"Kalopsia"

"Chapter Eleven"

As soon as Ron stepped into his home, he knew something was wrong. Rosie screamed in the distance, her cries desperate and she was hiccupping like she had been crying for a while. Knowing Hermione, she never allowed Rosie to cry it out. She would dash into her room upon the first hint of a cry, swooping in and cuddling their baby close to her chest. He strained his ears, trying to pinpoint where exactly his wife was.

Sitting his suitcase onto the floor, he grabbed his wand from the inner pocket of his Auror robes. He carefully toed off his shoes, trying to make as little noise as possible before making his way into the house. He crept along the first floor, clearing it from any intruders. His heart pounded into his throat as he made his way up the stairs, casting a charm on each step so they wouldn't creak as he went.

He held his breath as he poked his head into the master bedroom, his eyes landing on Zephyr looming over an unconscious Hermione. Her blouse was opened all the way, her bra and breasts on full display. Her skirt was ripped up the side, Zephyr's hand dangerously high on her thigh and the other one cupping her breast underneath the lacy fabric.

Ron saw red.

His body jerked into motion, his wand slipping from his fingertips. He grabbed Zephyr by the back of his shirt, yanking him off Hermione before shoving him onto the ground. Rosie's screams echoed in his ears as he straddled Zephyr. Pulling back his arm, he made a fist and was sure to tuck his thumb. Zephyr grinned up at him like a maniac, laughter on the tip of his tongue.

Ron's ears buzzed, blocking out all of the noise around him. He pounded his knuckles against Zephyr's jaw. Once, twice, three times. Ron didn't even notice he was yelling until his throat started to ache. All that mattered was the blood pooling between his fingers and watching the light leave Zephyr's eyes. He had never wanted to kill anyone more.

There were hands on his arm, trying to stop him from pummeling Zephyr. Ron shrugged the hands off him, his mind only focusing on murdering the man in front of him. Zephyr had dared to touch his sister and his wife. The scum didn't deserve to live, didn't deserve any sort of trial or to be locked up in Azkaban. He deserved to die brutally, just like he had brutally murdered so many innocent people.

"RON! RON!" a desperate voice broke through the buzzing in his ears, nails digging into his bicep and attempting to pull him back.

He wheeled around to tell them to fuck off when his gaze caught Demelza's. Her chest heaved, her eyes wide. His entire body trembled with adrenaline and anger. He forced his eyes off Demelza and rested them on Hermione. She was so still. He should cover her up, because if Demelza was at his house than a whole slew of Aurors couldn't be far behind. He didn't want anyone ogling at Hermione's breasts or the sliver of her knickers that showed beneath the tatters of her skirt.

Rose continued to cry, the volume of her voice easing as though she were going to topple over soon from exhaustion. Ron blinked, his gaze landing back on Zephyr. His face was an unrecognizable blob of blood and bruises. He was still underneath Ron. A few more well-placed punches and Ron reckoned the job would be done. He could claim self-defense. He didn't care if he was suspended from work while Zephyr's death was investigated. It would be worth it. Licking his lips, he drew back his arm once more.

"Stop! Stop!" Demelza wrapped her hands around his arm, tugging it close to her chest. "You could go to Azkaban!"

"Ron!" a new, familiar voice shouted.

Arms wrapped around Ron, pulling him off Zephyr. He fought against whoever pulled him back, his eyes glued to Demelza as she knelt down next to Zephyr and checked for a pulse. The person who pulled him away from his mission of beating Zephyr to a bloody pulp shoved him against the wall. His back collided with the plaster and Ron came face-to-face with Harry.

"Stop," Harry whispered, his voice serious and low.

"He touched Hermione!" Ron yelled, his eyes darting over to see Demelza rolling Zephyr over and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"I know," Harry said, his brows tugged down. "You can't stoop to his level."

"He touched Ginny, did she tell you that?" Ron spat. "Her and George thought it'd be fun to play Aurors while I was unconscious in the hospital. They went to Malefic Way hoping to run into him trying to sell his potion to identify him. Zephyr cornered her, stuck a needle in her neck, and groped her."

