Harry smiled happily as he stood in the middle of England's victory party. It was really a private matter...team players and such. Harry had his arm firmly around Meagan's waist, almost afraid to let her go. She didn't mind. Harry had been very protective since his encounter with Abby. He walked to her to and from classes and had even gotten her a muggle cell phone. Meagan sighed happily as she rested a hand on Harry's back. Things were going really well...she didn't know they were about to become even more perfect.
"Babe?" Harry asked, resting a cheek against Meagan's head.
"Mmm hmm?" Meagan asked, still looking around at all their friends.
"Let's go get some air." Harry said. There was something in his voice. Meagan sighed.
"I wanna stay at the party sweetie..." She pouted. Harry had a twinkle in his eye.
"I really don't think you do..." He chuckled. Meagan stared at him.
"Yes I do!" She protested. Harry released his grip on her waist and turned to face her. He ran a hand down Meagan's cheek.
"Trust me..." He said gently. Meagan rolled her eyes.
"Fine!" She gave in. Harry smiled and gripped her hand tightly, after setting her drink down. They made their way through the cluster of people and escaped out a back door. The party was being held at a bed and breakfast. All the players had booked rooms. The B&B was set on a hill, overlooking a beautiful lake. Harry silently led Meagan along a dirt trail, slowing making their way down the hill. They stopped at a flat part, where a large boulder rested. Harry patted the stone, instructing Meagan to sit. When she was sitting, her hands folded in her lap, Harry crouched down in front of her. He took her hands in his.
"Baby...you know I love you, right?" He asked shakily. Meagan laughed.
"Of course!" She said gently. Harry gave a nod.
"Good..." He murmured. Meagan watched as Harry dropped to one knee. A hand had slipped into the pocket of his trousers. He was smiling and looking a little nervous as he brought a small gray box from his pocket.
"Meagan...I love you more than the moon and the stars in the sky...I care about you more than you will ever know. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and grow old with you. I want us to share children...an everlasting bond. I want to marry you..." Harry said softly, his voice shaking horribly. He slowly opened the box and in it, sat a diamond ring. Meagan cupped her hands around her mouth and stared at the ring. Harry was staring at Meagan hopefully...expectantly.
Harry felt the nervousness growing in his stomach as there was a deafening silence. Finally, Meagan lowered her hands from her mouth. She was shaking horribly and had tears streaming down her face.
"Oh Harry..." She gasped. Harry shifted awkwardly. He was beginning to doubt her reaction. A smile danced across Meagan's tear streaked face as she cupper Harry's face in her hands.
"Of course I will marry you!" She whispered, pressing her lips to his. Harry felt a rush of happiness as he kissed Meagan back. When they separated, Harry had a few stray tears rolling down his face. He hastily swept them away and slipped the diamond ring onto Meagan's finger. She admired it for a moment and then turned back to Harry.
"I love you so much!" She sobbed, pulling Harry into a tight hug. They sat there, by the lake, for a good forty five minutes before they stood. Harry laced his fingers with Meagan's as they headed back to the party.
They stepped into the banquet room of the bed and breakfast and immediately bumped into Shane.
"Hey guys what's - holy sh!t!" Shane laughed, looking at the ring on Meagan's finger.
"You guys..." He asked. Harry smiled and gave a nod. Shane grinned and slapped his friend on the back. Then, he kissed Meagan.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Harry laughed, elbowing Shane. Suddenly, they were being dragged towards the D.J. stage. Despite how much Harry and Meagan fought, Shane pushed them up onto the platform and then climbed up himself. He grabbed the microphone and motioned for the D.J. to cut the music. All of the guests turned to look at Shane, who was smiling broadly.
"I would like to make an announcement!" He called. There were murmurs from the crowd and Harry felt his ears burning as he tightened his grip on Meagan's hand.
"Everyone here knows how good of friends I am with our wonderful seeker, Mr Potter..." Shane laughed. There were chuckles and cat calls from the crowd.
