Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit.
Acknowledgments: Rpeh on the beta work.
Conservatory
Harry hadn't planned on spending Christmas at Grimmald Place. It wasn't how this year was supposed to have gone. But then he'd had the dream attacking Mister Weasley and he'd been rushed off to Grimmauld Place without any time to explain.
He'd sent Katie a letter when Hedwig showed up two days later. But she hadn't responded. He didn't think she'd be upset with him. If he'd learned anything from the months they'd been dating, it was that she was very empathetic to his problems. She understood when he was upset and had always been supportive. And given how excited he'd been to meet her family, he doubted she'd think he'd weaseled out of it intentionally.
She'd nearly gotten herself suspended when Umbridge had forced him off the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And it wasn't anything short of Umbridge threatening her father, rather directly that she backed off.
But, Katie won the long game. Not only did she have a complaint as the conduct of a Slytherin student had resulted in damage to her broom when, quote, in a rage to prevent Harry from injuring his teammate, he knocked her over and crushed part of her broom.
A reporter there covering Hogwarts Quidditch for the Prophet heard the threat and mentioned it in an article the next day. Which led to a series of articles pondering if the High Inquisitor was perhaps abusing her powers by threatening students. The articles were squashed after three days, but Harry figured Fudge must have been rather unhappy with Umbridge as she toned down the horribleness for at least a week or so.
Still, it hadn't been enough to get him back onto the Quidditch team. Or to even get his broom out of lockup. Although he was starting to wonder if the school really had the authority to confiscate his personal property and hold it hostage. Sirius was looking into it. But without an advocate that could appear for him he wasn't sure they'd be able to come up with anything.
Anyway, he'd planned on spending Christmas with Katie and her family. She wanted to introduce her boyfriend to her parents. And, despite his general nerves, he wanted to meet them. Katie didn't talk about them much. He figured that she didn't want to make him feel bad about his relatives, so conversations about her family seemed pretty few and far between.
He knew they lived in the Lake District. And when he asked what Umbridge's threat to her father meant she said they ran a conservatory. He wasn't exactly sure what that was but before he could question her further her friend Leanne had come over to lament how unfair Umbridge was. Which led to the two of them talking about how brave he was to stand up to her and he wasn't about to refute the kind words of two pretty girls. So he let the conversation drop.
But his original plan had been to spend a few days at Grimmauld Place with Sirius, then go off to visit Katie and her family. And then to bring Katie back to meet Sirius. He'd been a bit nervous about that part. He'd told her the truth when she'd asked about his summer, after a few of her letters came back undelivered. She'd been rather nervous about the situation as well, but she'd trusted him. It had been a late night but she learned of his relatives, his godfather and Voldemort in one go. She'd taken it in stride. And she'd still wanted to be with him in the morning.
Dumbledore; however, had found out about their plans and immediately vetoed them. He couldn't have more people knowing the location of the Order safe house. It was exactly the type of thing that would put her in unnecessary danger and could result in the safe house being revealed. Harry, Dumbledore thought, should stay at Hogwarts for the holidays as he had previously.
Katie hadn't been thrilled when Harry told her of his conversation with the Headmaster. Her parents already weren't thrilled that she'd stayed for Christmas the previous year and she wasn't about to do it again. Harry couldn't argue with her. He was too busy being annoyed at the thought of not even being able to see Sirius. He couldn't fathom why Dumbledore wanted to keep Sirius alone.
Although, Harry supposed his own plans would have resulted in Sirius being alone for most of the holiday anyway.
Still, there wasn't much of a point in dwelling on the fact that he was spending Boxing Day in an old bedroom with a hippogriff for company. He tossed a dead rat at Buckbeak who grabbed it out of the air and chomped it down happily. He wasn't sure why he'd taken to sitting with the hippogriff when he had nothing better to do. But the beast seemed happy for the company.
Buckbeak's head shot toward the door a few seconds before it opened. It didn't bother getting up as the door opened and trilled at Sirius as he stepped in. Sirius reached into the bag next to Harry and tossed another rat at the hippogriff.
Harry could hear Molly Weasley yelling at Fred and George downstairs as the door closed. Something about having too much fun given the circumstances. Harry frowned at the thought. Given the circumstances, he thought, a little fun would probably be a good thing.
"He's going to get fat if we keep feeding him like this," Harry said.
"He's earned it," Sirius said as Buckbeak finished the rat and turned his gaze back to the bag that held more.
"I guess he has," Harry agreed.
"They're getting ready to go to the hospital again," Sirius said.
"I should get ready then," Harry said, peering down at the pajamas he hadn't bothered getting out of.
"Well, you should get dressed," Sirius said. "But you don't have to go to the hospital if you don't want to."
"Feels like I should," Harry said.
"You didn't attack him, Harry. You don't need to torture yourself over it," Sirius said.
"I'm not," Harry said, defensively.
"Okay," Sirius said. "But I still don't think you should go. You've had your share of gloom already."
"And you had something else in mind," Harry asked.
"I might have," Sirius said. His eyes lit up and a mischievous smirk spread across his face.
"And what's that?" Harry asked.
"I did some research with Remus while you were at school. We both had a bit of a thing for a Hufflepuff a few years older than us when we were in school, Penelope Floros," Sirius said.
"Okay, and?" Harry asked.
"She was stunning. Dark hair, dark eyes, always tan, great tits and a backside that could make you blush just thinking about it," Sirius said, staring off dreamily as he spoke. Harry rolled his eyes but felt a smile spread onto his face.
"What did you find out she's single and need me to walk a dog past her flat or something?" Harry teased.
"Oh no, I was never that lucky, Harry," Sirius said.
"Okay then what's the point of this?" Harry asked.
"Well, it turns out she married a Thomas Bell a few years after graduating from Hogwarts," Sirius said. Harry peered over at his godfather, wondering if he should find the entire thing as awkward as he realized Sirius was talking about his girlfriend's mother.
"And?" he asked.
"Well, if her daughter is half as good looking as the mother then I think perhaps you better floo to the Lake District and say hi," Sirius said.
"Mrs. Weasley and Dumbledore would both kill me," Harry frowned.
"Mrs. Weasley isn't your mother. And Dumbledore doesn't need to find out," Sirius said. "Go. Apologize for the rubbish that kept you from going in the first place and enjoy yourself."
"What if they don't like an unexpected visitor dropping in?" Harry asked.
"Then floo back," Sirius said.
"You really think I should do that?" Harry said.
"Yes," Sirius said. "Besides Remus just got your things from school. And worst case you say you just wanted to get her Christmas present to her as soon as possible, save Hedwig the trip."
"I probably should get ready then," Harry said, feeling the excitement rise in him as he stood. He tried to not let that emotion bleed into his voice. He didn't want Sirius to think he was thrilled to abandon his godfather. Sirius smiled warmly at him.
"Take extra long in the shower, I'll convince Molly you aren't feeling up to much today and we'll get you out of here before they're any wiser," Sirius said.
"You're okay with me going?" Harry said.
"I'll be fine," Sirius said, picking up on what Harry was implying. "Sometimes feathers need to be ruffled anyway. And the young need to stretch their legs as much as the old. And anyway. Remus, Tonks and I have been having a surprising amount of fun with some of the anti-Umbridge research we're doing. And helping the twins behind Molly's back keeps me amused. Just come back before term."
"I will," Harry said. He hurried off to shower and dress. Sirius made him change into a nicer pair of jeans and a button up shirt after he came down in more casual clothing. After he appeared acceptable Sirius helped him pack a few things in a luggage bag. Which he shrunk for easy handling.
It was only then that Harry realized he had no idea how to get to Katie's. He frowned a bit and told Sirius, who laughed at him. Apparently it was as easy as saying 'Bell's Sanctuary' and hopping into the fire.
