to attack.
The man was not young, that much could be plainly seen in the thinning of his sandy brown hair, but his face did not show the years set in a grime determination that Harry knew very well. It was on his own face when ever he came across a new challenge.
He was wrapped up in a dark, heavy traveler's cloak and Harry could make out the several tell-tale signs of concealed weapons on his person including a wizard's wand strapped to the man's forearm. He was a big man, a bigness of large, heavy bone and ropy tendon rather than flesh. At one point in the man's life he received a light scar that ran across his left cheekbone, a testament to the man's skill as if the blow had been any closer it would have been fatal. Harry noticed the peculiar alertness of all trained warriors, a point in which the body was always ready for any type of confrontation.
Not a word was spoken as the two measured each other up, looking for any visible weakness or chink in their metaphysical armor. By unspoken agreement, they moved away from the ghoul corpses to a field near a well that sat behind a cluster of houses. They stood ten meters from one another, simply watching one another to see who would make the first move. Finally, Phoenix shifted his weight to his back foot and the battle was joined.
He's fast! Harry thought, tracking Phoenix's movements with his cat quick eyes, he noted that the mage was attacking with a dagger in both hands. Harry whipped out his sword, the hiss it made coming out of the scabbard rolled through the night air, and watched as his opponent jumped in the air towards him. Rolling forward on the ground, he reached for his dagger with his left hand. Bouncing under his own inertia, he furiously parried a stabbing jab from the mage, grunting as the shock of the impact traveled up the arm. Ignoring the numbness, he stabbed from below, seeking to undercut the elder man's guard.
It was only Phoenix's speed training that saved him from a nasty stomach wound – his dagger only half-raised when it blocked the Harry's darting blade. Twisting away and flipping over the crouching wizard master, Harry let his dagger fly through the air, embedding itself in a tree trunk near Phoenix.
The opponents circled each other carefully, the initial attack had ended any hope that the battle would be over quickly. Harry had long ago recognized that the level of dexterity and speed being employed was well beyond normal conventions. The battle had not even reached the first minute, and he could feel the strain of too many super-speeded movements wearing down his endurance. Now was when the battle would come down to knowledge and experience.
Jumping wildly, he cleared a moment's space – sheathing his blade, and in the same movement flipping a throwing knife into the free hand. Obviously trained to avoid flying projectiles, Phoenix easily twisted around the path of the speeding blade, only to realize that another was flying towards him on his decent. A slight usage of his magic averted the course of the flying knife and he landed softly on the ground defending himself from Harry's offensive.
Harry cursed slightly under his breath. Well, he thought. Time to take this up a notch.
Phoenix looked at his opponent with the greatest respect. Harry attacked superbly. Every move was smooth and every attack executed perfectly. He could feel it in the atmosphere – knowing that a mistake, any mistake, would cost him the battle. And the way that Harry now fought spoke of a pristine, systematic methodology that had never been apparent in the previous exchanges of the duel.
In the first thirty seconds, he'd lost a dagger – sent spinning off to sink at the bottom of a well of the town. It took a further minute or so to be relieved of the second. All of his throwing knives had been used to gain more space and now, being down to his last two daggers, Phoenix was in sore need of them. Remove the cat's claws before you skin it. A low growl escaped his throat – Phoenix, leader of the magic word wasn't going to be taken down that easily.
Soon now… Harry thought as he relieved the master wizard of another dagger. The man was an excellent fighter and Harry was having a lot of difficulty. Sweat glistened on his bare shoulders and his pants were ripped in several places. His breathing was ragged now and he knew that he had to finish this fight or risk losing.
Harry sliced a thin cut on the older mans forearm. "First blood," he called out. "Do you yield?"
"Hah!" Phoenix cried. "There is no yielding in the Phoenix's Ascension. Death is the test of it."
Harry swallowed hard. He had never had to kill a man like this…in the hot blood of a fight. Vampires and ghouls were different. They were already undead, feeding on the young blood of helpless innocents but to kill another human. Could he do it? He circled his opponent warily once more. If I do not kill him, he will kill me but can I face Ginny with the blood of another human being on my hands? It was the thought of dying and never seeing Ginny again however, that steeled his resolve.
