A/N: Answering Reviews:
Smallwjl: "as often as I leave reviews, I must give some more constructive remarks on this one. the first half was perfectly fine. the issue I'm having is the way the Harry you have portrayed talked to Dumbledore. I think his outburst was out of character. and then everything goes back to normal very quickly. this is just my personal opinion. I love this story and your writing style overall."
Hmmm… You think so? I kinda took influence from OotP for Harry's outburst. He was quite the moody thing all through that book, wasn't he? Especially with how Dumbledore had avoided him all year long.
And I took extra liberty with Harry's outburst because, somehow, I just think that Harry would go to any lengths for his family. So, snapping at Dumbledore to get his point across so that he could resurrect his parents and Sirius? I think that he would do it. Harry is quite the sasspants throughout the series, plus he is a teenager.
But thanks for the constructive review, and for allowing me to respond to it! It really caused me to think over some of my decisions. :)
speedsONEandONLY: "If Harry let's Dumbledore disarm him,
Give him back the stone,
And let him borrow the cloak,
Could he get Ariana back?
Or,
As a thank you
Could Harry do it?
Either way I see Harry letting
Dumbledore get the wand back."
I don't think that Dumbledore would want to do that. Sure, he would be tempted... but in the end, I don't think that he, himself, would want to tamper with something as delicate as bringing back the dead. Added to that, remember that Dumbledore is on a ticking time clock. His hand is cursed and blackened, and his end is nearing. So, he sees it as he will be joining her soon.
From: Guest: "I just mean, while I love Harry trying to get his family back from the dead, this story ie the title should be about Harry and Ginny. I can't wait til they get closer, but it should be them going through all these things together and of course the physical aspects of their relationship. Cant wait for that! Especially since that has been apart of the story from the beginning. But I worry this process bringing his family will have horrible results. And why wouldn't Dumbledore warn Harry of what could happen? He must have an idea of how horrible things could go otherwise he wouldn't have warned Harry against that very thing. Oh goodness, I love this story and I am holding out hope that it finishes as speculate as the beginning. Can't wait for more...I have such a wonderful day every day you update. I love your writing as a devoted fan of yours and this story. Please continue, often!"
Dumbledore did warn Harry that there could be implications. But he isn't all-knowing or omnipotent as a lot of people perceive him to be. He warned Harry but Harry didn't care. Harry wanted to return his family from the dead more than anything… damned be the consequences. And Dumbledore knows this. He knows that if he had denied Harry this, it would push Harry away from him. Harry would no longer trust or look up to Dumbledore as he once had, which would have horrible implications on preparing Harry for the war.
Besides, I'm the author of this story. All will be revealed in time, so don't you trust me? *Grins Evilly*
As for the other part of your review: trust me when I say that this story simply can't just be about Harry and Ginny together. Not only would it be completely unrealistic, as there is more to life than just romance… but you would also become so incredibly bored of this story, if I did.
A writer knows that when writing a romance, there has to be more happening around the characters to distract and entertain the readers throughout bouts of love scenes added in. Because that's how real life actually is.
And it's better to leave you wanting more Harry and Ginny, than to have you abandon the story because I gave you too much.
And as for their future sexy times? Well, you're going to have to prepare yourself a little bit longer… They are both still pretty young. And I want them to work their way up through small doses of exploration, as that is most common among real teens in a serious relationship. It will be a while before they have full-on sex. I already have this entire story planned out until the end, so I know exactly when and where it will happen. But it will happen.
But if you meant in your post that Ginny should have been there in the office with Harry, I don't think that Dumbledore would have been too open to the idea, as it was quite the delicate issue.
And it's also because, like Ginny, Harry has his own insecurities. He was afraid that he would fail, something that he thinks that he should be embarrassed about. But Harry has constantly been put on the spot since entering the Wizarding World - expected to perform and just fix everything that is broken. Harry didn't want Ginny to witness a potential failure of his if he could help it. It's something that he has to work on.
And besides that, Harry isn't ready to reveal to Ginny all that his relatives had done to him growing up. It's one thing to yell it at Dumbledore, because Dumbledore was the one that put Harry in that situation to begin with (I'm one of those people who is bitter about that towards Dumbledore. He essentially allowed Harry to grow up abused. But I redeemed him somewhat in the last chapter with his 'bigger picture' reasoning). But I don't think that Harry is comfortable yet to have his hero image shattered in front of Ginny.
Thanks for the review! It caused me to look real deep into things so that I could give you an answer for your concerns. And thanks for being a fan of my story! :)
.
.
.
Chapter Forty
.
.
.