The color drained from Harry's face, his grip loosening on Ron. Demelza muttered and cursed, causing Ron to snap his attention to her. Her wand pressed to Zephyr's temple and his entire body went slack. She snatched a blanket off the bed and covered Hermione up before storming over towards Ron and Harry.

"Oi, you fucking Neanderthal arseholes," Demelza hissed. "Let's get our fucking shit together before Robards and the rest of the bloody Aurors arrive! Weasley, you were Disarmed and got a little too enthusiastic with your Muggle dueling. Potter, don't even think about finishing what Weasley started. You and I arrived on the scene and helped Weasley apprehend Zephyr. End of story. You got it?"

Ron carded a shaky hand through his hair, his head nodding. He pushed off the wall, brushing shoulders with Demelza before kneeling down next to his wife. Brushing a strand of frizzy hair out of her face, he then investigated her neck. He quickly found the puncture wound and swore.

"Go get your niece, Harry," Demelza whispered. "Just go."

Commotion sounded downstairs, and Ron knew the Aurors had arrived. He adjusted the blanket a little higher on Hermione to protect her modesty. Glancing over at Harry and Demelza, he saw the two of them both teetering on a verbal battle. Harry's jaw clenched, his eyes flickering between Demelza and Zephyr.

"Go. You can't bloody well kill him now in front of everyone," Demelza reasoned in an impatient tone. "Ginny wouldn't want you going to Azkaban because that git copped a feel. Just let it go. Stop the macho bullshit or I'll tell your wife that you don't think she can take care of herself!"

Ron held his breath. A beat later, Harry turned on his heel without a word and disappeared out of the master bedroom. Demelza rushed over to Zephyr and lifted her spell from him. He groaned, blood pooling on the cream carpet. Ron tore his gaze away, gathering Hermione up in his arms and cradling her close to his chest. Maybe Harry wasn't so paranoid after all to have all the protections and wards he did around his house. Ron knew he had to take their security a little more seriously after this.

Robards, Sutton, Reed, and a few other Aurors appeared in the doorway of the master bedroom. Ron sucked in a breath, appraising Robards as he stepped through the threshold with his eyes glued on Zephyr. Demelza stepped forward, her voice low as she spoke with Robards privately.

"Do you need help getting her to St. Mungo's?" Sutton asked as he crossed the room, kneeling down in front of Ron.

"No," Ron whispered, adjusting Hermione in his arms and lifting her off the ground. "I have her."

All eyes were on him as he made his way out of the bedroom. He glanced down the hall to see Harry exiting Rose's nursery. Rosie snuggled against Harry, her thumb in her mouth. Harry caressed her messy, curly red locks and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Ron and Harry's gaze caught each other's. No words needed to be said. Harry merely nodded and Ron gave him a shaky smile before he made his way to St. Mungo's with Hermione.


Harry entered the house late, toeing off his shoes carefully and running a weary hand through his hair. Ginny had kept the entryway lit for him before she went to bed. He hadn't expected to arrive home so late as he wanted to talk with Ginny, but he had dropped Rose off with Molly and Arthur before making his way to the hospital to check up on his best mates. Ron had been a basket case and Hermione had been overly emotional upon waking up. Hermione had let out a squeaky sob when he made a move towards the hospital door around dinnertime, so he had awkwardly sat by her bedside and made small talk while Ron held her in bed. Sitting there made him relive every single uncomfortable, third-wheel experience he had ever had while at Hogwarts.

Making his way up the stairs, he stopped by Albus' nursery. The infant laid in his little sleeping bag, his arms sprawled straight up on either side of his head. Noisy little snores escaped his nose, his chest puffing. Harry stared at his son from the doorjamb. This felt real, this felt right, this was his life. The confusion he first felt upon waking up was completely gone. He knew this wasn't a delusion or a hallucination. Everything just felt different than it had before.

Clenching his jaw, Harry closed the nursery door as quietly as he could. He made his way down the hallway, seeing the light on under the master bedroom door. He hoped Ginny was still up and didn't fall asleep waiting for him. He passed the door and then passed James' room, the door wide open and the bed empty. Pushing open the door to Teddy's room, he found his eldest two sons sleeping together.