Harry blinked as he lost track of his opponent. One moment, he had been fighting him head to head and the next, the man had simply disappeared. Harry knew better than to let his guard down and circled around slowly, taking in the entire clearing with careful observation. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his leg and the warm trickle of blood that signified a cut running down his calf. Harry could tell that the cut was not that deep and ignored it in favor of keeping his eyes focused on the happenings around him. Another sharp pain and a cut across his lower back joined the first.
He's using magic now… Another cut across his thigh, this one was deep. Harry closed his eyes and let his magical senses see for him. To the left! Harry dived forward and rolled under another cutting hex. He saw the slight shimmer of an invisibility spell and set upon it like a rabid wolf. Not allowing the man to get any time to start throwing spells again. Have to finish this soon. The cuts had been deeper than Harry thought and the blood loss was starting to make him slightly woozy.
Harry launched a complicated and extended series of sword strokes. The series must have been familiar to Phoenix, since it was one of the oldest, and its conclusion was inevitable. Phoenix may have known the sequence of strikes but the extended duel had taxed his endurance greatly and his final block was just too slow.
Harry's altered the last stroke and instead of a maiming strike to the head, his sword crunched cleanly through the light armor of Phoenix's chest. The man staggered briefly, folding over in the middle and coughing up a fountain of blood. Harry pulled his sword from his body swiftly and raised it in a salute. Phoenix's body toppled to the ground…dead.
Tears streamed down Harry's eyes as he cleaned his sword and sheathed it in its scabbard on his back. He crouched down next to the fallen man, grabbing his shoulder and turning him over. The man's eyes were wide with shock and Harry gently closed the eyelids.
Harry had never been a religious person but he felt the need to say something for this man he had known only briefly. Muttering a small prayer that he had once heard in church with the Dursley's, Harry found himself grieving for someone he had never even know. Letting a moment of silence pass, Harry wondered if this man had a family of his own. Had he let a wife behind? Was there going to be children wondering why there daddy wasn't coming home tonight? Harry froze at the thought of him being responsible for destroying a family. His hands began to shake and he forced the bile down his throat.
His attempts failed however and he quickly found himself heaving his stomach dry. "I'm so, so sorry." Harry was shaking badly, and he had to spit several times to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth. He managed to get to his feet and decided to do something with the body.
White fire enveloped Harry and a bright glowing ball of energy began to burn in his hands. Harry looked at Phoenix one last time. "Please forgive me," he whispered and let the ball fly. Phoenix's body erupted in fire and out of the flame; the form of a phoenix flew. He watched in awe as the fiery apparition flew around the clearing and in the background Harry heard a beautiful song rising up through the air. It soared around him, filling him with a comforting feeling. And Harry could almost hear Phoenix's voice among the phoenix song, forgiving him for what must have been done.
The bird stopped in front of Harry, flapping its wings slowly and staring intently at him. It must have found whatever it was looking for as a moment later; he gave out a cry of shock as the phoenix dived into his body. Flames surrounded Harry's body ripping at him, burning him, soothing him. The pain died and Harry floated there, in a column of flame, letting the flickering light wash over him and through him. A mass of information made its way into Harry's mind about the purpose and knowledge of the Phoenix of the Mages. It was intense but Harry endured and in a split second it was over.
Harry shook his head slightly. Everything he had just learned pertained towards the job he was to perform and he was thankful for that. He didn't know if he could handle his predecessor's personal memories without breaking down. It was ten minutes before Harry turned from the burning pyre. Looking at his armor and sword, Harry could see the same phoenix design that he had seen on those portraits in the armory many years back, was now etched onto his breastplate. The silver flowed across the metal, painting a beautiful design of a phoenix soaring into the heavens, calling out with its song. Shouldering his sword, Harry collected the rest of his weapons and teleported back to Phoenix Isle. Hoping that he would see Ginny once before he passed out from exhaustion.
Ginny paced around the living room of her Grandmothers house anxiously. Dazna and Cynthia watched on with a little worry themselves. It had been eight days since Harry had left for the Phoenix's Accession trail and he had yet to show up. It should have only taken at most seven days or three hours for him to finish but it had already been half an hour past that.
