Author's Note:
I had fun writing this chapter. I did a lot of research on different tourist attractions in Georgia and all about Cloudland Canyon State Park. And when I stumbled across a particular museum name, I just thought it was absolute fate that I chose Georgia because I had no idea this existed let alone happened to be in Georgia, America. It's a fluffy chapter, which is fun and I think much needed, because we all know bad things are coming, that I can promise you!
I just want to say for those of you asking, yes, Ginny and Hermione will date, too — it has already been written, both of their first dates that is, and yes, Harry is going to find himself rather jealous, but be patient my lovelies. Hinny is going to be a slow burn, but it will get there.
Don't know if anyone else is interested, but did you watch the new episode of Game of Thrones? I can't wait to see what's next and am super pumped plus Endgame next week — sorry, I'm a big geek sometimes LOL!
Reviews and Comments: To love reading20613: Thank you! It is nice to see Harry have a big family! To PolarWriter95: I'm glad you found it entertaining the way it switched off between American phrases and British. Adding the '69 Camaro as well as some AC/DC was pretty much mandatory! Thanks for reading! To scrappy8: Thank you! To purplevictory: First of all, wow! Thank you for such a long review! I'm glad you're enjoying Harry's little fling with Harley and Theo baking and canning with Mrs Weasley and Ginny. I am sorry you feel the scene with Ron and Theo was forced. I disagree and think it fit well once Ron realized Theo wasn't dating his little sister. I'm happy you loved Zee's family and Harry doing chores in Georgia as well as at home. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Thanks for saying it was nice for Theo to give Ron a clue upside the head LOL. No, Harry is not the one who mentioned Harley LOL. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you for saying that chapter was the cutest and that none of the conversations were awkward. I'm glad you loved the fam jam! Thank you!
To darkhk: Loo who what? LOL. To teachergirl: Wow, first of all, Zee's grandfather is NOT a pervert. Him saying Zee needs to stay near by and saying to sit on her pretty little tush is nothing of the sort! It's a common saying actually by older people. I did not mean to offend anyone, but really, you really seem to not enjoy anything I write, so why are you reading this story? Please calm yourself. Thank you. To Paola1991: Thank you! Yes, Ginny will date someone eventually, but not yet. They will go back to England soon and yes, we will see a bit of jealous Harry. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! Sounds delicious! I am sorry you cannot can anymore. To midnitewanderer: Ha, sorry! It was too spot on so I had to shift it! The 2 Cello's version of Thunderstruck is amazing, I agree! I had to look up the Spanish version of Achy Breaky Heart and it was entertaining! Thank you! Thanks for loving me giving Harry a nice family! To ZeeNooblet: Thank you! I had fun with the dancing scene!
To R4mb0g: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying Harry's little fling! To Guest: Ha, thank you for being officially in love with me (I think). I agree, that is how Harry knows he's part of the family because he's already been assigned chores, not being served. I agree. He is getting more comfortable with them, especially Misha and Sorcha. Sirius is getting along with them as well, we'll see more of that. Thank you so much! To Ana: Aww, sorry to make you cry, but your reviews just make me so happy! I wanted to show how much I appreciate them! Thanks for loving Theo staying longer because he was enjoying himself, I did too. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip to America so far, Sirius and Zee are definitely proud parents! I hope you don't stop reading! I love that you're enjoying it! Thank you! To Guest: We will see a bit of jealous Harry and no, Harry will not be Ginny's first boyfriend. I'm glad I've made you love Theo! Thank you! I have so many plans for him! To nesciamema: We will get to see how everyone else is doing as well, yes. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To ninaz08: Thank you for liking my Ron and Theo moment. I did want to show Theo being jealous of Ron's family and to show Ron that what he has is worth more than any money. I'm glad you love Grandma and Grandpa and Harry doing chores and Sorcha teaching Harry how to dance while Misha teaches him some cool new spells. Thank you! I agree, I love Brooks N' Dunn so Boot Scootin Boogie had to be added in! Thank you!
To Steelcode: Thank you! I'm glad that you love Zee's family and are enjoying Harry being in America. To coloredwords: Aww, thank you for saying that it's "times like these it's so clear he's James' son and Sirius raised him." I love that! Sirius and Zee are definitely a family but they won't admit it. Thanks for loving my music choices! Thank you! To HGRHfan35: Sly Harry indeed! Thank you! Shoot the hoopie made me laugh! That's a new one for me! Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you! I'm glad this whole chapter made you smile! Harry is a bit of a flirt, but also with Sirius as his dad, what else is to be expected indeed? Thank you so much! To Matt9917: Thank you! Hinny is still a while away as I've said, it is a slow burn. To Lilo23: I do plan on giving Ginny some romance of her own. As you've seen, Ginny is a major character here and we will see more of her. Please be patient. Thank you.
To alix33: Thank you for loving every syllable out of Theo's mouth, the highest of compliments! Thanks for liking Harry's guard animals while he sleeps. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Thanks for loving Theo! I love him, too! He does deserve happiness! LOL, yes, Harry rides brooms, rides motorcycles, and rides horses. He is having the time of his life. Thank you! To Saz J: Thanks for loving my dance sequence! I know you're not a fan of Harley (we're all waiting on Ginny) and yes, Ron's heart-to-heart with Theo was cute, thank you! To Duda Black III: Thank you! To HinnyMe: Thanks for loving the dancing sequences! I do love Colt and I love him willing to teach Harry how to ride as long as he knows how to take care of the animals which is just as important! Yes, it does show he's family and not a guest. Thank you! To Cf: Thanks for loving Misha's character and loving that it was Grandmama who taught him how to dance. Ha, yes, waltzing to Thunderstruck, happy to keep you laughing! Thank you!
To Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! To cabs r here: Thanks for loving everything about this story! I appreciate that! To Jmcglynn522: Enjoy the happy because yes, bad things will be coming. Thank you! To KielWhitehead24: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying Harry having an American fling and yes, Lady G is definitely watching over Harry while he's in a new place. Thanks for loving my Theo and Ron talk. I love that you are blessed with a great family, you should be very thankful for that! I am honoured you felt that scene spoke to you! To aldersprig: Yes, summer love-in, had me a blast, summer lovin' happened so fast… sorry, couldn't resist. Thank you! To Ash: Thank you for loving ASC and thank you for loving the long chapters! Thank you!
Thanks to Saz for her assistance with my British phrases here — much needed! You are the best!
Last scene is for Steel, hope you enjoy it.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE:
The One Where Sirius Panics Over Commitment
Forty minutes later, Harry, Sirius, and Zee had Apparated to Cloudland Canyon State Park. Harry's backpack was full of snacks including fruit and sandwiches for lunch. Sirius had filled his bag up with water and Zee was carrying sunscreen potion, healing potions, and extra film for the camera.
Zee explained how they were going to take the Waterfalls Trail first. They stopped a lot to take photos, especially along the forty degree slope of the canyon. They took turns posing in the areas and Harry took scenic photos as they walked up the six-hundred-step staircase in the rock. Zee explained how Daniel Creek was where each waterfall came from as they passed Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls which each pooled at the base of the canyon.
Sirius was mocking Zee, teasing her about her vast knowledge of the state geography and Harry held up his camera to snap a photo of Cherokee Falls just as Zee shoved Sirius, and he fell face first into the water. Harry busted into laughter, snapping a second photo as Sirius broke the surface, spluttering. He transformed into Padfoot when he hit the shore and dove at Zee, making her laugh as she attempted to fight off the large wet dog, but he tugged her right into the water, and then did the same to Harry.
