Disclaimer: See Chapter I
Also, I'd like to thank those of you who have taken some time to read and review my work (you know who you are). Your kind words have been felt and hope the wait hasn't been too long for this next installment as I'm trying to update my work every three chapters or roughly once every ten days. One final bit of thanks to the Harry Potter Lexicon that is quite the resource for anything Harry Potter related.
One final note: if anyone reading this is also a fan artist, please feel free to draw any character from this work in any way you feel like going at it. Just make sure you drop a review telling where the image can be viewed.
Anyhow, without further trouble, the next chapter.
Chapter XXVI: Yule BallThe days following were hectic ones due to the recent attack in Hogsmeade, the easy atmosphere of a holiday season gone. Neville was up and walking within a day of being hit and Doc was up and about on crutches though he was taking a special bone-setting potion every day, and his foot had to remain immobilized in a cast. Madame Rosemerta, likewise, was soon up and out the school infirmary as she set about renovating the damaged Three Broomsticks. She obviously didn't intend on letting something as trivial as a firefight and a bunch of dead vampires bother her business.
As for that, it had come out in the Daily Prophet that unnamed Ministry of Magic personnel had thwarted an attack of vampires on the Three Broomsticks with no wizard casualties. There was no mention whatsoever of Hogwarts students, Russian or English Death Eaters, goblin mercenaries, or any investigation by Dolores Umbridge. Harry wasn't surprised by what that, nor by the sudden warming in student relations as everyone realized that he wasn't so goddamn crazy after all. While they might not believe Voldemort was back, at least the talk of him being a crazy, murderous bastard had been toned down after the near-death experiences of oh so many members of the student body.
It became even more so when on the 6th it came out that during the fight in the Three Broomsticks, ten of the most vicious Death Eaters, all members of the Inner Circle, all high-ranking lieutenants in Voldemort's group, had somehow broken out of Azkaban. The attempted snatch of Katrina Snape on the night of the Fourth had been a decoy operation from the start. Based on reports from Tonks, Shacklebolt, and other sources within the Ministry, Fudge had allegedly been dancing with glee once he had heard the news that Harry may have been involved, as he apparently was going to use the incident to deal with Harry, Dumbledore and other assorted people.
Which was why he had been marshalling every Auror and member of the MOM outside of Hogsmeade…and turned control of Azkaban over to the Dementors for a temporary period of forty-eight hours. It was during that time frame that the ten Death Eaters had vanished.
Alex had said he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or to cry once he heard the word. Neville had merely grown quiet, and intense in the after-school training sessions of the Dueling and Muggle Self-Defense Club, as several of the Death Eaters had participated in the torture of his parents. Snape, at the meeting when it was revealed what had happened, had saved everyone the trouble of insulting Fudge by saying Fudge was a moron of epic proportions, and was quite likely going to get everyone killed.
Regarding Snape, Harry treated him respectfully, but avoided speaking to the man if possible. While he could understand just why Snape had a grudge against his father, and Sirius, and the others, he still remembered his own public humiliations. The perpetrator of several of those humiliations had been Mr. Severus Snape. For the sake of his friend Katrina, and for the respect he had for the man who was playing a game of double cross on behalf of his side, Harry kept his mouth shut and said as little as possible to the man; Snape reciprocated in kind. Harry sometimes wondered if his own father would approve of his actions, and then remembered what his uncle had told him.
By now, he understood things about what his father had done. While he couldn't agree with them, he could and did view them with indifference as things that his father had done, and didn't concern him, and thought of James as a flawed, but overall good man. The way his uncle and Sirius, and Remus had painted him. Harry also thought of the men whom he had befriended during summer. They had been hard men, men who would drink, and whore, and find the sight of a man bleeding to death as amusing as a five-quid whore giving a blowjob. Yet, crude and rude and lewd and cruel they may have been, they had still shown a good side when they had treated Harry and Dudley and Neville like younger brothers, and equals. Harry reckoned that since he had seen through their flaws, he should do the same thing in regards to his father, and so far it had worked.
Since he had never met his own father, Harry also remembered the conversation he had had with his uncle about the history of his mother's family. After learning of the struggles and sacrifices, not just of his own parents, but that of their parents as well, had had to go through so that he could now walk the earth, Harry saw things a bit differently in regards to his parents, both his mother and father and not in a bad way either. Indeed, he took his uncle's final words that night to heart.
