Author's Note:
I spent last night at the Backstreet Boys concert for the DNA World Tour and it was fucking awesome! And guess who are HUGE BSB fans and met the band before sitting in our row — Korn! Completely brilliant! Anyway, I had an awesome time, 26 years of loving these guys and they still put on one hell of a show! Backstreet's Back bitches and that's the way I like it :D
PS — Been a fan since I was seven, don't even care if you judge me LOL
Anyway, on a more Harry Potter centric note — Thank you for appreciating our loss of Marauder equally as much as I did. I know that most of you did catch on to the fact that I've been foreshadowing his death, but to me he stuck around as long as Harry needed him. He knew that it was okay for him to go and I think that's important. It also does symbolize the end of Harry's childhood to some extent.
Reviews and Comments: To geoslim21: No, he just died of old age, not from Voldemort, but that would have been sad. Thank you! To Denthefirefly: I know. Thank you! To Krazyasibe: I know, thank you! To DetroitNate: Thank you. As to the Molly scene, I always thought Mrs Weasley was an amazing mum. People always villain-ize her and I don't know why. She was a great mother and her and Ginny were close, being the only girl in the family. She is the pillar of that family, supporting and loving all of her children, despite her flaws, she wants what's best for them. Thank you! To midnitewanderer: I'm sorry that I made you cry at work, but thanks for reading! To : Highest of compliments, thank you! To LifeonEarth: Sorry, no Hinny, but yes, a broken heart. Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Marauder was sweet, but it was his time. Thank you! To Guest: Sorry to make you cry! Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! I don't really think overtop is a Canadian word, but okay. Theo is a great friend to Ginny! The best, really! Thank you!
To smallwjl: Sorry that you were right. It was Marauder's time. Thank you! To SilverMidas: Poor Harry indeed. Thank you! To hufflepuffle24: Thank you! Yes, Harry has had some losses. To purplevictory: I'm sorry that you are having some doubts about my story and I know the sexual stuff isn't something you enjoy, but I felt it was necessary for Ginny to experience those things. Thank you as always for a long and thoughtful review! To LordAlces: I don't believe I will bring the Dursleys back or have Harry go seek them out, but you never know what the future may bring. Thank you! To minerdude: Thank you! I love Molly helping Ginny and yes, poor Marauder! To Menna Taha: Sometimes the chapter must end on a sad note. I wish I had a Theo, too! Thank you! To HJP4Life: Sorry to make you tear up! And I know, I know, slow Hinny burn, but I can promise it will happen before it does in the books. Thank you!
To Inhaled Atoms: So sad to see Marauder go, but it was his time. Harry and Ginny will get together sooner than in canon. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To annagardner11: Thank you! Sorry to make you cry! To Wolf's scream: Yes, different climate. Yes, the Chamber and the diary have left scars on both Harry and Ginny. Thank you! To ella144: Sorry to make you sob. To Guest: Why? Because it was his time to go. To Obscure-Reference-Girl: Thank you! To : Thank you! To MinervaMcGee: Thank you! To alucardgal: I know, poor, Harry. Thank you! To Keyblade: Sorry for your loss, thank you! To kateplay: Sorry to bring up painful memories for you. Thank you very much. To Jane H'ghar: I think if Ginny had gone to Greece, they definitely would have had fun, but yes, they both needed to enjoy time with their friends. Thank you!
To jimmyjohnspizza: I am sorry you think this story is porn with a little plot. Thanks for still reading it. To coloredwords: I am sorry to hear that I officially broke you. Theo would volunteer to be her first if she asked him, but she wouldn't and they aren't that kind of friends. He loves boys too much! Charlie will be the best Man of Honour! Thank you! To Love4Lupinalways: Thank you! To supersandman86: Thank you! We'll see Grindelwald eventually, but not any time soon. There will be more of Dumbledore and of the whole Horcrux stuff to come. Thank you! To Steelcode: Lady G will watch over him, but she's not the same. Harry's not ready for another dog just yet. Thank you! To Pieter Baines: Thank you very much! To speedsONEandONLY: You're right, that is how Ginny reacts. Thank you! To Saz J: Yes, Marauder, really. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Thank you! Sorry I killed the mood with the ending, but it was time. I am sorry that you feel it ruined the rest of the chapter, I disagree. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! I agree, it takes time and they are so young! There's no hurry! We'll see more of Bill and Fleur and of Theo. He has a lot coming up for him this year. Thank you!
To Yoshi1911: Sorry to hear you've been in and out of the hospital, I hope everything is all right. Thank you so much for your kind words! To sexinurse: Thank you! To sketchtheunicorn: Aww, I am so sorry. Thank you! To Tai Shiryuki: Thank you very much! To Guest: I will update when I usually do! To aj613: Sorry to make you bawl your eyes out, thank you! To Muriel: Thank you so much! You're so sweet with that review! To HGRHfan35: Thank you! To Bkane3: Thank you so much for saying this story is engaging and difficult to put down! Yes, Harry and Mandy are doomed as we all know Harry belongs with Ginny. Just not yet. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To Guest Thank you! I do think my writing has vastly improved, thanks for coming to read my new stuff! To PolarWriter95: Thank you! Sorry to make you cry! To Covley Hatake: The Harry and Mandy and Ginny bit will be worked out soon. I don't think Mandy wants to mold Harry to be what she wants him to be, she's just not who he needs. Thank you! To Guest: I will update when I usually do! Thanks! To Guest: I will soon, thanks! To Guest: I killed Marauder because it was his time to go. Thank you! To Blue Luver5000: Thank you!