Harry changed into his dog as well and swam around, yipping his little puppy bark happily. Zee had crawled back onto the shore and Harry and Sirius followed her, both still in their Animagus forms as they shook their fur, covering her in water as she shrieked before Sirius changed back into himself and tugged her back into the water. Harry changed back as well before jumping in the water after them. The three of them laughed as they splashed each other and cooled off in the glistening falls.
Harry was grinning when he climbed back onto the shore, lying down on the cool rock and letting the sun warm him. He only smirked when he saw Sirius tug Zee close to him as they floated in the water and into his arms to kiss her.
Sirius kissed her deeply, his hands slipping below the water to squeeze her bum and she moaned against his mouth. "Naughty vixen," he hissed, biting her earlobe.
She grinned against his mouth, slipping her hands down to squeeze his own bum below the surface. "Annoying prat."
He grinned and kissed her again before they moved from the water, lying down on either side of Harry to dry off in the sun. Zee lifted Harry's sunglasses up and kissed his cheek noisily making him grin as he pushed her away in mock embarrassment and then shrieked in laughter when she and Sirius both decided to tackle him and attempt to tickle him. He escaped their grasp and dove back into the water to cool off, but he was secretly pleased with the tackle.
They picnicked by the waterfall for lunch, eating the ham sandwiches that Zee had made and munching on fresh grapes and watermelon.
"You boys ready for the second hike of the day?"
"We're ready whenever you are, babe," Sirius told her.
She smiled and kissed both of them on the cheek, making Harry grin. Sirius performed a drying charm on the three of them before they made their way back.
"This is more of a scenic hike," she told them as they headed back to the Daniels Creek Bridge. "But it's a long one, almost eight kilometres. It's called the West Rim Loop Trail." She told them as she reached for a bottle of water.
They took their time, stopping to view the Sand Mountain and looking at the Rhododendron and mountain laurel. Harry made Sirius pose with the dogwood and Zee made them both change into their dog forms again and took a picture with them next to the plants. They passed sour gum plants and beautiful large oaks, maples and hemlocks and even a few hickory trees. Harry took photos of the beautiful scenery and plants as he knew that Neville would want to see it all.
They saw deer in the forests, raccoons and foxes, and Harry even saw a wild turkey which surprised him. Zee pointed out a red tail hawk up in the sky and told Harry that bats were known to live in the caves nearby as well. A large stag was drinking from the water and Sirius nudged Harry, lightly.
"Go say hi, Harry, he's your family after all."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Just because my Dad could turn into a stag doesn't mean that I'm related."
Sirius grinned. "Are you sure? Don't be stagnant in your decision."
He chuckled to himself as Harry and Zee rolled their eyes.
"Your jokes are getting worse in your old age," Harry told him.
"Hey, no old man jokes! I am young, sexy, and fit."
"You keep telling yourself that," Harry said with a smirk. "But I think I see a grey hair."
"What?" Sirius bellowed, his hands immediately going to his hair and making Zee laugh.
"You just gave him a mini heart attack, Harry!"
He shrugged. "Serves him right."
Sirius had his eyes closed and when he spoke his voice was rather strained. "Do I actually have a grey hair?"
Harry laughed. "Not yet, you nutter!"
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and then shoved his hand over his son's face. "Liars will be punished!" he declared before his fingers dug into Harry's ribs, tickling him mercilessly as he yelped in laughter.
Harry finally broke away, his breath short from his laughing fit and his ribs sore from his father's fingers as they continued their hike down the trail.
They returned to the ranch around four that afternoon and Harry was pleased to see Harley out in the paddock riding King Lightning. He said goodbye to Sirius and Zee and took off to see her.
Sirius smirked as he watched him hurry off. "He likes that girl."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No," Sirius told her. "It's just that we're only here for two more weeks. I don't want him to get too attached."
"I think that he knows that," Zee said, standing on her toes to kiss him. "Everyone's busy."
"Okay…"
"Let's sneak upstairs and have a shower. I need some help washing my back."
A slow grin slid across his face. "Just your back?"
Zee bit her lip and let her gaze travel down his body. "Why don't we head upstairs and you can see if I'm… dirty?"
He took her hand and yanked. She laughed as he led her into the house and up the stairs. They were both giggling as they locked and silenced the bathroom door, kissing each other as they undressed and turned on the shower. The water poured over them as they stepped into the tub and Zee smiled as Sirius immediately grabbed the soap. She grinned at him as his soapy hands stroked over her and then she did the same to him.
Once they were both washed and rinsed, Sirius pinned her against the wall and locked his lips on hers. Zee grinned against his mouth, her hands trailing up his chest and over his back as they kissed and then her lips moved to his neck, over his shoulders and down his chest. She planted soft open-mouth kisses along his ribs and over his stomach. She slowly slid down to her knees as she kissed his sides, up along his ribs and back down across his abdomen before she kissed his navel and when her head moved between his thighs, his breath hitched.
Zee smiled up at him, blowing gently on his member before her lips pressed against his sac, kissing softly as her fingers stroked him, and he groaned.
"Fuck, yes."
She smiled and licked the length of him, kissing him, and licking the tip. Her tongue trailed along the underside of him, to the base and around and Sirius' hands rested in her curls. Her fingers slid up to grip him and he put his head against the cool tile.
"Fuck," he murmured and she smiled, finally wrapping her mouth around him, slowly and torturously sliding along his length as her hand worked him over.
Sirius let his gaze move down to her, watching the way her soft lips engulfed him slowly and then quickly and he groaned when her brown eyes met his. She was so fucking sexy, he thought. Her right hand slid up his thigh and fluttered across his abdomen as she moaned softly and the vibration around his cock made his breath hitch.
"Zee," he moaned. "Come here."
She only shook her head, his cock moving in her mouth with the motion and he groaned again. God, she had a great mouth, he thought as he watched her let go his length out and start licking him again as her fingers fondled his balls. He was getting close, he thought and when her hand moved to tug lightly on his bollocks again he threw his head back.
"Get up here," he hissed.
This time she obliged and he kissed her deeply, his hand sliding down and his fingers slipping into her. She gasped when he started to stroke her.
"Mmm, so wet," he said, licking the side of her neck.
Zee gasped when his fingers slid deeper and it wasn't long before she was writing in desperation against the wall. Sirius' mouth was on her nipple, licking and sucking in torture and as his tongue flattened against her breast she came, crying out as she rode his hand. Her eyes were dark with pleasure and she smiled, catching her breath before she moved back to her knees and finished him off with her mouth.
Sirius cried out her name as he came, watching her gorgeous mouth take him, holding onto the wall for support as his knees trembled. When he finished, she merely licked him, kissing his thighs and up his stomach before lingering on his shoulders.
"Mmm, you taste so good," she said, her hand fondling him gently. "Now I want you inside of me."
Her hand continued to fondle him and it didn't take him long before he lifted her, wrapped her legs around his waist and pinned her to the cold tile. When he plunged into her, she screamed his name, the sound echoing around the bathroom.
They slid down to the floor of the tub, both breathless as the now cool water rained down on them. Sirius shut off the tap and grinned at her, kissing her softly.
"I fucking love you."
Zee smiled, leaning back against him. "I'll fucking love you even more if you can carry me out of here."
He chuckled against her hair. "I can do that. I just need five minutes or so to recover."
She laughed, her face against his damp chest as she smiled. "This was a good break. I love using my mouth on you."
His eyes darkened in desire as he looked down at her. "Zahira, that is not the way to get me to relax."
Zee's eyes twinkled in mischief as she looked up at him. "Who said anything about relaxing?" She kissed him and grinned. "Come on; we better get dressed before someone notices that we're missing."
