Author's Note:
Shoutout to Lindsey and Elizabeth — You'll know why :D
Busy weekend ahead for me so this is your second post for the week. I hope you like it.
Reviews and Comments: To LifeonEarth: Yes, yes, my slow burn has gotten wildly out of control, but I do not want Harry and Ginny to be rushed. They are perfect for each other and they need to get together when they are supposed to be. Harry needs some time to just adjust and to relax and to spend it with his girlfriend. Mandy understands that he's not ready to talk just yet and she is worried about him, but right now she sees that he just needs to have a little holiday and spend time with her and for the moment, she is okay with that. Thank you! To OneDocToHealThemAll: Thank you! To Steelcode: Thank you! To darkpegasuzz: Thank you! Nope, I am not telling who the mystery woman is. To supersandman86: Oh, Remus and Tonks have certainly made their way around the castle lol. Yes, I loved giving Harry a chance to see his parents and grandparents. We will see more to Harry's growing power later on. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you for saying it "was kind of fitting that Sirius had unshed tears in his eyes and Zee let out a choked sob, each couple doing only half of the crying they probably wanted to." Thanks for noticing that! Yes, the wild roses climbing up the walls of the Godric's Hollow's cottage is lovely! Harry definitely gets his Quidditch talent naturally! Thank you!
To purplevictory: Thank you and yes, the winning remark did go to my beta lol! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! Yes, a possible foreshadowed death we will see. To Guest: Thank you! It's nice to give him a normal childhood. Harry and Ginny are meant to be, don't worry. To Wolf's scream: Thank you! Ha, yes Bill might have some incentive indeed! No, Mandy definitely didn't find that talk very satisfying! Thank you! To DetroitNate: Yes, Harry and Mandy are not ideal, but I'm sorry you're finding their time together tiresome. Thank you for your thoughts. To CelinaGryffindor: Thanks for loving my Harry and Ginny as well as my Harry and Mandy bit. Sorry, lots more Sirius and Zee and Remadora to come! To WarMunger98: I'm glad people are worried over what Lily ha to say. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you for saying this chapter was everything you didn't know you needed. Mind-blowing can definitely last forever, especially for them! Thank you! To midnitewanderer: Me too, me too. LOL. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To twinkieduh: Harry and Ginny will get there. He's not wasting his time with Mandy, he does like her. But he's fifteen and a bit confused. Thank you! To iKingAnomalyII: Thank you for saying my story is one of your favourites of how Harry gets rid of the Horcrux. Thank you!
To Obscure-Reference-Girl: Thank you liking the whole surgery and limbo bit and saying it was so creative! I know, everyone wanted Ginny to join Harry in Greece, but Ginny needs her own little holiday! Yes, an introduction of more Fleur and we will see some of how Bill is dealing with her. Thank you! To Emotional guest: Ha, please don't quit your job and start baking chocolate chip cookies for me lol. But they are a great motivation! Thank you very much for your kind words! To Leaf Ranger: Yes, it is taking a while to get to the Hinny, but I promise it is coming! Thank you! To Matt9917: There is some hidden tension between Harry and Mandy over Ginny and it will come up again. Thank you! To DaphThePuff: Harry and Mandy are cute together, but I think there are some parts of his life that he doesn't feel he can bring her into, not yet. Theo and Ginny will have a great holiday together! But no shagging of Muggles for Ginny. She's not ready for that! Thank you! To coloredwords: I love Bill and Fleur and I will be sticking with them! Yes, it was nice to see some James and Lily! Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Yes, it was steamy! You think Mandy will be Harry's first? We'll see. Thank you! To Krazyasibe: Thank you! To Saz J: Theo and Ginny are going to have a great holiday with Bill and Fleur! Thank you! Yes, I do love to write some naughty and steamy scenes! Thank you! To akshutalankar: Thank you!
To AntiCreator: I do update regularly, but yes, waiting does suck! Thank you very much! To Gellert99: Ginny does deserve a bit of fun and this holiday will be exactly what she needs. Theo is the perfect matchmaker! Thank you! To mysuvone: You're waiting for the crash and burn of Mandy and the fire of Ginny? LOL. Soon. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Harry will tell them what happened. Nope, Ron and Lavender are still going, for now. Yes, Mandy needs to understand that Ginny has been part of his life for ten years and will always be an important part of his life. She knows not to make him choose. Ha, well, I think Harry was embarrassed enough about Remus and Tonks' sex life that Mandy didn't know how to react lol. Thank you! To Jane H'ghar: You think Harry and Ginny would make a dull couple? I disagree. To sherryola: Thank you! As to Harry choosing to go back, as much as he wanted to stay with his parents and grandparents, he wasn't ready to give up the life or the parents he already has waiting for him back home. It was a hard choice for him. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Thank you! Fee and Monty would definitely have been great grandparents had they been given the chance! Thanks for liking my hint at the start of Bill and Fleur! Yes, Sirius definitely had something to say about Remus' proposal LOL. Thank you! To Guest: Sorry you're having a rough day. Hope the chapter makes you smile. Thank you! To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you!
To josht1987: Sorry you had to punch a wall after that ending lol. Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Thank you for saying the chapter was beautiful except for the warning. You don't know what it means yet and it's very far in the future, so no worrying about it. I know you hate Mandy lol. Thank you! To pottermum: Thank you! Hinny is coming soon! To Rayssa_RDuarte: LOL — I suppose that's fair! Just a little longer and she is almost gone, I promise! Thank you! To Matt71478: Thank you! Yes, it does seem that whomever Hinny is dating, it comes back to their closeness being a source of tension. Thank you! To Lady Phoenix: Thank you for saying the meet with Harry's parents was so sweet and much needed. What if Theo's potential love interest was a Fae or other creature, yes that would piss off his father indeed. Guess, you'll have to wait and see as I already have that planned out! Yes, there are underlying issues with Mandy and Harry's unwillingness to share everything does put a rift between them. Hinny do belong together. Thank you! Yes, I thought Harry having that moment in the "afterlife" was important and altering it to include his parents and grandparents was a must, especially since Dumbledore is clearly not dead. And yes new students coming in should be exciting, hopefully lol. Mandy and Harry are definitely coming to an end but right now Mandy is just thinking Harry is traumatized and worried and that he will come to her eventually and that he just needs more time. She has yet to see the bigger picture. harry is taking comfort where he can. Thank you! To pavk9918: Thank you! And wow, two weeks! I am impressed with your determination! Thanks for reading! To Soveliss: Thank you for loving my fluff! Thank you!
This chapter is important for a few reasons. Yes, it is full of fluff, but I also think that it's important for both Ginny and Harry. I know that some of you will agree with me and I have a pretty good idea of those who will not.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on 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 EIGHTY-FOUR:
The One Where Tonks Isn't Pregnant
Ginny was lying on the beach in a turquoise two piece, her freckled back exposed to the sun. She had applied a generous amount of sun cream already, but she could already feel the heat of the sun on her back. They had already been in Anguilla for three days and she thought that it had been the most incredible time of her young life. The weather was beautiful; warm sun, warm sand, and crystal clear blue waters. Bill and Fleur had spent most of their days working on their assignment, which was something to do with a cursed pirate treasure from a few centuries earlier. She reached down for the bottle of sun cream before she became too lobster-like and Theo took it from her.
"I was just thinking that you were going to fry if you didn't reapply."
"Thanks," she said as he put it on her back before handing it back to her. She did the rest of her body and was rubbing it into her legs when she heard someone say, 'hey'.
She looked up and saw two good looking teenage boys in front of her. One of them was very blond, almost Malfoy blond, with bright blue eyes. His friend had sandy brown hair and brown eyes.
"Hey," she said back.
Theo grinned at them. "Hi, and who might you two be?"
"I'm Dan," the brown-haired bloke said. "And this is my friend Ryan. We're starting a volleyball game along the beach and wanted to know if you two were interested in joining. We could use two more players."
"I've never played volleyball before," Ginny told them, wondering what it even was. The thought of learning a Muggle sport intrigued her.
"It's easy. We'll teach you," Ryan said with a grin.
Ginny grinned at Theo. "You in?"
"I'm in," he said, jumping to his feet and tugging her up with him. "Let's go!"
Ten minutes later, Ginny found herself loving the game. It was simple enough: Don't let the ball touch the ground. She was better in the back because she was short and couldn't stop the ball from soaring over her head when she was too close to the net. But she was soon doing very well and had scored six times on the opposing team, making Ryan beam at her.