There had been few instances in life where Harry had felt complete and utter joy. Growing up, they had been so far and few between that when one of those few instances happened, it had been permanently burned into his memory. Leaving its mark.
He remembered each and every instance with clarity.
The first that he could remember was the time that he had fallen and scraped his knee at primary school. Dudley had pushed him onto the asphalt ground, then had proceeded to kick dirt onto the open wound… Harry had cried at the stinging pain he had felt, and his wailing had alerted a nearby teacher to the incident. There had been only a light reprimand directed at Dudley for what he had done, before the teacher had escorted Harry to the nurse's office.
The nurse had been kind to him, something that Harry hadn't been used to at the time. She had quickly and lightly cleaned his scraped knee, before she had bandaged it up.
Then, to Harry's utter shock and disbelief, she had opened a container to him in offering… inside were dozens of different coloured lollies. The nurse had told him to choose one.
It had been Harry's first time trying a piece of candy, as he had never been allowed to the treat before. Uncle Vernon had told him that he couldn't be bothered to waste the money on Harry just to buy him sweets…
"You drain enough money out of me as it is, you ungrateful brat! Now stop asking for a piece of Dudley's chocolates!"
To say that his first lick of that lolly had Harry shaking with gratitude and joy, would be an understatement. And after that day, Harry had made a point to get injured more often - which wasn't hard with Dudley and his gang bullying him - just so that he could visit the nurse and get the chance to have another sweet.
The next occurrence, that Harry could remember, was when Hagrid had busted in to that small hut on the rocky cliff that Uncle Vernon had taken them to. When Hagrid had told Harry that he was a wizard, it had been the greatest shock of his life. But then he went on to reveal things about his parents that Harry hadn't ever known in his life. Up until that point, all that Harry had been told about his mum and dad was that they were lazy, jobless drunks who went and got themselves killed. He hadn't even been told their names, growing up.
But Hagrid had changed all of that. He told Harry all sorts of things about his mum and dad, to which Harry soaked up all of the information like a dry sponge. And in the process, Hagrid had become his first true friend that Harry had ever had!
After that, the joyous occasions in Harry's life had come faster and easier to him.
There was meeting Ron, then Hermione, on the Hogwarts Express train that first year.
His first arrival at Hogwarts, which was quite a sight to marvel at.
His first ride on a broomstick and his recruitment on the quidditch team.
Hagrid gifting him the photo album of his parents.
Fred, George, and Ron rescuing him from the Dursleys by way of flying car, resulting in his first stay at the Burrow.
Certain peaceful moments spent with Ron and Hermione over the years.
Finding out that Sirius was innocent, that he hadn't betrayed his parents, and that Sirius genuinely wanted a relationship with him.
The Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys and Hermione, before the Death Eaters came.
His fifth year had been quite miserable, with only a few bright spots of Sirius talking to him through the floo. As well as Ron and Hermione encouraging him to start the D.A.
Then, it had all changed after he arrived at the Burrow this last summer. And, suddenly, his life was swelling with the joy that he felt. And the majority of those moments had surrounded Ginny.
Beautiful, sweet, sexy Ginny… The day that she had agreed to be his, and the moment they had shared their first kiss, was a moment that Harry would always hold close to his heart.
All of these moments stuck out to Harry in what had been a rather difficult life for him.
But this… this moment he was living right now, was one of those moments that he would remember forever.
The bright light that had surrounded them faded until it had disappeared entirely. They had each been standing on wobbling legs when Harry had opened his eyes, before they all collapsed to the floor in a heap.
They wore white, flowing fabric that seemed to be made out of pure, magical energy… it reminded Harry of what Voldemort had been wearing when he had been brought back to physical form in the graveyard… only the colouring of that fabric had been pitch black.
Each one of them looked entirely disoriented for a long moment, their hands coming up on their own accord to rub at their heads.
Harry could only stare at them with a wide expression, the elder wand still outstretched and pointed towards the Resurrection Stone.
"Wh-What happened…?" His mum stuttered, confused, as she finally opened her eyes to look all around her.
His dad still had his eyes closed as he rubbed at them, lacking the glasses that he normally wore, therefore couldn't see as clearly as he could with them.
But Sirius… Sirius blinked as his eyes surveyed the room, taking in the odd pieces of magical equipment that littered the room. Until his gaze landed squarely on Harry.
Their eyes connected.
Sirius looked just as young as he had when Harry had brought him forth from the Resurrection Stone. Harry could honestly say that Sirius, and his parents for that matter, didn't look a day over twenty-five… Perhaps even younger.
It took a moment, of Sirius staring at him blankly, before his gaze lightened with sudden clarity.