Sirius only nodded and climbed to his feet, pulling her with him and out of the tub. He kissed her again as they dried off and smiled. "And babe? I'll take this kind of break whenever you want."
Zee only grinned and wrapped a towel around her breasts. "I'll keep that in mind. Now come on, we still have to sneak into the room across the hall."
Sirius adjusted his own towel and grinned. One of the best things about her, he thought, she was never boring.
And he couldn't stop smiling as he followed her out of the bathroom and across the hall to the guest room, his eyes on the lovely sway of her hips the whole time.
~ ASC ~
As Sirius and Zee were taking a break upstairs, Harry had eagerly approached the paddock, his eyes twinkling as he watched Harley ride. She waved when she saw him, hopping down off of the horse and coming over to him.
"Hi, Harry."
"Hey! I didn't know that you had a lesson today."
"Oh, I don't. I just came to ride King Lightning. Where are you coming from?"
"We went hiking in Cloudland Canyon."
She smiled. "That sounds fun."
"It was," he told her, grinning back. He leaned in and kissed her. "I'm glad that you're here."
Harley bit her bottom lip, taking his hand in hers. She led him back behind the barn and pushed him up against the wall where she proceeded to kiss him thoroughly. He grinned against her mouth, his hands resting on her waist as he kissed her back. She held one hand on his chest, her other hand sat on his waist as she kissed him, her soft lips meeting his in quick greedy bites that left him breathless. He slid his hands up her back as they kissed, turning to kiss her jaw and her neck before moving his mouth back to her lips.
Kissing Harley was way better than kissing Cho had ever been, he thought. Her soft round breasts pushed against his chest and all of the blood pooled between his legs. He shifted her, slightly, turning his hips so as not to grind his erection into her and he deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with hers. She moaned into his mouth and he grinned, his hand sliding along her lower back, down to cup her bum and she pulled back, eyebrow rising.
"Bold, Potter."
His slid his hand back up to her waist with a grin and she smiled.
"Much better," she said and then her lips returned to his.
They jolted when someone called out Harry's name almost two hours later and they were forced to break apart, both breathless. Harry felt like his lips should be numb, but he wanted to kiss her again. Harley seemed to be thinking along the same lines because she kissed him once more before she hurried off.
Harry made his way back up to the house, smiling at Colt. "Hey, Grandpa, how was work?"
Colt only smirked at him. "Nice lipstick, Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow and Colt grinned. "You have lipstick smeared all over your lips. Looks about the same shade that Harley wears; imagine that."
Harry blushed and licked his lips, using his arm to wipe his mouth. "She was um… riding King Lightning."
Colt only chuckled. "I did some necking in my day, boy, I remember. Come on; go clean up. Dinner's ready."
And Harry hurried into the house to clean up, grateful that Colt wasn't going to let Sirius see him with lipstick all over his mouth. He knew that he would never live that one down.
~ ASC ~
Harry spent all day Sunday in the kitchen with Flo and Sorcha. Flo taught him how to make her famous cornbread and mudpie as promised and Sorcha showed him how to make her famous Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish soup made with haddock and potatoes. It went great with the cornbread for dinner.
Both women talked his ear off about cooking and cooking experiments; what to do and not to do when experimenting with food. He learned all about Flo's life as a cook and restaurant owner and Sorcha told him all about her life as a journalist and some of the interesting places that she had travelled to just to get a good story.
When Monday came around again, Harry spent the morning with Cloud Dancing before working on some more spells with Misha in the protected circle that he had made in the woods. They didn't want any of the Muggles to stumble upon them while they were practicing. After lunch, Harry met Harley and they went into town for burgers and milkshakes at Flo's before taking a walk and ended up snogging on a swing in the park.
He spent most of the week snogging Harley as often as possible: In the woods, against the barn, at the movies, against a tree, really anywhere that she would let him. He had four love bites on his neck and he didn't even care. Kissing her was the best thing. She was so damn pretty and she smelt like peaches. She was always leaving red lipstick smears on his face and neck and they made him grin when he noticed them, even though when Sirius or Colt saw them he tended to get teased.
When Friday came around, Harry found that he was a little nervous about this dance. He wasn't nervous to spend time with Harley, she was truly great, but even after his dance lessons with Zee and Grandmama, he was still a bit nervous. Sirius told him not to worry, smiling when Harry came down the stairs dressed in black jeans and an emerald green dress shirt with a black tie. It wasn't a formal dance and Harley had assured him that a suit wasn't necessary, but Harry still wanted to look nice.
"You look smashing," Sirius told him, laughing when Zee tugged Harry's head down and attempted to fix his hair. "It's not worth it, Zee. It's a Potter family trait, their hair always looks like an absolute train wreck."
"Hey!" Harry said, offended. "I happen to like my hair even if I don't spend an hour in front of the mirror like some people!"
Sirius' mouth dropped open. "You're just jealous of this perfection."
Harry rolled his eyes making Sirius laugh.
Zee kissed his cheek, ruffling his hair a bit to give him a more casually messy style. "You look wonderful!" She passed him the single wildflower that he had picked for Harley. "You give that flower to Harley."
"I will," he said, smiling at her.
"Have a marvellous time, Harry," Zee said as Sirius took his arm and Apparated him to the dance where he was supposed to be meeting Harley.
They appeared behind the gym and Sirius grinned, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Listen, have a great time tonight. Dance, snog, enjoy yourself. I expect you back at the ranch at exactly ten. It takes ten minutes to drive from here to the ranch and if the dance ends at nine thirty, that gives you thirty minutes to snog your date goodnight and get home. Are we clear?"
"Yes," Harry told him.
Sirius smiled. "If you need me for anything, I'm here."
"It's just a dance, Uncle Siri."
"Yes, it is, your first dance. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do! Scratch that, don't do anything that Uncle Moony wouldn't do."
Harry smirked at that. "Is that because there's nothing that you wouldn't do?"
"Shut it, smart-arse," he said, making Harry chuckle. "Now, have a great time, Harry. Remember to thank Harley's sister for driving you home later."
Harry grinned and watched his father Disapparate before he headed around the building to the front where he was supposed to be meeting Harley. He smiled at the pretty brunette who stood there, the single flower in his hands.
"Hello," she said kindly. "I'm Loretta, the coordinator of the event, do you have a ticket?"
"I do," Harry told her, pulling it from his pocket. "But I'm still waiting for someone."
"Oh! You're not from around here, are you? Who are you waiting for? I can tell you if they've checked in or not."
"No, I'm just visiting from England. I'm looking for Harley Mills."
Loretta ran her finger down the list and smiled. "Oh, yes, she checked in a few minutes ago."
"Thanks," Harry told her as he heard Harley call his name. He smiled when he saw her. She was wearing a bright blue spaghetti strap knee-length dress with next to no back. It flared at her waist with lace around the skirt and she was in black heels.
"Wow, you look smashing!" he said, recalling Sirius' word from earlier. It definitely described Harley.
She smiled. "You look, um, smashing, too. You use strange words sometimes. Is that bellflower for me?"
He nodded, handing it to her. "It is. I picked it from Grandma's garden."
Harley smiled. "It's beautiful." She carefully slid the flower into the bun at the back of her head. "There."
"That looks fantastic."
"Thanks." She pecked his cheek. "Are you ready to head inside?"
Harry held his arm out to her with a smile. "Whenever you are."
Harley grinned and took his arm as they headed into the school gym. Streamers hung from the ceiling with balloons. There was a DJ set up in the corner and loud music was blasting through the gym, the lights were on low, strobe lights and lights of different colours illuminating the dance floor.