They played for almost two hours before heading to the water to cool off. Ginny learned that Dan and Ryan were on holiday themselves and that they lived in California. They were both freshman at Fresno High in San Joaquin Valley and were here in Anguilla for the summer. They were planning on going surfing the next morning and Ginny immediately became intrigued at the idea that Muggles had a way to fly on the water. Theo laughed at her when she told him that she wanted to try it and he agreed that it sounded fun.
They spent the afternoon with them and agreed to meet them the next morning for surfing lessons. When Ginny told Bill about it over dinner, he grinned widely at her.
"That does sound fun. With as much as you love to fly, it sounds like surfing would be right up your alley. Do you think that they'd mind if Fleur and I joined in?"
Fleur smiled. "Oh, non, I do not think I should like to try zat, but I will watch."
Fleur did watch and the boys watched her. The only one who didn't seem at all fazed by Fleur in her modest white bikini, was Ryan and Dan's friend, Connor. Ginny immediately linked her arm through Theo's as they watched Dan, Ryan, and Connor ride the waves.
"I think Connor is gay."
Theo rolled his eyes. "That's absurd. Just because the Veela charms aren't working on him doesn't make him gay…"
Ginny grinned. "You keep checking him out."
"I check everyone out," he said cheekily.
Ginny simply wiggled her eyebrows at him and moved back into the ocean. In less than an hour, Ginny was feeling confident up on the board. She stood up, working to keep her balance and rode her first wave, screaming in excitement even as the second wave took her down.
Ryan swam towards her and grinned widely. "That was awesome! Try again!"
By lunch time, Ginny had found a new love and almost looked like she had been surfing her whole life. She loved the feeling of flying over the waves, riding the water like it was air and soaring like a bird. It was almost as good as flying — almost.
They picnicked on the beach, chatting about surfing and agreed to meet up again the next morning to try it again. Bill and Fleur headed back to work and Ginny asked their new friends if they were interested in exploring Fountain Cavern with her and Theo. Connor readily agreed and Ryan shrugged indifferently. Dan's girlfriend wanted to go shopping so he shook his head and hurried off with the blonde.
Ginny found the cavern completely fascinating. It was a place called Fountain Cavern and it had all sorts of archaeological history and culture. Ginny found herself amazed by it. She took photos to show her father when she got home; making faces with Theo and asking the tour guide all sorts of questions.
The next day they met the boys for surfing again and were joined by Dan, his girlfriend Gina, and her friend Mellie, before taking a boat ride out later that afternoon to sail around and see some of the sites around Anguilla. She smiled when she saw Theo talking animatedly with Connor. She smirked slightly and Ryan came up to stand next to her.
"They seem to be making friendly," he said conversationally.
She nodded. "They do."
"So, you two are from England?"
She smiled at him. "We are, but we attend a boarding school in Scotland."
"Boarding school? That sounds terrible."
"Nah, it's brilliant."
"And, he's your boyfriend?"
Ginny laughed. "Oh, Merlin, no! He's just a really great friend and I'm really not his type."
"Oh," Ryan said, smiling wider at her. "That's good."
"Is it?" she asked with a grin.
He nodded, his smile catching. "It is. There's this party tonight at Shoal Bay East. There's going to be music, a bonfire — it sounds great. Come with me."
Ginny smiled at him. "I'll think about it. Theo has to come."
"Of course; just promise me a dance."
"Maybe," she said, smiling at him.
She soon learned that he played football which wasn't at all like the football that she knew. Apparently Americans called British football 'soccer' and American football was quite different. He explained how he was a quarterback and what his role was in the game. He was also a huge flirt and she thought that the attention he bestowed upon her was rather nice. She hadn't wanted to admit it to anyone, but after what had happened with Michael, she was nervous around blokes. She was scared that if she allowed herself to get too close, to attempt any intimacy past snogging — she would panic again. That she would once again find herself in the Chamber and under Tom's thrall and the thought scared her. She didn't want to be that girl.
But for now, she was very much enjoying the flirtatious banter back and forth. And when they stepped off the boat, he called her name. She turned to look at him, eyes widening in surprise when he pecked her cheek.
"Smooth move, Mr Baker."
He grinned. "Come to the party tonight and dance with me."
Ginny bit her lip as she smiled at him. "It does sound fun."
Ryan moved a little closer to her, his eyes on hers and then he was dipping his head to meet her lips for a soft, lingering kiss and she smiled at him. "Come to the party tonight and dance with me."
"What party?" Theo asked from behind them, making Ginny jump slightly. "I love parties."
Ryan explained the event and Theo grinned at her.
"Let's go."
Ginny smiled at Ryan. "I guess we'll see you there tonight."
When they returned to the villa, Theo was grinning widely. "So, you and Ryan, eh?"
Ginny shrugged, blushing a little. She had known that he was going to kiss her and she had wanted him too. "It was… nice. Not like your kiss with Michael."
Theo rolled his eyes. "Look, for the hundredth time, he needed to be taught a lesson for how he treated you and — since he is a complete asshat — the idea of him possibly being gay is basically a death sentence in his eyes. He said as much to you when he realized the love potion thing could be bad if a bloke had used one on him."
Ginny sighed. "But I asked you not to do anything to him. I had already hexed him."
"You did. His prick deserved it and more and besides when Pott — er, I mean, when I decided to do that, it was a punishment for me as well. Did you think that I wanted to kiss him?"
Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You were going to say Potter."
"No, don't think I was," Theo said quickly.
"Theo, why did you do that to Michael and what does Harry have to do with it?"
"Because he deserved it."
"And Harry?"
"Ginny, you have got Potter on the brain, not that I can blame you, he has turned into quite the dish this year. He really has the most gorgeous bum and those eyes —"
"—Theo!"
He grinned at her. "Potter didn't do anything. We just happened to be chatting about how much of a prick Michael is and Potter mentioned that you had made him promise not to do anything and he wished that he could. I told him that I hadn't made any such promise."
"So, he put you up to it?"
Theo shook his head. "No. It was one hundred percent my idea, but he may have cheered me on a bit."
Ginny glowered at him. "You kissed him without his permission and ruined his reputation!"
Theo smiled at her. "Are you actually pissed at me for doing it?"
She sighed. "No. He did deserve it, the git. After I told him what happened to me and why I panicked, he told me that he cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend! Sometimes I think I should have just punched him in the face."
Theo chuckled. "There's still time in September, I'm sure he'll do something else annoying."
Ginny grinned. "No, I'm over him. He was… he deserved it. But next time, even if Harry cheers you on — stay out of it."
He shrugged. "Michael's a dickwad — now let's talk about Ryan."
She snorted, watching him wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at her. "Okay, look, I think that maybe I do want to spend some more time with Ryan and not to just forget all about Michael. It will be fun to dance with him tonight and maybe kiss him again. I just… with everything that happened at the end of the year on top of Michael, I need the distraction."
Theo grinned. "I think that we deserve more than just a distraction. We deserve some fun."
"And you? I saw you talking with Connor," she said.
His smile widened. "I think that you were right about Connor, I got a vibe from him."
"See! At the party tonight you should ask him out and see what happens!"
Theo shrugged but his eyes were twinkling. "We'll see. Come on, we have to find something to wear!"
~ ASC ~
When they arrived at the party, the music was blaring and Theo immediately tugged Ginny into the throng of people to dance. She laughed as they fell into the rhythm of the crowd, moving and dancing to the beat. When the song slowed, he put his hands on her hips and she smiled as they danced slowly under the moon and the light of the fire.
"I see Connor over there," Theo said, his eyes moving over to the water.
"Go say hi."
He shook his head. "What if I'm wrong and he's not... I don't .."
Ginny stood on her toes and kissed her cheek. "Can't be afraid to take chances. A good friend of mine told me that once."
He grinned sheepishly. "Okay. Should we see if Ryan is around?"
"I'll be fine. Go!"
She watched him hurry off towards Connor and she grinned moving deeper into the dancing horde. She was only alone for a moment before she found herself dancing with a tall blond bloke with a dazzling smile. They danced for two songs before Ryan cut in and she politely said goodbye to the unknown blond.
They danced almost in silence before he suggested that they take a walk on the beach. When he placed his hand in hers, she smiled up at him before she took off her shoes to walk barefoot in the sand. He asked her about herself and she told him about her brothers and her friends.
His eyes were heated when he looked at her. "Can I kiss you again?"
Ginny blushed, but she nodded. He bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Small little nips until she parted her lips and then it was sweet and deep. They grinned at each other and kissed again and Ginny thought so far this holiday definitely had its perks.