Especially the part of loving. Him and Ginny had settled, according to the American 'baseball' system explained to him by Doc Detibedeux, around second base (1st being kissing, second petting, third oral, and home…). Mostly, they spent a lot of time talking, and enjoying each other's company. While there were certain things he didn't tell her (Snape being the source within the Death Eater ranks, a few other really secret things), for the most part he talked with her of his troubles, then of hers, and other assorted things. Harry felt that Ginny was good thing in his life, as he studied and trained harder because for the thought of losing her in the war was unthinkable. During their sessions atop the Astronomy Tower or in the greenhouses (Astronomy was one of Ginny's favorite topics, and Harry had discovered the place, along with a spot in the greenhouse, made a great, secluded tryst out of sight of the rest of the school, especially when used in conjunction with the Invisibility Cloak), they continued to get to know the other, and enjoy the company of each other.
Yet, their relationship had developed two potential hiccups. The first was the holidays approaching. Ginny told him that Molly and Arthur were having Christmas at No.12 Grimmauld since Sirius was there. The Weasley clan had been brought about to the existence of the place when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had paid a special visit to Hogwarts after the attack on Hogsmeade, and told them that they would spending Christmas at the Black residence. Normally, Harry should have been happy, but the thought of two weeks of basically looking, but not touching and having to act as though nothing was happening between him and Ginny was going to be torture. Harry had talked to Ginny about this, and she had told that she felt the same way. Then she had laughed, and said that it would look really suspicious if it ended up being just being him and her staying at the school over the holidays, now wouldn't it?
Harry had agreed, but then there had been another problem: just what the hell was he going to give Ginny? Their one-month anniversary had been missed because Harry had been on a goddamned training mission with Bladvak's goblins in the Forbidden Forrest. Ginny had understood, but Harry had felt like shit afterwards. He swore he was going get Ginny something really special, something to last years, but he had racked his brain and couldn't find out a way of getting one. Money wasn't the issue (Alex had showed him his parent's financial statement from Gringotts and it was now at about seven hundred thousand galleons due to the fact the Ministry had given a monetary reward for the 'demise' of Voldemort, plus a healthy survivor's pension for both James and Lilly. This coupled with the fact their savings hadn't been touched much over the last five years ensure Harry had quite the hefty fortune), but the actual buying and wrapping.
Reason for that was quite easy. After the incident at the Three Broomsticks, Bladvak had brought in three hundred additional goblins from their depot in the north, and coupled with the six hundred odd they already had their, ensured that the streets resembled an armed camp. The Headmaster had, at the same time, decreed that Hogsmeade visits were to be closely monitored, and were to take place only on weekends. No free reign was given. Harry thus found his ability to move in the shadows of Hogsmeade compromised, and thus also his ability to quietly, out of sight of anyone he might know, of buying a gift for Ginny.
Finally, a week before the Ball and Christmas Eve, Harry went and had a chat with his uncle before classes started, explaining his situation. Alex had laughed, and helped him with his problem since Linda had sent him a huge stack of catalogues, and let Harry pick something out for Ginny. Harry leafed through them, and after a while picked something out that he thought Ginny would appreciate. Alex hadn't looked at the gift, as he knew Harry's rule of protecting his woman's identity, but he took one look at the price tag, whistled, and asked Harry how he wanted to arrange it to be delivered. Harry asked that it be sent to Alex's office, wrapped in plain packing paper and he would handle the rest, and he would arrange it from there. Alex had asked if he had a plan; Harry had a plan in mind indeed…
* * *
"You cunt motherfucker! Three of a kind beats two pair any day!" That was the jocular voice of Doc Detibedeux.
"Fuck you, you gimpy bastard! Aces are wild, so if anything I win, you stupid Yankee asshole!" Dean Thomas, likewise jocular.
"Oh, shut it the both of ye. Harry, who would Books say win in a case like this?"
Harry smiled, looked at the cards, and nodded to Dean. "Aces are wild, and a trio of queens will beat a trio of jacks any day of the week. Dean's hand."
Doc laughed, and swore. Everyone had a hearty laugh.
It was the Christmas Eve, and the Yule Ball was a few hours away. With Hogsmeade visits severely restricted, the upcoming ball was going to be a morale booster for everyone in the school. Even the house of Gryffindor, which was currently in the lead house point wise after several hundred had been awarded to Hermione, and Katrina for helping evacuate the younger students in the firefight on the night of the fourth. Luna had likewise earned a hundred for Ravenclaw for her role as well.