"Which is why I am SO pleased to announce something very big in his life." Shane continued. Everyone settled down to listen to Shane.
"It appears that our young seeker is growing up...maturing in his older age and thinks that now is the time to settle down." Shane called. Harry rolled his eyes. Shane was so dramatic.
"I guess maybe that's why I am up here announcing the engagement of our seeker and everyone's favorite P.A, Harry and Meagan!" Shane called. There was a burst of noise and Meagan had to press herself into Harry's chest just to escape it. Harry laughed as people shot sparks and confetti all around the room. The music started up again and people hurried forward to congratulate them...
MARCH 7TH
Harry and Meagan sat in the dining room of Harry's apartment. Meagan was going over wedding plans while Harry flipped through the classifieds, looking for an apartment available the first of May. Shane and Sean were sitting in the living room with Heather and Anna. The two guys were playing video games while the girls flipped through magazines. Harry glanced at the wall clock. It was nearly ten o'clock. He picked up his wand and pointed it at his friends in the living room.
"Silencia." He muttered. The room went quiet. Meagan gave Harry and appreciative smile as she flipped through the folder of caterers. Harry picked his highlighter up again and went back to the newspaper.
"Harry?" A small voice asked timidly. Harry looked up from his newspaper. Christy was standing in the kitchen in her pajamas. Harry smiled and put his highlighter down.
"Hey kiddo...you're supposed to be in bed!" He laughed, standing up. Christy bit her lip.
"Will you check under the bed for monsters?" The little girl asked quietly. Meagan quickly stifled a laugh as Harry bent down and picked up Christy. The little blonde girl wrapped her legs around Harry and rested her head on his shoulder. Meagan silently followed as Harry carried Christy down the hall and into a room that had been magically built for guests...particularly Christy. Harry slipped into the room and Meagan hovered in the door frame. She watched, interested, as Harry set the little girl down in the bed and pulled the blankets up over her.
"Don't forget the monsters..." Christy whispered. Harry hid a smile and contorted his face in perfect seriousness. He bent down and stuck his head under the bed.
"All you creepy crawlies just scarper! Scarper you fuzzbuckets!" He yelled. Christy shook with silent laughter as Harry re-emerged.
"There ya go." He chuckled, sitting down on the bed. Christy smiled appreciatively.
"Thank you." She whispered. Harry gave a nod.
"You ready for bed?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. Christy sighed.
"Harry? I have a question..." She said quietly. Harry thought she was just trying to avoid sleep...he humored her.
"Go ahead..." He said, folding his arms across his chest, a smile still visible. Meagan watched silently from the doorway.
"Is it okay to love somebody that isn't your family?" Christy asked, her brow furrowed. The words sounded absolutely innocent coming from such a young child. Harry looked at her thoughtfully.
"Yeah...of course it is! Look at me..I love Meagan and we're not family!" He chuckled. Christy gave a nod.
Harry sighed and tucked the blankets around her a little tighter. He bent down and kissed her forehead. Two tiny arms wrapped themselves around Harry's neck and he was pulled into a hug. He smiled as Christy released him. She looked really tired.
"I love you Harry..." She said quietly. Harry smiled.
"Aw...I love you too Christy." He said softly.
Meagan stood in the doorway and a tear rolled down her cheek. Harry smiled as he clicked off the lamp beside Christy's bed and brushed a stray hair from her face. He stood and took a startled step back when he saw Meagan. He smiled and exited the room, gently closing the doors behind him.
"Eavesdropping were we?" He asked, in barely more than a whisper. Meagan was smiling as she shrugged. Harry noticed the glistening tear sitting on her cheek.
"Baby...what's wrong?" Harry asked softly, wiping the tear away. Meagan sighed and wrapped her arms around Harry.
"Nothing...everything is perfect." She whispered. Harry was a little confused. He cupped Meagan's face in his hands. Her eyes were sparkling warmly.
"Babe...what's - " Harry began. Meagan cut him off with a deep, passionate kiss. When they separated, Harry was a little dazed. Meagan smiled.