And it was exactly the kind of distraction that she needed.
~ ASC ~
Theo couldn't stop grinning.
He had made Connor's entire neck and back of his ears flush bright red with his flirting and he was feeling pretty proud of himself. The bloke was definitely interested. He settled back into his spot on the beach, his arms resting behind him in the sand and his long legs spread out. He was trying to work up the courage to kiss him.
"You have the sweetest looking lips, has anyone ever told you that? Cherry red from that drink in your hand, and utterly kissable."
Connor blushed darker, and rubbed a finger over his lips before he turned and pressed his lips to Theo, surprising him. The kiss was hesitant and unsure and Theo reached a hand up into his hair, holding him close, deepening it, and he felt the boy sigh into him.
Oh, he was definitely interested, he thought.
And then he kissed him again.
Connor's lips were soft and moist and after kissing him chastely for a minute or two, he used his tongue and the boy's eyes flew open in surprise before he used his own, touching and tasting him. Theo placed his hands on the boy's hips, leaning in and deepening the kiss, long and soft, deep and slow, until they were both breathless.
"Wow," Connor said, his eyes on Theo's.
"Was that your first time kissing a bloke?" Theo asked.
Connor nodded, his eyes heating up. "Yes."
Theo squeezed his hip gently. "Want to do it again?"
Connor grinned and licked his lips. "Yeah, yeah, I do," he said as he pushed Theo down into the sand and covered his lips with his again.
It was turning out to be a great holiday, Theo thought.
~ ASC ~
Ginny grinned at Theo when he started walking towards her and Ryan where they were sitting near the fire talking a few hours later. They had told Bill that they would be back by midnight and it took fifteen minutes to walk back to the villa.
"I have to go," she said making Ryan pout.
"Come surfing with us again tomorrow? Please?"
"I'd like that," she told him honestly. "Surfing is incredible and I think that I'm getting quite good at it."
"Definitely," Ryan told her with a grin. "You're a natural!"
She saw Ryan's eyes widen slightly when Theo kissed Connor before he hurried over and slipped his arm through Ginny's. Ginny looked back at the boys as she and Theo hurried back to their villa.
"So, how good of a snog is he?"
"I thought that you didn't want to hear about my escapades any more?"
Ginny grinned at him. "No, I said 'sexcapades.' I don't desire to hear about those, but kissing is definitely allowed."
His smiled slowly. "It was great. His lips were soft and tasted like cherries from that cherry soda pop he was drinking. His hands moved into all the right places and we just kissed for over an hour; him lying on top of me, pinning me to the sand. I could feel his erection against my leg… he was definitely into me."
Ginny smiled at him. "Are you going to spend some more time with him?"
He nodded. "He said that maybe after surfing tomorrow we could go for a walk, I told him that I would if you didn't mind?"
"No! Go, have a great time!"
Theo grinned and nodded. "I definitely want to snog him again."
"Good. I just want you to be happy, Theo," she said as they came up upon the villa. Bill was sitting out on the patio waiting for them and she waved. "Waiting up. He has no trust."
Theo grinned. "I'd like to snog him."
Ginny glared at him. "I think we both know that Bill is out of your league and clearly into Fleur."
"What about Fleur?" Bill asked as they stepped onto the patio.
"She's beautiful and you're into her."
Bill blanched at that. "What? She's a colleague, Ginny. That would be extremely unprofessional. Go on, the both of you, get to bed."
Theo grinned and tilted his head to watch the sway of Bill's hips as he walked in front of them and when Ginny closed the bedroom door behind them, he grinned at her. "Seriously, your brother has the most biteable arse."
Ginny made a vomiting motion and he grinned.
"I'd like to bite Connor's arse."
"You just snogged him today!"
Theo grinned. "I didn't say right away. I just said that I'd like to. Besides, we still have a week and a half to enjoy ourselves. You can snog Ryan some more."
Ginny shrugged. "We'll see."
She headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed and smiled at herself in the mirror. Kissing Ryan had been nice. It had been fun and there were no strings involved. She wasn't looking for anything serious and she wasn't going to find it here when they had less than two weeks left of their holiday. But she could enjoy herself. There was nothing wrong with sharing some good snogs, she thought. She was single after all. She finished cleaning her teeth and washing her face, changing into her pjs before she headed back into the bedroom. Theo was already wearing striped bottoms and a white tee shirt.
"Chick, on a scale of one to ten, who do you think would be more likely to give a bloke a chance: Bill or Charlie?"
"Please stop telling me how attractive you find my brothers," Ginny pleaded. "They can choose to be with whomever they want, I just don't want to know the details."
Theo grinned devilishly. "I can't help it. If Bill or Charlie wanted to let me bottom for them, I'd be naked and under them before you could even blink."
"I'm going to have nightmares!" she exclaimed in horror. "Please stop!"
He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm certainly not."
He went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and she shook her head in amusement, crawling beneath the covers. The cooling charm on the villa made the room a little chilly and she snuggled into the pillow, feeling tired and was asleep before Theo even came back from the bathroom.
The last thing that Ginny expected when she fell asleep was to actually tumble into a nightmare, but it didn't really surprise her. Since Harry had told her of Voldemort's return, Tom had crept back into her dreams more often than not as of late. Tonight was no different.
She was in the Chamber and he was standing before her, his dark eyes raking her in, but she wasn't a child anymore. She was the same as she was now, and he no longer looked the handsome young prefect. He was bald with a snake-like nose and his eyes gleamed red as he twirled his wand through his fingers.
"I remember you, young and innocent... are you still innocent? If I close my eyes I can almost smell your blood on the stone floor."
She raised her wand to defend herself, but he was faster. Her clothes vanished and she was suddenly standing naked before him, attempting to cover herself.
"You've become a woman now," he observed. "Good. Get on your knees. This time I'll start with your own wand before moving onto more fun things."
She tried to fight him off, screaming in terror, but when she saw the familiar bone in his hand, she screamed and woke to Theo calling her name.
Ginny threw her arms around him as Bill hurried into the bedroom just as she burst into tears.
"Ginny?"
Theo was rubbing her back gently as she cried into his shirt. "I think she's okay," he said to Bill. "Woke me from a dead sleep."
Bill nodded, hesitating in the doorway. "If you need anything…"
The door closed quietly behind him as Theo crooned soft words to her. Her sobbing finally subsided and she moved away from him.
"I'm sorry. I need to shower."
She hopped off of the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Once she was standing under the spray, she heard the bathroom door open.
"Theo! I'm in the shower!"
"There's a curtain and no offence, but you have nothing that I want to see," he said, hopping up onto the large counter. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not overly," she called out, turning her face under the spray.
"The Dark Lord can't hurt you anymore, Ginny. Not like he did… you're safe now."
Ginny didn't answer him and when the shower shut off, she was thankful when he passed her a towel over the shower curtain. She wrapped herself up and stepped out, her wet hair down her back.
"We both know that what we dream often defies logic."
Theo nodded, hopping off the counter and moving to stand in front of her. "It does, but it also plays on our fears." He leaned in and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her. "I've grown fond of you, chick; no more scaring the shit out of me at four in the morning."
Ginny hugged him tightly and nodded. "I'll try. Go, get some sleep. I'm fine."
He looked hesitant, but nodded when she urged him off. She changed into clean pjs and French braided her hair before heading into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She had just sat on the sofa when Bill plopped down next to her and opened his arms. Ginny curled into him immediately.
"I knew that you wouldn't go back to sleep," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.
"I told Theo to go back to bed, but he was so sweet, making sure that I was okay."
Bill nodded. "I'm still not sure I like the fact that you two are sharing a bed, gay or not."
Ginny grinned. "He doesn't like me like that, Bill. You, however, he would like to do many naughty things to. At least that's what he says."
Bill flushed red. "Er…"
She smiled and stayed cuddled against him. "They've been coming back since Harry told me what happened to him. The thought of him… he's back, Bill. He tortured Harry and he would have killed him if he hadn't found the means to escape. And now… Harry is finally safe from it all."
"I wondered if he had told you," Bill said quietly, his eyes on hers. "Sirius sent word to me to let me know that another one was gone, but I didn't want to say anything in case you didn't know."
"Just me," she told him honestly. "I was there when he found out and afterwards… I don't think that he wanted to talk about it and he said that he didn't want to burden Hermione after Viktor… did Sirius say how it went? Harry just told me that he was fine and I know what his version of 'fine' entails."