James and Teddy often had sleepovers with one another ever since James had gotten his toddler bed in April for his birthday. The two-year-old would often sneak out of his bed at night and wander into Teddy's room. It had become so frequent and so routine that they just started putting the two boys together in the same bed. Teddy never minded, always happy to let his baby brother sleep with him.

The two were tangled together underneath the sheets. James laid on top of Teddy's chest, snuggling close to his big brother. Teddy was sprawled across the bed beneath him, fast asleep and snoring. Harry smiled softly before leaving their room as well.

When he entered his bedroom, he saw Ginny still awake with a book in her hands. It was some Muggle romance novel, his nose wrinkling at the shirtless man on the cover. Hermione had gotten her into them a few months back. She lowered her book, her hand reaching for the bookmark on her bedside table when he entered.

"Hey, how's Hermione?"

Harry loosened his tie. "She's awake and asked Ron to spend the night at the hospital with her."

Ginny nodded, setting her book aside. "I could see that. Mum stopped by with Rose earlier, told me all about what happened. Sounds horrific."

Harry only nodded as he continued to undress. He didn't know how to broach the topic of Ginny and George attempting to find Zephyr on their own in Malefic Way. He couldn't let it go, no matter how much his gut was telling him to.

"Yeah."

Ginny's brow furrowed. "You obviously have something you want to say. I know that look, Harry. Nobody knows you better than I do."

He looked up, meeting her gaze as he stood in just his boxers with his arms crossed over his chest. "All right, fine, I'll bite. I heard about what you and George did."

Ginny let out a scoff. "Ron has a big mouth."

"Were you not going to tell me how utterly reckless the two of you were? Were you not going to tell me Zephyr assaulted you?"

"Oh, that's some pot calling the kettle black right there," Ginny retorted, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed.

"There's a difference between my job and you pretending it's your job!" Harry hissed. "I've been trained to do the job!"

"Oh, were you trained at eleven to protect a bloody stone? Or how about slaying a Basilisk? I must have missed that class."

Harry shook his head. "That's different."

"Why? Because you're Harry Potter? The Chosen One? The bloody savior of the wizarding world?" Ginny asked, an eyebrow raised elegantly in the air. "I'm still the silly little girl who pours her heart out to a cursed diary to you, aren't I? Someone who needs protecting, who can't fend for themselves."

"I never once said that," Harry whispered harshly, his anger spiking.

Harry attempted to count to ten in his head, but he couldn't even get his brain to cooperate enough to do that simple task. It wasn't often that Harry and Ginny fought. When they did, it was often a full-blown spat.

"You didn't have to!"

"It's my job to protect you, to protect our family! I was off in some hallucination with Cho Chang instead of with my family!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to kick himself. He hadn't mentioned to Ginny before that he had been engaged to Cho in one of his delusions.

An odd look crossed her face. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say she was jealous. Except Ginny was never jealous. She often laughed at the press trying to always catch him cheating with various witches. He'd apparently cheated on Ginny with Hermione, Luna, Demelza, and, oddly enough, Lavender Brown when he saw her once in Muggle London and she had given him an awkward hug and peck on the cheek as a greeting. That was only to name a few of the many witches he'd been rumored to have had affairs with.

"You were with Cho?" her voice was even, almost stoic. "Wet kiss Cho?"

Harry frowned. "How do you know about that?"

"Ron told everyone about that."

Harry scowled. "In the hallucination where you died in the Chamber of Secrets, we were together. I woke up and she was naked and it was… it was bloody awful."

Ginny folded her hands in her lap on top of the covers. "Oh? She was naked?"

"I kept trying to find you," he whispered, making his way over to the bed. "Sirius hated her. I got the impression that my mum did as well. My dad… well, he was sort of messed up in that reality. I told you about that."

"Were you married to her or… did you two have kids?"

Harry took a seat next to Ginny on the bed, his hand reaching out to hold hers. "We were engaged. She didn't want kids, hated them actually. I remember waking up and thinking she had slipped me a love potion or something. The entire delusion I just kept trying to wake up or find my way home. I wanted you, not Cho Chang."

Ginny cleared her throat, a satisfied smirk gracing her features. "You know what the great thing about being married is?"