"He did it…" Sirius whispered, his voice shocked with a touch of building awe. "He-He did it!"
Sirius was suddenly standing and he rushed over to Harry, gathering him into his arms and lifting him into the air with joy. The action caused Harry's invisibility cloak to slip from his shoulders and onto the floor. "He did it! Our boy DID IT!"
He spun Harry in a circle as he laughed with exuberance. The abrupt and jerky motion didn't manage to shake Harry from the shock that he still felt, but it had managed to quell his disoriented parents.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw both his mum and dad stand, quickly making their way towards them.
Sirius was still spinning Harry, exclaiming how 'his Godson was the best damned wizard to ever live'. "More powerful than the Hogwarts founders! Even better than Merlin, himself! Instead of saying 'Merlin's Beard', people will now be saying, 'Potter's Glasses'! Though it doesn't quite have the same ring to it…"
"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" His mum screeched from beside them. Sirius stopped spinning him, and turned to Lily in surprise. She stood with an air of impatience, but also a deep, maternal longing in her gaze as she looked at Harry. "If you don't hand me my son this instant, I may very well hex your newfound bits off!"
Beside her, James nodded in agreement, looking quite serious as he did so. "Yeah, Padfoot. Quit hogging him."
It was with great reluctance on Sirius' part that he loosened his hold on Harry… but as soon as he had, and Harry was released from his clutches, he found himself trapped within a new pair of arms.
His mum pulled him to her, and held him tight. With her so close, Harry could smell her scent… she smelled so nice. And-And it was familiar, too. As though he was remembering her scent from a distant memory. Perhaps he was.
His dad settled in behind him, wrapping both of his arms around the two of them. And it was in that moment, as he felt their warmth seep from their skin to his, where it truly hit Harry…
They were well and truly here. And-And they were here to stay! He had a family! He-He was no longer an orphan!
The sound of shaking sobs coming from his mum broke Harry from his revelation. He tried to back away slightly so that he could look at her face, but his mum had a tight clutch on the dress robes that he was still wearing. Her face was pressed tightly into his chest as she cried into the fabric, and Harry was once again left to marvel at how small she actually was…
"I-I'm sorry…" Lily cried, tightening her hold on him even further. "I'm ruining your dress robes."
He couldn't help it, Harry let out an amused chortle of a laugh. "You really think that I care about silly dress robes at the moment?"
Everyone around him laughed softly at his comment, and Lily finally lifted her head up to look at him.
Harry gasped at the sight of her eyes. They-They looked just like his… down to the same shape and the same vibrant green that popped brilliantly against the redness of her eyes. Before, when he had brought them out through the Resurrection Stone, their colouring had been dulled. Almost as though they were little more than shadows.
"It feels so good to be able to hold you in my arms again… To feel you." His mum whispered, vulnerably, as one of her hands came up to cradle his cheek. "My baby boy…"
Above him, he heard his dad hum in agreement, before he leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of Harry's head. His dad's breathing was heavy… as though he were trying to hold his own tears at bay.
Harry's eyes pricked, and he blinked away the forming tears from his own eyes. He honestly didn't even know what to say. He was afraid that if he spoke, then all of this would turn out to be nothing more than a deceiving dream.
"I honestly don't know what to say, Harry…" James whispered into the back of his head. "This is the greatest gift that anyone could give."
Harry grinned brilliantly as he wriggled one of his hands free to wipe at his eyes, before he shook his head. Then he echoed the thought that he had right before he brought them all back to life. "All three of you sacrificed your lives so that I could live… It was the least I could do to give your lives back to you."
His mum ducked her head at that and they squeezed him harder than before. And out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Sirius on the sidelines and beckoned him over with a tilt of his head. "Aren't you going to join in on this, Padfoot?"
Sirius grinned, and strutted forward. "Well, I might as well make this a doggy pile…"
They all laughed heartily at that, and Sirius joined in on the embrace as well. Harry closed his eyes, content in the feelings of parental love that surrounded him.
'So this is what having a family felt like?' Harry found that he liked it… a lot.
A clearing of a throat broke Harry from his bliss, and he opened his eyes to see Dumbledore smiling slightly at him, his eyes twinkling once again.
"James, Lily, Sirius," Dumbledore greeted in a pleasant tone. "It is truly good to see you again."
They all straightened from their embrace. Lily wrapped one arm around Harry as she turned them to face the Headmaster, and Harry watched as his dad strutted forward with a very large grin on his face. It was odd for Harry to feel the mounting pride in the depth of his chest as he watched his father walk with so much strength and confidence… while still maintaining an air of friendliness. "Albus! Good to see you!"
