Chapter 14: Interludes of the fluffy kind
Shortly after Harry had retired to bed the members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived with Fred. They were shown into the study by Winky and immediately asked where Harry was.
"Remus, where is Harry? We wish to pledge our allegiance to him. He is by far and away the best person to lead the light into this war. He is our general and our leader and we know that he would not take our possible deaths as lightly as Sirius's was by Dumbledore. In conclusion, what ever Order you are now a part of, we are in!"
"Harry is still emotionally exhausted and has retired to bed early tonight because of this. I know he would be delighted with the amount of people who believe he is capable of leading us into war. Tomorrow you will all be inducted into the Order of Potter or Potter's Army as its more commonly called. But I should tell you that although Harry named the Order he did not take automatic leadership over it, in fact we had to fight with him to make him take control. Now if you'll excuse us we were all just going to retire to bed. Winky will direct you to the East Wing where you will be residing. Ah Winky there you are. Master Harry has asked that his brothers, his sister and his Slytherin friends have rooms in the West Wing with us, however, do you think you could direct the others here to the East Wing?" Said Lily.
"Yes Mistress Lily! All rooms is being ready in the Manor. All may call Dobby and Winky when want something but must understand that Masters Harry and James and Mistress Lily are our employers and Master Harry is our bonded Master. Follow me to the East Wing now please!" Winky said and led the Phoenixes to the East Wing. The others retired to bed. Everyone was sharing with their partners, including the young teenagers, because Lily and James both felt that it was important for the youths to have a loving relationship while they still could before the war got in the way.
Ron and Draco retired to their bedroom and went to bed; ready to relax together in their lover's arms. However, Draco could tell Ron was upset about something and decided now was the time to talk to him properly about his feelings over what his parents did to him. He also felt it was time to ask Ron the question he'd been longing to ask him for so long but had been too scared to ask.
"Ron love what's wrong? You've been quiet all evening. Do you regret standing with Harry and losing your parents?"
"No I don't regret standing with Harry because it was the right thing to do and I can't let my brother go so easily as my parents seem to think they can with me and my brothers and sister but I-I c-can't believe that m-mum and d-dad would d-d-do that to us. Th-they always t-told us t-to st-stand up f-for our b-beliefs and they could d-d-d…." He broke off and burst into tears. Draco pulled him closer and hugged him tightly until he calmed down and then kissed the tears away.
"No more tears baby! I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. You've got your brothers and Ginny and you're finally able to call Harry your brother, which he always should have been! Lily and James already love you as a son and will be parents to you if that is what you want. You are surrounded by love Ron and those that love you here will NEVER leave you."
"I know but there is one thing more I so desperately want Dray. I know your mine but the world doesn't know it and I hate watching people drool over you and flirt with you. I get so jealous because I can't tell people to back away from my boyfriend for fear of it getting back to your father. I don't suppose that now, when you've already declared you abhorrence of your father's views, you would agree to go public with our relationship?"
"Oh Ron there is nothing I'd like more because I get jealous to when I see girls throwing themselves at you. I agree that it is time to go public my love but before we do there is something that I have been wanting to ask you for a long time." Draco said and went to his trunk. He removed his clothes and took a small box from the bottom of the trunk. He walked back over to Ron and knelt on one knee: "Ron I know we're very young and people would probably say that we are far too young to understand what real love is but I know you are my soul mate and that we are meant to be together. You've made me the happiest man in the world and all I ask is that you let me spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. Ronald Weas - Potter, will you marry me?" Draco said with tears in his eyes and opened the box in which was the most beautiful ring Ron had ever seen. It was white gold with a snake wrapped around a lion's leg, with stones of ruby and emerald.
"Oh Dray. I-I-I, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you. It is what I've dreamed of for so long. I love you Draco Malfoy."
"And I love you Ron Potter. Now I believe it is time for us to sleep. You look exhausted my love." Draco said and pulled Ron to him in a warm and tight embrace and turned off the lights.
When Daphne and Ginny reached their rooms Ginny finally gave into the distress she had felt since the howler from her former mum arrived. Daphne knew exactly what her beloved needed and just held her close until she calmed down enough to talk.
"Oh Gin, I'm so sorry that your mum did that to you and I can't believe someone could be so cruel. You are a wonderful person Ginerva Anna Potter and you do not deserve that sort of treatment. You are so caring and sensitive that I cannot believe someone could do that to you. I tell you what the worse thing is Ginny honey, that I know you're feeling tainted, filthy and unworthy of the love Harry, your brothers and the rest of us have shown you. I know you don't feel worthy of the love Lily and James feel for you as their adopted daughter but you are worthy of that and so much more and don't you ever forget that! Now Gin I know you're younger than me and are probably not ready for the commitment I wish to ask of you but Ginerva Anna Potter would you do me the great honour of going public with our relationship by agreeing to marry me and wearing this ring?" Daphne asked a produced a beautiful golden ring with an Amethyst, Ginny's favourite stone, surrounded by diamonds.