"You're going to make a wonderful father.." She whispered, kissing Harry again. After Harry realized what had been said, he broke the kiss and took a step back.
"Wh-what?" He asked. Meagan was staring at him, a little perturbed, but still smiling.
"Well...to our kids. You're going to make a wonderful father!" She laughed. Harry stared at her. He was nineteen...nineteen!
"Megs..." Harry began. Megan sighed and stepped forward. She took Harry's hands into her own and pulled him close.
"Not right now, Harry. In a year or two..." She laughed. Harry had never thought about having kids...and certainly not this young! Then again...his parents had been roughly twenty two when they had him. Harry held Meagan close, kissing her passionately. They stood their, in the dark hall, for a few minutes. Harry sighed.
"You just...startled me." He said quietly. Meagan sighed.
"I know baby..." She said gently. Harry pressed his cheek against her hair.
"I just don't feel...old enough to be a Dad." He said nervously. Meagan didn't say anything.
"I mean...what good would I be? I'm off gallivanting around the world two out of four weeks a month playing quidditch!" Harry laughed. He felt Meagan tense against him. Harry stopped talking. He pulled back a little and looked at his fiancé.
"Megs...is there something you're not telling me?" Harry asked, his voice shaking a little. Meagan looked up into those emerald eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but they were shrewdly interrupted.
"Sorry to break up this snog fest, but I need to borrow Harry!" Sirius gasped, pulling Harry by the shirt collar, down the hall. It appeared Sirius had apparated there in search of Harry. He had obviously found him. Harry was pulled into the kitchen, his shirt wrinkled.
"Sirius, what - " Harry began. Sirius waved an impatient hand. He was staring at Harry, his face full of terror.
"It's happening...all over again!" He hissed.
Harry was staring at Sirius.
"What? What's happening all over again?" Harry asked, urgency in his voice. Why did he feel he already knew the answer to his question? Sirius dropped his face to his hands. His words were muffled, but Harry caught every last one.
"Voldemort's back."
Harry felt his knees buckle. He grabbed the counter for support.
"Wh-what?" He choked. He was dry in the mouth. He wasn't scared of Voldemort...he was scared of what Voldemort was capable of. Sirius raised his face from his hands.
"He's back...there have been murders, tortures...there was a big explosion in Diagon Alley today. People saw him Harry, they saw him!" Sirius cried. His hands were shaking. Harry shook his head.
"W-we're safe. Megs and Christy are too...they don't know...they don't know." He said hastily...no...hopefully. Sirius shook his head.
"Come back home." He said quietly. Harry looked up at his godfather.
"Sirius, I'm getting married in two months!" He said, disbelieving. Sirius reached out and rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"You need to get out of this apartment. So does Shane. It isn't safe here. I've already talked to Isaac O'Connely, Shane's father. They're taking refuge up in the hills of Ireland." He said shakily. Harry couldn't believe this was happening.
"Meagan! Her Aunt and Uncle are muggles, they won't be safe!" He said shakily. Sirius sighed.
"Meagan and her sister can come stay with us. Some other people are as well. Remus, Arabella, Mundungus and some others from the Phoenix." He said wearily. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get a chance.
"HARRY!" Shane yelled. Harry and Sirius looked at each other and then tore from the kitchen. Shane was standing on the balcony, peering over the edge. Meagan, Sean, Anna and Heather were all huddled in the living room. Harry went out onto the balcony and peered out over the edge. Shane was very pale. The streets of Britain were lined with street lamps that gave of a small amount of light. They also cast shadows. It was in these shadows that the two boys were looking.
"Oh Jesus..." Harry gasped. Death Eaters were starting to appear and they were hiding, readying for an attack. Harry grabbed Shane by the arm and pulled him into the apartment. Harry gave Sirius a look that told his godfather what was happening.
Harry turned to his friends.