"Where can he be?" Ginny was wringing her hands worriedly. Harry's absence had driven a point home for Ginny. It had been five years since she had been separated from Harry by any amount of time and she was feeling his lack of presence intensely. The bond had put many things in focus for Ginny, while it had been a shock at first she found herself warming up to the idea quickly. She cared deeply for Harry and she knew that he felt the same.
It was strange to say the least at how she knew. Even now, with eight days to get used to the idea it was a bit…foreign...in how she could recall Harry's memories as quickly and as clearly as her own. She had years of abuse and ridicule at the hands of the Dursleys countered by the many nights she had spent with, well…herself. And looking at those memories were the ones she enjoyed the most. She knew that he too was glad that he had found her to be his soul mate and that one day they could continue on as husband and wife.
Already she had a few dresses picked out in her mind and ideas of places to hold it. It had been one of her dreams as a little girl to be a beautiful bride. Almost as much as she wanted to be a mother. One day, her Aunt Edna had come to the Burrow when Ginny was about eight years old. She had just given birth to Ginny's new cousin and, (if Ginny sat properly on the couch), they let her hold the wee babe. It had amazed her at how something so precious so cherished could be contained in such a small package. She knew then and there at that moment that more than anything else in the world that she wanted to be a mother one day. She wanted her baby to have a family like she did now.
And Harry would be meeting that family in the future. A far into the future was unknown but the fact that there would be such a meeting was not. Her brothers would be a problem, she knew that. Most brothers would be overprotective of their only sister but the Weasley's took it to new extremes. Ron, being closest…well relatively closest in age to her would lead the way for a beat down on Harry, Boy-Who-Lived or not. Bill and Charlie certainly had friends that would be glad to help out and the twins were terror born again. Then her father would also want to take a crack at the man who had meet his daughter and her mother would be right there by his side, in full righteous rage mode. Yes, the first family meeting would not be pleasant.
This was all assuming Harry was still alive of course. Ginny continued her pacing.
Cynthia watched the distraught girl for a moment longer before standing up. "Ginny," she said softly. "Look at me." She waited until she had Ginny's full attention. "Harry has been trained by the best to be the best. He will not fail in this mission if you just believe in him. Besides," Cynthia smiled brightly. "He promised you that he would return didn't he? And we all know that Harry always keeps his promises."
Ginny frowned, it was true that Harry was a man of his word but he was in a situation that he had never been in before. For the twentieth time that day, she tried to trace him trough their bond to see if everything was all right.
The separate time dimensions seemed to do funny things to their connection. During the last week, Ginny had only felt him one or two times and that was only briefly. Just this morning she had awaken at his feeling of dread. Dread for what? She didn't know. But she did know that he had at least been alive earlier.
"I know, Grandma," Ginny replied. "It's just so hard without him here by my side."
Cynthia enveloped her in a hug. "It always is when our loved ones leave us dear. But when they return it is the greatest feeling in the world."
"I just wish that I could be held in his arms at least one more time."
"Well…" A voice behind her said softly. "I think I can give you at least that wish."
Ginny gasped as she felt the connection come back as strong as ever and whirled around to come face to face with he husband to be. "Harry!" she cried out and dove into his arms. He stumbled slightly at the force of her hug but quickly regained his balance and pulled her even tighter to him. Ginny sobbed in his chest, unheeding of the blood, and Harry muttered soothing words to her, rocking her back and forth. Ginny's sobs of happiness broke and she snuffled a few more times before she had control over herself once more.
She pulled her head up from Harry's chest and looked into his eyes. "Is it really you?" she asked.
Harry brushed a wisp of hair from her face and smiled gently at her, "Of course it's me, unless of course, you've gone and gotten yourself another link while I was gone."
"Oh Harry," Ginny buried herself in his embrace once more.
"Goddess, Harry…" Harry looked up to see Dazna and Cynthia looking at him. They were both staring intently at the Silver phoenix design that stretched across the breastplate of his armor. Then, they did something he would never expect. Crossing one arm over their chest in a salute, they both dropped to one knee and bowed their heads, "My Lord," the said in unison. "I pledge myself to the protection and will of Milord Phoenix. My life before his." They both said this with the utmost respect and a note of awe could be heard in their voices.