He stepped out in what could best be described as a gift shop. He stepped away from the large, central fire just before a family of four popped in behind him. He weaved around a shelf of stuffed salamanders and looked around.
The family moved past him toward a middle-aged clerk and purchased tickets for the next tour, which was due to start in fifteen minutes. Harry watched and then walked outside to get a better feel of where he was.
The Lake District greeted him with rolling, snow covered hills as far as he could see. He looked around. He'd emerged from a small stone cottage. It had 'Bell's Sanctuary' painted above the door. Behind it he could see more land, stretching out, a river running through the middle of it and a mere to the left, flanked on three sides by forest. He could make out the shapes of other buildings here or there, but nothing was close enough to see just what it was.
He saw a path leading down from the cottage and walked over toward it. It was only moments before he heard a soft voice coming up from that direction. He peered down the hill at the path for a few moments before she came into view.
She was walking backwards, talking rather actively with her hands as she led a group of about ten people back up the hill. She was dressed as Santa's helper, down to the fur-lined boots and the red hat. He stared at her as she walked up the hill and barely noticed as she walked straight into him.
"Oh excuse me!" she yelped as she turned around. She then blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time before her face lit up and her arms wound up around his neck.
"Hi," he said against her lips.
"Harry!" she squealed. Someone in the group behind her cleared his throat and Katie blushed. "Wait here. I have to finish working."
Harry merely nodded at her and stepped to the side of the path as she disentangled herself from his arms. She blushed at the tour group and continued to lead them back toward the cottage. He watched her go and wondered how hard it would be to convince her to wear that outfit, well, a lot more often.
Harry walked a few feet down the path and observed the area. He could see decorations on the trees around and noticed what appeared to be the entire area decorated rather lavishly for the holiday. He heard her coming up behind him after about five minutes.
"Harry!" she said again. He turned and she hugged him tightly, pressing her face into his chest as he pressed his own into her hair, enjoying the warm scent of cinnamon and pine that accompanied her.
"Merry Christmas," he mumbled. She lifted her head up and smiled warmly at him, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss.
"Merry Christmas," she responded and then kissed him again. "How did you get here?"
"Floo," Harry said.
"Are you supposed to be here?" she asked. "Is someone going to come looking for you?"
"Technically no. But no. My godfather is going to cover for me," Harry said.
"How long can you stay?" she asked.
"A couple of days if you'll have me," Harry said. "I didn't want to impose. I can always floo back to London if it's too much of a hassle."
"Nonsense," Katie said. "I told my parents you had an emergency but that you were still going to try to come. I guess…I just had a feeling."
"And you never even took Divination," Harry teased.
"I guess I just hoped if you wanted to spend the holidays with me as much as I did with you that you'd find a way. And I suppose it helped that Hedwig refused to leave after she delivered your letter two days ago," Katie said.
"Petulant of her," Harry shook his head. "She must like your owl treats more than mine."
"She's a good bird," Katie countered.
"So you give tours?" Harry asked.
"Not usually," Katie said. "But we're always busy around the holiday and a bunch of people wanted off so I filled in. My chores don't normally involve being the public face. I'm no good at it."
"I'm sure you're great at it," Harry said, instinctively. She smiled but shook her head.
"Not my cup of tea at any rate," Katie said.
"Is that the normal uniform?" Harry asked, making a point to leer at her. It wasn't revealing in and of itself but something about it just felt so exotic he couldn't help himself.
"No you prat," Katie said giving him a playful swat. "Some of the girls thought it would be fun with a bit of a holiday theme."
"I like it," Harry said.
"Of course you do," Katie responded. She jutted out her hip and posed in a rather adorable way, batting her eyelashes at him as she did.
"You're in good spirits," Harry said. He couldn't help but smile with her though.
"It's Christmas and my boyfriend is here and we're going to get to snog without fear of Umbridge or Inquisitorial Squad members breaking in and putting us in detention until we're thirty-five!" Katie said.
"That does sound lovely," Harry said. "But is getting caught by parents any better than Umbridge?"
"Well sure, they'll only punish you, not me," Katie smiled.
"Oh haha," Harry countered. He pulled her back to him and kissed her again. They kissed for a few moments until another tour guide scolded them as she walked by with her tour group. Katie blushed and slipped away from him and watched the tour go.
"We might not want to do that where the customers see," Katie said.
"That sounds like a good idea," Harry said. "Do I get a tour?"
"That's usually three galleons," Katie said.
"I'm good for it," Harry responded.
"That's true," she said. "And the quickest walk to home is through the sanctuary."
"Where do you live exactly?" he asked.
"Over there," she said, pointing toward a hill that looked rather far away. Although he could tell the path curved that way.
"How big is this place anyway?" Harry asked.
"Four hundred acres," Katie said proudly.
"Ah," Harry said, having no real idea of what that meant.
"Only about a hundred of it is for public viewing though. We open up some more areas during the summer," Katie said. "But a lot of the animals are rather grouchy in winter."
"Where do we begin?" Harry asked. Katie slipped her hand into his and started leading him down the path.
"This way will be the quickest," Katie said. "And we'll meet a friend of yours on the way. If she's awake."
"What?" Harry asked.
"You'll see," Katie gave him a knowing smile.
"Well I certainly don't know any Jackalopes," Harry said, nodding toward the first enclosure they passed where a few antlered rabbits.
"Good, they're pricks," Katie said. "They love to bite. Fingers must taste better than carrots. But they're adorable and usually active enough to keep kids entertained from a distance." As she said it a group of them started wrestling while interlocking their horns. Katie stopped walking for a few moments and they watched quietly.
"And this is your summer chores you complain about?" Harry said.
"I don't complain," Katie countered. "It's more…whining."
"That's better?"
"Oh shut up," she said as she started to pull him back down the path. The next enclosure contained all sorts of moving fungus. Katie listed off what all of them were, he suspected from memory as her eyes didn't flash once toward the placards lining the exhibit as she spoke. He vaguely remembered Hagrid mentioning some of the same creatures. After they moved from that she continued their conversation.
"But no, the stuff I complain about is the less glamorous side. The sanctuary is my father's pet project. But the real work comes from the Moke and the Ashwinder farms. We have the largest collectives of both in England," Katie said.
"Really? That's pretty cool," Harry said.
"It's part of the reason Umbridge backed down from me," Katie said quietly.
"Oh?" Harry asked.
"Ashwinder eggs are one of the most effective ingredients in a variety of healing potions and salves. And the ministry buys Moke skin files constantly. It's the most secure way to transport files and hide information, or so they claim. Umbridge made a poor gamble," Katie said.
"I don't get it," Harry said.
"Well, she threatened to investigate the grant for the sanctuary. Which is nice, but not wholly necessary. And after that article my father implied to a few of his connections that if it were to go away he'd be fine, but he'd have to look into selling the eggs and skins on the continent rather than to the ministry, where the prices are much higher," Katie said.
"Ah," Harry chuckled.
"So her threat, which probably would have cowed me into submission, ended up with the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department of Mysteries, and the Department of International Cooperation screaming at Fudge. I think Games and Sports even got involved. One of them apparently brought up a No Confidence vote and Fudge caved," Katie explained.
"And Umbridge is now wondering just what to do about it," Harry said.
"I'm sure she'll be absolutely horrible to me once we return to school. Or she'll take it out on you. We probably will need to be even more careful in public," Katie sighed her annoyance.
"I'm sure I can do something to distract Umbridge from you. Or you from Umbridge," Harry said.
"Hopefully not the same thing, if you snog her I might get jealous," Katie teased.
"I think I need to go throw up into that lake," Harry said.
"It's more of a mere," Katie said. "But please don't. The kelpies won't like that."
"There's kelpies in there? Aren't they dangerous?" Harry asked.