James gripped Dumbledore's hand and heartily shook it. Sirius followed and patted lightly on Dumbledore's back in greeting. "Good ol' Dumbledore still has more than a few tricks up his sleeve after all these years, doesn't he? The Elder Wand? This whole time?! You ol' dog, you!"
Dumbledore chuckled mildly at the praise. "You haven't changed a bit, Sirius. Though, I must say that you are looking quite healthier than when I last saw you."
Sirius grinned wolfishly and he mockingly turned on the spot. "Yeah. Dying has done me wonders! Look at me! I'm young and handsome again!"
James laughed boisterously at that, and slapped a hand on his best mate's back. "You're not the only one… Though I think that it's a bit weird that Lily and I only look like we're twenty-one, which is only five years older than Harry…"
Harry gaped at the lot of them at that statement. He hadn't even thought of it before… His parents had been only twenty-one when they had died. His mum had gotten pregnant with him at the young age of nineteen… Would it be strange to have his parents be so young?
But the more that he thought on it now, the more that he realized that it didn't matter. Sure, his parents looked young, but they were still his parents! And he would always look up to them as his parental figures. So, really, age was just a number that didn't matter much.
As Harry thought over this, James turned to Dumbledore and reached out to shake his hand again.
"On behalf of my family, I want to thank you for giving Harry all three Deathly Hallows, and showing him how to resurrect us. I know that you didn't want to, because you have your reservations about messing with this sort of magic, but we appreciate it all the same."
Dumbledore didn't comment in return, just pleasantly shook his dad's hand. But with how well Harry had gotten to know Dumbledore over the years, he could detect an underlying sense of worry and doubt resonating from the Headmaster.
"I'll admit," Lily said from beside him, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "That there were moments where I thought that I could never forgive you for the choices that you made with Harry…" Dumbledore's face morphed into one of deep regret. "But it was not as though you knew… and doing this for Harry, trusting him enough, has more than made up for it."
"I assure you that I did what I thought to be best at the time." Dumbledore said, speaking carefully in a hushed tone. "I see now that I had been gravely mistaken. I hope that you can come to forgive me."
"You're forgiven." Lily finally smiled at him, but she made no move to leave Harry's side to step forward to shake Dumbledore's hand.
Instead, it was Harry who had decided to leave his mother's side, as he stepped forward. He didn't stop until he was right in front of Dumbledore, then he did something that no one had been expecting. Harry held out the Elder Wand in offering to the Headmaster, his eyes urging Dumbledore to take it.
"I don't need it, Sir." Harry said.
Dumbledore seemed deeply shocked at this, before he turned and reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a spare wand from within. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry willingly let the wand fly out of his hand, where Dumbledore caught it expertly. Dumbledore actually seemed to let out a satisfied sigh as it was once again within his grasp. He looked up to Harry, his eyes twinkling. "You're a good lad, Harry."
Harry grinned widely at the Headmaster, accepting the praise from his mentor.
Dumbledore looked around at the lot of them, and stated, "I'll leave you to spend this time together. You're most welcome to use my office for as long as you like."
"Thanks, Professor." They all chorused, and Dumbledore took his leave, heading in the direction of that door that Harry now rationalized to be his bedchambers.
Then they were alone…
"I suppose we need to make plans…" Lily sighed, a rationalizing look on her face. James came to stand by her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Harry, honey, can you conjure some more chairs? This will take some time, and none of us have any wands except for you."
Harry opened his dress robe jacket and reached inside to the inner pocket, where he had put his holly and phoenix-feather wand after disarming Dumbledore.
"Make plans?!" Sirius bellowed, his face etched in disbelief as he stared at Lily. Harry conjured four comfy chairs for the four of them to sit in. "We just came back from the dead and you want to be all practical and make plans?!"
Lily rolled her eyes and scoffed, sending an indignant look towards Harry's Godfather as she crossed her arms. Harry couldn't help but grin as he thought that the expression made her look all the more motherly. His dad, however merely looked between the two, amused. But he tried to hide it by turning his face to bury itself in his wife's auburn hair. "Of course. What do you expect for us to do?"
"At least go out and celebrate! Go torture ol' Snivelus…? I don't know! Help me out here, Prongs!"
James snorted into Lily's locks and turned his head to face his best mate. "Well, I don't know about either of you, but I want to know more about the ball from Harry, here."
Both Lily and Sirius piqued up with interest and the three of them turned to Harry, expectant.
"Didn't you all see it for yourselves?" Harry asked, confused.