Shocked as he may have been, Harry was not frozen in inaction. He gently disengaged himself from Ginny and limped over to the two elders. "Cynthia, Dazna," he said softly. The knelling mages looked up at their newly pledged Lord. "Please stand up." They slowly rose to their feet and as they stood Harry dropped into a bow of his own. "It is I who should be pledging to you. Without your help and care these past years I would have never made it tonight, I want you both to know that should you ever have need, I will deliver."
Dazna and Cynthia said nothing. What could one say to the promises that had just been made? As if on some unspoken agreement all four of the room's occupants smiled brightly at one another. They had just formed a link as family that transcended any blood ties and relations. In the time to come Harry and Ginny, Cynthia and Dazna would be an unbeatable team in all their adventures.
"So," Dazna said with a laugh. "How did you do?"
Harry's face briefly clouded over with grief but he quickly got a hold of himself. His lapse didn't go unnoticed by Ginny however and she suddenly noticed the state Harry was in. "Oh my Goddess, Harry! Look at yourself. We are getting you to the hospital right now."
Harry was about to wave off the issue when he saw the look of determination in Ginny's eyes. He knew that there would be no arguing over this point and truth be told he was starting to feel very light headed. "Okay," he said. "Let's go." And with Ginny helping him and Dazna and Cynthia following behind, Harry made his way to the hospital with his new family.
For the last two years of Harry and Ginny's stay they were taught everything they needed to know about military tactics and about hiding their true powers and age in the wizarding world. The lessons weren't really that hard but Harry found the different aspects of the wizarding culture to be fascinating. It was amazing how separated they were from the rest of the world. Even mages had assimilated with the changing times. Harry's house was proof to this fact. He had several muggle appliances littered throughout his home, including a stereo, television, and VCR. Harry was rather taken to the music of Pink Floyd and one could constantly find it playing on his stereo.
The relationship between Harry and Ginny astounded everyone they meet. As they spent even more time together, their bond grew even stronger and many times they appeared to communicate without words. One such incident after almost made Dazna and Cynthia lose their minds:
Cynthia called out from the open front door, "Dazna?"
"In here Cynthia," he was currently sitting on Harry's couch, flipping through several channels finally settling for a baseball game. Cynthia walked in the front door and sat next to Dazna, letting out an explosive breath.
"Long day at work?" Dazna chuckled slightly at the obvious answer.
Harry passed by the room looking at the two on the couch, he turned towards the kitchen and called out, "Ginny, your Grandma just arrived. I'm going to put the wash away and then I'll finish up dinner so you can talk." Cynthia did not allow Ginny to stay in Harry's house yet but more often than not she could be found here doing something or another.
Ginny walked out of the kitchen, whipping her small hands on a dish towel as she went. Harry gave her a loving smile as he went into the kitchen. "Hello Grandma," she said brightly. "How was your day?"
"It was…difficult, but before I tell you about that could I eat here tonight? I am too tired to make a real dinner."
Ginny got a faraway look in her eyes and seemed to think for a bit. Harry popped his head in from the kitchen. "We've got plenty Ginny, go ahead and talk."
Ginny smiling softly looked over her shoulder. "Thank you Harry".
Cynthia and Dazna looked from one to the other, wondering how Harry knew what was going on. Cynthia was telling them about the long day she had when Harry came back in with a couple of drinks. "Here you guys go, it's hot out today." Ginny took her drink and thanked Harry before turning back to Cynthia's story.
It wasn't long until they were all getting hungry and Dazna called out to Harry, "How much longer until dinner is ready, Harry? I'm starving out here."
It wasn't Harry's voice that answered though as Ginny instantly responded, "It'll be about five more minutes Dazna. You should go wash up; I'm going to see if he needs any help." And with that she stood and walked into the kitchen. Dazna merely shrugged at the couple's odd behavior and went to do as instructed.