"Only if you let them try to drown you. But these are pretty docile. And they like me. If you want to go for an underwater ride later we can," Katie said.
"Might have been handy during the second task," Harry said.
"You'd have had to tame one first, would have taken too long," Katie responded.
"Maybe," Harry said skeptically as a kelpie poked its head above the water. It looked over at them and trilled. Katie dug into one of her pockets and pulled out a small brown treat and threw it over toward the water. The kelpie leaped out and grabbed it in midair, landing with a splash. After a moment it rose up enough so its eyes were above the water and kept watching them.
"Show off," Katie scoffed.
"That was pretty cool," Harry said.
"That's Harpina," Katie said. "My mother brought her over from Greece over a decade ago."
"She likes you," Harry said.
"She likes free food. She won't let me ride her. She's not one of the more docile ones. I think she just mistakes me for my mother when I approach. We must have a similar gait or something," Katie said. They continued walking then. They came to a split in the road that led either back around in a loop or deeper into the park. Katie pulled him forward and giggled as she looked ahead of them.
"What?" Harry asked. But he didn't need to.
"Hello young champion," the Sphinx said. She walked up to the railing on her enclosure and leaned against it.
"Uh, Hi," Harry said.
"When Katie started speaking of you, I assumed it was only a matter of time before you would come to visit," she said with a warm smile. Harry saw Katie blush and roll her eyes but she didn't comment.
"I'm starting to think I might not have been in much danger in that maze," Harry said. Both girls chuckled at his words.
"I wouldn't have mauled you," the Sphinx admitted. "But I would not have let you pass until you answered correctly."
"Glad I got it on the first try," Harry said. They heard voices coming up back behind them, the tour guide was relaying facts about mythical creatures from Egypt. The Sphinx turned in the direction of the voices.
"I think it is time for me to puzzle some children," the creature said. "How does this one sound? I hurt the most when lost, but also when not had at all. I'm the hardest to express and easiest to ignore. I can be given to many or reserved for just one. What am I?"
"I have no idea," Harry said.
"One day you will," the Sphinx smiled. She stalked over toward the tour as it approached. Harry turned back to Katie.
"You didn't think to tell me your family's Sphinx might be in the maze?" he laughed.
"I honestly didn't know," Katie said. "And Nashwa isn't ours. She doesn't belong to anyone. She comes for the winters usually. She likes to play in the snow and the attention from the kids, I think."
"Interesting," Harry said. "You're not hiding a Norwegian Ridgeback, are you?"
"No, the salamanders are the closest things to dragons we have. But they're in with the Ashwinders for the winter," Katie said.
"This place is amazing," Harry said. Katie blushed and looked away from him as she led him further down the path. The garlands and decorations in the trees flashed on as the sun started to set beneath them.
"You haven't even seen the best part yet," Katie said.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"It's better if I show you rather than tell you," Katie said. "But you have to earn it."
"And how do I do that?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll come up with something," she said as she continued to pull him along the path. After a few steps she added. "I'm glad you like it though. I'm always a little nervous about it."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"I was teased a lot for it my first year. The little girl that runs around with animals. Some of the Slytherins made fun of my 'farmer attire', as they called it. And when I mentioned that milking the bicorns and mooncalves was one of my usual chores they came up with all sorts of fun taunts about what I liked to do with teats," Katie said. "And they used to say I smelled like dung all the time. I spent almost my entire allowance for my first two years on perfumes and trendier clothing."
"Oh," Harry said. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I know it's dumb. But I'm always worried about how people will react," Katie said.
"Well, next time we pass someone who used to tease you in the hall let me know. I have a few hexes I want to try out," Harry said.
"I think I will," Katie said. She shifted from holding his hand to taking his entire arm. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. They took a fork that wasn't decorated like the rest and moved onto a much darker path. There were only a few lanterns lighting the path. But the longer they walked the more frequent they seemed to appear.
The path curved after about five minutes and then he saw a two-story stone cottage appear in front of him. There were some Christmas garlands hanging on the building, a wreath adorned the front door, and lights glowed from every window as smoke billowed from the chimney. A dry stone wall surrounded the building, also decorated with strands of lights, encasing a snow-covered garden out front. Harry smiled brightly when he saw it. It felt like what he thought a home should be. It looked warm and inviting.
"I love it," Harry said without any prompting. Katie blushed deeply as she peered over at him.
"Well, it's home," she said. She walked with him to the front door and walked right in. Harry followed her and was immediately assailed with the warmth of the home, with Christmas carols, with the smell of a roast, and by a Jack Russell with a forked tail. It charged at them and jumped on Katie, yipping at her as it did.
"Down, Carl!" She giggled at the dog. He eventually calmed down, until he noticed Harry and the entire routine started again. Harry laughed and tried to pet the dog between it's hopping.
"I thought Hagrid said you were supposed to remove one of the tails on a crup," Harry said.
"What the ministry doesn't know won't hurt them," Katie said. She led him into the kitchen where he saw a tall and thin woman that met every one of Sirius's descriptors standing at the kitchen counter. A stockier man, short and bulky sat at the counter. He was peering at the paper as his daughter entered. He spoke without looking at her.
"What's this I hear you skipped your last tour today," he said in a gruff voice. Katie made a face at her father and Harry figured that it was probably for the best that he wasn't looking at her.
"Anne volunteered to do it and I had company. I gave a private one to Harry instead," Katie said.
"Harry who?" her father asked, seeming distracted by the paper.
"Harry Potter," Katie said. "My boyfriend."
The reaction was immediate. Her Mother's gaze shot upward and then locked on Harry. She had bright green eyes and long dark hair. Her father fumbled with the paper and guised it as turning the page. He folded it then and placed it down on the counter, bringing his gaze up to meet Harry's. His daughter had his eyes. Honestly, Harry could see a lot of Katie in him. Perhaps more than he saw in her mother.
"I'm sorry I came unannounced, Mister and Mrs. Bell," Harry said.
"Oh that's quite alright," Katie's mother said. "I'm Penelope, this is Thomas. It's an honor to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too. I really loved the parts of the sanctuary that Katie showed me. Harpina was particularly amazing," Harry said.
"Flatterer," Penelope Bell smirked a him.
"Katie told us you might be dropping by unexpectedly. I assume you're involved with the same group as Rubeus. He speaks highly of you," Thomas Bell said. Harry furrowed his brow, it took him a moment to realize who he was talking about.
"Oh. Well, no. I'm not…involved. They don't allow minors in. But Hagrid is great. He was the first one to show me the magical world," Harry said. Thomas looked skeptical but Penelope looked rather intrigued by the story.
"Really?" she asked. "And how did that happen?" she asked. And Harry told her. He did his best to ignore some of the more embarrassing bits related to the Dursleys. Both of the adults were rather entertained by Hagrid's attempts at fitting in while traveling through Muggle London and Harry embellished the story some.
He kept talking, answering their questions, even the ones about his relatives. They were both surprised that he hadn't had any knowledge of the magical world until his Hogwarts letter. Her father asked some questions about Parseltongue as well. It led into a conversation where he was forced to admit that more of it happened on instinct than anything.
The next thing he knew he was helping Penelope serve dinner when he remembered that Sirius hadn't sent him into the situation completely unarmed. He pulled his shrunken luggage out of his pocket and Penelope undid the shrinking charm on it. Harry dug through it and pulled out Katie's Christmas present and then the three bottles of wine Sirius had entrusted to him.
Thomas examined them with a raised brow and Harry couldn't do anything else but shrug and say that he had some help making sure he was a good guest. Penelope smiled more at that than Thomas did. Still, that didn't prevent him from opening one of the bottles of wine and offering none of it to the kids. Despite how much Katie tried to pout.