All three shook their heads. "While we were dead, we didn't get to see everything all of the time. There were only certain moments when we were allowed, or rather able, to watch what was happening. It wasn't until the Resurrection Stone where we were finally able to get more than a glimpse into your life, Harry."
Harry's wand fell out of his hand and clattered to the floor at this news. He jumped slightly at the clanging sound that resulted from this, and bent over to retrieve his wand quickly.
"I-I didn't know that… I had always just assumed… Well, I guess it doesn't matter much anymore, anyways." Harry mused, before he realized that he was rambling about nothing. Perhaps, his parents didn't know much about his upbringing as he originally thought… Some part of him was rather relieved at the fact, but another part… just thought that it would be easier if the already knew without Harry having to explain in great detail when he eventually got the courage.
Harry swallowed. "What do you want to know?"
James and Sirius exchanged a look, and both had opened their mouths to say something that Harry assumed would be embarrassing as hell to him.
But his mum cut them off. "Nope. First things first… We need to get a change of clothing…"
At this, they all looked down the the pure magical energy that hid their nudity from the world.
"And where do you suppose we get clothes, Lils?" His dad asked, sweetly squeezing her tighter against his side. Harry beamed at the sight, especially since his mum couldn't keep the twitch of a loving smile from growing on her face because of the action.
They each thought over their options, before Harry brightened with an idea.
"I could ask Ginny for clothes for you, mum!" Harry volunteered on behalf of his girlfriend. He was sure that she wouldn't mind lending his mum a jumper and jeans… and from what Harry could tell, his mum and Ginny looked to be around the same size. "I promised her last night that I would meet with her this morning, anyways. And I'm sure that she will want to come here to see all of you again."
All three of them seemed to brighten at the idea of Ginny joining them. It seemed that they wanted an extra perspective of what happened at the ball last night.
"What about for Sirius and I?" James asked his son.
Harry eyed the both of them, knowing that they were both a tad bit too tall for the likes of Harry's own clothing - at least the nice pieces of clothing that he owned. As for Dudley's old hand-me-downs? He could very well give his dad and Godfather that rubbish! He refused.
"I'll see if Ron has anything that you could borrow."
Harry then cast a tempus charm and was surprised to see that it was already seven in the morning. He had dropped Ginny off at Gryffindor tower around two in the morning, and he supposed that his argument with Dumbledore, the trip into the pensieve, and the actual steps of resurrecting his family had taken longer than he thought.
He supposed that since Ron had left the ball early last night, that he would have had plenty of time to sleep his fill.
"I'll be right back." Harry informed them, as he pocketed the Resurrection Stone that he just realized was still in his hand. Then he bent over to pick up his fallen invisibility cloak on the floor. Harry straightened and eyed the three of them, a mischievous gleam in his gaze. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, dad… Sirius…"
"Brat." His dad retorted, but he said it with a laugh as Sirius playfully pushed a grinning Harry towards the door.
His mum broke away from his dad's grasp and came up to kiss Harry's temple. When she pulled away, there was a twinkle of amusement in her green eyes. "I'll keep an eye on them, sweetheart."
Harry leaned forward to plant a kiss on his mother's cheek. He couldn't help it. The affectionate feelings that he felt for her just came so naturally. Harry then turned and walked out of the office and down the spiral stairs. As he walked the halls towards Gryffindor Tower, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious as people stared at him from the simple fact that he was still dressed in his dress robes the morning after the ball. And he was reminded that perhaps, he needed to change his clothing for the day, as well.
…...
Harry burst into his dorm, his entire body vibrating with a flurry of excitement. As he had climbed up the stairs to Gryffindor tower, he had once again been reminded that his parents were well and truly back from the dead!
He, Harry Potter, had successfully resurrected his family!
The thought caused him to grin like a bloody loon but he found that he didn't care. He damn well had the right to be proud of the fact that he had accomplished what he had set out to achieve. Somehow, he had successfully convinced Dumbledore to help him resurrect his parents and his Godfather, a feat that he had thought would be impossible.
Shaking his head to rid himself of his abnormal occurrence of a large ego, Harry turned to his trunk at the end of his bed. He opened it and stuck the - now unneeded - Resurrection Stone into a shimmering bag and put it at the very bottom of his trunk. He then picked out his clothes that he was going to wear for the day.
After he was dressed, Harry turned towards Ron's bed. The curtains were closed, but Harry was certain that his best mate would want to hear all about what had happened last night, and would actually be quite peeved with Harry if he didn't wake him to tell him everything.
So, without another thought on the matter, Harry strode forward and whipped Ron's bed curtains apart.
"What the BLOODY MERLIN?!" Harry exclaimed.
Ron's eyes shot open, startled out of sleep.