"Everyone, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. There are Death Eaters outside...It's probably safest to split up." He explained, his voice shaking. The girls were on the verge of screaming. Sean and Heather disapparated at once. Shane grabbed Anna and they hurried to his room so he could pack some things. Meagan was frozen to the spot, shaking.
"Megs, you and Christy are coming with me." Harry said, taking her by the hand. Meagan was frozen to the spot.
"Mika..." She said quietly. Sirius seemed to know what she was talking about, because he grabbed her arm.
"I'll take her to her Aunt and Uncle's to get some things for her and Christy." He said quickly. Harry gave a nod and headed down the hall.
"Harry!" Sirius called. Harry turned around.
"Hurry..." Sirius begged. Harry gave a nod as Sirius and Meagan disapparated. He really had to hurry.
Harry hurried down the hall and into his room. He grabbed a backpack and shoved some things in it. Harry glanced out the window. The number of Death Eaters had tripled. Harry was in the living room when there was a loud pop. He spun around. It was Sirius.
"I dropped Meagan off and came back for you." He said hastily. Harry nodded and they hurried down the hall to get Christy. She groaned as Harry lifted her, in the thick blanket. They were in the middle of the hall when the front door burst open. Harry froze, as did Sirius. A Death Eater appeared.
"Meagan!" He hissed. The Death Eater spotted Harry and stepped back in surprise.
"Christy..." He said quietly. Harry was really confused. The Death Eater raised his wand. Harry passed the little girl, wrapped in her blanket, off to Sirius.
"Go...get out of here!" Harry hissed. Sirius took Christy, but shook his head.
"Sirius, get her somewhere safe!" Harry whispered. The Death Eater was just standing there.
"Harry..." Sirius said nervously.
"Go!" Harry yelled. Sirius shook his head, but disapparated. Harry turned around the face the Death Eater. Harry backed into the living room, the hooded creature following.
"What are you doing with my sisters?" The Death Eater spat. Harry was numb.
"What!" He gasped. The man pushed his hood back and pulled off his mask. He had a scar across his cheek, deep blue eyes and raging blonde hair.
"Megs never told you." He laughed. Harry was dumbstruck. His back was slung over his shoulder as he pointed his wand.
"CRUCIO!" The blonde man yelled. Harry fell backwards, smacking his head on the coffee table. He began to twitch furiously. The Death Eater lowered his wand. Harry had a gash across his temple and it was bleeding horribly. He shakily got to his feet and brought his wand up.
"CRUCIO!" The blonde shrieked. Harry's knees buckled and he fell through the coffee table. He was shaking horrible. He heard roaring laughter, then a loud pop. Someone grabbed Harry's arm and disapparated with him.
Sirius appeared in the living room of his house. He had Harry under the arms. The boy was unconscious. A mess of people hurried over. Lupin being one of them.
"Jesus..." Remus whispered as he surveyed Harry. Sirius, Remus and a few other wizards lifted Harry and carried him into what used to be the den. Now, there were several beds and a mess of potions and bandages. Arabella Figg rushed around mending people. Her eyes fell on Harry.
"Is that..." She began. Sirius gave a nod and set Harry down on one of the beds. Arabella shined a flashlight in his eyes. Harry had no reaction. His pupils were dilated. Sirius was pushed out of the room by Remus.
"Remus!" Sirius growled as he fought to get to Harry's side.
"Sirius, let Arabella work on him!" Lupin said forcefully. Sirius struggled a bit more, but eventually gave up. He slid down the wall and onto the floor. His face fell to his hands. After about fifteen minutes, Arabella appeared. She was peeling off some rubber gloves. Sirius jumped up.
"Is he okay?" He asked quickly. Arabella gave a small smile.
"He should be fine Sirius. Two heavy doses of the Cruciatus curse I'd say and a nasty gash across his head. You can take him up to his quarters." She said quietly. Sirius felt a surge of anger, but remained calm.