Bill smiled and gently pressed his lips to the top of her head again. "He has a lot of recovering to do, but he handled the procedure just fine. Sirius told me he was going to be resting and enjoying a much needed holiday while he healed. Sirius said that he had a seizure and his heart stopped, something about a blood clot… and he was in a coma for over three days. But he woke up and everything was good."
"His heart — stopped?"
"Only for a moment. It sounds like it was a combination of the shock of it. Sirius says that they are planning to destroy it when they return to England."
Ginny stared at him and let out a slow breath. His heart had stopped beating, he had died… and he had only written the words that he was fine. When she saw him she was going to have some choice words for him, she thought. "Good, that's good."
Bill gently touched her cheek. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare, Ginny?"
Ginny shook her head. "It was more of the same."
He nodded. "Do you want me to contact Na'eemah?"
She shook her head again. "No. I'll be all right, honest."
Bill smiled at her. "Always were a Firecracker."
She smiled up at him. "I'm going to go surfing again after breakfast with those boys that Theo and I met. I'm getting quite good at it. You have to work on balancing yourself and judging the waves. It's fun."
"Good. Go and have a good time." He stood up and stretched. "I'm going to try to get another hour or so of sleep. You should try to do the same." At her look, he nodded. "Turn on the wireless then and Ginny?" When she turned to look at him, he grimaced. "Please tell Theo to stop checking out my arse."
She giggled as she watched her brother head back down to his room feeling much better about everything. She moved to the bookshelf on the wall, skimming the novels there and she tugged out one with a half naked man on the cover holding a scantily clad woman and she grinned. She could use a good romance novel, she thought and she moved out onto the patio with her cup of tea, making herself comfortable in the lounge chair and opened the book to read about how the devilish pirate lord had found himself falling in love with the beautiful outspoken woman; forgetting her own nightmare for the time being and falling into the world of swashbuckling romance on the high seas.
~ ASC ~
Bill was working side by side in the cavern vaults of the bank with Fleur as they organized the treasure that had been uncovered from the shipwreck. Her silvery blonde hair was pinned up off of her neck in a delicate twist, but a few flyaway wisps were still blowing around her face. He found his eyes on her more often than not, and he cursed himself silently. They were colleagues and he refused to allow himself to succumb to her pheromones the way that other men did.
No matter where they went on the island, men were falling all over themselves to get her attention, to say hello, and he found it incredibly embarrassing so he could only imagine how she felt having to deal with it. He could see that it bothered her, but she never let it show. She just kept working so diligently, cleaning off each treasure with interest and attempting to discover what each piece was only to be interrupted over and over again by a random man promising to build her a castle or to take her away somewhere exotic.
But he would be lying to himself if he hadn't thought about promising her the same.
She was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful and he knew that part of that was the Veela blood that ran through her veins, but he thought that it was more than that. Her blue eyes sparkled in delight when she discovered something new and her cheeks would flush. He could see the excitement dance in her eyes or her concentration as he taught her something new or walked her through a new procedure. She was quick to learn and incredibly intelligent. He found himself getting lost in conversation with her easily, not only about curse breaking and buried treasure, but she talked about the tournament a bit, and how she had prepared herself for the tasks.
He found her enchanting.
But every time he felt that pull, that lick of her Veela charm pulling him forward, he did everything in his power to stop it. She was his trainee, he was her supervisor, and it would be wrong for him to allow something to happen between them.
But sometimes he wondered though if she wanted something to happen between them.
Fleur was very touchy, a hand on his arm or on his back when they worked. She was always quick to smile and when she messed something up she would start swearing in French which he found amusing and only understood half of the time. It had been a week since they had been in Anguilla and the constant day by day spent with her was making it hard on him. As well as other places. Merlin knew he'd been using his hand a hell of a lot this week.
"Bill?"
He turned to look at her, the sound of her voice pulling him from his thoughts. The heat of the cavern had made her strip off her blouse, leaving her in a white top v-neck vest over her beige capri pants. He found himself looking at the milky white skin of her shoulders before he could stop himself.
"Bill?"
"Sorry, yes?"
Fleur smiled at him. "Are you sure zis belonged to ze same ship? I zink zis one may be from anozzer?"
Bill moved closer to her in curiosity, bending his head to examine the gold coin. "Excellent eye. This one is almost a century older than the rest of the gold. See the texture change and the way the grooves go in the opposite direction. This is a Spanish coin as well while the others are clearly Italian Galleons."
Fleur beamed at him. "Where do you zink it came from? Are zere Spanish shipwrecks nearby as well?"
"I'm not sure, but I imagine there must be. Spain did a lot of exploring over the centuries and Spanish pirates were all over the world. It's getting late though, let's put this away and head back to the villa to grab some food. We can do some research on when the first witches and wizards arrived on the island and maybe we can narrow it down."
"Très bien," she said with a bright smile.
Bill grinned as he put away his tools and his papers, bundling up his notes and his parchment and stuffing them into his bag before he moved to climb out from the deep cavern below the Gringotts Wizarding Bank International building that they were working in. He reached a hand down to pull her up and she smiled at him, tripping slightly over the last step and he found her tight lithe body up against his.
He let out a slow breath before he released her. "You all right?"
"Oui, merci."
She adjusted her own bag as she followed him out of the cavern and the vaults and up to the beautiful white marble interior of the bank. Bill informed the goblins of what they had achieved that day before they headed out into the sunshine.
"Before we head back, can we go for a walk on ze beach? It's so lovely."
Bill smiled at her. "That sounds perfect. We'll take the long way back to the villa."
They walked in companionable silence for a few moments before she turned to smile at him. "Was your seester bien zis morning? I heard her cries in ze night."
Bill nodded. "Yeah, yeah, she's okay. Ginny's a fighter. She just had a nightmare. I think that we've all been having more of those of late, since You Know Who returned."
Fleur nodded. "I still cannot believe zat zey are both dead. I sometimes zink I should write to 'Arry and… but, I do not know what to say."
"Harry will be all right. His family is taking good care of him, but I'm sure that he'd like to hear from you. You both survived the tournament together after all."
"Oui," she said quietly.
A man walking past them suddenly stopped and turned, his eyes widening before he hurried after them.
"You're so beautiful! Come with me and I will give you a large ship to sail the world with me?"
Fleur blushed. "Non merci."
The man panted after her. "Two ships!"
Bill turned to glare at the man, stepping in front of him and blocking him from Fleur. It seemed to push the man out of his Veela pheromone haze. "The lady said no, get lost."
The man shook his head as if confused before he nodded and hurried off, looking back at them as if he was still unsure of what had just happened.
"Merci," Fleur told him.
Bill stared at her. "That must be hard. I mean, I can see that you weren't even paying him any attention, yet he still found himself drawn to you."
Fleur shrugged. "It 'as been zat way my 'ole life, my maman 'as it worse. Men just can't seem to act normal around us. It makes it 'ard to be taken seriously."
"I take you seriously," Bill said with a smile. "You're beautiful, that's a given, but you're intelligent and creative and innovative and I honestly think that you are going to make a great curse breaker. I don't say that lightly."
Fleur smiled at him, her blue eyes twinkling in delight. "Merci."
They started walking again and Fleur smiled at him.
"Not all men act zis way of course, some men are not even affected by my blood. Like you, you are not like ze ozzers."
Bill let out a slow breath as they approached the villa. "I'm affected more than you think," he said quietly before he hurried towards the villa.
And he didn't see the slow smile that spread across Fleur's face at his declaration.
~ ASC ~
Tonks and Zee each headed back to England a few days later as they had to return to work. Remus made himself comfortable at the table outside and started organizing his timetable for September and his course load so Sirius decided to take Harry and Mandy sight-seeing.
They went to the Achillion Palace first and then headed into town to explore and do some shopping. They took lots of photos and then convinced Remus to head down to the beach with them where they learned how to snorkel with a Muggle instructor. They enjoyed it so much that the four of them set up a day cruise the next day where they explored sea caves in the Blue Lagoon; did some more snorkelling and swimming at Bella Vraka beach before visiting the village of Syvota.
It rained on one day, so Harry and Mandy cuddled on the sofa and watched movies: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Princess Bride. The rest of the week was spent snogging, swimming, and exploring. Mandy hadn't brought up Voldemort again or the graveyard and Harry was grateful. He hadn't spoken of it to anyone since before Cedric's funeral and he still didn't feel ready to talk about it.
Harry had continued his morning run on the beach with Marauder, who usually was too tired to go more than half of the three kilometres that Harry ran, but he always found his dog lying on the patio at Remus' feet waiting for him happily when he returned, as was Mandy. She told him that running was not something that she wanted to do and he had only chuckled.