Once he returned he saw Cynthia staring at the dining room with a look of astonishment on her face. Dazna turned to see what she was staring at and found himself to be just a flummoxed as Cynthia. Harry was setting the table when Ginny called out, "Knives coming right up, Harry."
"Thank you Ginny," Harry called back. Ginny brought out the knives and started placing them on the table. "What do you want to drink, Ginny?" She didn't say anything but Harry continued on. "One iced tea coming up." The two continued on like this for several moments for all intents and purposes appearing to only have half of a conversation yet seemingly understanding it all.
Finally Dazna couldn't take anymore and shouted out, "How are you doing that?"
Harry chuckled at the memory. It had taken quite a while to explain to the two elders that it was all just part of the bond. Quite a useful part as well. It was moments like these however that focused Harry's mind on how much an integral part of his life Ginny had become. And if it was up to him, she would continue to stay that way for the rest of their lives, which brought him to where he was today.
He looked up at the shopkeeper and pointed to one of the rings in a glass case, "I'll take that one."
Ginny ate her dinner slowly as she watched Harry fidget across from her. She smiled reassuringly at him; she could feel his nervousness from the bond for the last few days now though she was bewildered to the cause. They didn't go out to fancy restaurants like this often but he had always been relaxed and carefree before. What could be different about this time?
"How's your pasta, Harry?" she tried to get the ball rolling.
Harry jerked as if she had startled him from something, "Wha- oh, umm it's good. How about yours?"
Ginny giggled softly, "Mine's good." She looked around at the various other people eating around. There were some couples but most of the patrons were families. They continued making small talk for a bit before Harry sat his fork down and pushed his plate in. "What's the matter, Harry?" Ginny asked seeing that his plate was still half full. "Aren't you hungry."
Harry shook his head, "I have to do something first." He took a deep breath and let only half of it out. Ginny put her fork down and gave Harry her full attention. "Ginny," he began softly. "For the first eleven years my life was not a good one. I was raised by relatives that hated me and used every excuse they could to beat me. I didn't know anything about a real family or love." Ginny opened her mouth to say something but Harry stopped her. "That all changed when I met you.
"It's been seven years since we meet and two since we found out that we are soul mates. Those have been seven years that I wouldn't trade for anything. You have taught me how to love Ginny. I love everything about you, your intelligence, your personality, your hair…everything Ginny and as soul mates I know that we are meant to be together. Everyone on Phoenix Isle knows it but that's not enough." Harry stood up from his chair and walked around to her side.
Ginny's hand flew to her mouth as she watched Harry kneel down on one knee and grab her free hand. "Ginny," he said with all his love in his eyes. "I want the whole world to know about how I feel for you." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and held it out to her. "Ginevra Weasley, would you do me the greatest honor and become my wife?"
Ginny opened her mouth to speak several times but no sound came out. Tears streamed down her face and as she looked at Harry smiling gently at her she felt all her love for him come forward in full force. "Yes!" she burst out. "Oh Goddess, yes! I love you Harry." And she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the lips. Time stopped for the two of them and for a moment there was naught but the other. It was then that Ginny dimly noted the sound of clapping coming from all around them.
Harry broke the kiss and looked around. Apparently they had put on quite the show and the patrons of the restaurant were cheering and clapping wildly. Harry pulled the ring from the box and slid it on Ginny's hand gently. She kissed him again and the two sat back down to finish their diner grinning broadly. More than one patron came over and wished the happy couple good wishes before the night was over.
(Just a quick little note, make certain that you read the notice at the bottom of this chapter. Thank you.)
He could hear the melodic bird's notes even over the scream of his opponent as he thrust his sword deeply into his chest. Harry watched as the man toppled over dead, but not yet dead. "This is all that you will bring…death," the still alive corpse growled at him. Harry felt his own blood flowing from his wounds. He staggered backwards in the chill night with the blood flowing from one side warming him.
"Harry," It was Dazna's voice and the hand shaking him was firm. Harry, wake up. You're having a nightmare again.
Harry opened his eyes. He was sweating profusely.
"The same one?" Dazna asked. Harry nodded and sat up in bed.