"Hmm?"

"That your spouse is your partner, your equal. If it's your job to protect me and the kids, then it's my job to protect you and the kids," Ginny whispered as she scooted closer to him. "While you were off playing house with Cho in your dreams, I was trying to keep our family together. I won't apologize for trying to find you, Harry. I don't regret it, and I'd do it all over again."

"I can't lose you," Harry matched her tone, his thumb brushing across her knuckles. "I wanted to die in that hallucination without you."

"And I wanted to die at the very thought of you never coming home."

"Ginny."

"You seem to be under the delusion that nobody cares about you as much you care about them," Ginny spoke slowly. "I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. There are plenty of people who care about you, who would be devastated if they lost you. I, for one, am at the top of that list."

The back of Ginny's hand ran down his cheek. Love and warmth spread through Harry's entire body, causing his chest to feel full and his toes to curl. Sometimes he just needed to hear someone say those types of things out loud. Years of neglect and emotional abuse at the hands of the Dursleys often made him question just how much he was loved.

He leaned forward, brushing his lips gently against hers. "I love you."

Her hands cupped his cheeks, her lips curving up. "I love you."

"I just wish you would have told me about what happened with Zephyr," he said in a hushed tone, his eyes searching hers. "I hated hearing it from Ron."

"Well, I suspect I didn't tell you for the same reason you didn't tell me about Cho."

Harry's face scrunched up. "I'm not following."

Ginny smiled patiently. "Because it happened and nothing could be done about it but upset the other person by telling them."

"You're upset?"

Ginny huffed, her eyes squinting and lips pursing. "No… not upset, exactly. It's just she was your first girlfriend. The first girl you loved and I-"

Harry burst out laughing, causing Ginny to shoot him a glare. He couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry but the first girl I loved? Gin, I never loved Cho. I thought she was pretty, dated her to find out we had nothing but Quidditch in common, and had the worst kiss of my life," Harry explained. "Now… you on the other hand."

Harry gently pushed her down onto the mattress and loomed over her. His hand roamed up her thigh, disappearing underneath his old Gryffindor Quidditch shirt that she stole from him and normally wore to bed.

She smirked, wiggling into a comfortable position. "Oh?"

"You are more than pretty. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." He kissed her neck. "The funniest girl whom I have a lot in common with." He kissed her jaw. "You are definitely my best kiss, my best everything."

"So, my kisses aren't… wet?" Ginny asked, her eyes sparkling as her hand toyed with the waistband of his boxers.

Harry chuckled. "Want to help me murder Ron?"

"Let's talk about our murder plan tomorrow, though I must warn you I think you'd miss him too much if we actually go through with it," Ginny said as her hand trailed south, her fingers brushing against him. "Right now, I have other things I want to do."

"Oh?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

She nodded. "Yes. Why don't you show me how I was your best kiss?"

Harry's lips curved before he pecked her chastely on the lips. Harry was all too happy to comply. This was real. This felt more than right. "I had something else in mind."

Then he slid under the covers, his head disappearing from her view as he began to kiss her. He'd show her just how happy he was to finally be home with her.


Ginny cast a Warming Charm on Albus' baby blanket as she cuddled him close to her chest. It was chillier than she anticipated it to be at the Burrow. Harry chased down James and Teddy, their jackets in hand. James laughed, his limbs limp as Harry tried to wrestle the kid into his jacket. An exasperated look crossed her husband's face, but he was nowhere near close to yelling. Honestly, Harry had the patience of a saint when it came to their children. Ginny often wished she had even half of his patience.

"Oi, James! Get that bloody jacket on before the gnomes eat you!" Ron shouted as Harry shot him an annoyed look. "Gnomes love eating little kids who don't listen."

James stopped squirming on the ground, his eyes squinting up at his uncle. A confused look crossed the toddler's face for just enough time for Harry to shove the kid's arms into the jacket and zipper it. Harry pressed his wand to the zipper so James couldn't unzip it and added a Warming Charm.

"Do you have to lie to him about things like that?" Harry asked, carding a hand through his hair as he stood up and James scampered off towards Teddy.