Dinner though, was incredible. Part of which, he assumed, had very little to do with the quality of the food. No, he suspected that having a happy family around him helped quite a bit. And it couldn't hurt that he hadn't had a real meal that day.
He offered to help Mrs. Bell clean up but she waved him off and then cleaned everything with a flick of her wand. Harry wondered why Molly always made her kids do it rather than using magic, but he figured there was a lesson in there that, like the Sphinx's riddle, he might understand some day.
After he found himself sitting at the kitchen table, Katie on his left and Thomas on his right as he sipped a Butterbeer. Katie was eyeing the long, slender wrapped box and peering at him with furrowed brows.
"Just open it," her mother teased.
"I shouldn't," Katie frowned.
"Yes you should," Harry said. "It's already a day late."
"But I didn't bring your gift back from Hogwarts," Katie frowned. "I feel like we should wait until we can exchange them properly."
"I think you should open it," Harry said.
"I agree," her mother said. She levitated the box over to the table and set it in front of Katie. She brought her hands up and traced them over the package. She hesitated for a moment but curiosity won out and she pulled back one corner of the paper.
"Oh my God!" she squealed. "You absolutely should not have!"
"Yes I should have," Harry countered with a smile as she ripped off the paper on a brand new Comet 350. One of the first ones they'd ever made. The broom itself wasn't due out until the summer. But it hadn't been that difficult for him to obtain one. In fact when he'd written to Comet to inquire about a replacement for Katie's broom he'd inquired after the 330. But, given that it was Harry Potter, they talked him into the 350 in seconds.
According to the Comet salesman he'd communicated with, it marked one of the most significant upgrades they'd done in years to their brooms.
"It wasn't that much more than getting yours properly repaired," Thomas said. "He wrote to us about it after it happened. And he got a surprising discount on it."
"You wrote to my parents?" she asked.
"Just the once," Harry blushed. It had been a short and confused rambling of a letter, a way to needle out information behind her back. Sirius's suggestion of a Firebolt seemed, perhaps, too ostentatious. It felt off when he'd done it but the look of joy on her face as her fingers brushed over the wood was apparent.
"Can I go try it out?" Katie asked, her eyes flashing between her mother and father.
"Of course," Thomas said, giving his daughter a warm smile. He seemed every bit as amused by her reaction as Harry was.
"Is Harry going to be staying with us or is he heading home?" Penelope asked.
"Can he stay a few days?" Katie seemed thrilled by the possibility.
"Of course we'd be honored," Penelope said. "But you should perhaps show him to the guest room and change out of that skirt before you go flying around."
"Good idea," Katie flushed crimson. She did; however, bolt up from the table. Harry took it as his cue to follow her and stood as well. He picked up his bag as she picked up the new broom and led him up the stairs. She practically forced him into the guest bedroom, her lips were on his before he could even react. She kissed him deeply and held him tightly to her, her body pressing wonderfully against his as she did.
But then she was gone. Her excitement pulling her away from him and down the hall. He stared after her as she left, but the only glimpse of her bedroom he saw was the sky blue walls decorated with quaffles and snitches, a Gryffindor banner and a shirtless poster of a Tutshill Tornado.
He unpacked a few things, and traded the button up shirt for an oversized jumper, but what felt like less than a minute later brought Katie back to the door. She'd changed into jeans and a sweater as well, a coat around her. She held both of her Comets. Her eyes were bright with excitement. She shoved the two-sixty to his chest and rushed off toward the stairs with the three-fifty.
Harry followed her with a smile on his face. At least until he examined what had been his favorite borrowed broom. He knew Katie took great care of it, it had been in impeccable shape when he'd flown it. But the bristles where the Slytherins had stomped on it were still disjoined, likely beyond repair. That and the Spellotape around the two cracks in the shaft made anger rise in him.
He needed to find the names of the specific students responsible. He knew Fred and George were already working on it. But Katie had taken it mostly in stride. Although he'd recognized her forlorn look as the same one he'd had when he'd held his destroyed Nimbus.
She yelled to her parents that they were going to go flying. Her mother yelled back to keep it north and Katie rolled her eyes and claimed she knew. When they stepped outside she immediately cast a warming charm on both of them. Harry questioned her use of magic outside of school and she rolled her eyes at him and said her parents didn't care as long as she didn't do something stupid. And that frankly, some of her chores required it.
Harry wanted to question her more on that but she was in the air on the broom before he could get a word in edgewise. He got onto the older Comet and flew up after her. It listed to the left far more than he remembered, and seemed a bit short on power. But other than that it was flyable. He couldn't help but think that he would have complained quite a bit more than she had.
She was darting around him, diving and rising and giggling with every motion as she shot past at speed. He smiled and decided his best course of action was merely to watch for a few minutes as she flew around him.
"This is amazing," Katie giggled as she circled around him, her dark hair billowing out behind her. "But you so shouldn't have it must have cost a fortune."
"It wasn't too bad," Harry said. "And I one hundred precent should have."
"It's way more than I got you," she said.
"I'm sure I'll love whatever it is," Harry said.
"I hope so," she frowned.
"I will," he said.
"So how did you want to put the new broom through its paces?" Harry asked. She spun around and rolled upside down, her hair falling toward the Earth as she stared at him. She dug into the pockets of her coat as she floated in front of him.
"Good question," she said. She spun back upright and pulled her hair back into a tail.
"I'm surprised your parents let you fly around on your own," Harry said.
"There's no one around and charms keep Muggles away from the sanctuary," Katie said. "As long as I stay over our land there's no issue. I've been flying for fun since I was six."
"Explains why you were the youngest Gryffindor chaser in decades," Harry teased. She gave him a playful glare but nodded.
"Yes it does," she said. "Until some wunderkind decided to spoil all of my fun. But I think I figured out what I want to do."
"And that is?" Harry asked.
"Make you prove you're as good as you think. If you are it shouldn't matter who's on the newer, faster broom," Katie said.
"And your plan to test me?"
"Easy," Katie smiled. "I'll be the Snitch. Catch me. Maybe if you're lucky you can catch me like you caught your first one."
"I caught the first one with my mouth," Harry remembered.
"That's the idea," Katie said. And she shot off past him, speeding just above the trees on the moonlight night. Harry smirked after her and waited until her backside was too hard to make out on the new broom to chase after her.
Comet had vastly improved the top speed on the newer model and Harry knew that part of the chase was fairly futile, but that didn't make him try any less. Katie dived after a few minutes, into a thinner part of forest. She weaved through the trees expertly. So quickly Harry had a difficult time following her. But the infectious giggle she let out was more than enough of an indicator of where she was.
She shot straight up, out of the trees and he followed her. She slowed, tantalizingly, as she climbed and just when Harry thought he might have a shot at getting a hand on her she dived again.
She leveled out just as the land rose in a large hill. Her boots skimmed just over the grass as she pressed herself up over the hill. Harry gave chase, coming out of the dive sooner and keeping her beneath him as he did so. She cut through some of the hills, keeping very low to the ground as she sped on, her boots grazing over a tarn as she flew ahead of him.
Katie corkscrewed high up into the air and Harry followed, pressing the two-sixty as hard as he could, willing it to move faster, to close the gap between them. But she kept the distance perfectly as she leveled out.
She paused at the top of the climb, hovering alluringly before him in the dark of the night. But just as he reached out to touch her, she pressed away and then into another dive. Harry moved to chase after her but the scenery stopped him in his tracks.
The view, even in the darkness, was breathtaking, rolling hills gave way to forested ground, with water intermixing through the land in the form of small lakes and rivers. He could see a few homes scattered around the landscape, gentle billows of smoke rising from their chimneys.
"You coming?" Katie teased as Harry admired the scenery. He turned his gaze down to her near the tree line and spurred his broom on. She escaped into the trees once more and he gave chase through them.