Dobby popped in to check on them and brought Harry his Hogwarts letter a few days before they went home, making him grin. He thanked the eager elf and opened the envelope to check out his letter. His eyes widened when the badge fell out. Mandy bent down to pick it up off the ground and she grinned widely.
"Well, hello Captain."
Harry grinned down at the gold badge shaped like the head of a lion with the words: Captain embossed in the centre. "Wow! I didn't… I thought for sure that Angelina would make captain this year!"
Mandy grinned. "Guess McGonagall thought you deserved it more."
His grin widened. "I can't wait!" He flipped through the parchment and found the one the badge had fallen out of.
Dear Mr Potter,
This year Gryffindor House is proud to offer you the position of Quidditch Team Captain. After speaking with the students of the Quidditch team, the vote was unanimous for you to take over the role. I look forward to an exciting year and hope you help bring our team to another victory.
The Cup looks very good in my office.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Head of Gryffindor House
Harry smiled. "The team voted for me."
Mandy stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Guess that means you deserve it even more."
He grinned and flipped to the next piece of parchment.
The following is your books and supply list for fifth year. A reminder to all students that fifth year is OWL year and will be a heavy workload.
The Standard Book of Spells Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk
Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard
The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger
Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger
Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms by Marius Tarquinius
Spellman's Syllabary
New Law of Numerology by Yara Hakimi
Goshawk's Guide to Herbology by Miranda Goshawk
Harry frowned at the list. "Magical theory? That sounds dreadful."
Mandy looked down at his book list in interest. "I rather agree. But the new book for Ancient Runes sounds good."
He nodded. "I guess. Do you think that you made prefect?"
Mandy shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's going to go to Padma, but there's a small possibility, I suppose. Are you disappointed that you didn't get it?"
Harry shook his head. "Not even a little. Quidditch Captain is way better!"
"Did I hear you say Quidditch Captain?" Sirius asked, stepping onto the patio with a tall mimosa in his hand.
Harry held up the badge with a grin. "All mine!"
"Brilliant! Minnie knows that you're the best choice for that," he said, turning at the sound behind him. "Moony, Harry's made Quidditch Captain."
Remus grinned as he stepped outside to join them. "Congratulations, Harry. That is good news!"
"I'm not a prefect though," he said, his eyes on his fathers.
Sirius grinned. "Well, that's because you're a little troublemaker like me and your dad were, guess Moony didn't instil enough goodie-two-shoes in you."
Remus frowned. "You don't have to be a goodie-two-shoes to become a prefect, Padfoot. Dumbledore only picked me to try to keep you in line."
"How'd that work out for you?" Sirius asked with a grin.
"It's a still a work in progress," Remus answered making Harry laugh. He smiled at him. "Harry, being a prefect isn't important to us. We just want you to do your best, to study hard, and to learn everything that you can. The rest is just a bonus."
"Thanks," Harry said, smiling at them. "I bet Hermione made prefect."
Mandy grinned. "If Hermione Granger did not make Gryffindor Prefect, the world as we know it has ended."
Harry laughed and put his arm around her. "True."
Sirius chuckled. "If you two are up for it, Remus and I were thinking about taking that Muggle tour to swim with the dolphins this afternoon?"
Mandy's eyes widened. "Really?"
Sirius grinned. "Get your stuff. We're leaving in ten."
Harry laughed as his girlfriend ran into the house in excitement. "You just made her whole day."
Sirius grinned. "Put your letter and badge away. We have a tour to attend."
~ ASC ~
Swimming with the dolphins had been incredibly fun. Mandy had laughed the whole time and when one of the dolphins kissed her, she had giggled madly and then wrapped her arms around Harry, beaming with excitement. They spent the evening eating dinner with Sirius and Remus before Remus headed back to England. It was the full moon that night and he thought that it would be safer for him to be at home in the cellar. He assured Harry that there would be plenty of time for him to stay with him in his Animagus form and for him to stay in Corfu and enjoy the rest of his holiday. Harry protested this and Remus finally agreed that the night of September eighth, Harry could stay with him as it did fall on a Saturday. Harry reluctantly agreed that it was fair. After saying goodbye, Harry and Mandy went for a walk on the beach, holding hands and snogging.
They were headed back to England the next afternoon and Harry felt sad at the thought and surprised that August had already crept up on them. He had enjoyed his time with the sun and sand, and with Mandy.
Especially right this moment.
They were on a secluded stretch of the beach and she was straddling him. They had been snogging almost non-stop for almost thirty minutes and Harry was doing his best to not pump his hips up towards her. She was only in her bikini and he could feel the warmth of her pressing over his crotch through his bathing trunks and he was rock hard. He shifted slightly, but the friction of their damp suits made him feel even harder and he groaned into her neck.
Mandy grinned at him and kissed his chin. "This feels so good."
Harry's eyes stared into hers. "So good," he repeated and his eyes widened when she pressed herself down on him. "Mandy…"
She was grinding herself against him now, rocking her hips over his cock and he gasped, tossing his head back. "Is this okay?" she asked, her eyes on his. "It just… it feels so… good…"
"N-unh," Harry managed, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her nipples through her bathing suit. This was better than anything he had ever imagined. She was hot and warm and the sensation of her rubbing against him through their bathing suits was driving him crazy. His cock was so hard he thought he would combust and he bit his lip to keep from coming.
Mandy was humping him faster now, her own head falling back over her shoulders as his hips rose up to greet her and then she was crying his name and he lost it. He leaned in and sucked a nipple through her bathing suit as they ground against each other, both breathless.
Harry stared at her, his breathing heavy. "Did you just —?"
She nodded, blushing furiously. "You too?"
He nodded back. "That was… I mean, I never knew it would… feel like that."
Mandy smiled. "Me neither… it just… it felt right. I mean… er, well, Tazanna told me that it was okay to do that in terms of you know… safety?"
Harry grinned and kissed her softly. "It was great."
Mandy kissed him. "Let's go for a swim and clean off, yeah?"
She crawled off his lap and he could feel the stickiness beneath his bathing trunks and his eyes immediately fell to her bikini clad bottom and his eyes widened slightly. She had orgasmed, he thought in amazement, but then she was running towards the water. He hopped up and hurried after her, swimming to catch up, and locked his lips on hers again.
"Mandy?"
"Yeah?" she asked, smiling when his hands slid down to cup her bum.
"We should definitely do that again at some point."
Mandy grinned wider and nodded. "Yes, I think maybe we will."
And then her lips were on his and he couldn't stop smiling.
~ ASC ~
Tonks' stomach clenched uneasily as she landed in the grass, tripping and falling on her bum, the portkey falling out of her hand. One of these days, she would actually come out of it straight, she thought, checking her watch. She had taken the portkey to Romania for a quick stop before returning to England as she needed to talk to her best friend.
She had two hours until she had to be at work for the night shift, she noted, moving quickly through the camp. It took her twenty minutes to find Charlie. He was drinking Hungarian wine with some of the tamers in the little pub and telling a story about one of the first dragons that he had ever seen. She stood in the doorway and just watched him. His red hair reflected in the light of the fire and his toned arms were lightly scarred, one of them freshly bandaged and he was grinning widely across his handsome freckled face.
"Don't forget to mention the part where she sneezed, blowing fire, and you jumped a metre into the air and yelped like a little girl," Tonks called out, grinning widely.
Charlie's head whipped around and his face split into a huge grin before he jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheek loudly. "Tonks! Mates, this here is my best girl, Tonks. She's an A3 in the British Ministry of Magic. And it was a very manly scream, may I add."
Everyone roared in laughter as they said hello and Charlie turned back to her. "What are you doing here?"
"I have to be at work soon, can we talk?"
Charlie nodded, putting his pint down and hurrying her outside of the pub. "What's going on?"
Tonks grinned and held her left hand out to him.
He stared at it for a full thirty seconds before he comprehended what he was seeing.
"Shit, is that… you're engaged!"
Tonks nodded, biting her bottom lip. "We're getting married in three weeks."
"Wow! Why so fast? You're pregnant? Ow!" he exclaimed when Tonks punched him in the shoulder.
"No, you prat!" Tonks said, glaring at him. "We thought if we get married before school starts up we can have our honeymoon before he goes back to Hogwarts. It's not like we need a lot of time. We just want a small ceremony with the important people in our life. Besides, come the thirtieth of September, Remus and I will have been together for four years. I want him to be my husband, Charlie."