But his eyes weren't the only ones to suddenly wake from sleep… oh no.
There was also Hermione's eyes that opened in shock, only to quickly change to horror as she saw Harry standing there, gaping at the pair of them.
It was quite clear to Harry what he had unwittingly stumbled into. He could tell by the twin pairs of bare shoulders that peaked out from beneath the blankets that the two of them were naked underneath those sheets…! It was also quite clear to Harry what exactly they had been up to.
He just didn't want to think about it...
"Whattsa matter, Harry?" Neville called sleepily from the opposite end of the dorm room. At the sound of his voice, Ron and Hermione's expressions became even more panicked, if that were even possible.
Harry knew that the two of them didn't want to be caught. Especially Hermione, in the current state that she was in. Neville may be trustworthy. But if Seamus or Dean caught her…? All of Hogwarts would know about this before the day was up.
He thought quick on his feet. "N-Nothing, Nev. I just thought that I saw a rat, is all."
Harry didn't wait for a response afterwards from Neville. Instead, he jumped to the bottom of Ron's bed and shut the bed curtains once again, before whispering a silencing and sticking charm.
He was now quite over his shock. And Harry found that the part of him that was protective of Hermione, as though he were her real brother, came rearing its ugly head.
"You better damn well explain, Ron. And you better explain good." Harry managed to get out through his clenched jaw, his voice sounding quite terse.
Ron swallowed heavily, and brought the sheets up even more to the point that it was up to his chin…
"Harry…" Hermione sighed, as she intervened. "It-It's alright."
Harry shot a speculative glance over at Hermione before he turned his gaze back to Ron. "Well?"
Ron bit his lip, worrying it a bit, before he released it and sat upright, seeming to brace himself to face the music. He looked straight into Harry's eyes, his gaze wide with sincerity. "We love each other, Harry."
Harry staggered back slightly. He didn't know what he had been expecting to hear, but it certainly wasn't that!
Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione, and Harry watched as she seemed to melt into his side…
She looked happy. They both looked happy.
A part of the tension in his shoulders left him, but he found that his guard was still up. "You didn't, uh, pressure her or anything, did you?"
Ron's eyes widened in horror at the implication, and he whipped his head to Hermione for confirmation that this wasn't actually the case.
When they met eyes, Hermione actually burst into laughter.
She was laughing so hard, that her head slipped a bit and her face was now pressed into Ron's side. Both Harry and Ron looked at her as though she were mad.
"Oh, Harry… If there was any pressuring going on, it was probably from my end!" Hermione managed to get out from between gasps of air and fits of giggles. "I practically pushed Ron into bed!"
Ron relaxed at this insight and actually let out a chuckle of his own. "Trust me. I wasn't pressured at all!"
He squeezed Hermione closer to him while his one hand came up to tickle at her side. Hermione let out a squeal of delight and she tried to squirm to get away from his wandering hand.
It was a side of Hermione he had never seen before...
Harry cleared his throat, reminding the both of them that he was still there. They both stopped immediately, and Hermione looked back at him with a considerable blush on her cheeks at having been witnessed in such a state. But Ron wasn't bothered at all, and merely settled back into the pillow, dragging Hermione so that she was pressed against his side once again.
But Harry couldn't help but relax in relief as it was now confirmed to him that this was something that they had both wanted. He grinned widely at the two of them, and couldn't help but say, "Well, it's about damn time, isn't it?"
The three of them laughed at that, and Harry could tell that the two of them were more relaxed after they realized that Harry was actually happy for them.
"So, how did this happen?" Harry asked with an easy grin.
Ron and Hermione shared a glance, before Hermione was the one who spoke up. "It was after you left with Slughorn. I saw Ron sitting alone, because Susan Bones had abandoned him, and I sat down next to him. We talked for a bit of time before we decided to go dance together. And it was while we were dancing, Ron leaned down and kissed me."
Hermione blushed as she retold the tale, but there was a distinct smile that graced her lips… shy but overwhelmingly satisfied.
Harry snickered slightly, and jabbed Ron's foot with his own. "Finally found your Gryffindor courage when it comes to 'Mione, huh, mate?"
Ron rolled his eyes and kicked him as Harry laughed.
"We left the ball right after that," Ron continued to explain where Hermione let off. "We came up here to talk things through and, uh, well… I'm sure you can guess the rest."
Harry tried not to think about the 'rest' that Ron was referring to. In this case, it was best to remain ignorant of the details surrounding that part of his best friends' newfound relationship.
"Well, I'm happy for you." Harry stated, sounding sincere.