This time she used the maneuverability of her new broom more to her advantage, rather than just the speed. She weaved dangerously close to the trees, so close that Harry missed a few and had to recover and track her again through the forest. Once or twice he clipped a tree while trying to make a turn.
He had no idea how long he chased her. It felt like an eternity. It was enough time for the warming charm to wear off but he was too focused on catching her to comment. She led him over a wooded pond and around some secluded buildings he could only assume had something to do with her family's business.
Finally she broke through the tree line and started to climb again. But she didn't do it with nearly the power she could have. After chasing her for so long he could tell that she wasn't moving nearly as fast.
He followed her up into the air. He watched as she leveled out and spun around to face him. Moments later his arms wrapped around her shoulders as he pulled up even with her.
"Got you," he said.
"Did you?" she asked, looking for all the world like she disagreed vehemently with him as she struggled against his arms.
"Yes," Harry said, holding her tighter. Which just made her struggle more. She spurred the broom on a few feet as she did. Harry fought to keep the broom underneath him as he wondered why she was struggling so much. But then her words rang through his head. Catch her like he'd caught his first snitch.
He pulled her roughly to him, their brooms clanking together in midair as he pressed his lips to hers. Her reaction was immediate. All of the tension in her evaporated away as her body melted to his, the warmth of her reminding him that the warming charm was gone.
"Got me," she whispered.
"Good," he said. The words came out more forceful more possessive than he intended. She shivered in his arms and part of him thought it might not have been wholly from the cold. He kissed her again before asking. "How's the broom?"
"It's amazing. Thank you," she whispered against his lips, letting hers trace over his as she spoke. The tantalizing nature of it made Harry unable to do anything save kiss her again.
"I think I like it here," he whispered. He wondered if she knew what he meant. There was something about the chill in the air, the view, the landscape, all of it that contained a sort of invigorating air. It was the exact opposite of what he felt at Grimmauld place, where merely being inside the house felt stifling. Here he felt free. And it was a feeling he had trouble describing, even to himself.
Or maybe it was the company. Whatever it was, he'd felt at home there. And he was in no hurry to leave.
"Me too," she said.
"What do you do for fun other than flying?" he asked as they floated in the night sky. Seeing the landscape made him want to imagine little Katie growing up, to learn more about her hobbies, to understand her as something more than his housemate, girlfriend, and Chaser.
"When I'm not working with the creatures you mean?" she asked.
"Yes," he said.
"I like to hike around the woods. Or con one of the kelpies into pretending to be a horse and talking it on a ride to town. There's a small village a few miles away and it's good exercise for them," Katie said.
"I've never ridden a horse," Harry said.
"Kelpies aren't quite the same as a horse," Katie corrected. "But it's close enough."
"Maybe we can go for a ride," Harry said.
"I think I'd like that," Katie said.
"Katie!" Penelope Bell's enhanced voice echoed from somewhere below them.
"Yes Mum?" Katie yelled back, turning them instinctively in the direction of the house.
"It's almost time to turn in. You still have plenty of chores tomorrow!" Penelope said.
"Of course," Katie muttered under her breath, the annoyance evident in her words.
"What will those chores entail?" Harry asked as Katie started to bring both of them toward the ground.
"I'll find out for sure in the morning," Katie said. "But I think tomorrow is Ashwinder egg day. And then likely feeding the mokes."
"That sounds interesting," Harry said as they landed near the house. Katie kissed him once more before they stepped back into the warmth of the home. Penelope had two cups of hot chocolate waiting for them and they spent a few minutes warming by the fire as Katie's parents questioned him.
The questions were basic. They drilled him about his classes, his time at school, his hobbies and interests. None of the questions were very difficult. But he still felt nervous nonetheless. Her father even asked him what riddle the sphinx had asked him during the tournament.
Neither of her parents broached the subject of Umbridge, at least any more than asking about the defense club he was running. Harry managed to not sound too surprised that Katie had told them about that. He found himself wondering how many parents knew about the club and said nothing. And, as Thomas said he'd thought it was a good idea, how many approved of it.
He vaguely recalled Hermione saying that her precautions on keeping the club secret were only effective against people that revealed it for nefarious purposes. How whatever she'd done figured that out was beyond him.
After Katie yawned twice, though, it was determined to be bed time. Harry thought it was still rather early for that, but given that Katie didn't protest in the least he figured it would be unwise to do so.
She gave him a soft good night kiss outside of the guest room. It turned into something more until they heard more footsteps on the stairs and decided to quickly disappear into their rooms.
Harry found himself laying in bed, thinking it was way sooner than he would have in any other circumstance. He was sure he'd lay awake for hours, but as he thought about the warmth of the home and Katie, sleep came almost instantly.
General noise woke him in the morning. A look at the windows indicated it was still dark out but given the commotion in the house, he knew the day was about to begin. Part of him expected that he could sleep through it and they wouldn't bother him. But another part of him thought that was a poor way for a guest to react.
He pulled himself out of bed and found some clothing and his toiletries before opening up the door. He peered out into the hallway just in time to see Katie stepping from the bathroom, her hair and body wrapped in a towel. She blushed and looked startled and stammered something about fresh towels and quickly ducked into her bedroom. Harry spent most of his time in the shower thinking about taking towels off her.
By the time he dressed and made his way downstairs breakfast was already in process. Penelope served him a heaping helping of eggs, bacon, beans and toast with a large glass or orange juice all while telling him they didn't need to help out, he was a guest. If he wanted to sleep in or rest until Katie was done with her chores that would be perfectly fine.
But that didn't seem like a good thing to do. And he was interested in her chores. He was more than willing to help out. That drew amused glances from all three of the Bells but he shrugged his shoulders and said he was used to chores.
Fifteen minutes later he was pulling on his boots and a warm coat and following Katie outside. It had started snowing sometime over the evening, after their flight together, and about an inch of it was on the ground as they traipsed through it. The sun was only just beginning to rise above the horizon.
She'd been right about her chores and she led him off to what she said was the Ashwinders building. They marched down the same path they'd taken from the exhibits, but as they neared them Katie ducked down an almost hidden side road and continued through the trees.
Eventually they found a large barn in a cleared-out part of the forest. Harry vaguely remembered banking around it the night before.
She handed him a pair of worn dragonhide gloves when they got to the door. She pulled her own pair on before opening it and stepping inside.
Harry was greeted to a tumult of noise that made his head spin. All sorts of words and phrases filled his head immediately. He groaned and almost went to cover his ears. Katie turned to look at him. The noise was so distracting it took him a minute to notice that it must have been well over forty degrees inside the barn. Sweat formed on his brow after mere moments.
"The hissing is annoying but you get used to it," Katie said.
"They're not hissing," Harry responded. "They're talking."
"What?" Katie said, her brows raising.
"Parseltongue," Harry said.
"I never thought of that," Katie said. "What are they saying?"
"It's hard to tell there's so much noise," Harry said. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on it. It took him a few moments to differentiate the noises in his head. "They're complaining."
"That doesn't surprise me," Katie said. A large lizard with a fire burning on its back walked up to Katie and croaked at her. She tossed it a treat and then a few more into a corner and it waddled off after them.
"They're cold," Harry said. "And worried about their eggs."
"Figures," Katie said. She peeled off her coat and hung it on a rung near the door. She then unbuttoned her flannel shirt and pulled it off, revealing a crimson and gold sports bra underneath. Harry stared. He couldn't help it. He'd seen her in similar clothing before on warmer days during quidditch drills. But he still liked the look of it.
She gestured for him to follow her and he did. The floor of the barn was composed entirely of burning coals and he was glad he'd bought more expensive boots after he'd grown out of his last pair. He'd done it because he thought they looked cooler, but the charms were certainly coming in handy.