To notthatchhavi: I'm sorry that Mandy gives you the creeps, she's just so nice lol. I love Theo and Ginny and their friendship is so important! Bill and Fleur are starting something, they just don't know it yet. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you. I will update when I usually do! To Sleepyhawk502: Thank you! I agree, Harry and Ginny should not be rushed into a relationship. They will get there. Thank you!
To LaureWithAnE: Thank you very much! And I know, I'm sorry, but it was time for Marauder to go. Thanks for catching up! To RedheadLover: No, it's never easy losing a pet, but it was time. Thank you and yes, Harry is going to realize it's not just a fluke when he sees Ginny again! To Hellpony: Nope, no breaks for Harry. Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Sorry to break you! You think Harry is going to run from his feelings for Ginny? We'll see. Thank you! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Thank you! To sailwordb (Ginnywasafriendofmine): Thank you so much for saying seeing the notification of this being updated is the highlight of your week! Marauder was a pure doggo indeed. Thank you for saying my work is "well thought out and considered, alternately funny and fluffy, sometimes heart wrenching and often very steamy." I do try to do this! Thanks for loving the slow burn Hinny! Thank you! To Greaterthan84: I did foreshadow and trust me, it was hard to write, but thank you! To pottermum: Thank you! I think it was exactly what Harry and Ginny both needed and there is a Hinny moment in the next chapter.
To Rayssa_RDuarte: Good way to look at it - a piece of his childhood died, still sad but I approve of the way you said it. And I know I know, no more Mandy lol. Just a wee bit longer. Thank you! To Lady Phoenix: Sorry to make you cry! Thank you! To Soveliss: Thank you! It was a sort of growing up chapter with some wholesome Bill and Fleur! Harry will love Lady Godiva too, but she's not the same! Thank you! To Matt71478: Thank you! Hinny is coming! To Madrasi: Thank you! No accelerating Hinny, it's already written. To musemesmer: Thank you very much! There is a character death ahead, a few of them, but nope, I will not tell you who! Some you haven't met yet! Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: This is one of my favourite Fred and George moments, so I had to keep it — thanks JKR!
Thanks to Steel for giving me the push I needed with this scene. You are the greatest!
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-FIVE:
The One Where Dean Realizes He Fancies Seamus
Ginny noticed immediately that something was wrong with Harry when he arrived at the Burrow that afternoon. He had wished her a happy birthday when he had arrived, hugged her quickly and then moved to sit with Ron. He was smiling and chatting with Ron and whomever else was around, but his smile never quite reached his eyes.
He had grown again, she noticed. She swore that he had gotten taller, though not as tall as Ron who had hit one hundred ninety centimetres in the last two months. She suspected that he would be as tall as Bill who was the same height as Professor Lupin, and according to their mum, as tall as her uncles had been. Her eyes wandered over Harry's summer tan, his messy black hair and the lean muscles in his biceps as he stretched his arms over his head, giving her a glimpse of his tanned and toned stomach.
"I think even his butt got cuter," Theo whispered in her ear, making her jump.
"What?"
He grinned at her. "Potter's butt, I think it's cuter than it was in June. He got quite yummy this summer, didn't he?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Theo simply smirked at her. "She takes one look at Potter and forgets all about Ryan."
Ginny blushed. "I don't like Harry like that, we're just friends." She kept her eyes on him, frowning as she watched him nod at Ron, his green eyes staring off into the distance. "Something's wrong with him. He's not acting like himself."
"He looks fine to me," Theo told her. "Damn fine in fact. I think his arse got tighter."
Ginny shook her head. "No… something's off. I know him."
She gave him thirty minutes before she left Theo with Colin and Luna and moved across the garden to sit next to Harry.
"Tell me."
"I'm fine."
Ginny only stared him down. "Tell me."
Harry stared at her for a long moment and then he shook his head. "I'm fine."
Ginny reached over and squeezed his hand in hers. "All of us are here if you decide that maybe fine is not the real emotion that you're feeling right now."
He stared at their hands for a moment and then he stood up and tugged her behind the shed for some privacy.
Ginny was a bit surprised, but she didn't speak.
Harry let out a slow breath. "I-I spent my morning... burying Marauder. He died this morning, peacefully... in his sleep."
Ginny's mouth opened in surprise. "Oh, Harry!"
He sighed into her when she hugged him. "I'm sorry. I just... I didn't want to ruin your birthday."
"You couldn't have! I'm so sorry. He was a great dog," she said tears in her voice. "I loved him, too."