Hermione bit her lip. "Well, I'm glad that you're happy for us, Harry, but… there's the matter of Ron and I, uh, needing clothes…"
Harry's face flushed as he suddenly realized how much he was intruding at the moment. But he knew how to make up for it by leaning forward slightly so he could reach into his back pocket.
"Here," He extracted his invisibility cloak and threw it towards Hermione. "So you don't get caught."
At the sight of the cloak, Hermione looked very relieved. "Thanks, Harry."
Harry let out a sort of half-grunt in response, before he was suddenly reminded why he had opened Ron's bed curtains in the first place. "Speaking of needing clothes…" Harry said, "I need to borrow some from you, Ron."
"Why do you need to borrow clothes?" Ron's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Harry started scrambling on the mattress, making his way towards the curtains to give them privacy.
Harry couldn't help but smirk at the question, and before he left the privacy of the silencing spell surrounding the bed, Harry turned back and said, "Oh, well, it's just the little matter of how I resurrected my parents and Godfather last night, and my dad and Sirius need some clothes to wear…"
Harry shrugged, and pretended as though what he said was no big deal.
"WHAT?!" The both chorused in shock. But Harry didn't give them time to ask questions, nor did he elaborate. Instead, he merely laughed as he left the security of Ron's bed.
….
Remus Lupin was drinking a spot of tea by the window in his shabby little living room, enjoying a good book.
It was peaceful moments like these that Remus lived for, nowadays. He had known many hardships throughout his life…
Getting bit by Fenrir Greyback as a child that began the plague upon his life… The moon cycles that haunted his days, each month a countdown until his next transformation.
His friends... first James, then Sirius - twice - gone forever… He was well and truly the last marauder. Wormtail, wherever it was that vile creature roamed, didn't count as a marauder.
'But, perhaps Harry counts as one…' Remus mused.
It wasn't the first time that day where Harry had crossed Remus' thoughts. In fact, Remus had been thinking about the certain 'Chosen One' a lot lately…
Harry had yet to write him back from the letter Remus had sent him earlier in the week. But Remus supposed that Harry was too busy to write him back right away. Remus didn't mind. In fact, Remus understood perfectly because he had his own troubles to deal with at the moment.
Trouble masquerading as a certain metamorphmagus with pink hair…
Remus shook his head of the thought… Dora was another that kept creeping into his thoughts, both day and night.
'You're supposed to be relaxing…' Remus thought with a sigh as he doubled his efforts on focusing on the letters on the page in front of his nose.
But fate had a different idea in mind…
With a burst of flame, a phoenix suddenly appeared in front of him, startling the unsuspecting werewolf. A hand went to his chest, trying to slow down his heartbeat as he eyed the bird in front of him.
"Fawkes?" It was Albus' familiar… Remus recognized the markings on the phoenix.
All that he got in response was an echoing caw as Fawkes held out his taloned claw - tied to it was a letter addressed to him.
Remus reached out and carefully untied the letter, supposing that Albus was just sending him an update on Order business.
.
Remus,
You are urgently needed at Hogwarts immediately.
.
The letter wasn't signed, but Remus didn't stop to think about insignificant details such as that. All that he could think of was…
"Harry." Remus breathed, panic starting to settle within the pit of his stomach. There had to be some sort of trouble surrounding Harry!
He stood and looked all around him, wildly. He hadn't the time to apparate outside of the Hogwarts walls and walk the grounds until he reached Albus' office. He needed to get there now!
He looked to the phoenix before him, and it all clicked into place. "Fawkes! Take me to Dumbledore's office!"
Fawkes trilled and chirp, which Remus took as agreement, and he reached out to grab hold of a feather on his wing.
Fire blazed all around him, but it did not burn.
When the flames receded, Remus found himself in the familiar layout of the Headmaster's office. He was slightly disoriented from the trip, but that didn't stop him. He was a man on a mission.
"HARRY?!" He called out, wildly.
"Moony…" A voice breathed from behind him.
Remus turned on the spot, and-
Everything became still.
…
Ginny tilted her head as she gazed at herself in the mirror, debating with herself as she tried to make a decision on what to do to solve this problem.
Dark markings were strategically littered across her alabaster skin… the small bruises were on her neck, her collarbone, her shoulder…
"Hickeys…" Ginny muttered as she pressed a finger to one of the marks, watching it turn white under the pressure. "He had to go and give me hickeys…"
Ginny really tried to be more annoyed, but she found that she just couldn't be. These hickeys were a result of act that Ginny had quite enjoyed.
Ginny bit her lip and fidgeted as she thought back on their time together in the abandoned alcove… It had been so spontaneous. So passionate.