Charlie grinned at her. "I'm happy for you, Tonks. I know how much you love him."
She nodded, grinning. "More than I can even put into words. Um, I came here though because I need you at my wedding. It's going to be on the nineteenth and if you can only come for the weekend I understand, even a day pass, but I need you there."
Charlie smiled at her. "I wouldn't miss it."
"Good, because I want you to stand up there with me, I want you to be my Maid of Honour."
Charlie's eyebrow rose. "That's a bird's job."
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Man of Honour then. You're my best friend, Charlie. You have been for as long as I can remember. I don't really have any close girlfriends. Will you be my Man of Honour? Stand up there with me? Help keep me calm and tell me that I look perfect."
He grinned. "Can I plan your bachelorette party?"
"I'm not going to a strip club."
His grin widened. "Well, now we just have to go."
She rolled her eyes and he tugged her close to kiss her cheek.
"I'd love to be your Man of Honour."
Tonks squealed happily and kissed him noisily on the mouth. "I love you!"
"I love you too, Tonks. And we're definitely going to a strip club."
Tonks only grinned and hugged him tightly. She didn't care. She just wanted her best friend at her side when she married the man she loved. The other details didn't matter.
~ ASC ~
Ginny was absolutely in love with surfing. She spent every morning riding the waves and it brought a huge smile to face. Ryan was sweet too and she enjoyed spending time with him. They surfed and swam and snogged. He was a great kisser and she had even felt bold enough to let his hands wander over her breasts while they kissed, something she had definitely not let Michael do. When her birthday came around, he took her dancing and shopping in the city and then they snogged some more. The holiday had been everything she hadn't known that she had needed.
On their last night in Anguilla, Ryan and Connor invited the two of them to a house party at the beach house that they were staying in with some friends. Bill had agreed to let them go as long as they didn't stay out too late.
Within ten minutes of arriving, they found themselves playing a game called 'Spin the Bottle.' The concept was pretty basic. The rules were that if the bottle landed on someone, the person who spun it was obligated to kiss the person it landed on, on the lips. If you became paired with the same partner through a second bottle spin, the kiss had to include tongue and had to last for a solid minute. If it happened a third time, the two people would proceed into the nearby closet where they would enjoy 'seven minutes in heaven,' being an intense snog session.
Ginny found herself a little nervous to play, but when her first kiss was only with Ryan, she relaxed a little. There were ten people in the circle and she was only one of three girls. After kissing Ryan, she kissed a brunette named Dave, then a blond named Matt — twice. The second kiss with Matt was rather sloppy and she discreetly wiped her mouth when it was over. Connor spun the bottle next and when she realized that it was pointed at her, she blushed. He kissed her softly and very sweetly on the lips. It felt strange to kiss someone who was clearly interested in her friend, she thought, but the kiss had been quite nice. Ginny got Ryan a second time, and their lip lock became a bit more passionate as people 'oohed' at them. It landed on Dan next. His lips were incredibly soft and he kissed her rather deeply and used tongue, surprising her. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise when he pulled back and he grinned, winking at her and she placed a hand over the little flutter of pleasure that erupted in her stomach. He was quite the kisser, she thought.
The game continued on and she kissed Dan a second time, liking how well he used his tongue. Other than Ryan, he was definitely the best kisser so far, she thought. Dave was very passionate with his second kiss and she kissed his cheek when he pulled away. After Dave, she kissed Jordan and then it landed on her first girl. Ginny smiled at the girl who was dating Dave, named Robyn. She kissed her chastely, ignoring the excitement from the boys at the kiss, and smiled before the bottle landed on Aaron.
When it was finally Ginny's turn again and the bottle landed on Ryan for the third time, he held out his hand to her and she followed him nervously into the closet.
"I don't know how I feel about this," she said honestly.
Ryan smiled at her. "It's seven minutes and it's not like we didn't make out for two hours this afternoon already."
Ginny blushed at that and grinned when he bent his head to kiss her. "I guess you have a point." She kissed him back happily and then smiled. "Dan's a pretty good kisser."
Ryan frowned at her. "Was he now? But I'm better, right?"
Ginny smiled and reached up to kiss him. "Definitely."
A slow smile spread across Ryan's face as his lips met hers, over and over until she could barely remember her name. His hands slid up her ribcage and he boldly cupped her breasts and she sighed into him as he fondled her. He slid the strap of her dress over her shoulder, his lips following and Ginny let her head fall back. The feel of his soft lips on her skin was delicious. He bent his head lower, lips kissing her through her dress, gliding over her breast and when his teeth grazed her nipple, even through the material of her dress and bikini top, she trembled.
"Ryan," she murmured.
He grinned against her breasts. "You're so frickin' hot, Ginny."
Ginny gasped, trembling against him. "That feels good."
Ryan's hands cupped her breasts, rubbing and massaging as his lips worked over her neck and down over the swell of her breasts and then the door opened.
Theo smirked at them, wiggling his eyebrows. "Well, I think that you two definitely took advantage of the 'seven minutes in heaven,' didn't you?"
Ginny flushed as Ryan removed his hands and she fixed the straps of her dress. "This is a stupid game."
Ryan nipped at her ear, slipping an arm around her waist. "Want to go make out somewhere more private?"
She hesitated a moment and then nodded. Ryan tugged her with him upstairs and found a private room for them. He pulled Ginny down onto his lap and his lips found hers again. They kissed long and deeply for what seemed like hours, soft and sweet. Ryan's hands continued to wander and Ginny squirmed slightly when she felt his hardness pressing under her bum.
"Sorry," he murmured against her neck. "You're so frickin' hot."
She smiled against his lips. "You keep saying that, is hot a good thing?"
"Amazing thing. Means you're fucking gorgeous."
"Oh," she said, blushing. "Well, thank you."
Ryan slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders again, kissing the skin there and soon the dress was pooled at her waist and his hands were cupping her through the bikini top she wore. He kissed her breasts through the bikini top, his mouth moving over her nipple as his thumb worked the other and Ginny gasped against him.
"Oh," she moaned.
He grinned against her breasts, sucking gently and she gasped his name.
The knock on the door had both of them jumping.
"Ginny? You in there?"
"Yes!" Ginny said, tugging her dress back quickly and giving Ryan an apologetic look. She bent and kissed Ryan quickly on the lips. "This was lovely. Will I see you tomorrow?"
Ryan stood up and kissed her deeply, his hands gliding down her bum boldly. "Definitely."
Ginny beamed at him. "I'll meet you at the beach in our usual spot?"
"I'll be there. Goodnight, Ginny."
"Goodnight." She pulled open the door and grinned at Theo. "Is it midnight already?"
"Yeah, let's go, chick," he said, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Before your deliciously sexy brother comes searching for us."
Ginny rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "I can't believe we go home tomorrow already!"
Theo grinned. "We do. Now come on; I want to hear all about what kind of naughty things you and Ryan were getting up to in there."
Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair as Theo grinned at her. It had definitely turned out to be a pretty great holiday.
~ ASC ~
The next morning, Ginny went out to meet Ryan to surf again. They spent almost three hours in the ocean before they lounged on the beach snogging. She kissed him goodbye just after noon, smiling when his lips left hers.
"I'm going to miss you," she admitted.
Ryan kissed her again. "I'm going to miss you, too. It's been a lot of fun."
"Yeah, it has," she told him.
They kissed once more, softly and slowly before she gathered up her things and hurried off. She would never forget him and as sad as she was to leave, she knew that he wasn't what she was truly looking for. But she had really, really enjoyed her time snogging him and if she was honest, she had enjoyed letting him help her explore her own sexuality in a way that she hadn't been comfortable with when she had been with Michael. She hurried back to the villa, finding the place empty, or so she thought until she heard a soft moan.
Ginny looked over into the living room and found Theo and Connor wrapped around each other snogging. Both of them were shirtless and wearing only their bathing suits. Theo's hand had slipped beneath Connor's bathing trunks.
She blushed and hurried back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her loudly to alert them to her presence. It obviously did nothing to deter Theo however because he didn't come to the bedroom for another thirty-five minutes and he was grinning widely when he did.
"Hi, Ginny."
She glared at him. "In the living room, Theo!"
Theo grinned sheepishly. "We were just fooling around."
Ginny only stared at him. "Your version of fooling around and my version are very different."
"Blokes are different than women, Ginny. We're mostly just looking to get off."
"That's ridiculous," she said heading out into the kitchen to find a snack.