"It got him to stop wiggling, didn't it?" Ron argued as he took a sip of his butterbeer. "Plus, he's two. He didn't understand a word I said. He just stared at me."

Ginny rolled her eyes just as she noticed someone come up to stand beside her. She turned to see Hermione next to her, her arms crossed over her chest. Her bushy hair was pulled back into the messiest bun Ginny had ever seen. In fact, she was convinced Hermione must have reinforced her elastic with an Unbreakable Charm or something to keep it from snapping.

"You all right?" Ginny asked.

"I'm fine," Hermione said in a squeaky voice as her gaze focused on Ron and Harry's bickering.

"He's in Azkaban now," Ginny reasoned. "Harry said the case against him is pretty ironclad. He's not going to ever leave prison."

"It's not that," Hermione insisted, her lips pursing. "It's just… I don't remember what he did to me. Ron told me how he found me. I heard all about Ron nearly killing him. I don't know which would be worse. Not knowing what he did to me or knowing what he did to me."

Ginny didn't know how to answer that question. She supposed she'd want to know and not have her mind come up with wild assumptions or thoughts. Not knowing always seemed worse. She struggled with memory gaps after Tom Riddle's diary, and she thought knowing what happened would definitely be better than having to guess and always wondering if she had done anything else awful that she wasn't already aware of.

Clearing her throat, Ginny shrugged. "Probably depends on the person."

"I think I'd rather not know," Hermione whispered. "I mean I know he didn't… the Healers said there was no evidence of assault but still. It's like none of it happened in a way if I can't remember, right?"

Ginny didn't agree but she wasn't going to argue with Hermione. If it made her feel better to think of it that way, then Ginny wasn't going to burst her bubble. She forced a smile on her lips before she looked at her friend.

"Yeah," she answered, causing Hermione to frown. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at this type of thing."

"You've been married to Harry for far too long." Hermione commented lightly before she made her way towards Molly and Andy.

Ginny thought that was an excellent choice. Her mother could coddle Hermione in the way she wanted while Andy would have some solid advice.

George and Angelina arrived with their kids. George made a beeline for Harry, pulling him into a tight embrace. Ginny knew George hadn't seen Harry since his outburst in the hospital. It had been too hard on George to see Harry or Ron in the condition they had been in. Ginny suspected that he could only think of Fred during those times, knowing he wouldn't be able to survive if he lost another brother.

Ginny made her way towards the group as she hitched Albus up on her shoulder and held his head close to her body. He had barely just gained control over his neck muscles and was less wobbly, but for some reason she felt more protective of Albus. Perhaps it was the uncanny resemblance he held to Harry or maybe it was his cuddly personality shining through, or the way he cried for her and only calmed down in her arms.

"I should kill you myself, you know," George said with a smirk, one arm slung over Harry's shoulders. "You gave everyone a right scare and you were off enjoying a nice little utopian hallucination and having a grand ole time."

Harry smiled, not bothering to correct George. His eyes met Ginny's and he rolled them briefly.

"I heard you were getting a junior Auror badge," Harry commented, his tone light but Ginny could tell it was forced.

George cleared his throat, stepping away from Harry and withdrawing his arm from his shoulders. "Oh? Who may have told you that?"

"Who do you think?"

George glanced over at Ron who whistled and looked around the garden.

"Ron's got a big mouth," George replied.

"That's actually been said a lot about him recently," Ginny supplied.

"Oi, what are you lot talking about? I'm a fantastic secret keeper!" Ron insisted, his face scrunched up in disgust.

"You're the biggest gossip in this family," George retorted.

Ron scoffed and had the nerve to look offended. "We're Weasleys! That's what we do! We tell each other everything!"

"Unless it's about you," George said dryly. "Like how you conveniently didn't tell anyone about all your adventures at school until after they happened."

"Or the time when you practiced for the Keeper position all summer and late into the night at school," Ginny added.

"Or the time you fancied Hermione for bloody years before you did anything about it," George continued. "Though that was the worst kept secret ever."

"Sod the fuck off!" Ron snapped.

Harry glanced over at Ron, his face neutral. "Or the time you told everyone about my wet kiss with Cho."

Ron actually had the decency to look guilty about that one. "You weren't supposed to know about that one."