What in Merlin's name had come over her? Honestly…
The way that she had unabashedly wrapped her legs around Harry's waist… she flushed as she recalled the feeling of his hardness pressed up against her inner thigh.
But then, she had to go and ruin it by asking him to come up to her room…?! What had she been thinking?
But at the time, it had felt right to ask him to come to her room… She hadn't intended to do more with him than to just snog a tad bit more in a place where they could be comfortable. But maybe Harry had gotten the wrong idea of what she was implying, and that was the reason why he said no…?
'Don't be ridiculous…' Ginny scolded herself. 'He told you that he had already made plans with Dumbledore.'
Besides… He did ask for a raincheck...
The thought made Ginny grin as she turned towards her bedpost where her scarlett Gryffindor scarf was hanging. She grabbed it and turned towards the mirror once again, and made sure that she securely twisted the scarf around her neck.
"There," She stated proudly as the fabric covered all of the love bites. "Now no one will know."
"No one will know what?" A familiar voice asked from behind her.
Ginny squeaked as she turned abruptly on the spot.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, her hand coming up to clutch at her heart. Harry was outside of opened window, hovering on his firebolt.
"You scared me…!" She gasped, her tone accusatory. He was honestly lucky that none of her dorm mates came back last night.
The git actually had the gall to laugh as he flew in through the window and landed his broom. "Sorry, Gin."
He didn't sound sorry at all.
He dismounted from his broom, and walked closer to her. As he came closer, Ginny watched him carefully, studying his mood. And she was both surprised and glad to see that he in a good mood. In fact, he was actually radiating with happiness.
When he got close enough, Harry easily wrapped his arms around her and he didn't ask before he leaned down to press his lips to hers. It made Ginny grin at the thought that they were well and truly comfortable with one another to do that.
The kiss was short, more of a way of greeting than anything. Harry pulled back and looked down into her eyes, a soft smile on his lips. "Hi."
Her lips twitched. "Hi."
His eyes turned mischievous as they roamed her face, before he asked again, "No one will know what?"
For a moment, she looked at him, confused. Before she suddenly remembered what it was he was referring to, and her gaze quickly became accusatory. "Oh nothing… just the simple fact that I have to wear this scarf because someone decided that it was a good idea to plant hickeys on my skin…"
Harry's eyes widened and he actually choked on a strangled noise that erupted from his throat. The sound was so priceless, along with the look on his face, that Ginny couldn't help but laugh as she dropped her act.
It took a moment longer for Harry to register what she had just told him, and she watched as his expression turned from bewildered to interested.
"Really…?" His voice became heavy as he drawled out the vowels of the single word. It sounded so heady that Ginny found that she almost lost her breath. She could only nod.
His eyes flicked down to the scarf that covered her marred skin, his eyes ablaze with curiosity.
Without conscious thought, Ginny tilted her head to the side, giving his eyes more room to roam. And in a bold move that Ginny didn't expect, Harry reached up and started to undo the loose knot of fabric, before he pulled the scarf away from her skin entirely.
His eyes drank in the marks on her skin, his face showing unadulterated satisfaction. Ginny had never felt more desired in her life.
A loud thump resounded from the hall outside of her dorm room door, startling them out of the trance.
They waited silently to see if whoever made the noise was planning to enter the room or not, and after a tense moment where nothing happened, they both relaxed.
Harry sighed in relief as his whipped a hand through his wind-swept hair. He looked back to her, and bit his lip… before his hand left his hair to cover the skin on her neck. His thumb traced the bruises softly.
Ginny imagined that this is what butterfly kisses would feel like.
"I would apologize…" Harry said as he traced the love bite on her neck. "But I'm not sorry at all."
Ginny couldn't help but snicker at this revelation, and it made her warm up to the hickeys all the more.
"In fact," Harry said as he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on the one on her collarbone. "I quite like them."
Ginny sucked in a breath, but Harry didn't linger for long. With a regretful sigh, he pulled away and looked down at her. "I wish that I could explore these more, but I promised to tell you everything from last night… and I also have a favour to ask you."
It took a moment for Ginny to find her bearings, before she cleared her throat and looked up at him expectantly. "O-Of course. What do you need?"
Harry bit his lip slightly before he released it. "I need to borrow some of your clothes."
.
.
.
A/N: If I get a lot of reviews for this chapter, then I promise that I'll combine the next two chapters into one to make it extra long! At the very least, it would be more than 10,000 words! So give me your long, gushing reviews about what you liked about the chapter, as well as your theories for what you think is going to happen next! All that I want is to just really nerd out about Harry Potter with all of you! Please, have a heart!