They moved into a corner of the room and he saw the slithering mass of grey colored snakes.
"Watch me," she said. She moved toward the pile of snakes and reached in with her gloved hands. She ran her hands along one of the writing bodies until it seemed to give way. She pulled on it and slowly extracted it from the pile. It hissed at her but otherwise let her handle it.
He saw the end of its tail was wrapped around five or six small red orbs. Once she had it fully out she placed it gently down on the warm coals on the ground and ran her fingers gently over the tail. It uncoiled and the eggs were left on the ground. She snapped her fingers at Harry and pointed to a large box in the corner. He moved toward it and brought the box over. He could feel the cold emanating from it and the snakes complained as he brought it past them. He opened the box and saw the enchanted inside. Katie very gently placed the eggs in it, lining them perfectly on the bottom of it.
"That's really all there is to it. Be careful though if you touch them with bare skin they will burn you," she said.
"Should you do it while….uhm," Harry asked, gesturing to her.
"It's too damn hot in here to worry about that," Katie said. Then she seemed to notice that he was staring and she smirked at him, her eyes playful. "In the summer I usually only wear a bikini when doing this."
"That seems unsafe. Couldn't you just use a cooling charm?" Harry said, doing his best to pull his eyes off of her chest. She was right though, he thought as he could already feel sweat sticking to him. He shrugged off his own coat and pulled off his shirt as well
"The ashwinders react very poorly to cool temperatures, even if it's just a charm on you. But focus now, it's not like you haven't seen me in a swimsuit," Katie said. "Now watch me do a few more then you can try since you're insisting on helping."
She demonstrated it a few more times, having him store the eggs as she got them out. And then she set him off to work. It wasn't a very difficult task on the surface. But he found out quickly you had to be very gentle getting the Ashwinders out of their piles or they tended to try to bite you. Or they constricted and wound up deeper in the piles.
But once you got the hang on it, it went fairly quickly. The most annoying part became figuring out which ones you'd already snagged when they tried to huddle together for even more warmth.
At least until Harry remembered he could talk to them. He gave orders where they should go after they'd been harvested and they listened to him. It allowed them to move in a more orderly fashion through the barn. It became a slight problem though, as they would then argue with him about why he got to take their eggs. Harry didn't have a good answer but a stern expression seemed to get the point across. It still took hours and a few refrigerated containers to collect them all.
When they were done, Katie conjured a towel and wiped the sweat from her brow and chest before redonning her shirt and clothing. She made a show of leering at his chest while she did and then handed him the towel as well. After he put his shirt and coat back on she made him carry the containers outside where she shot up some sparks with her wand and then led him down the path.
As they walked, she explained the sparks were a signal that the eggs were ready to be collected. The containers would hold them for a few hours, but her father or mother would pick them up and take them to the local village where an apothecary there would examine all of them and determine which should be frozen and used for potions, and which would be returned and hatched to keep the population up.
Harry found it all fascinating, and he enjoyed listening to her talk about it. Her face lit up as she went on the processes and the animals and every little detail about it. And something about her passion was infectious. He wanted nothing more than to keep talking to her about it.
Last spring he'd taken her to a lunch with Hagrid, and while she hadn't been able to stomach a rock cake, Hagrid had admitted she was, quite possibly his favorite student. Even if he tried to not show favoritism in his classes. Something, Harry noted, he hadn't quite managed to do in his own case.
But Harry could see why. She had a genuine passion for the creatures and the sanctuary. She spoke lovingly about all of it. She was proud of her work there and her family's work in general. Her own enthusiasm for it made him want to help even more.
They entered the moke sanctuary next. It was charmed to feel like a damp spring day and it felt rather refreshing after the harsh chill of the outside. Unfortunately, it also meant Katie kept her top on.
Feeding the mokes was far easier than farming the eggs. They simply granted them access to a side chamber in their enclosure and all of the lizards swarmed to it. Katie watched them eat, seeming to be able to tell which ones weren't and which ones lagged behind. She made sure they all were fed.
While they were still in the feeding room she examined the enclosure as well, pointing out to Harry what some shed skin looked like and then making him gather it all up. She explained that only a deceased moke could be used for the more famous things he'd heard of, like gloves and bags, but the shed skin had magic of its own and was often used in thigs like Spellotape. And that they were one of the largest suppliers of it in England.
She also explained that while some moke farms killed the mokes as soon as they were old enough to provide a decent skin, they didn't, as her father found it incredibly inhumane. After they were fed she sat him down in the middle of the room and started to examine the mokes that came up to them.
Quite a few of them were friendly and she'd pet them, brush dirt from their scales, or otherwise hold them for a few minutes while she examined them. He learned far more about the lizards than he would have expected. And, to his surprise, he liked them. They were shy at first, but once they seemed to sense he wasn't a danger there were more than willing to crawl all over at him and stare at him with large lizard eyes. Katie gave him some small treats to feed them and they loved it.
But eventually they grew bored of him and Katie and started to go back around their enclosure. Katie seemed to have all of the information she needed. She found the last bits of stray mokeskin and they left the building.
Her mother walked up the path as they walked out. She was carrying a small basket and Carl was nipping at her heels, hopping around her and sometimes chasing off into the snow to return moments later and start the entire routine once again.
She took the skins from Katie and gave them each a wrapped sandwich and a butterbeer. Katie sat at one of the chairs outside of the moke building and started on the sandwich. Carl decided they were more interesting than her mother and sat patiently at Katie's feet, his eyes never leaving her food as they ate. She did give him the last bite.
Harry found himself surprised that it was already lunch time. But he was starving and he devoured the food. After they finished, and Katie took ten minutes to play fetch with Carl, they continued on, the crup following at their heels for the rest of the day.
Her main chores for the day were done. But Harry was so interested in everything that she took him to see the bicorns, which they helped a few other hands groom a couple of and Harry watched a milking, and then it was time to feed the mooncalves and the murtlaps. There weren't a whole lot of them, compared to the other creatures and they moved quickly through the final stages of work for the day. By the time they finished the sun was setting.
"That's a long day," Harry said as they walked back toward the house with Carl running ahead of them. He returned before they reached the fence with a bright orange ball in his mouth and hopped around each of them.
"That wasn't even a bad one," Katie said. "I'd have been done by eleven with my things. Which we were close enough."
"Still, it's a lot of work," Harry said.
"More in the summer," Katie countered. "But it's good work."
"I know what you mean," Harry said. "I feel like I accomplished something."
"It's nice, isn't it?" Katie said.
"Very," Harry said. He leaned over to kiss her. She kissed him but pushed him away after a moment.
"Gross I smell like bicorn," she said.
"I do too, you still taste like Katie," Harry said.
"Well get cleaned up and we can explore that more after dinner," she said. The thought of a shower seemed utterly divine as they entered the house. And it lived up to every one of his expectations.
After, he threw a ball outside for Carl. The crup chased happily after it and dropped it at his feet after every throw. Katie's father joined him for a few minutes and asked him about his day. Harry found himself gushing about how amused he'd been by it all. And, judging from the gleam in Thomas Bell's eyes, he'd said all the right things.
They were called to dinner a short time later where Penelope asked him many of the same questions that Thomas had. He found himself no less entertained by answering them a second time.
After the meal they all relaxed in the living room, a Quidditch match playing on the wireless as they talked. When the Pride caught the Snitch and won the game Katie excused herself for a moment. She came back down a couple of minutes later with both their book bags.
"Harry and I both have Astronomy homework we should get done," she said. "Assuming you didn't do yours already?"
"I haven't," Harry said. Although the thought of doing homework wasn't very appealing to him. He was at least smart enough to know that it would mean time spent alone with Katie.
"Awesome," Katie said. Her parents exchanged a look but her mother spoke.
"Well, we wouldn't want to keep you from schoolwork. I suspect we'll head to bed early. Don't be out too late."