Harry took her hand in his. "Did you want to get something to drink first or would you like to dance?"
Harley beamed at him. "Definitely dance!"
They made their way out onto the dance floor, bodies moving to the beat of the Madonna song followed by The Cranberries, Ace of Base, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Green Day, and Weezer. When the music changed to Boyz II Men who started singing "I'll Make Love To You," Harry held her close, smiling against her hair, his hands on her waist as they swayed to the music. All he thought was that this dancing thing definitely had its perks.
They made their way over to the refreshments and each got something to drink. Harley introduced him to a few of her girlfriends, Allison and Shayna.
"God, Harley, you're dating someone from England, that's so totally exotic!" Shayna exclaimed, her eyes on Harry.
Harley smiled. "It has its moments."
They asked him tons of questions and he answered as many as he could before Harley tugged him away and back onto the dance floor.
By the time the dance ended, Harry had genuinely had a lovely time, especially when Harley had decided around nine that she was tired of dancing and had snuck him back behind the stage where they had snogged quite intensely. He had even moved his hands up to her breasts and she had let him fondle her through her dress. He had really liked that. He sucked on her neck, his lips meeting hers until they were both breathless.
"It's my birthday on Sunday," he told her, kissing below her ear.
"Oh, yeah?" Harley said, smiling at him. "What do you want?"
"A kiss would be nice," he said, nibbling on her collarbone, slipping the strap of her dress over her shoulder and kissing her there.
"Just one?" she breathed as he moved to kiss the other shoulder, her strap hanging down her arm.
"Or two," he said with a smirk.
His lips moved over her collarbone, a little lower down her chest, kissing the exposed skin above her breasts and her head fell back as she let out a little moan.
"Or three," she whispered, tugging his mouth back up to hers, her tongue meeting his.
The DJ announced that it was the last dance interrupting them and Harry grinned, his forehead leaning against hers as they caught their breath and straightened their clothes before heading back out for the last dance to "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders.
He kissed her goodnight when her sister dropped him off at the ranch and he couldn't stop smiling when he let himself inside.
Sirius was sitting in the living room with Misha, a bottle of vodka between them. "Hey, how was the dance?"
"It was fun," Harry told him. He spent five minutes telling Sirius and Misha about it before he yawned. "I'm tired though and I'm heading up to bed."
"Ypa!" Misha said, with a smile, toasting Harry with his glass as he and Sirius both drank to him.
Harry said goodnight and hurried up to his room. Lady Godiva was nowhere in sight which pleased him as he closed the door, undressed and climbed into bed. He thought about how nice Harley's skin had tasted, how her firm round breasts had felt in his hands, and he reached down to touch himself, stroking firmly as he thought about her. When he finished, he turned into his pillow grinning.
This holiday was really turning out to be a lot of fun.
~ ASC ~
Sirius watched his son head up the stairs and he smiled at Misha. "He really loves it here."
Misha poured them each another shot of vodka. "As he should. Ve are all very happy that you both came."
"I appreciate that," Sirius said, honestly. "Neither Harry nor I have much in the way of family."
Misha stared at him for a long moment, placing both of his hands on his knees as he leaned forward. "I love my daughter very much, Sirius. She is my vorld. Her mother vas the light of my life. My virst love and a part of me vill alvays love Magnolia. Vhen she vas killed, I broke. I had to send Zahira avay for her own vell being. I could not take care of her. I could barely take care of myself and all I vanted vas revenge. Vas it right? Probably not, but Colt and Flo, they understood and they took her in and they gave her the home and love and support that she needed. And vhen I came to her, finally allowing myself to break and to grieve, there was my little princess, arms open vide, and ready for me."
He took a sip of his vodka, his tongue licking his bottom lip before he continued. "Vhen I met Sorcha, I vas vorried that it vas too soon, but she filled my heart vith so much love that I didn't think I deserved; I vas scared to let her in. Vhat if it happened again? Vhat if another dark vizard came after my family? But she pushed her vay into my life and into Zahira's and I vatched my daughter fall in love vith her and I knew… she vas it for me. Vhen I brought her here to meet Colt and Flo, they accepted her vith open arms, as if I vas the prodigal son coming home to my family and not the son-in-law. That's the kind of people they are."
Sirius smiled at that, leaning back in his own seat. "I did notice that. Wide open arms, inviting, and genuinely caring."
"Zahira vas always closer to them because of the time she lived here. She vrote letters once a veek and I arranged portkeys every summer for Zee to come spend at least a month with them. Ve alvays alternated between Scotland and Russia for the holidays, but my home has alvays been in Moscow. My own mama and papa are Muggles and amazed by the magical world. I hope one day you vill bring Harry to stay vith us in Russia as vell."
Sirius nodded. "We would both really love that."
Misha smiled and lifted up his vodka glass as Sirius did the same, they clinked glasses and drank the shot. "Ypa!"
Sirius put his glass on the table. "I appreciate all of the spells that you're teaching Harry as well. He needs to learn how to protect himself, especially given his history of finding trouble. The Boy Who Lived moniker is more than I'd like it to be. If Voldemort ever does come back, and I do believe that he will, I know that he's going to go after my son — and I don't want that to happen. I want him to be able to protect himself in every way possible when I can't be there. Knowing you and Zee and this whole damn family would have his back if I asked, means more than you can possibly know."
"Vell, I alvays vanted a son, but Sorcha and I vere not blessed vith having any more children so, ve poured all of our love into our Zahira. Now she has blessed us vith our grandson. I vant him to grow up, to be able to protect himself. I know how dangerous the vorld can be and I can see the growing darkness that is coming." Misha admitted. "Virst Death Eaters escape and then your friend Remus is arrested… the British Ministry seems lost and losing control. I am surprised the MIA hasn't stepped in yet to try to help them gain control back."
"I've noticed that myself," Sirius said quietly. "I'm doing my best to try to keep a rein on the Wizengamot and to try to make sure things are running smoothly, but I'm only one man, and I've only been at it for a few months. I don't know what else I can do there except make my voice heard and hope that someone realizes the dangers that are coming. The TriWizard Tournament is coming up in September and right now the big thing is keeping international magical cooperation and that's good, too. We need to work on making friends internationally, especially if war comes calling once more."
Misha nodded. "Ve all do vhat ve can. You're smart man, you vill know what to do to protect your son."
"I hope so," Sirius answered. "When James and Lily asked me to be his godfather, I never imagined that I would be the one raising him, but now… I can't imagine not being his father. Remus and I both have been there for it all and he's growing into an amazing young man; out on dates and first dances. I sometimes don't know where the time went."
Misha tapped his fingers on his knee as he spoke. "You are a good father. He knows this. You are a good man, too, and my Zahira doesn't give her heart lightly, but she has given it — to both of you."
"I won't hurt her."
Misha smiled. "I never thought you vould."
They both looked up when Zee and Sorcha came into the living room. Zee sat on the arm of Sirius' chair, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "Has Papa gotten you drunk on vodka yet?"
"No," he said with a grin.
Sorcha took a seat next to her husband and took his hand in hers. "Did Harry say how the dance went? Zee and I lost track of time out in the garden."
"He did. He said that it was fun and he went up to bed with a bit of lipstick on his face," Sirius said with a smirk. "I think this Harley is corrupting him."
Zee snorted. "I doubt that."
"No, Sirius has a point," Misha said with a smile. "Young boys are very susceptible to the charms of a beautiful woman."
"So are grown men," Sorcha said making Zee laugh. "I want to hear all about it in the morning. Are you three still planning to go to the fair tomorrow?"