Dazna's face was creased with a broad grin. "I thought it might have been a different one," he said. "This is your wedding day after all. Bridegrooms always have bad dreams on the night before their weddings. It's sort of tradition like."
"Did you have a nightmare when you got married?"
"Oh yes," Dazna laughed. "I was running in the desert, something was chasing me you see and I kept running for the ocean so I could escape. The only problem was that someone kept moving the damn water further and further away. Do you want breakfast now or should I give you a shave first?"
"I can shave myself, Dazna," Harry replied indignantly.
"That wouldn't be the best of ideas today. Hold out your hand, Lad." Harry held out his right hand, it was visibly trembling. Dazna smirked slightly, "That would definitely be a bad idea."
"What time is it?"
"About a half hour after dawn. Get up Harry; you've got a full day ahead of you. Now which is it going to be, your breakfast or your shave?"
All of Phoenix Isle turned out for the wedding. Harry and Ginny were both very well liked and had made many friends during their years here. There was one church one the island and though neither Harry our Ginny had any religious convictions they were to hold the ceremony there. It had been no surprise when Ginny had asked Cynthia to be her lady in waiting and Harry asked Dazna to be best man. Harry didn't know where the two ladies were but he and Dazna sat in a little side chamber of the main church.
"Don't do that, Harry," Dazna told him.
"Do what?"
"Don't keep pulling at the neck of your shirt like that, you'll rip it."
"The tailor cut it way too tight," Harry complained. "It feels like a noose." Dazna didn't say anything; he did give Harry an amused look though.
The door to the room was opened suddenly and Kyle poked his head in. It had surprised Harry when he learned that Kyle was going to direct the ceremonies. It appeared that the man could do anything. "Are we ready?" the old mage asked.
"Let's get this going," Harry grunted.
"Our bridegroom grows impatient, I see," Kyle said. "Now, the traditional wedding theme is going to be played and when they finish, you Dazna, can escort him up to the altar. Please don't let him run away, that always seems to disrupt things for some reason." He chuckled wickedly and closed the door.
"That is a very mean old man," Harry grated.
"Oh I don't know," Dazna chuckled. "I sort of like him." A bright sound filled the air, filled with joy. The wedding hymn was an old one and easily recognizable by many. As the last notes died away Dazna opened the door with a flourish and Harry began to walk up towards the altar. A brief and most likely inappropriate thought flashed across Harry's mind as he compared his escort to the altar with the escort of a man to the gallows.
"Ah," Kyle greeted them as the stopped in front of him. "It's so good of you to join us, Harry." Harry didn't actually trust himself to answer the man. He did notice that all his friends seemed to view his discomfort as a humorous event.
After a small pause, in which all the attendants turned to look at the back of the church, craning their necks and some even standing up to get a clear view. The processional started up and the bridal party emerged from the door way. A lady that Ginny had befriended made her way up the isle spreading flower petals on the flower and immediately afterwards came Cynthia. Her gown was of a deep royal blue and seemed to lack any seems. It was fastened with two silver jewels at the shoulders and a long silver chain caught it below her chest, ran around the women's back, encircled her waist, and hugged her hips in an intricate knot leaving the excess to fall almost to the floor. Her smooth flawless arms were bare of all adornment save a bracelet of silver lace work that hung on her right wrist.
Again there was another pause and Ginny emerged from the doorway for all to view her, not so much as a woman – but as a work of art. Her gown was made of white satin with silver undertones throughout the entire dress. Her sleeves were cut back to hang loosely at her sides and a silver sheen glowed from the insides of the cuffs. A wide belt of silver mesh was wrapped around her petite waist and a long flowing cape of white hung from her shoulders to trail be hind her. There was a single white rose clasped between her delicate hands and her elfin face was radiant.
Harry's heart had quite nearly stopped by the time she had reached the altar by his side and would have quit breathing all together if Dazna hadn't rather roughly nudged him in the side. As if spurred into action, Harry gently took Ginny's hand in his own and they both turned to face the altar and the beaming Kyle.