Theo followed her and shrugged. "Still a fact. Connor and I have been snogging for almost the last two weeks and the last few days we looked to move a bit further. I went down on him the other night and today he returned the favour. Oral is nothing to be ashamed about."
"I didn't say that there was," Ginny told him. "I just think that we're a little young to be putting so much emphasis on sex."
Theo hopped up onto the island countertop. "I'll be sixteen in two months and my father made sure that I lost my virginity three years ago. The girl was beautiful and soft and did absolutely nothing for me. In my opinion, I lost my real virginity on my fourteenth birthday when the girls in the brothel brought in a handsome bloke for me when I couldn't get it up. I haven't had sex since, Ginny. It's… mostly oral and snogging and sometimes hands. As much as I enjoyed it, I don't want to just let some bloke have his way with me until I'm ready. I wasn't ready before."
She only stared at him. "But it was still consensual, right?"
He nodded, his eyes on her. "Yes, it was consensual to an extent; no one was tying me down, but was I ready for it? I don't think that I was. No one is forcing you to have sex, Ginny."
"I know," she told him, biting into the apple she picked up from the bowl on the counter. "But I freaked with Michael, Theo. He pushed a little, it's true, but… I freaked out. He just wanted me to touch his… his prick and I wouldn't… and all I could think about was how…"
Theo hopped off the counter and pulled her into his arms. "One day, you're going to find the guy who makes you want to do those things, Ginny. It could be tomorrow, it could be ten years from now, but you will find him. You let Ryan go further than Michael, didn't you?"
She nodded. "A little, yeah, but… I'm not ready to do anything else."
Theo smiled. "Don't let anyone push you into something that you're not ready for and don't be afraid to push back if necessary."
She smiled, pulling back to look up at him. "Sometimes I wish you were straight, Theodore Nott."
Theo smiled at her and he gently bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet and chaste and made her feel absolutely nothing. She pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"Nothing."
He grinned. "Same here, chick. You're beautiful, but you just don't have the right equipment for me." She smirked at that and he grinned. "You'll find him, Ginny. I know you will." He slid his arm around her shoulders. "Come on; let's go for one last swim before Bill and Fleur return. I want to smell like the ocean when we return to England."
Ginny smiled at him and nodded. "Race you to the beach?"
Before he could respond, she was off and he chased her, laughing as they splashed into the water and the warmth of the ocean.
~ ASC ~
When Ginny stepped into the Burrow four hours later she was immediately engulfed in her father's arms. She hugged him tightly as he grinned at her.
"Dad!"
"Look at you, all freckled and lightly tanned. Did you have a wonderful time?"
"The best," she told him sincerely.
She spent the evening filling her brothers and her parents in on her trip and gushed about how amazing the surfing was. She promised to show them lots of photos as soon as Colin helped her develop them. Once she finished unpacking, she smiled at the knock on her doorframe and saw her mum standing there.
"Hi, Mum."
Molly moved into the room, closing the door behind her. "You've grown so much, Ginevra. A beautiful young woman, fourteen years old already and I am so proud of you."
Ginny smiled at her. "Um, thanks."
Molly took a seat on the edge of her daughter's bed. "Bill mentioned that you had a nightmare."
She shrugged. "They come and go."
Molly nodded, her eyes on her daughter. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really," she admitted.
Her mum nodded, watching her move around her room for a moment. "Bill mentioned that you met a boy out there?"
"Yes, his name was Ryan Baker. He was a Muggle and from California. He was sweet. We snogged a bit."
"Snogging can be nice as long as we are being cautious. Remember, Ginny, I was pregnant before I left Hogwarts, I don't want that for you."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum, we only snogged… I'm not ready for… that."
Molly nodded. "I'm relieved to hear that."
Ginny was quiet for a long moment as she unpacked and put her bag away in the closet before she began to organize her toiletries on her dresser. "Mum… what if… what if when the time comes, I can't be… intimate with someone else?"
"Because of what happened?"
Ginny nodded.
Molly sighed and moved to sit on the side of her daughter's bed. "Come here, Ginny."
Ginny sat next to her mum and let her arms come around her.
"What happened to you wasn't about sex; it wasn't about intimacy or love or anything to even do with you specifically. It was about power. He had power over you and that was what he really wanted, control. When the time comes… when you are older and ready to become intimate with someone who you love, it won't be about power. It won't be about control. It will be about the two of you. You will want to touch and pleasure each other, not harm each other, and that's very important."
"I know the difference, Mum. But Michael… he… he barely touched me. He didn't hurt me and I—I panicked."
"And that's okay too, Ginny," Molly said quietly. "Not everything heals overnight. You will have to learn to trust yourself, to trust your partner, and most importantly to trust what your body is telling you just as much as your heart."
Ginny nodded. "But what if I can't?"
Molly was quiet for a long moment. "Sweetie, you will, I promise. If you need it, we'll find someone for you to talk to, to help you find a way to push past it. You can talk to Na'eemah about it or me. But you are strong and no matter which path you take, I know you will be all right."
Ginny hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks, Mum. I'm just scared that I won't be strong enough to cope with it. I felt like I went back to square one and it was three years ago."
"Time is irrelevant, Ginny," Molly said carefully. "It's about you and your feelings and your emotions and that's all that matters."
She nodded. She knew her mother was right and she knew that she was strong enough to push through it, but sometimes she still felt like that helpless girl in the Chamber of Secrets and it worried her.
"I kissed Theo."
Molly's eyebrow rose slightly. "I thought that he was gay?"
"He is," Ginny said with a smile. "I told him that I wished he was straight and he kissed me. There was nothing there between us. He told me I'm beautiful, but he likes blokes."
Molly chuckled. "Well, I'm relieved to hear that."
Ginny smiled. "I knew that he was gay but… I guess it's nice to know for sure. He's the best, Mum, and I think I fancied him a bit, and I guess now I know. He's one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for the world."
Molly gently brushed Ginny's hair away from her face. "You already knew that, dear. We both know that your heart belongs to someone else."
Ginny made a face. "We're just friends. I wish that I could get over him for good, Mum. He's with Mandy and she's so nice and she makes him smile. He deserves to smile."
"Yes, he does," Molly told her. "And we can't always help who we love either."
Ginny only sighed and Molly kissed her cheek. "I know that you had a mini celebration in Anguilla, but tomorrow your friends will be over to wish you a happy belated birthday."
"Colin and Luna, too?"
Molly smiled as she stood up. "Colin and Luna, too. Goodnight, Ginny. I love you."
"Love you too, Mum."
Ginny watched her mother leave and she sighed. She knew that her mum was right as she contemplated her thoughts and then she moved over to her desk and started to compose a letter to Na'eemah. Writing her thoughts out had always helped her and writing to Na'eemah seemed like the best option.
~ ASC ~
When they returned from Greece on the fourteenth of August, it was almost two in the morning. Harry felt lighter than he had ever remembered feeling in his life. He knew most of it was in his head, but it didn't matter.
The Horcrux inside of him was gone.
The piece of Voldemort was gone.
Marauder barked at him when he came into his room and he moved to hug his dog tightly as Marauder licked his face. Harry kissed the top of the dog's head before moving to look at himself in the mirror. He pushed his hair back, his eyes on his scar, gently tracing the lightning bolt with his finger. It was just a scar now. All traces of magical residue were gone.
He grinned widely. He couldn't ever remember feeling this good, he thought. He rubbed Marauder's head once before he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Corfu had been the best holiday and he grinned as he remembered how Mandy had ground against him; the feel of her heat pressing in on him. He hopped into the shower and soon found himself gripping his penis tightly. He remembered the look in her eyes as she had rolled her hips into him, her breasts bouncing in her bikini top and he bit his lip to keep from making a sound as he pumped himself deliciously and came all over his hand and stomach at the memory of it. It had been brilliant, he thought. He hoped that when school started back up she might even let them do that again.
He finished his shower and then stood in front of the bathroom mirror as he brushed his hair. Sirius had measured him again when they got home: One hundred and eighty three centimetres exactly. His lanky form was bronzed from the Greek sunshine and the lean muscles he had accumulated from his training over the year made him look in good shape. He traced the scar on his forehead again with a smile before he put his pjs on. He tossed his glasses on his nightstand and snuggled into his pillow. He felt the dog settle at the end of his bed comfortably. He reached out to scratch Marauder behind the ears before getting comfortable again and for the first time in longer than he could remember, he slept dreamlessly.