Zee nodded. "Yes. I want to show Sirius and Harry how much fun it can be. I have a few other fun tourist places to go in the afternoon as well. Do you and Papa want to come?"
Misha shook his head. "Sorcha and I are going to stay here and ride the horses, but ve vill meet you later for dinner? Ve buy?"
"Not necessary, Papa," Zee said with a smile.
Misha merely waved his hand. "I vant to treat my daughter and grandson, da, let me." He winked at Sirius. "And I suppose I can include the boyfriend in that as vell."
Zee laughed and leaned in to kiss Sirius' cheek. "Papa loves you."
Misha scoffed at this. "He is not a fool, I'l give him that."
Sirius grinned. "Best compliment I've gotten all day."
Misha grinned and summoned two more glasses from the kitchen before he poured four glasses of the ice cold vodka and passed them out. "Ve drink to family, da?"
"Da," Zee said with a smile.
"Ypa!" Sorcha said in an attempt at Misha's heavy Russian accent and the four of them tossed the smooth vodka back.
"To family," Sirius said, smiling widely.
He felt at home with these people and he knew that Harry felt the same. It gave him a queer feeling in his stomach that wasn't exactly unpleasant and when Zee slid her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, he knew why. It was the people that made a home, that made a family, and he was honoured that he and Harry had both been accepted into this incredible one.
~ ASC ~
Ginny grinned widely at Percy when she knocked on the front door of the blue Victorian home. When her brother had offered to bring her over on his way into work, she had been surprised, but pleased at the same time. Percy had been a bit of a workaholic this summer and she was grateful for the small amount of time to be spending with him. She knew that like Bill and Charlie, he soon wouldn't be around much and she was a little sad to think about it.
The door opened and a tiny woman with blonde curls opened the door, a big smile on her face. She had bright blue eyes and a smile that lit up her whole face. "You must be Ginny!"
"Hi," Ginny said. "This is my brother, Percy."
"Percy, Ginny, welcome, please come on inside!"
Ginny and Percy stepped through the front doors just as a tiny blond boy came running down the stairs.
"Dennis! No running in the house," the tiny woman said, sternly.
The boy merely flushed. "Sorry, Mum."
"Thank you for inviting me over, Mrs Creevey," Ginny said with a smile.
"Oh, you're most welcome, dear. Colin has done nothing but speak highly of you."
Percy smiled. "I have to be getting onto work, you'll be all right, Ginevra?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, Perce. Go, be professional."
He grinned and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs Creevey. Ginevra, Dad'll pick you up on Friday after work. Have fun."
"Bye," she told him as he hurried off. She smiled at Mrs Creevey. "Sorry, I have a lot of brothers."
"I think it's wonderful that he wants to take care of you. Come on, dear, Colin was taking photos of a bird that has nested in our garden. I imagine he's still out there. You can leave your stuff by the door."
Ginny nodded and followed the tiny woman outside. Colin was taking photographs. He was lying on his stomach on the branch of large tree in the yard, his camera close to the bird's nest and his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth as he concentrated. She watched him snap photo after photo before he seemed satisfied and moved to shimmy down the tree, his camera hanging from his neck. He spotted her as he came down and grinned.
"Ginny!"
"Hi, Colin! Your mum said that you were taking photos of a bird?"
He nodded, eagerly. "It's a goldfinch and she laid eggs. She's beautiful and I thought that it was a good opportunity to get a photo in." He moved to hug her tight. "I missed you! How's your summer been?"
"Pretty good. Spent some time with Harry, Luna, Hermione, and Neville, and then Theo came to stay over for a few nights. Ron wasn't too happy about it, but I was glad that he stopped by."
Colin grinned at her. "I'm glad. He seemed like a nice bloke. I can't believe that you're staying here for a whole week! Did you meet Dennis?"
"Briefly."
"He got his Hogwarts letter, Ginny!"
"Wow, really? That's brilliant!"
"I know," Colin said with a grin. "He's so excited! I hope that he's in Gryffindor with us. Come on, I'll show you around!"
He attempted to give her a quick tour of the house, but she was much too fascinated to make it quick. She had questions about everything from the dishwasher in the kitchen, to the Super Nintendo that Dennis was playing, and the computer that his mother was using. Colin only grinned widely as he explained everything to her and watched her eyes widen in amazement.
Mrs Creevey put Ginny in Dennis' room, moving Dennis in with Colin, but Colin snuck in once Dennis went to sleep and they spent almost the entire night talking, their heads close together as they giggled and chatted. She told him how she was trying to learn how to become an Animagus and even showed him her progress, making his eyes widen in amazement as she ran around the room as a tiny baby red panda. He promised to keep it a secret and she only grinned, saying that she had already known he would. They talked about Theo; about how she felt like they had become friends because of their shared nightmares, and Ginny admitted to having walked in on Harry naked. She had blushed when she told him and he grinned knowingly at her.
"You still fancy him."
"No," she insisted, her red face giving her away. "I don't, not really. I can still think he's handsome without fancying him! He's one of my best friends, Colin!"
"I think you're beautiful, Ginny, and as your best friend I mean that in the most platonic way possible. You think Harry is gorgeous and want to kiss him — that is very different!"
She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't even like me like that!"
Colin shrugged. "True, he doesn't, and you know it, but it doesn't stop you from liking him." At her annoyed look, he smiled. "You just have to find someone else to take your mind off of him. Someone who you can snog."
"I don't know if I'm ready to snog anyone," she admitted.
He wrinkled his nose. "Me neither, but everyone else seems to want to. You know David brought a picture of a naked witch to school last year and hung it up in our dorm."
"A naked picture?"
Colin nodded. "He said that he stole it from his father."
Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "That's rather tacky, isn't it?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, she's beautiful, but it does feel wrong hanging up there. I hope he takes it down this year. Oh!" He jumped up, moving to grab the box he had carried into the room with him. "I almost forgot, this is for you!"
"What is it?" Ginny asked, accepting the box.
He grinned. "Since I won't see you on your birthday, I wanted to make sure that you got your gift."
"It's still two weeks away, Colin!"
He smiled. "And I will be camping with my family so, open it up!"
She grinned and carefully opened the box, her eyes widening when she pulled out the dark wooden frame. Inside was a photo of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The green grass, the goal posts and floating above on a borrowed broomstick was her, wearing Charlie's old Gryffindor Quidditch robes, one hand on the broomstick and the other with a Quaffle in her hand.
"Colin, this is… when did you take this?"
He shrugged. "One of the days you were out flying. You look so natural up there. You should try out for the team, this year."
"I don't know," she said, nervously. "I want to but, I don't know if I'm good enough."
He rolled his eyes. "Look at you! If this photo proves anything it's that Ginny Weasley was born to be on a broomstick!"
She hugged him tight. "This is the best gift ever! It's beautiful!"
He smiled. "You're welcome and happy birthday! Now, promise me that you'll think about trying out?"
Ginny let out a slow sigh and then she nodded. "I promise. Now, I think it's time you tell me what you've been up to this summer?"
Colin grinned and told her how he had spent the first part of his summer taking nature photos all over the place and how his neighbour Mrs Tottenham had even paid him for the photos of her garden. He and Dennis were playing in a summer football league which he was enjoying immensely and told her that she had to come to his game this upcoming Thursday. He told her how his dad was going to take them camping in August for a week and how Dennis had accidentally turned his broccoli into green gummy candies, which had infuriated their mother, but only convinced Colin that he was definitely going to get his Hogwarts letter.
By the time they finally fell asleep, both of them were still grinning.