Doc and Neville had been released after a couple of days in the hospital. While Neville had been completely healed, Doc had been wearing a cast and using crutches, which were quite a problem when using the staircases, but he was upbeat about the whole thing. Harry had to admire Doc's bravura, as the man had had his foot shot off and reattached, and could only joke that he was going to be an worse dancer then he already was; according to Neville, Doc had even gone so far as to establish a pool on the number of times he would fall on his ass during the ball. That was crazy, and it was something to watch later. Ron merely thought it was fortunate that Doc had gotten hit during the off time for the Quidditch team, else they would be in deep shit Seeker wise.
At the moment, though, Doc, Seamus, Harry, Dean, Neville, and Ron were gathered in the common room, dressed in their dress robes as they waited for their dates, and playing a few hands of poker. Harry and Neville stayed out of the game and kept it civilized by ensuring nothing more then a Galleon's worth of coins were on the table at any one time. This ensured someone like say Ron wouldn't lose his ass too badly after a couple of hands.
Harry had on his bottle green dress robes set, the same he had worn the year before, and was uncomfortable somewhat as he was only going to be armed with his wand and his trusty Fairbairn. After carrying it around with him so long, he almost felt naked without the weight of it on his hip, as there wasn't any real way to carry concealed on his person. Yet, he didn't expect anything big to happen. After all, Harry thought to himself, they would have to be fucking mad to try anything with about a thousand goblins garrisoning the town and school.
Leaning back into a chair, he sipped from a bottle of Butterbeer at his side and wiggled his toes in his shoes. Shoes to him were something he appreciated, especially since he easily remembered a time when he had had to duct tape the sides of his trainers to ensure they didn't fall apart. The shoes he had on now, black oxfords Mrs. Weasley had gotten for him during his fourth year, weren't as comfortable as the ones he normally wore, but Harry had learned not to complain as there had been a few times when he had almost gone to school barefoot.
Doc had been shuffling the deck of cards when he looked at the watch (a stainless steel Seiko he had received from his Korean grandfather) and started to rise to his feet. Picking up his black stovepipe hat (the dress robes for his school made him look like a riverboat gambler from the 1840s), he said, "Well, I hope the girls make it here soon." Harry hoped so too, for he while he was going alone again, he really wanted to see if the convoluted plan he had set into motion of getting Ginny her Christmas gift was actually going to work…
"Here they are." Harry looked towards the staircase, and sure enough it was the girls. Unlike the Halloween Ball, everyone was a hell of a lot less nervous and more easy-going. Harry wasn't sure if it was because there was little change in the couples (Seamus was still with Lavender, and Dean, for reasons Harry couldn't fathom, was taking Parvati, again. Harry rather cynically hoped that she had taken a dose of tetracycline, otherwise there would be a second Drip belonging to Gryffindor), but the taught, tripwire-like tension was mercifully gone.
Ginny, dressed in a soft lilac set of dress robes, went over and helped Doc walk. Luna was Doc's, but since Ginny said she was going alone, she was going to go with them to help with Doc. Doc, ever cheerful, dryly commented on seeing who would have the most women on their arms come time of the dancing. Hermione had embraced Ron, but then started fussing with his robes, saying there was a string loose here and another there. She asked, in an exasperated tone, "You didn't try another Severing Charm, did you Ron?" Ron looked rather embarrassed as Hermione started straightening him out with the efficiency of a Corporal before a parade.
Everyone started heading towards the door, which was at that time the fireplace lit up. "What the…" Neville said, his arm around Katrina, as they and everyone turned, curious to see what was happening. Harry made a special effort to look surprised (putting on a poker face at a time like this only ensured that questions would be asked later) and watched, though he knew what was about to happen.
Out stepped a goblin wearing blue coveralls and a hat not unlike the one Harry often saw in cartoons. He was holding a small box in one hand, and a slip of paper in the other. The goblin stepped forward, and called out, "There a Virginia Weasley, 'ere?" Harry had to keep from laughing, as the goblin's accent was an almost understandable Cockney.
Ginny stepped forward, frowning with curiosity. "That's me."