"He does not have quarters...he has a room. This is his house and he has a bedroom." He said sharply. Arabella sighed and returned to her other patients. Sirius went into the den and crossed to Harry's bed. Sirius lifted Harry to his feet. The boy was pretty much unconscious. He was muttering some words that were slurred together though. Sirius slung Harry's arm over his shoulder and gripped his godson around the waist. Lupin watched as Sirius carried Harry out of the den, through the living room and up the stairs. There were a lot of people in the top hallway... Sirius just went into Harry's room and kicked the door clothes. He sat Harry on the bed and waved his wand. Harry was in a pair of pajama pants. Sirius pulled back the covers of the bed and helped Harry under them. Sirius pulled the blankets up and sat down on the bed. Harry wearily opened his eyes.
"Sirius..." He murmured. Sirius gripped Harry's hand tightly. He forced a smile. Harry looked like he was going to pass out.
"She didn't tell me..." He murmured. Sirius sighed as Harry's head lolled to one side. He removed Harry's glasses and set them on the nightstand. Sirius clicked off the lamp and went to check on Meagan and Christy in the rooms that had been set up for them.
Sirius gently shut Harry's door and made his way down the hall. He poked his head in one of the rooms and smiled as he saw Christy fast asleep. Sirius shut that bedroom door and went a little further down the hall. He stepped into a cozy room and sighed as he saw Meagan sitting on the bed, her face in her hands and rocking back and forth.
"Meagan?" Sirius asked quietly. Meagan's head shot up. Her face was streaked with tears.
"Is he okay!" She asked frantically. Sirius sighed and gave a nod.
"Your brother hit him hard with the Cruciatus curse, twice." He said quietly. Meagan stared at Sirius.
"You know..." She said quietly. Sirius gave a nod.
"As does Harry. I figured it out this evening. Mika told Harry himself..." He explained wearily. Meagan broke into a fresh wave of tears. Sirius sighed and crossed the room. He sat down on the bed.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He asked gently. Meagan wiped her tears away with a shaking hand.
"Mika's my dirty little secret. Maybe I was trying to protect Christy, or maybe I was trying to protect myself...I don't know. I haven't talked to him since..." She trailed off. Sirius stared at her.
"Since what?" He asked cautiously. Meagan sighed.
"Since he killed my parents. I was sixteen...Christy was only a toddler. Mika...Mike was nineteen. He's three years older than me. He had been fraternizing with not good people, but we never thought..." She choked on her words. Sirius sighed.
"What happened?" He asked. Meagan took a quivering breath.
"Mika fled...he had done what he had wanted and left. It was weird though...he checked to make sure Christy and I were alright before he went. Anyways, we went to live with my Aunt and Uncle. I receive letters from Mika, but hardly ever write back." She explained. Sirius gave a nod.
"You know that not telling Harry was very dangerous, don't you?" He asked slowly. Meagan looked at Sirius.
"I didn't know Mika would hurt him...I mean...I never thought I'd be marrying Harry Potter!" She said, almost laughing. Sirius wore a sad smile.
"But you are and...and you need to tell him everything." He said quietly. Meagan gave a nod.
"I hope he can forgive me...do you think he can?" She asked shakily. Sirius sighed.
"I honestly don't know. Harry hasn't had much luck with girls and this...this is another mark on the tally." He said wearily. Meagan stifled a sob as she buried herself into Sirius. Sirius felt a little awkward, but relaxed and rubbed Meagan's shoulder. After a minute, they separated.
"Try and get some sleep. It's late." Sirius sighed as he glanced at his watch. Meagan wiped the tears from her face as she nodded and Sirius left the room, closing the door behind himself.
NEXT MORNING
Sirius sipped wearily at his coffee. He was sitting in his over filled kitchen, looking around at all the people there. By noon, everyone would be gone, but return again at night. Sirius sighed and continued to sip his coffee. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. Lupin was standing there.
"He's up..." He said quietly. Sirius nodded and set his cup down. He headed up the stairs, Lupin trailing. Sirius went down the hall a little ways and opened Harry's bedroom door. The lamp on the nightstand was turned on and all Sirius saw was a lump under the covers.