~ ASC ~
The next morning, after Harry was finished his morning chores and had taken his usual morning ride with Cloud Dancing; he, Zee, and Sirius made their way down to the State Fair. It was a big event and Harry was fascinated by all of the different things that they had to offer. There were fun games like ring toss or knocking over milk bottles for prizes. There were pie eating contests where one wasn't allowed to use their hands. Vegetables big enough to rival something that Hagrid had grown, not to mention the food.
Zee immediately bought Sirius and Harry each a deep fried Oreo, telling them that it was something that they had to try at least once. It was surprisingly delicious in his opinion. They wandered round the fair. Sirius tried the ring toss, winning Zee a big stuffed animal of a lion. She kissed him and he grinned before whispering to Harry that he might have used a little spell to toss that last ring. Harry had only smirked at him.
Zee's attention caught something up ahead and she told them that she would be right back, hurrying off, and Sirius pointed to the pie eating contest.
"Think you can win that, Padpup?" At Harry's arched eyebrow, he grinned. "Fine, Harry."
Harry smirked at him. "Ron would totally win it if he was here."
"Let's sign up, it will be fun."
He grinned and watched his father sign Harry and Zee up for the competition which would be in two hours.
"Why aren't you signing up?"
He only grinned. "Someone has to document this momentous occasion."
Harry only rolled his eyes as Zee rushed back, grinning hugely. "I just made it!"
"Made what?" Sirius asked her.
She smirked and stood on her toes to kiss him. "I need Padfoot."
Sirius merely arched an eyebrow before disappearing out behind one of the booths and emerging a few moments later in his furrier form. Zee scratched him behind the ears before she bent down and discretely transfigured the hair tie on her wrist into a long pink ribbon which she tied around Padfoot's neck as Harry grinned, widely.
"Don't you just look beautiful," she cooed, kissing Padfoot's head.
Padfoot whined, his eyes on the ribbon and she tapped him lightly on the nose.
"No, leave it on. We're going to win us a talent show!"
Padfoot pouted, covering his eyes with his paw.
Harry only stared at her as she carefully and discreetly made a leash and collar for her 'dog' and he followed her over to the area that she had come just from. It was a dog competition. Dogs were doing tricks for prizes and to Harry's surprise, one could win pounds for it. He watched as Zee straightened Padfoot's bow.
"You're going to make him do tricks?"
Zee grinned. "Don't you think that he's a handsome show dog?"
Padfoot barked, covering his face with his paw again as if he was embarrassed and she grinned, scratching him behind the ears.
Harry merely held up his camera. "Uncle Moony has got to see this!"
Padfoot nudged Harry, sternly, and shook his head. Harry only grinned and snapped a photo of Padfoot in the bright pink bow. Zee laughed and hurried Padfoot into the ring. She was grinning at him as she spoke commands: Bark, sit, roll over, play dead, jump. Then she tossed a frisbee up into the air and made him catch it before having him jump through a large hoop. His butt got stuck in the hoop and the crowd laughed as Harry took photo after photo.
They didn't win the competition, but Zee was laughing, her curly hair in a messy braid down her back as Sirius came out from behind one of the tents.
"That — was — absolutely — demoralizing!"
Zee grinned, laughing as he tugged her up against him, kissing her deeply. "But fun. You were such a good dog."
He chuckled and kissed her again. "You are lucky I love you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Now come on, we have a pie eating contest to get to."
"Pie eating contest?"
"Yes, I signed you and Harry up and it's about to start."
Harry found it more fun than he had expected. His hands had to stay behind his back as a blueberry pie was placed in front of his face. Sirius kept his glasses for him as he dug in, trying not to laugh as blueberries covered his face in his attempt to eat it without his hands.
Someone won so he stopped eating, surprised to learn that the champion was Zee. Her face was covered in blueberries and she was grinning from ear to ear. Sirius snapped a photo of the two of them covered in fruit and pastry before he let them clean off.
They wandered around some of the vendor booths before Zee Apparated them to a few different 'must see places' on her list and Harry was able to buy a few souvenirs and gifts for his friends. For Ron he bought homemade peach jam, an Atlanta Braves baseball hat, some Georgia peanuts along with an entire basket of American Muggle sweets. For Neville he also bought peanuts and a rather brilliant looking birdhouse. He found homemade candles for Hermione and a book on the history of Georgia, including a postcard from the Margaret Mitchell house and a special copy of her famous novel Gone With the Wind. For Luna he found dangling earrings of bright peaches that were strange enough that only she would wear them along with a set of wooden wind chimes with a carved owl at the top that were said to protect the home from evil spirits. For Ginny he found a beautiful Native American dreamcatcher because the idea of having something to give her good dreams seemed perfect and he also found bought her a necklace of something called enamel which was a combination of melted glass and metals. The pendant was the size of a Sickle with a beautiful jewel colours.
It was late afternoon when they left the boardwalk and Zee Apparated them to Eatonton where she said that they had to make a quick stop at a museum. Harry had groaned at this, but she hugged him and told him to trust her; that he was definitely going to want to see this one.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the Uncle Remus Museum. He had Sirius take a picture of him standing next to the statue of Brer Rabbit under the sign for the museum with a grin. He was going to frame the photo and write that Georgia had an entire museum dedicated to Uncle Remus' badly behaved rabbit.
He and Sirius couldn't stop laughing at their joke.
Harry bought a copy of Joel Chandler Harris' book as well for Remus. He figured his father would really get a kick out of it. They went to a barbecue restaurant for dinner, meeting Sorcha and Misha there, and Harry eagerly filled them in on his day, taking out his souvenirs to show them as they listened attentively.
The next day was Harry's fourteenth birthday and Colt and Flo took Harry to a rodeo show. He was fascinated by the men who rode and roped bulls with such precision. It was dangerous and exciting and he could see the appeal of it. Misha and Sorcha took him out to dinner and Misha told him stories about Russia, the history and the mafia that still ran underground in the Russian Ministry of Magic.
When they returned to the ranch, Zee had made him a large chocolate birthday cake with rainbow frosting and he grinned as they sang to him. Harley was there too, which made him smile. He opened gifts after the cake. Colt and Flo had given him his own cowboy boots and a framed photo of him riding Cloud Dancing. Misha and Sorcha bought him new clothes and a book on Russian defensive magic (he told Harley it was a book of Russian folktales which Misha had charmed to appear as so). Zee gave him a new broomstick servicing kit and a new book on flying (they told Harley it was a football kit, to help him in his position as winger). Harley got him a little keychain of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and he grinned at her.
And finally Sirius handed him an envelope.
"You already got your main gift as you know, but this is a little surprise."
Harry grinned as he opened the envelope. He was pretty sure that he knew what was inside, but his smile practically cracked his face when he saw them. "We're going?"
"August twenty-fifth, we'll be in the top box."
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, hugging his father tightly. "Thank you!"
"I'm doing a favour for Bagman and he scored me sixteen tickets which means, the Weasleys are coming along with Neville, Hermione, and Luna if you'd like."
"This is great! Thank you! Thank you!"
Sirius hugged him back and smiled. "You're welcome, Harry."
After they ate more cake, Harry and Harley went for a walk outside and soon the two of them were snogging in the barn. They had slipped up to the loft, lying in the hay, hands roaming as they snogged intensely.
Harry couldn't believe how lucky he was. Not only was Harley letting his hands roam down over her denim clad bum, but she hadn't even protested when his hands slid over her breasts, squeezing lightly and fondling. She simply tilted her head back, grinning at him as he kissed her through her shirt. She slid her own hands under his tee shirt, touching his naked back and he sighed into her, grinning.