The goblin handed her the package and the paper, along with a small quill. "Sign her, ma'am. You got a package via the Gringott's Delivery Service." Ginny did so, and, after taking the slip of paper back and with a tip of his hat, the goblin stepped back into the fire. Everyone looked perplexed, and Katrina said to Ginny, "Aren't going to open it?" Ginny shrugged and set the package down on the table where the boys had been playing cards. Pulling away the strings and wrapping, the paper box opened to reveal another, smaller felt lined box, and a short not. Ginny picked both of them up, and read the note silently. By the time she was done, a smile was on her lips. Ron asked, "Oi, who's that note from?"
Ginny ignored him, and opened the smaller box after safely tucking away the note. Harry had to use everything in him from stepping forward and taking Ginny into his arms. Ginny had gasped, and seemed stunned as she opened the smaller box to reveal Harry's Christmas present to her.
It was silvery, platinum, heart-shaped locket on a thin, filigreed silver chain. Harry had taken a while to pick something out, and had been torn between the silver and the gold. Gold might lend in well with her red hair, but Harry decided to go with the silver. Silver had always seemed to be more beautiful to him, and decided it would blend in well as a contrast with Ginny's red hair. Fire and ice… not to mention the fact scarlet and silver were the colors of the Parachute Regiment, and Harry took that to be a sign of good luck…
Ginny seemed to be trouble finding the words, until Hermione asked, "Who's it from, Ginny?"
She finally seemed to have control of herself as she answered, "I'm seeing someone, and he sent this to me early for Christmas…he said he was sorry he couldn't take me to the ball as he had business to attend to over the holidays. Wow…" Ginny looked at the locket, and Harry decided a bit of deception was going to be necessary. Smiling, he asked, "Ah, ha, I was wondering why I caught you running through the halls a couple of nights back. He a good man?" Ginny smiled, and Harry could tell she was amused by the question. "Oh, I think you'd find a very good man…"
"So who is he, Gin?" This was Ron, who seemed to be
She turned to him, and giggled, "Why you want to know, Ron? So you and Fred and George could make him miserable? I think not."
"Come on Ginny, I'm your brother! So's Fred and George, so we should…"
"Know that it is entirely up to Ginny if she wants to tell or not," Hermione admonished him. Ron shut up, and Harry decided to stir some more shit, as his convoluted plan of getting Ginny a gift and make it appear as though it came from someone else. He had had it delivered to Hogwarts, where he had taken it from his uncle, wrote the card (Dearest Ginny, I'm sorry I can not be there to give you this small token of my feelings for you, but know that you are with me night and day, and I hope that I'm the same with you. Love…), boxed it together, and sent it via a Goblin he knew to Gringotts, and sent it from there.
With a smile on his face, he said to Ginny, as casually as possible, "Why don't you open it up? See what's in there?" Ginny gave him a very brief glance, almost as if she was asking just what the hell he was doing, which he would have been hard pressed to answer as he was, but his amused smile ensured she did as she asked. Using a fingernail, she opened it to reveal two halves, and a divider between the two. The right half was empty, the left showed a small color photograph of Ginny smiling at the camera. Ron seemed disappointed, but Lavender asked, "Isn't there something written on that piece there?" She was pointing at the divider.
Ginny held it up to her eyes and began to read, as the print was so small. " 'My heart and soul are yours, now, forever, always' " She turned the divider over, and finished it, " 'I will never leave you, I will never betray you, I love you more then life itself' "
Seamus snickered, "How touching," Lavender smacked him on his arm, "It's sweet, leave it be."
Ginny smiled, and closed the locket. Harry grinned, "Why don't you put it, make the rest of the girls jealous?" This was already partly true already, as Katrina and Hermione were already telling her it was easily the most gorgeous piece of jewelry any girl in the school owned. Things continued that way when Fred with Angelina and George with Alicia had come down the stairs.
"Who gave you that, Ginny?" Fred asked.
"Was it that slime Creevey again?"
Ginny didn't answer as she found the tiny clasp at the rear of the necklace, and unlatched it. Harry had another sudden idea, knowing that he was pushing it, but he was riding a wave of recklessness and just had to give it a shot. "Here, Ginny, I'll help you with you that, since your man is rather far away."