Ginny snorted. "Maybe Ron should learn a lesson, George."

George let out a boisterous laugh and looked over at Harry. Before Ron could protest or even move, Harry and George were on him. Harry snatched Ron's wand and tossed it into the grass while George wrapped his arms around Ron's chest and pinned his arms to the side, his butterbeer spilling all over the grass as it fell from his hand. Harry quickly grabbed his feet and hoisted him off the ground.

Ginny laughed loudly as George and Harry carried a squirming and screaming Ron towards the pond. Their family stopped, everyone's attention drawing to the three of them. Teddy and Victoire rounded the toddlers together to stay out of the way. Victoire clapped her hands over Dominique's ears as Ron let out a string of colorful language.

"Boys! Enough!" Molly shouted.

"Honestly, we're not twelve anymore!" Percy huffed at the same time Bill called, "Do you need help?"

George and Harry swung Ron's body back before pitching him into the pond. The children burst out laughing. Their mother shouted honestly! Ginny grinned from ear to ear while Bill, Fleur, and Angelina clapped and hooted. Glancing over at Hermione, Ginny saw even she was smirking behind her hand.

"You ruddy gits!" Ron shouted as he scrambled out of the pond. "You fucking wankers!"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, watch your language in front of the children!" Molly screeched. "It's no wonder my grandchildren already cuss up a storm! Between you and George, they stand no chance!"

"Where's my bloody wand?" Ron shouted, ignoring his mother.

George and Harry, while laughing, scrambled on the ground to find the wand Harry had tossed. George found it first, snatching it and running off towards the house. Harry jumped out of the way of Ron who chased after his brother. Ron was a lot faster than George who was already wheezing by the time he was halfway to the house. Ginny thought it was a stupid idea for George to attempt to run with the wand and not Harry.

Ron dove, tackling George to the ground. With a lot of swearing, they wrestled in the grass for control of the wand. Ginny let out a loud chuckle as Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"How is it that you always manage to get away with things?" Ginny inquired.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not quite sure to be honest."

"Bill! Percy! Stop them!" Molly pleaded.

"You instigate," Harry commented as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And you get away with it just as much."

"We're the perfect team," Ginny said with a wide smile.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

As Harry and Ginny watched Bill and Percy join the Weasley fight, Harry cleared his throat.

"I forgot to tell you, I may have kissed Demelza."

Ginny looked up at him, an amused smile tugging on her lips. "Yeah? How was it?"

"Like kissing Hermione," he replied.

"Oh, so like kissing your sister? You making a habit out of this, Potter?"

"We were undercover."

Ginny grinned, turning her attention back to her brothers. "I know. Demelza already told me all about it. She said you're a good kisser, can see why I keep you around. She also said you have nice hands. I told her I agree, but feeling her up might have been overboard."

"I didn't – we were undercover!" He saw the laughter in her eyes and smirked.

Ginny bumped hips with Harry as he chuckled.

"So, my kissing skills are the only thing keeping you from kicking me to the curb?"

Ginny laughed. "Not just your mouth, but the things you do with your fingers too keep you around."

Harry shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting around the back garden to see if anyone would have heard her. She smiled when she noticed the back of his neck was a bright red. She loved making him squirm.

Ginny leaned into Harry's side, her hand rubbing soothing circles on Albus' back. She felt warmth radiate through her entire body from Harry's touch and Albus' warm puffs of air on her neck. She sighed in contentment, happy to have her family back together once again.

Hope you enjoyed the ending! Please, don't forget to leave a review and let me know how you liked the story! Even if you've never reviewed before, please send me one now that it's complete. Your reviews inspire me to keep writing and give me ideas!

I'll be posting my new story on Sunday August 29th - a collaboration with BreanieBree (author of the fantastic A Second Chance). It's called Legerdemain and takes place about a decade after Brontide. For those of you who don't know, most of my stories all take place in the same in the same universe. In my profile, there's a list of all stories and the order they take place. Check it out! Also, follow me on Tumblr (seriouslysam8) where I'll most likely post a preview for the new story in a week or two.

Special thanks to Bell for editing. Special thanks to Bree for bouncing around ides with me!