It was turning out to be a pretty great birthday in his opinion.
His lips met hers, for long, greedy kisses and it was Zee who found them an hour later, Harry's mouth kissing Harley's breasts through her tank top.
"Harry!" she exclaimed in surprise, startling both of them.
Harley blushed and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
The back of Harry's neck flushed red as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Er, hi Zee."
Zee only stared at him for a moment. "It's after nine, I think that Harley should head home now."
"Bye, Miss Zacarias," she murmured, giving Harry a sympathetic look before she booked it down the ladder and hurried off.
Zee only stared at Harry for a moment. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Sirius and I were wondering where you had wandered off to. Um, Harry, I hope that you and Harley are being… we're only here for a few more days and I don't…" she let out a slow breath. "You're only fourteen."
"We were just snogging."
Zee nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Well, yes, but I mean, that was some intense… it was a little more than just snogging and I know that your hormones might be getting a little out of control… I just want you to be careful."
"I appreciate that, but Uncle Siri and I already had the talk ages ago. I don't need another one," he told her, moving down the ladder.
"Harry," Zee said. "I'm not here to tell you what you and can and cannot do, but what was just happening up here — will not happen again. You do not have free rein to do whatever you want around this ranch. You and Harley are not to be left in here alone."
Harry stared at her, his eyes cool. "I can snog whoever I want and you can't tell me what to do."
"I'm not trying to dictate your life, but as long as you're staying here, you will not be holed up in dark rooms getting into trouble with a girl! Are we clear?"
He simply stared at her coolly before he turned and walked away.
Sirius merely raised an eyebrow at him when he stepped up onto the porch. "Where have you been hiding?"
"Nowhere," Harry muttered.
"You have lipstick on your chin."
Harry wiped it off with his arm. "I can snog who I want."
"Yes, you can. But, we are only here for eight more days so behave yourself."
Harry only glared at him and let himself into the house, door slamming behind him. Sirius merely looked at Zee questioningly as she approached the porch.
"What set him off?"
"I caught him and Harley up in the loft of the barn."
"Snogging, I presume?"
She nodded. "He was kissing her breasts."
Sirius grinned widely. "My boy's got game!"
Zee stared at him. "Sirius! This is serious. We can't just let him wander off and snog girls in dark secluded places!"
"Babe, he's a teenage boy, snogging is pretty much all he thinks about. Hell, when you're around, it's all I think about."
She smiled at that. "It's just… he should be more careful and what if I walked in ten minutes later, they could have been doing Merlin knows what!"
Sirius chuckled. "Zee, he's known the girl for two weeks. He's not going to shag her against the barn door. He's fourteen and still rather innocent and experimenting and that girl is hardly going to let him shag her either."
"You don't have to be so crude about it," she muttered.
He grinned. "Well, come on now, they're just kids."
"That's the point I'm trying to make, Sirius — they're not! I was Harley's age when I lost my virginity and a summer fling with an exotic English boy must be incredibly thrilling for her!"
"I love how worried you are," he said, kissing her forehead. "But trust me, I know my son. We had the talk and he knows all about being safe. He likes snogging her and experimenting a bit with touching never hurt anyone, but he's not going to take it further than that. He's too much like his mother."
"Like his mother?"
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, he has a beautiful heart and the last thing that he would want is to get serious with this girl, and have to leave her. When is he going to see her again? Next summer, if ever?"
"You bring up a good point," she said, quietly.
Sirius kissed her softly. "Do I need to go talk to Harry?"
She nodded and hugged him. "Yes."
He kissed her again and then headed into the house and up the stairs to Harry's room, knocking softly on the door.
"Come in," Harry said.
Sirius pushed the door open. Harry was sitting crosslegged on his bed in his plaid pyjama pants and a white tee shirt. "Zee's a bit worried."
Harry rolled his eyes. "She shouldn't be. She told me that I'm not allowed to be alone with Harley anymore! What gives her the right?"
Sirius sighed, closing the door behind him and moving to sit on Harry's bed. "It is her family home so, she gets to make the rules, but you know that she didn't mean you can't spend time with Harley." He stared at his son for a moment. "Zee said that you had a right gob full?"
Harry flushed bright red. "We were just snogging, Uncle Siri, I — I'm not ready to do anything else. Her… our clothes were still on!"
Sirius smiled at him. "I know," he said. "I told her that. I think she just panicked a bit, thinking you were getting up to no good with the hanky-panky, worried that the older woman was getting frisky."
Harry rolled his eyes. "She just turned fifteen in June, she's not that much older!"
Sirius grinned. "First Cho, then Harley, just saying, you seem to like the older ladies. I never asked if Sophie was older." Harry blushed and he smirked at him. "We're only here for eight more days and you can spend as much time with Harley as you want, but let's not go up to the loft in the barn, deal?"
Harry nodded. "Deal."
"Good and you can apologize to Zee in the morning."
"But I —"
" — No," Sirius interrupted. "She invited us here to spend time with her family and she has been nothing but nice to you. You don't have any right to speak to her rudely. She cares about you and was just worried."
"The way she spoke to me… she's not my… "
Sirius stared at him as he trailed off. "No, she's not your mother. She's my girlfriend and the woman who has been going out of her way to be a friend to you, who loves you, and who cares about you. Would it really be so bad if she wanted to give you some motherly advice?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Sirius grinned at him. "Apology accepted. Now apologize to Zahira."
Harry nodded. "I will." Sirius nodded, standing up and moving to the bedroom door. "Uncle Sirius?"
He turned to smile at his son, his hand on the doorknob. "Yes, Harry?"
"I — I think I'd like it if she wanted to be my mum sometimes."
Sirius stared at him, eyes wide and he paled. "Er, well, I mean, that's great that you, um, er, we're not, I mean… right. Er, night, Harry."
Harry grinned as Sirius hurried out of his bedroom. Sometimes his father was a complete mystery to him.
~ ASC ~
Tonks let herself into the cottage that night after a long and rather strenuous day at work. She had spent most of it doing paperwork and her eyes were sore from keeping busy. Remus was sitting on the sofa in the living room. He had seven different folders open on the coffee table and was making notes on his curriculum for the school year. She bent over the back of the couch to kiss him.
"Working hard, Professor?"
He grinned at her. "I'm just trying to get organized for the year. September's coming up fast. After that amazing petition my students signed, the last thing I want to do is disappoint any of them."
"Not possible, Rem," she said, kissing him again.
He smiled at her. "Harry will be back home in a few days already and then we have the World Cup. It's just… coming up fast."
"Oh yes, I can't believe that Sirius actually got tickets. It's going to be incredible."
"Agreed," Remus told her with a smile. "Come sit, tell me about your day."
She shook her head. "Long, paperwork, boring. I think I just want to take a shower."
Remus nodded, gripping her chin and tugging her close for a kiss. "Want to go out tonight? We can try out that new restaurant that opened in town that you were talking about?"
Tonks shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow. I think I just want to stay in."
"Okay," he said, smiling at her. "Go have your shower. I'll find something for dinner."
Tonks nodded and made her way into the bathroom. She stripped down, closing her eyes in pleasure as the six warm jets all hit her body simultaneously. Dealing with the backlash of the Dementors loose on the Hogwarts grounds, the still absent escaped Death Eaters of Lestrange and Pettigrew (who was only absent in the eyes of the Ministry), and Remus finally being home — was more intense than she had expected it to be.