He sighed and crossed the room, sitting on Harry's bed. He pulled back the covers a little. Harry was laying there, shielding his eyes from the light. Sirius waved his wand. The light dimmed a little and Harry lowered his hands. He slipped his glasses unsteadily, onto his nose.
"Sirius..." He croaked. Sirius smiled and rested a hand on Harry's head.
"Hey kiddo...how you feeling?" He asked gently. Harry took another shaky breath.
"Sore...and my head hurts." He said hoarsely. Sirius chuckled softly as he ran a finger over the bandage on Harry's head. The wound had been too deep to mend.
"Getting thrown through a coffee table can do that to you." He said softly. Harry closed his eyes briefly but opened them once again. Sirius grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly. Harry smiled weakly.
"I remember..." He began, a look of concentration on his face. Sirius stared at him intently.
"I remember coming to stay with you at the end of fourth year and...and I was in really bad shape..." He said, biting his lip. Sirius remembered the time all too well.
"And...and you would sit on the couch with me and...and hold my hand, just like this." Harry said quietly, a sad sort of smile on his face. Sirius felt a lump develop in his throat as he gave a nod and swept some stray hairs off of Harry's face.
"You didn't have to help me...you didn't have to get me out of there or look after me, but you did." Harry said shakily. Sirius saw Harry's bottom lip tremble. Sirius bit his lip and blinked back the tears.
"You didn't have to be the Dad I never had, but you were...you are." Harry choked. Sirius wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took a quivering breath.
"I don't know if I ever said it...maybe I did, I don't really remember..." Harry trailed off, looking at the ceiling. His eyes quickly flickered back to Sirius. Their eyes locked.
"I love you Sirius." Harry choked. Sirius sighed and let a single tear fall down his cheek as he smiled.
"I love you too..." He said softly. Harry smiled.
"And...I really appreciate..." He began, his voice shaking uncontrollably. Sirius shook his head and smiled.
"I know...some things don't need to be spoken...they're just known." He said quietly. Harry forced a smile. Sirius hesitated, then smiled as Harry propped himself up. They embraced in a tight hug and neither wanted to let go. Eventually, the lamp was turned off and Sirius left Harry to get some rest. Lupin smiled as his friend hastily swept away some stray tears and headed down the stairs.
Lupin sighed as he made his way into the kitchen. For once, there was no one in there except Sirius. Lupin sat down across from his friend.
"How's he doing?" He asked quietly. Sirius looked up.
"He's...okay. A bit out of it maybe. He was talking about the summer after his fourth year." He explained quietly. Lupin stared at his friend.
"After those muggles..." He began. Sirius gave a nod. Lupin scratched his chin thoughtfully. The subject was soon changed.
"Did he say anything about Meagan?" Lupin asked in a hushed voice. Sirius shook his head.
"Nope...I think he's trying to avoid it." He said quietly.
"Who's trying to avoid what?"
Sirius bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder. Meagan was standing there in her dressing gown.
"Oh...nothing." Sirius said hastily. Meagan sighed wearily and sat down at the table.
"Is Harry up yet?" She asked hopefully. Sirius fidgeted with his coffee mug.
"He's really out of it right now...he's resting." He said quietly. Meagan stared at Sirius.
"Sirius..." She said warningly. Sirius looked up.
"Meagan, don't push it with him. He's in a lot of physical pain right now...I have no idea what the extent of his emotional pain is." He said sternly. Meagan dropped her face to her hands.
"This isn't supposed to happen. None of this is supposed to happen two months before I get married!" She groaned. Sirius sighed and glanced at the clock.
"Remus, we have damage control.." He said, remembering the apartment building. Lupin gave a nod and stood. He and Sirius left to go get change. Meagan just sat in the kitchen, thinking about how badly she had screwed up. Suddenly, she stood and hurried from the kitchen. No one saw her scamper up the stairs. Meagan took a quivering breath as she stood with her hand on the doorknob to Harry's room. She had to explain...