"Thanks Harry." She handed it to him and as Harry circled around so he could place it around her neck, Harry swore he heard her breath "Closer then you think…"
Moving close to her, Harry draped the silver around her neck. Ginny smelled of soap, and rosewater shampoo. She had also dabbed on a new perfume, too. This one was of…cinnamon? Harry wasn't too sure; all he knew was that he wanted to do was embrace himself with Ginny, to do things any normal guy should, would do with his girlfriend. Yet…
Nonetheless, as he clasped it, he smiled inwardly, and decided to have a little fun. As he closed the clasp, he ran a knuckle of his along the nape of her neck as he finished, an area that Harry knew was one of her weak spots. He smiled as he felt a small shudder go through her, and knew she was trying to stifle a giggle. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad evening after all…
* * *
Peachy, literally, Harry thought to himself. At the moment, he was standing, totally at ease, near the drink stands watching the way the ball was turning out with a fizzy peach drink in hand. So far it had been a splendid evening, with the same band as last time provided the music. The reason they were playing was that Moody wanted the same band that had been cleared previously of any possible Death Eater links. It was the closet thing to not being paranoid, as Harry had seen the man.
This was, of course, before he found out that the band was made up of off-duty members from the Detectives Bureau (the bane of wizards and witches in the line of work such as Mudungus Fletcher) and the Auror's Division.
Sipping his drink, he noticed Malfoy and Cho Chang dancing on the floor. Bastard should learn to have some manners, unless she enjoys it in which case I hope she's happy. Harry's thoughts were on the fact Draco was quite boorishly pressing himself against her, and his hands were quite…busy. It was times like this that Harry was damn grateful for Tom Courtney and his uncle at ensuring he learned some common sense and manners, else he could be acting as boorishly as Malfoy was.
Harry watched as Cho looked his way, and he smiled and gave a friendly wave, and did likewise when Malfoy glanced his way. The game they were playing at Harry deduced a long time ago and it was to make him jealous. Harry watched as the dance came to an end, and Malfoy slip a hand down one of Cho's thighs, and snorted. Do those imbeciles think I would be jealous after what? A month and a half, two months since the last Ball? Fucking numbskulls…
Finishing his drink, he set it down, and looked around for something to do. Ginny and Luna were chatting away with Doc, who was showing them 'magic' tricks with a deck of cards and his top hat. Ron and Hermione were having an intimate moment, and Harry smirked as he saw Ron lean over and kiss her. Then there was Katrina and Neville, who were talking with Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan. Harry couldn't help but noticed how Neville had an arm around Katrina and saw that one of her hands was on the table, and the other on Neville's leg.
Out of curiosity, Harry glanced towards Snape, who seemed to be watching his daughter with a bland expression on his face. Again, Harry was struck with the notion that here was a man who could only be described as gray. He was a Death Eater who had undoubtedly done some rather dirty deeds (Harry had asked to see the case file on him; Alex had laughed and told him no dice), not to mention carrying on a grudge from his school days. Thinking of just how much shit the son of a bitch had put him through over the years made his blood boil sometimes, and he was still a snarky, crotchety bastard who would sooner belittle rather then praise an accomplishment.
Yet, he had obviously loved a woman, and judging by the fact he went through some incredible ordeals to keep his daughter safe (Harry could see that he occasionally limped into meetings, or had a tick in one of his fingers), he loved his daughter too. If Harry had heard of something like this a year ago, he would have scoffed at the notion that Snape was anything more then a greasy haired whoreson who despised him the way he despised his father. To Harry, it seemed that every time Harry thought he had him pegged, Snape would pull something off to shatter the paradigm he had constructed of the man.
Which might be a good thing, Harry conceded. After all, boxing a person like that is just another way of underestimating them, and doing that can get your ass killed in heartbeat.
"Why are you not fully armed, Potter?" Harry turned, and saw the grizzled face of Moody glaring at him. "Sir, my cross-draw isn't that effective, and since there isn't any real intelligence of a planned attack, I didn't want to hazard carrying it in one of my pockets."
"Harry, I told you: constant…"
"Vigilance, sir."
Moody cracked a grin and handed him a small pistol. Harry recognized it as a stainless steel .38-caliber revolver, the five shot variety to be carried on the ankle. "Keep it in your pocket, and remember to always carry a backup of some sort with you."
"Do you, sir?"
Moody laughed, "Since 1939, when I was the young idiot they sent to extract an agent of ours from the city of Danzig on the German coast. Messy that one, being chased at night by German and Polish vampires." Harry didn't know what else to say, and pocketed the revolver. At the ranges it was effective at, he knew he wouldn't need to zero it, and knowing Moody, it was bound to work like clockwork.