She loved her job and she loved working the cases, but after Remus had gone to prison, her faith in the justice system had wavered a little bit. Not to mention that Fudge was in still an uproar because twelve of the Dementors that had been sent to Hogwarts had mysteriously vanished. She knew that Harry had actually killed them with his Patronus; they had disintegrated. The power that he had was incredible and she was so proud of him. He had told her everything that had happened the night she had been in the forest with her mate and it still blew her mind to think about it.
As for Remus, he was getting ready for September and keeping busy, but he wasn't saying much. She knew that those thirty days in solitary had affected him, but he wasn't talking about it, not since that first night when he had opened up. He'd had a few bad dreams since he'd come home, but when she tried to talk to him, he pushed her away, insisting that he was fine. She didn't want to push him. She knew that when he was ready he would come to her. Coming home to him at the end of each day was the best thing that she ever could have imagined, knowing that it was a home they shared together. He made her so happy and she felt like she did the same to him.
She washed up and then covered her body in lotion before heading into their bedroom wrapped in a towel. She opened her dresser to find something to put on and her eyes fell on the lovely lingerie that she had purchased with Zee when Remus had been in prison. She hadn't had the guts to put any of it on yet. She grabbed one of the three she had purchased and bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should and then before she could talk herself out of it, she locked the bedroom door and changed into the bra, knickers, garter, and nightie. She used her wand to dry her hair and added a bright pink lipstick as her only makeup and then she grinned at herself.
Remus wasn't going to know what hit him. She put her towel in the hamper and headed out. She found him in the kitchen, chopping vegetables at their new island and she leaned against the doorjamb, biting her bottom lip nervously as she lost her balance and caught herself on the door frame before she fell over.
Remus merely looked up in amusement at the sound of her stumbling and then his jaw dropped open, his whiskey coloured eyes widening as they travelled down her body. "D-Dora," he choked.
She grinned at him. "Zee and I went shopping and I picked this out for you. What do you think?" she asked, turning slowly to give him a full visual of the bow tied at the tip of her bum.
Remus dropped the knife and moved around the counter, his erection already straining his jeans. "You're a goddess."
Tonks grinned, smiling when his hand reached up to cup a breast, sliding down over her stomach. She took his hand and placed it between her legs. "They're crotchless."
Remus' eyes darkened when he found her wet and then he simply fell to his knees and put his head between her legs.
Tonks' head fell back, her hands moving into his hair and all she thought was, she was really glad that she had gotten the outfit.
~ ASC ~
Harry apologized to Zee first thing the next morning and she did the same. She didn't want him to think that he couldn't spend time with Harley, she had just been surprised to find them in such a compromising position. Harry promised not to be alone with her up in the loft of the barn again and they both felt better after apologizing. He spent the morning riding Cloud Dancing before Colt came home for lunch and offered to take Harry on a tour of the Toccoa Police Department.
It was interesting.
He went through the jail cells and listened to his grandfather tell him all about how they booked criminals, arrested them, and how the justice system worked in the American Muggle world. It was similar yet very different at the same time. The magical world was definitely a lot harsher in terms of punishment, at least in Britain, though Colt did tell him that they had the death penalty in the state of Georgia and explained how the process of executing a prisoner worked. Harry thought that it was rather strange that some states had the death penalty and others didn't when they were all part of the same country. When he asked Colt about it, Colt began explaining about the rather tumultuous history of America.
"Colonials," Harry said with a smirk, making Colt laugh.
"Damn straight!"
He met a few of the officers that worked under Colt and he smiled when Colt told him that he had officially handed in his retirement papers the week before. He would be leaving his badge behind starting September the first and he was rather nervous about it. But he had the ranch and the horses and he knew that that's where he should be spending his time.
They went fishing and Harry told Colt about his talk with Sirius and Zee from the night before. Colt smiled at him and told him that girls come and go and that Harley was a summer fling and he was allowed to enjoy himself, but if he hurt that poor girl, he would be in a heap of trouble. Harry had smiled at him and promised not to hurt her. She knew that he was leaving on Monday.
They didn't catch anything, but they headed back to the ranch both feeling more rested. He spent the next few days riding Cloud Dancing, snogging Harley, and practicing his Animagus. His puppy had already grown a bit from his practicing, but was still a bit of a runt and needed to grow. Harry was getting more comfortable in his dog form the more he transformed. He wasn't tripping over his big paws as much and he could even walk up stairs on his own for the most part. He was hoping that it meant that Remus would let him stay with him during the next full moon. Flo thought that he was adorable and cuddled the puppy for over ten minutes before Harry was able to plan his escape.
By the time the week had come to an end, Harry was anxious to go home and sad to leave at the same time. The ranch had seemed like home. He loved the horses, he loved Colt and Flo, and he loved the entire atmosphere of Georgia. He spent his last afternoon snogging Harley before she kissed him softly and promised to never forget him.
He was feeling a bit bummed when he returned to the farmhouse and found Colt sitting on the front porch with Sirius and Misha. The three of them each had an open jar in front of them and a small bowl full of chocolates in the middle of the table. He watched as Sirius took a drink from the jar, wincing before he reached for a chocolate and popped it in his mouth.
He chewed for a moment and then grinned, leaning back in his chair proudly. Colt did the same, looking pleased as he watched Misha reach for a chocolate.
Harry stepped up onto the porch, his eyebrow raised. "What are you three drinking?"
"Homemade moonshine, Harry," Colt said with a grin. "My own personal recipe for incredible white lightning."
Misha made a face. "It burns right through your stomach. It's not smooth, not a good burn, like vodka."
Harry shrugged and reached into the bowl, helping himself to a chocolate as Sirius' eyes widened.
"Harry — no!"
But Harry had already popped the chocolate into his mouth. "What?"
But he couldn't ask anything more than that because his entire mouth was on fire. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead as the back of his neck flushed red and he spit out the chocolate as Colt busted into laughter. Harry gagged, convinced that he was about to breathe fire as Misha handed him a tall glass of milk.
"Drink."
Harry drank, desperate to get the taste from his mouth as his eyes watered. He gulped down two tall glasses of milk before he was able to talk.
"What the hell was that?"
"Ghost pepper," Colt said on a grin. "Hottest pepper in the world. We were playing a little game of roulette and you, m'boy, stole the prize."
"He can have it," Sirius said with a smirk. "I certainly didn't want it."
"I feel like I can breathe fire," Harry told them.
Misha handed him his jar of moonshine. "Drink."
Harry took a sip, gagging at the taste. "I think that's worse."
"Hey, no!" Colt exclaimed. "That's my pride and joy!"
Zee came out onto the porch as Harry handed the moonshine back to Misha. "Papa! Are you giving Harry Grandpa's moonshine?"
"Just a taste, Zahira. He ate the ghost pepper."
She looked at him sympathetically. "Well, at least you won't find Grandma's chilli too hot now."
Harry only glared at her.
They ate chilli and beer bread for dinner. Misha and Sorcha took a portkey after dinner, both hugging Harry tightly and telling him to write. They promised to see him again soon. Harry went for one more horseback ride with Colt, hugging Cloud Dancing before he went to pack his things.
Colt and Flo hugged him close, making him promise to write and Zee held onto Lady Godiva's collar as the three of them Apparated to their portkey destination which left at nine oh seven that evening. Their passports and paperwork were once more processed by MACUSA before they touched the portkey, this time a yellow rain boot, and they landed near Bristol at two in the morning in England time before the three of them Apparated home. Zee made her way to her own house, Lady Godiva in tow as Sirius and Harry stepped into Black Cottage. They had a pile of post on the kitchen table, but Sirius urged Harry to try to sleep for a few hours and counteract the jet lag.
Harry crawled into his own bed happily, thinking that this had been one of the best summers of his life. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a big smile on his face.