He woke to the sunlight brightening his room and blinked owlishly at the blurry clock on his bedside table. He tugged the clock closer and saw that it was just shy of eight. A little earlier than he planned on being up, but still not bad. He grabbed his glasses and sat up, stifling a yawn before he hopped out of bed, stretching hugely as he climbed to his feet. Despite his lack of sleep, he felt energized and raring to go.
They were planning to spend the morning at Number Twelve to destroy the Horcrux that Xander had removed from Harry's scar. After that Harry was heading to the Burrow for Ginny's belated birthday celebration. He was looking forward to seeing his friends even though he would have to tell them what had happened. It would be good news, especially since the Horcrux would be fully destroyed.
And if he was honest with himself, he wanted to see Ginny.
He wanted to assure her that he really was fine and he just wanted to see her to assure himself that his thoughts last year had just been a fluke. He didn't like her as anything other than friend and he needed to see her to assure himself of it. He had bought her a beautiful ocean blue bathing suit sarong with white waves on it, a black and gold beaded choker necklace, and a picture frame carved from an olive tree and etched with dolphins along the edge. He hadn't known what to put in the frame so he had left it blank, but he still thought she would like it. He had also found her a pair of brown Quidditch gloves that he thought she would like for flying.
He glanced at Marauder who was still immovable at the end of the bed before he headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He felt refreshed and ready to take on anything as he shaved his patchy neck and chin. It was so annoying he thought, if he was going to grow hair on his face it could at least allow him to grow a beard or something. He touched his scar again, grinning widely as he checked out his dark tan before he headed back into his bedroom to get dressed.
The sun was shining and it looked beautiful outside. Harry thought it was a perfect day to head out and go for a morning fly.
Marauder was still sleeping so he sat next to the dog to stroke his neck, to see if he could con him into coming out with him, but the moment he touched him, he knew that something was wrong.
"Marauder?"
The dog didn't move. His usual happy greeting gone. His soft brown eyes were staring blankly ahead and the reddish bronze fur seemed paler to him. Harry felt his heart stop and he knew.
"Marauder!"
The dog didn't move and tears prickled the back of Harry's eyes.
He was gone.
Harry slid down to the floor in front of his dog, kissing the top of the dog's head, and wrapping his arms around him. He was still a little warm, he thought as he blinked back tears. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, arms around his dog, his face buried in the dog's fur as tears rolled down his cheeks, but he heard movement in the hall at some point and he stood up. He kissed Marauder's head once more before he stepped out of his room.
Sirius was stretching his arms up over his head, his hair still messy from sleep. He gave Harry a small smile. "Morning, Prongslet-Harry," he said sleepily. "Zee's already left for work, but do you want to find some breakfast before we — what is it? What's happened?" he asked, his eyes narrowed when he saw the tears.
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out so instead he reached for Sirius' hand and tugged him into his bedroom. Sirius let out a low gasp when he saw the dog lying lifeless at the end of the bed.
"Oh, oh, Harry," he said tugging him into his arms.
Harry buried his face in Sirius' neck and shoulder and began to cry all over again. Sirius kissed his cheek, his hands running up and down his back soothingly, blinking back his own tears.
"He was a good dog, Harry," Sirius said softly. "He lived a happy life. He loved you, Harry, and he lived nine long happy years with you."
Harry hiccuped into Sirius' shoulder. "He can't be gone, Uncle Sirius; he can't be. He's… I need him."
"Shh," Sirius soothed, kissing his son's cheek. "I know, Harry, but he knows you're going to be okay now. He's been getting slower in the last year and I think that he was holding out until we could remove this." He pulled Harry back a little to kiss his scar. "He knows you're safe now."
Harry's bottom lip trembled as he nodded. "I—I want to bury him."
Sirius nodded. "Okay. Want me to bring him downstairs?"
Harry shook his head and moved towards his dog. "No, I'll do it."
Sirius watched him as he carefully lifted the dog into his arms and carried him down the stairs and out into the backyard. Harry laid him gently on the grass, tears still trickling down his cheeks. He grabbed a shovel from the shed and stared across the yard for a long moment before he moved to one of the large oak trees at the far left of the end of the treehouse and he carefully began to dig a hole behind the tree.
Sirius sent a Patronus out and summoned a second shovel before he went over to help him. Ten minutes later, Remus moved across the lawn to join them, shovel in his hand. They didn't speak, just dug the grave quietly until it was finished. It took them almost two hours, but they didn't stop, just kept working methodically and quietly. They were all dirty when they finished and Harry simply walked over to Marauder, staring down at the lifeless form of his dog, his first real friend, and felt the hot tears fall again.
Sirius wrapped Marauder up in a sheet. Harry's eyes met his as he watched him wrap the dog from his spot kneeling next to Marauder's body and he only nodded at him. He wrapped Marauder's head carefully and then bent to pick him up, carrying him to the grave that he and Sirius had dug for him. Sirius hopped down into the hole and held his arms out for the dog. A small sob escaped Harry as he handed the dog's body down to his father. Sirius carefully laid Marauder down in the dirt, wiping a tear from his own eye before grasping Harry's hand and letting him help him out.
Remus held Harry tightly for a moment as the three of them stared at the sheet-covered body in the ground and then Harry picked up his shovel again and the three of them slowly started to refill the hole with dirt.
Harry smoothed dirt over the hole with his shovel a little later on and fell to his knees, his hands in the dirt. Sirius knelt next to him, wrapping an arm across his shoulders and kissing the side of his head as Remus did the same from the other side of him.
"I love you, Harry. I'm sorry about Marauder. He was a good dog," Remus told him.
"He was the best dog," Harry whispered, blinking back tears. He laid his palm across the dirt. "I love you, Marauder."
Sirius kissed his temple and used his wand to make a small stone plaque as a marker, which he carefully placed overtop the freshly turned soil. "What would you like to write on it?"
Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the stone. The words slowly carved themselves into the rock.
Here lies Marauder
(6th June 1986 — 14th August 1995)
The best friend a boy could ask for.
Always loved, never forgotten.
Sirius and Remus both kept their arms around Harry as the three of them knelt in the dirt. Harry wasn't sure how long they knelt there, but when Sirius kissed his cheek again he stood up. The three of them walked back towards the house to where Zee was waiting on the patio, tears in her eyes.
"Hi, I made some sandwiches up for you guys."
Harry only nodded glumly.
Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee and kissed her tenderly. Remus kept his arms around Harry, resting his chin on the top of his boy's head until Sirius reached out and grabbed Harry's arm. Sirius tugged him between he and Zee, squishing him like a sandwich as they both kissed his cheeks.
"I'm okay," he said, but he let his arms come out around both of them anyway.
Remus' eyes met Sirius' and he nodded, moving into the house to set up the food that Zee had put together.
The three of them stood there for a few minutes just hugging before Sirius let go and urged him to head inside and clean up. Remus placed his hands on Harry's shoulders when he sat at the table and rested his chin on the top of his son's head.
"I know it hurts, Harry. We're all going to miss him."
Harry nodded and stared at the sandwich in front of him. "I'm not hungry."
"Try to eat something anyway," Remus said, sitting next to him. "Go on."
Harry took a small bite of the sandwich and chewed methodically, not even taking in what he was eating.
"Do you still want to go to the Burrow this afternoon for Ginny's birthday?" Sirius asked him. "If you're not up to it, I'm sure she'd understand."
Harry shook his head and stood up. "No, I want to go. I'm going to go take a shower."
Sirius and Remus watched him walk away and Zee gripped Sirius' hand in hers. "He'll be all right. It's never easy to lose a pet."
Remus nodded. "Thanks for coming home for lunch."
She smiled and kissed Sirius. "You boys will be all right. I have to head back."
Sirius nodded as she hurried out to Apparate back to the Ministry. "Marauder was… he knew that his boy would be okay."
Remus smiled. "Yeah, he did. How are you holding up?"
Sirius shrugged. "He's been moving slower in the last year and Apollo did mention to me that his dad only lived to be nine but… you never are really ready to lose a dog and Marauder was the best. It's going to be strange not having him underfoot here."
"You'll have Lady Godiva."
"She's not quite the same as having a dog," Sirius said with a grin.
Remus nodded and stood up. "No, that's true. If either of you need anything, let me know. He'll be with his friends this afternoon and I think that's a good place for him."
"I agree," Sirius said. "Thanks Moony."
Sirius looked down at his own half-eaten sandwich as Remus left and he sighed.
Marauder would definitely be missed.
End Author's Note:
I cried while writing this chapter and while editing this chapter.
(French) Très bien = very good
(French) Oui = yes
(French) Merci = thanks
Thanks for reading and please review!