"Daphne you have no idea how much I love you and how much I long for us to spend the rest of our lives together so my answer is yes! I love you more than life itself and I promise to spend the remainder of my life loving you and trying to be worthy of the love you have bestowed upon me."
"You already are my love, you already are!" Daphne whispered and turned off the light, plunging their bedroom into darkness once more.
Upon arriving in the bedroom they shared with Harry, Remus and Sirius found their young love sitting on the sofa in tears. It was clear to both the men that the day had been very hard upon Harry and his already fragile nerves had been pushed to the limit. Sirius climbed onto the bed and pulled Harry gently to him. He rocked him gently to and fro, whispering endearments to him, whilst Remus just took his hand and held it offering his own silent support to the traumatised teen. Once Harry calmed down enough to talk Remus pulled him gently to the bed and Sirius followed. They both knew that Harry needed to talk about things but were equally aware of the fact that this was not going to be an easy conversation for the young man in question.
"Harry there are things that have happened today that you need to talk about. There are also a few other things to talk about that I wish weren't necessary topics of conversation but are. Now why don't we start with your feeling over the Mrs Weasley situation and her treatment of the boys and Ginny."
"Oh Siri, I c-can't believe that – that she'd t-t-treat them that w-way! They're h-her children and she j-just brushes them away so easily. W-why did she have t-to say that about me b-being her s-son? I'm s-scared that the others w-will start hating me f-for losing their parents because they st-stood by m-me or that m-mum and d-dad w-will l-leave me again b-because they think I l-love Mr and Mrs Weasley more than I w-will ever l-love them. I c-can't lose them again s-so soon after getting them b-back!"
"Oh Harry love you really have worked yourself up into a state haven't you? Ginny and the boys will never hate you for as long as you live. They're your brothers as they proved by sticking by you and signing the adoption forms. They didn't have to love, they did it for you and because it was the right thing to do! And as for your parents thinking you love Molly and Arthur more than them or that you don't want them in your lives, well I have never heard any other such rot in my life Harry James Potter. They love you and always will do just like Ron and the others you silly goose." Remus said and pulled Harry to him in a tight hug before gently kissing him.
"Now love, I know this will be hard but we need to know about what V-Vernon did to you and what you are feeling now so that we may be able to help you! Can you do that for me love?"
"R-remy I-I…. No I can do this! I have to if I'm ever going to move on. It started when I was 12 with just the occasional slap or hit or kick or something but it got progressively worse until the summer after third year when he literally used my body as a punch bag. Oh never my face but the rest of my body was covered in bruises and lashes from his belt. I wanted to write to you but he said if he ever saw you anywhere near he'd call the police. I couldn't risk you being caught Padfoot. You were too important to me to lose like that. Then last summer he – he, oh god he…"
"He raped you for the first time didn't he. Oh Harry why didn't you tell us?"
"I-I was t-too scared s-so I k-kept it quiet. I know I'm pathetic for not fighting back and I don't have any idea how you could possibly ever love me! I–I don't deserve either of you. I-I don't think I'll even be able to let you touch me in that way or have that sort of relationship. I don't deserve either of you and I'd understand if you wanted to leave me." To say that both men were horrified was an understatement and Remus decided that he and Sirius had to follow through on their plan now rather than later he removed a small blue box from his robes.
"Harry, how can you even think that? Do you need proof that we don't care about this and only care about you and pulling you through the trauma this is putting you through? Harry, whilst you were searching for shoes yesterday, I had an errand to run for Sirius and I, I went to a jewellers Harry and bought you this and there's one for Sirius and I to." Harry opened the box and found a gold ring with emeralds.
"I-is that what I think it is?"
"Yes Harry, will you marry us? Take us to be your husbands?"
"Yes." He whispered. "As long as this is what you want. Are you sure you want to put up with me and my fear of anything intimate?"
"Yes I'm sure, do you have any idea how proud I am of you Harry for being able to tell that story, not to mention finding the shield that will stop the unforgivables. Don't you agree Remus?"
"Oh I do Siri! I most certainly do! Now my loves it is time for us to tuck up warm in bed and sleep. We'll all feel better in the morning and be in a much better state of mind to deal with Dumbledore and this war. Goodnight Harry baby, night Siri darling!" Remus whispered to the exhausted men then extinguished the lights and pulled Harry to him, who in turn pulled Sirius into a gentle hug. They were soon fast asleep, none of them suffering the nightmares they usually did whilst held in the loving comfort of their fiancées.