"We won't be," Katie yawned. "We're both tired. But I'd rather get it done than try to cram it in right before term restarts."
"Sounds good," her mother smiled and Katie led Harry outside. He peered up at the sky through the trees around the home and spoke.
"Can't see much," he said.
"We're not going to do it here. Come on," she said and started off down a path behind the house. It was about ten minutes of walking before they emerged upon a glass dome of a building, with silver cutting through the panes in an octagonal fashion.
"What's this?" Harry asked.
"A great spot for stargazing," Katie said and led him in. The inside was very comfortable, but dark. He could see trees and thought he heard water, but it was far too dark for him to fully make out anything. She took his hand and pulled him through the building, through a couple of other rooms and then into a smaller one.
She took out her wand and spun it around, ten or so candles lit up as she did. She tossed her bag into the corner and waved her wand at a wireless in the corner. Soft music filled the room and she placed her wand on the table. She lifted her arms above her head and moved to it, an exaggerated sway of her hips drawing his attention to her backside.
"Astronomy?" he asked.
"Look up," she said. He did. The sky was perfectly clear above them through the skylight in the small room. The stars sparkled every bit as bright as they ever were on the clearest nights at Hogwarts.
"Wow," he said.
"I made this a few years back. It's my favorite spot for stargazing. I think you'll like it too," she said.
"I do already," Harry said. Katie gave him a playful smile, one that made him think he had no idea what he was saying yet. He peered around the room and noticed that there was an ice box in the corner, as well as a small table and chair and, to his surprise, a small bed with a stack of blankets and pillows.
"I spend a lot of time here charting stars in the summer," she said.
"So, I should get out my text book and charts then?" he asked.
"If you want," Katie said. She walked toward him, slowly, her hands resting on his chest as she approached. "I have a better idea though."
"Oh?" he asked as he leaned down to kiss her. "What's that?"
"Keep doing that," she said. So he kissed her again. They kissed for a good long while, standing in the middle of the small room as they did. They wound up seated on the bed, their arms around each other as they kissed until they were out of breath.
At some point his shirt came off. And at another point hers joined his on the floor of the building. They took turns exploring each other with their lips and Harry lost himself in the pleasure of it all, the taste of her skin, the feel of her lips on his. It made him long for more time alone with her. But that was as far as they got. Their energy waned quickly, worn out from a day of work. They broke off the kissing and shared a pillow as they stared up at the stars. He held her hand, playing with her fingers as he admired the celestial beauty above him.
Soon though Katie yawned. She slipped from the pillow and picked up her wand from the table. She moved into the corner of the room and opened a trunk there. She pulled out an oversized shirt and two pairs of shorts. Harry propped himself up on the bed and watched as she pulled the shirt over her head. She kept her back to him as she kicked off her shoes.
"No peeking," she said without looking at him. To his surprise, he closed his eyes, resisting every urge that said he should look at her, watch her change, see any glimpse of her he could get.
But he kept his eyes closed until she said he could open them. The shirt fell down to her knees, leaving only her calves and feet visible to him. She tossed a pair of pajama pants at him and he figured she must have transfigured them from the other clothing she'd taken out of the chest.
"I figured you might not want to sleep in jeans," she said.
"We're staying here?" he said.
"Unless you don't want to," she blushed and looked away from him.
"No I think I'd like that," Harry said quickly. He stood as well and grabbed the pants. He changed quickly. While she looked demurely away from him as he started, he saw her eyes turn upward toward him as he finished. He felt like he should have been embarrassed about that. But he didn't. He liked the thought of her looking at him, of her wanting to look at him.
"Good," she said when he finished changing.
"Won't your parents be mad?" he asked. "I don't want to sour my welcome."
"It'll be fine," Katie said. She sat on the bed and looked at him until he sat next to her. "It's always a light chore day after egg day."
"That's not what I'm worried about," he said quietly.
"Do you want to go back to the house?" she asked.
"No," Harry admitted. "But I don't want you to get into trouble."
"I'll deal with them. They have an idea of what I planned. And we're not going to do anything they don't already know we do," Katie said. She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him gently down on the bed. He let himself be pushed. She smiled at him and then waved her wand to douse the candles.
"They may think otherwise," Harry said, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks.
"They can think that," Katie said. She pulled a couple of the soft blankets up over them as she lay next to him. "But I want to cuddle with my boyfriend."
"That sounds nice," Harry said, swallowing hard against the lump of nerves forming in his throat as she cuddled next to him. She rolled to her side, throwing an arm across his chest and resting in the crook of his neck.
"I know," she said. He nodded his head in response and closed his eyes as she stopped moving against him. The thought of her there was still incredibly distracting. His mind filled with images of all the things he wanted to do to her. All the things he'd try to do to her if she'd let him. A small part of him urged him to do just those things. Of course she'd let him. And they'd both love it. But the rest of him knew the timing wasn't right. And that part of him was content to wait until it all felt perfect. Or nearly as perfect as it did to have her against him now. Still, he distracted himself with a question.
"Did I earn it yet?" he asked in soft voice.
"Mmm earn what?" she asked.
"Seeing the best part," he said. He felt her shift against him. She pressed her lips to his neck, once, and then whispered.
"I'll tell you in the morning," she said. He nodded and shifted so he could more easily put an arm around her and closed his eyes. Sleep came faster than he expected it would.
He woke to Katie straddling him. It was pleasant. His eyes opened blearily to see her sitting on his stomach, her arms stretched up above her head. He watched her for a moment until she looked down at him.
"You really are up hours before me on weekends, aren't you?" he asked. Behind her he could see the last vestiges of the night sky as light started to streak around them.
"Did you think I wasn't?" she asked.
"I assumed it was good natured teasing," he said.
"It was. But also still the truth," she said.
"I think I like waking up like this," he said.
"Me too," she said. She leaned down over him, her hair falling around both of them as she gave him a soft kiss.
"Can we stay here all day?" Harry asked. She smirked against his lips.
"Maybe," she said. "But we're going to do something else first."
"What's that?" he asked.
"You're going to close your eyes while I freshen up and change," Katie said.
"Do I have to?" he whined.
"Yes," she said, kissing him again and then slipping off of him. He obliged her as she used a cleansing spell and then dressed. He did the same thing, finding the spell annoying as he always did. There was something more primal, more refreshing about an actual shower. But for now it worked. She'd packed him a change of clothing in with her astronomy books and he dressed quickly.
They ate a breakfast of cauldron cakes and licorice wands, giggling at how inappropriate it felt. When they were done she grabbed her pack and led him out of the small side room, through what in the budding daylight appeared to be a storage area, and then into a massive open area.
"What is this?" he asked as he peered around the room. There were trees and bushes and all sorts of other foliage around. Rocks were set up in uniform rows creating paths through the area. Soft grass gave way under his boots as they walked toward the center of the room.
"The aviary," Katie said. "It's only open one weekend a year, usually."
"I see," Harry said, peering around. There wasn't any sign of life that he could see. The trees were all stationary, nothing seemed to be hiding in the bushes. "Is this the best part."
"I think so," Katie said. She walked over to one of the larger rocks and perched on it, tucking her legs underneath her. "Here, come sit with me."
"Okay," Harry responded as he sat next to her. She made him adjust so he was sitting on the rock, mirroring how she was sitting.
"Now sit very still," she said. She took a deep breath and relaxed, staring at him. He did the same, finding the entire situation to be a bit weird. But she obviously wanted to show him something so he obliged her.
"Now what?" he asked.
"Shh," she said. "Just wait. Be very still. No sudden movements at all. Close your eyes if that helps."