Kyle spoke to the people in the church, at some length, about the sanctity of marriage and the meaning it had on two people's lives. He spoke of the "bond" that these two would now share and told them to be faithful to one another. Harry was not particularly paying much attention to what Kyle was saying as his attention was focused on the red-haired beauty that held his hand. As he looked back on the events that led him to this moment he realized that he would not have changed a single thing and would never look back on this day with regret.
He remembered to speak his lines when Kyle asked him to swear loyalty, happiness, and all worldly possessions to Ginny. And he didn't even fumble too much when it came time to place the ring on Ginny's finger. Kyle finally declared that Harry and Ginny were permanently, irrevocably, unalterably, and definitively man and wife. He then gave Harry permission to kiss the bride.
Kissing in public was an awkward thing but for the two love struck individuals there was no public and the kiss was spectacular for the both of them. Harry looked deeply into Ginny's eyes and said straight from the heart, "I love you Ginny, now and forever. I'm yours."
Ginny smiled and said with just as much conviction, "I love you too Harry, now and forever." She then smiled an impish little smile. "You are mine now." Harry laughed and then, led by Cynthia and Dazna the married couple left the church amidst the cheers.
There was a wedding supper that followed the ceremony but neither Harry nor Ginny remembered any of it. They did know that it seemed to last endless centuries and finally, between one of the well-wishers and the next Dazna called a halt to the festivities saying that anyone wishing to stay could but it was time for the married couple to be…ahem, on their way.
The master bedroom of Harry's house had already been prepared for the extra occupant. Harry had added a small porch on the outside of the house and the large double doorway leading out was left open to let the warm summer heat circulate through the house.
"Finally," Ginny said as she walked into the room ahead of Harry. "I thought all of that was going to go on forever."
"Yes," Harry agreed.
"Harry," she said then, and her tone was a worried one he had never heard from her before. "Do you really love me? Did you marry me just because you felt obligated by the bond?" Her voice was trembling and her eyes very vulnerable.
"You're asking silly questions, Ginny" Harry replied. "I will always love you, bond or no bond. I've never loved anyone else, and I never will." He held her in his arms and as she looked into his eyes she could see the truth and love of his words shining through. Then he kissed her and her body seemed to melt against his.
The kiss lasted for quite a while and after a few moments she felt one hand slide up her back and unclasp her cape. She pulled back and looked into his eyes as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The porch door was open and a night breeze billowed the gauzy white curtain, carrying in the lapping sounds of the lake. Harry and Ginny did not feel the breeze, and the only sound they heard was the beating of each other's hearts.
The lights were no longer on but the room was not dark. The moon, a full one, had risen over the horizon and filled the night with its pale, silver luminescence. The sky was clear of clouds and not even crickets were up at this time of the night. It was very late, or rather very early. Harry had closed his eyes briefly but his moon drenched wife had woken him. "No sleeping," she said. "I'll only have one wedding night with you and you're not going to waste it by sleeping."
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "It was a busy day."
"And a busy night." She added with an arch little smile. She nestled down into his arms and gave a content little sigh. "This is nice," she said. "We should have gotten married years ago."
"I don't think Kyle would have allowed that. And even though we had the bond your Grandmother would certainly protest."
Ginny slid from out underneath the covers and padded across the room to the open porch doors. The thin curtain that hung from them seemed to part for her as she stepped out into the summer night. "Aren't you going to put something on?" Harry asked. "You're exposing yourself for all to see."
"Everyone on this island is asleep by now and even then no one can see us because your house is surrounded by trees."
Harry crawled out of bed and joined her out on the porch. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered softly into her ear, "Our house, Love. Our house." Ginny shivered. "Your cold," Harry accused.
"No," Ginny said breathlessly and she turned around and gave Harry the deepest most passionate kiss she ever had and it took Harry's breath away. He looked in her eyes and saw the raw passion, the dark lust burning in them as one kiss became several and the night passed without any more talk.
Added Author's Note:
I thought that I had already done this but someone notified me of my error. When I wrote this chapter, David Eddings, who is by far my favorite author of all time, had just published the first book to a new series of his, The Elder Gods. I already own all his books and rushed out to get this new one. If you like the scene, go read his series…all of them! The ending of this chapter is my veneration to one of the greatest authors of all time…well I think so.