Alastor bid him good night, and told him to enjoy himself. Harry laughed, and went back to drinking the peach drink he liked. It was as he was drinking his second or third glass that he noticed his uncle standing by himself near the staff table. Alex seemed to be deep in thought, and staring down at the table. Harry noticed he wasn't using the magical eye, for it didn't moved and appeared more lifeless then the other, magical one. Alex sipped from a scotch glass, and Harry noticed also that his either cheerful or expressionless uncle seemed…He wasn't sure what it was, though he did realize that unlike the other teachers he was dressed in his suit and school tie, but this time it seemed as though he wore a half robe. Why is he dressed up as a teacher…?
It was then that another slow dance started and he heard the jocular, Louisiana accent of Doc. "Hey Harry!" He turned and saw the crazy American on one foot, his cast limping towards the dance floor with one arm around Luna's waist, and Ginny standing next to the table. "Yeah, Doc?"
"Dance with Ginny so that all of us will have one."
Harry nodded to Ginny, "You sure your boyfriend won't mind, Gin?" It took an effort to keep a straight face as he said it.
She smiled and went over to him, "No, he won't mind at all."
Together, they got on the dance floor with several other couples. Ginny put his hands on her waist, and hers on his shoulders. Harry made it a special effort to ensure no got the wrong (rather, right) ideas by ensuring that he could drive a damn lorry in the space between the two of them.
Ginny must have understood this, as she looked up at him and said, "You know, I really hope my boyfriend likes the two gifts I have for him."
Harry smiled, and asked, as though he were being polite, "Two?"
"Two"
They danced for about a couple of minutes until the dance ended. Harry bowed to her, and hugged her the way he hugged someone like Hermione or Mrs. Weasley, out of politeness. Yet, as he did so, Ginny whispered in his ear, "Astronomy Tower tonight, eleven tonight" They broke apart, and she spoke to him as he escorted her back to the table, "I hope my boyfriend will find a way to come back early to our usual spot. I've got a certain surprise for him if he does…"
Harry was enthusiastic as to just what that surprise was going to be.
* * *
Walking quickly, Harry devoutly hoped he wasn't being followed. He had spent the past hour after his dance with Ginny walking the halls, trying to ensure he didn't have anyone follow him. True, he could have used the Marauder's Map, but that, along with his Invisibility Cloak he had had to temporarily loan to Ginny when they had almost been caught (once again by Mrs. Norris and Filch; it had taken flashing Harry's Security badge in order to create enough of a distraction for Ginny to get away) the last night on their way back from a tryst. Since he had already signed off from the communications net (not to mention the trouble Bladvak and Ironhammer had gone to ensure his privacy), so he wound up having to use the techniques of tradecraft his uncle had taught him over the summer in London. So far, he hadn't been followed unless they had been using the Invisibility Cloak, and Harry had made it a point to double track and use a magical tuning fork to detect the presence of any dickheads hiding in said cloaks.
There weren't any, so, after another check near the corridors, Harry finally went up the stairs to the top of the Astronomy Tower, and opened the door that lead to the outside of it. Harry exited, and felt the chilly weather. The top, which was nearly open to the elements in order for students' telescopes to be used effectively, nonetheless had conical top that blocked out most of the snow and wind. It was also special in that it was made out of wooden panels that could be slid around to give a good view of the sky from multiple directions whilst providing for some excellent views of the night sky.
Harry closed the door, and wondered realized that the top of the Astronomy Tower was one of the best little secrets in the school. Let those idiots get caught by someone like Snape or Filch, Harry thought, when they stick with broom closets, empty classrooms, and the library. I'll take the tower, the greenhouses, or our spot under the oak tree any day of the week. More privacy, better room to see interlopers, and the cold is the perfect reason to get that much closer…
"Harry…" It was a low, throaty, feminine whisper. Harry recognized it as Ginny's voice and scanned the room. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.
A laugh full of delight, "To your right, in the corner." Harry turned towards the location, and saw nothing but the corner of the room near a row of cabinets, as well as a couple of the coal filled braziers and oil lamps that gave a low light to the place. "Where Gin?"
"Right here, love."
The corner dissipated as Ginny threw back the Invisibility Cloak that had been covering her. Harry's breath caught, and he was speechless. The look on his face must have been astonishing, for Ginny started laughing with delight.