"Okay," he said. She shushed him again and he nodded. He took her advice though and closed his eyes. He sat as still as he could and waited. He tried to clear his thoughts, to focus on nothing. More or less it worked, except for when he remembered that Katie was there. And that he'd rather have his eyes open and locked on hers.
He sensed something flutter near him. He almost reacted to it, almost grabbed at it, but he remembered he was supposed to be perfectly still. He thought he felt more movement around him. But he resolved to keep his eyes closed.
"Okay," Katie spoke slowly, making the word seem to last an eternity. "Move your hand slowly. Hold it palm up and wait." Harry obliged her. He lifted his left hand and held it out before him. Nothing seemed to happen right away. But then he felt a soft weight in his hand. Small feet seemed to hop left and right. It took all of his control to not start as something landed on his hand. He remained perfectly still through it.
When he finally felt like he wasn't going to grasp his hand around whatever was in it he slowly opened his eyes. What stared back at him surprised him. He almost laughed but he caught himself, not wanting to frighten it.
The bird in his hand was fat, so fat it was almost round. It was nearly impossible to tell where the head ended and body began. And, despite the fact that he could feel them on his hand, he could not see the creature's feet. It had a long, slender beak and wings that seemed to be too small to support its body. It was covered completely in glinting golden feathers and its small eyes mirrored the color of the morning sky. He stared at it and it stared back, tilting its beak slightly.
"A golden snidget?" he said as he stared down at it. He looked up from his hand at Katie. The snidget hopped out of his hand floating above him for a moment in surprise. But when he stilled it flew down to rest on his hand once more.
"Uh-huh," Katie said. Another golden bird landed on her shoulder. And a third fluttered down to her knees. A fourth and fifth landed on his legs and peered at him. As a sixth started poking around Katie's pockets, looking for treats.
"I didn't think there were many left," Harry said.
"We have the last preserve of them in England," Katie said. "They're most active in the morning. It's the best time to see them. But they can be very skittish."
"I see that," Harry said as one darted away from her as she spoke.
"Once they get used to you, they don't seem to mind. But they're very weak. People often kill them by accident," Katie said.
"They used to eat them after matches," Harry said.
"I know," she said. "Because they'd often break most of their bones when they caught them. And they're very slow to heal. It can cripple them permanently."
"I know. Bowman Wright made the first Snitch to avoid that," Harry said.
"Yes, people still hunted them, though. Even after they gained protected status," Katie said.
"Sad," Harry said, frowning at the bird in his hand. It was an odd looking creature, he had to admit that. But it was still pretty adorable, all things considered. And it looked so harmless and so clueless. He wasn't sure if he'd have been able to crush one in his hand if the only reward was winning a Quidditch match.
"Very," Katie said. As she spoke the snidget in his hand jumped and fluttered around. It darted in seemingly any possible direction, as if surprised by the noise. But after a moment it seemed to understand that it wasn't in danger. It gave Harry one last look before turning its attention to Katie.
"They like you," he said.
"I always sneak them too many treats after astronomy," Katie said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of tiny brown pellets. She held them out palm up and the snidgets reacted immediately. At least twenty of the birds swarmed her, fluttering around her hand, weaving around each other.
It was alarming to see, given how fragile he knew they were. But they never hit each other. They were never really in danger of it. The maneuverability of the odd creatures shocked him. They seemed to be able to fly in any direction and turn in ways that defied the laws of physics.
The treats in Katie's hand disappeared in seconds. She giggled when they were gone and reached into her pocket once more. This time she held her fist out to him.
"Here," she said and nodded toward his hand. He reached out toward her and she dumped another handful of the treats into his hand. He held it out and the snidgets flocked to him. It tickled as they zoomed in with their long beaks and snapped the treats out of his hand one at a time. They were gone in seconds.
"They like to eat," Harry said.
"Yes. That's enough for now though. They'll gladly eat themselves to death if given the opportunity," Katie said.
"Reminds me of my cousin," Harry snorted. The snidgets flew away at the noise. But they approached him again moments later. Although they seemed annoyed that there wasn't any food to be had, so they fluttered around him, chirping at both of them.
"I'd like to meet him," Katie said. Harry froze, pressing his lips together.
"I don't know," Harry said. He'd shared enough of his homelife over the summers with her that the words surprised him.
"I know," Katie said quickly, as if trying to backtrack on her statement. "But they are family."
"Family seems to mean different things to different people," he said. She nodded slowly and slipped off the rock. She moved into the grassy part of the enclosure, pulled off her jacket and placed it down like a pillow. She laid on the grass and tapped the ground next to her.
He joined her, his head sinking into his own coat. They were silent for a moment as the snidgets flew around above them. They sang in playful chirps as they darted around each other. Some of them fluttered down and landed on them or between them. But they often flew back up into the sky after moments.
"It does. But it's still family," she said. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "And I'd rather meet the family you care about. But, I'd really like to meet them all at some point. Even if they hate magic. Even if they'd hate me. I guess I'd need them to know."
"Know what?" he asked. His tilted his head to look at her but his eyes rested on her hand. His fingers entwined with hers. Her touch felt almost like magic. There was something pure in it. Something almost animal. There was knowledge in the press of skin against skin. A silent affirmation that someone wanted to touch him, wanted to be with him. That someone cared.
His breath caught in his throat and he blinked against what he would claim was the sun coming through the glass walls of the aviary. When she spoke her voice was little more than a whisper.
"That you are worth it. That you are kind, caring, funny and smart. That you are a wonderful person. That you succeeded without them. That you are a better person than they could dream of being. That no matter what they saw, what they thought, or what they did that they were wrong. That you are cared for. That you are better than them. That you are loved."
He didn't have any words when she finished speaking. He hoped she didn't notice the hitch in his breath as he tried to speak. And that the sniffle could be blame on an oncoming cold. She didn't say anything else. She didn't have to. Instead she squeezed his hand tighter and they watched the birds flying overhead.
It took the birds the better part of an hour to tire themselves out. Some of them rested on the ground near Katie and Harry, but most moved into the trees and hid themselves as the chirping slowly died down. One landed on his chest and closed its eyes. He watched it collapse against him. After a moment it rolled off of him and onto the ground next to him.
The bird seemed embarrassed by that, as it glared at Harry like it was his fault and then flew to a perch in one of the trees. Harry couldn't help himself, he smiled at the creature.
"Thank you," he said softly. He spoke quietly as to not wake the birds. At least that was what he told himself. It certainly was not because he feared the strength of his voice in that moment.
"For what?" she asked.
"This has been the best holiday I've ever had," he said.
"Really?" she asked. She tried to prevent herself from sounding astonished by that. Her grip on his hand tightened as he spoke.
"Really," he said. He looked at her. She opened her mouth to comment but it was her turn to be speechless. He saw tears welling in her eyes but she wiped them away with her free hand and then propped herself onto her elbow and stared into his eyes.
She leaned down to kiss him. The touch of her lips so incredibly gentle against his. It reaffirmed everything that she'd said. That he was cared for, that he was important, that he was wanted, that he was loved.
He pulled her to him and held her like he'd never let go of her. His thoughts were filled of nothing but her. He wanted nothing more than for that moment to last forever. To spend the rest of his days relaxing with her among the snidgets. In that moment, for the first time in his life, everything felt right.
His petty worries didn't matter. It didn't seem that important if he got a few questions wrong on a charms exam, or if Slytherins teased him in the halls, or if arguments sprung up between his friends.
It didn't matter that his life at Hogwarts was gradually growing more miserable due to Umbridge and her minions, it didn't matter that Dumbledore had ignored him for an entire year, it didn't matter that Voldemort was still out there, lurking and waiting to make his move.
In this moment, laying with Katie in an aviary, he had everything he wanted and the thought of wanting more seemed abhorrent. For the first time in his life he couldn't imaging trade what he had for anything else. For the first time in his life, everything was perfect.