Ginny had taken a bunch of black school-issue blankets (kept in the cupboards for those nightly Astronomy lessons during the winter, as even with the top blocking the wind, it could and did get pretty cold in there) and made a bed out of them in the corner. She had taken the Invisibility Cloak, and put a stretching charm on it for it covered the twin-sized pallet quite well. Yet that wasn't what caused Harry's air to catch.
What caused that was the simple fact that, judging by the fact her hair was unpinned (she had had it pinned up and styled during the ball), and that her pillow was her lilac dress, her cloak, and what were undeniably her bra and underwear. Which meant she was completely naked under the black blanket that covered her.
Ginny must have seen when this thought reached Harry's mind, for after a moment, her smile became somewhat shy as she stretched, and threw off the blanket. "Merry Christmas, Harry." Harry could only nod, as he was desperately trying to find some air. During his time, he had seen many a naked woman in real life (including one time at Meg's where all ten girls had been displayed for his 'inspection'), but this was something else, something really precious, and something much, much more…
Harry shook his head and sat next to her. Ginny, though she was smiling, had closed her eyes, and Harry's eye could tell she was quivering slightly. What's wrong…Of course, you dunce, she's nervous…So…
"Ginny, look at me." Harry said softly.
She turned her head to him, but her eyes remained shut. Harry leaned over, stroked her hair, then her face, hands gentle as a warm breeze. "Ginny, are you nervous?"
She nodded, slowly. Harry watched her breath, the silver of her locket gleaming at the uppermost edge of the valley between her breasts. Harry took a moment to drink in the sight of her beauty, the sight of a small smattering of freckles along her neck and chest. To him, he thought that she was the most beautiful, and kind and loving girl in the entire universe. It was the first time he had seen her completely naked, and he wanted to explore and taste and…
But I don't want her to be afraid, not to be afraid of me. Not now, not ever…He leaned over and kissed her on her eyes softy. "Ginny, look at me, with your eyes this time."
She opened her eyes, and Harry saw her watching him nervously. Harry stroked her hair, knowing she loved it when he did that. "Ginny, you don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to. Okay?"
She nodded, and said, "I'm not. I love you, it's just…I'm just a bit nervous, scared that you'll think of me again the way you used to. You know, just Ron's sister. That this is just another silly dream."
Harry smiled at her, and brought her close to him. "Ginny, I will never, ever hurt you. You mean everything to me right now, you Ginny the woman. Ron's sister you may be, but your Ginny first and foremost." He tapped the locket on her chest. "I meant everything I had engraved on it. More then life, I love you." Grinning, Harry looked deep into her eyes, and softly murmured to her, "I love you."
She slowly stopped quivering and asked; "I heard it hurts the first time for girls. How about you, did it hurt for you?"
Harry took a moment to think, and said, "Not sure as I was rather excited, but I'll be careful with you." Noticing her fingernails, he held them up and grinned, "Though I can't say much about my back, these nails look a mit sharp there." He pulled her to his lips and nibbled at them gently. Ginny laughed, and threw her arms around him, and exclaimed, all nervousness gone, "I love you, Harry. Now, forever, and…"
"Always," Harry said softly. She reached down and started to unbutton the front of his dress robes. Harry felt the warmth of her through his clothes. Yet he stopped her, and pulled a pair of vials bundled together. "Drink this," he said to Ginny. She did so, and so did Harry. It was the Aphrodite Potion, which protected one for about a four-hour period against pregnancies and disease without the side effects of the Eros Potion. Sadly, it was also harder to brew and more expensive to buy, which was why Harry kept about six pairs (not counting the one they had just consumed) in his trunk. He also had another two in his pocket, keeping an eight- hour stock with him at all times.
Ginny sniffed the potion and asked, "Aphrodite?"
Harry nodded, as he pulled out his pocket watch, looked at the time (2200, next one needed at 0200, he thought), and asked her, "Pomfrey show you guys this last month?"
She nodded, and drew him to her. Harry kissed her neck, and started to help Ginny disrobe him. They lay down on the blankets, still moving, but Harry stopped to look at her, to admire, and love her with everything that he was.
I am the most fortunate man alive…Ginny looked up at him, and Harry said to her, "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I just realized, I'm the most lucky man in the world."
Harry probably would have said more, but Ginny silenced him with a kiss and, "I love you…"
Above them, the stars gleamed with a passion in the night of winter…Passion and joy and feeling nearly as bright as the couple below.