She hugged him tightly, her cheek resting over his heart, more relieved to hear the familiar thump-thump, thump-thump against her ear than she wanted to admit. The thought that his heart had stopped beating, even for only a moment sent a chill down her spine and she hugged him tighter, snuggling into his embrace.
Harry felt her cling tighter to him and he wrapped his arms around her in response. She felt good in his arms; she felt right. She smelt floral and lovely and a bit like apricots and strawberries. He leaned into her, basking in the feel of her in his embrace, the warm and calming feeling of her touch, the brush of her breast against his arm, and he felt his cock harden. He moved away quickly, guilt swimming through him. This was Ginny. He was with Mandy and he shouldn't be feeling like this. He moved away from her and cleared his throat.
"Er, right... we should get back."
Ginny looked up at him, her eyes moving to her hands. Whenever she hugged him anymore, it seemed like he couldn't move away fast enough. When had she become so repulsive to him, she wondered? "I'm so sorry, Harry. If you want to go home you don't have to stay here."
He shook his head. "No, of course I'll stay. Is Hermione coming?"
"She should be. She said that she was going to be late."
He nodded. "Maybe after Theo and Colin leave we can talk. I'd like to tell everyone about what happened in Greece."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. That was a good sign, she thought. She knew that they would want to know what had happened and she definitely was interested in learning the whole story. "Good. I know that I for one would like a better explanation for everything other than hearing that your heart stopped beating that is." At his look, she stared him down. "Bill told me and he said that you had a bloody seizure! You told me that it went fine! That's hardly fine!"
"You had a seizure?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and fearful from where she stood next to Ron.
Harry grimaced, eyes darting to look at where his friends had appeared near the shed. "Look, I'll explain it later, but obviously I'm fine."
Hermione frowned at that, but she didn't look convinced.
They were interrupted by Mrs Weasley calling them over. She had Hogwarts letters for them. Apparently they had arrived a few days ago, but she had held onto them until Ginny was home so that they could all open them together.
"Don't know why she made us wait," Fred said in annoyance, giving his mother a pointed look. "It's just our supply lists, why must we open them together?"
"Because I wanted you all to do it as a family," Mrs Weasley told him. "Indulge me. This is your last year at Hogwarts after all!"
George grinned at her. "Right, sorry, Mum." His eyes met his brother's and they snickered.
Neville, Luna, Colin, and Theo made their way over to them in interest.
"Ooh, Hogwarts letters," Luna said with enthusiasm. "Daddy and I went shopping for my supplies yesterday."
Hermione was jumping in excitement when she saw them and she grabbed Harry's arm. "Did you get yours, Harry? Was it inside? I screamed so loudly when mine fell out that Dad thought something terrible had happened and came bursting into my room in a panic!"
Harry laughed. "Congrats on making prefect, Hermione. Dobby brought me my letter a few days ago in Corfu and no, I'm not a prefect, but I did make Quidditch Captain."
"Brilliant, Harry!" Neville said with a grin. "That's exactly what you wanted!"
"I didn't expect it at all, especially with Quidditch being cancelled last year, but I'm pretty excited."
Theo grinned at him. "Guess once you outfly a dragon, captain status is mandatory."
Harry snorted. "Yeah, it's a secret job description."
Ginny tore hers open as Colin grabbed her arm. "If Harry made captain you have no reason not to try out for the team this year," he said quietly. "I will drag you to the tryout myself if I have to."
She smiled at him. "We'll see, Colin. I think that they only need a Keeper." She laughed as Theo leaned over her shoulder to snoop. "Excuse me, my booklist is for my eyes only, Mr Nott."
Theo grinned and kissed her cheek as Ron stared at his envelope, his mouth open wide in shock. "What's with the face, Weasley? You'll catch flies with that trap open!"
Ron didn't answer. Harry looked around. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.
"What's the matter?" Fred asked impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment. Fred's mouth fell open as well. "Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?"
George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm. "No way," George said in a hushed voice.
"There's been a mistake," Fred said quickly, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect…"
The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry. "We thought you were a cert!" Fred said in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.
"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" George exclaimed indignantly.
"Winning the TriWizard Tournament and everything!" Fred said.
"I suppose all of the mad stuff must've counted against him," George said to Fred.
"Yeah," Fred said slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right." He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look. "Prefect… ickle Ronnie the prefect…"
"Oh, Mum's going to be absolutely revolting," George groaned, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.
Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large P was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.
"Wow, Ron… I thought for sure that Nev was going to get it. Congratulations, mate."
Ron's eyes were wide in shock. "Why the hell would Dumbledore give it to me? Fred and George are right! What was he thinking?"
Neville was shaking his head. "I didn't want it so I'm glad that it's you; besides, everyone knows that Dumbledore is a little bonkers."
Hermione was staring at Ron in amazement. "Ron! I am so… wow… it's so…"
"Unexpected," George supplied, nodding.
"No," Hermione said, blushing under Ron's stare. "No, it's not…Ron's done loads of…he's really…"
Mrs Weasley came back towards the picnic table carrying a large platter of sandwiches and a large platter of sliced vegetables. "Well, did you open them? What are the book choices this year? Any new supplies? Ron, we'll have to get you more pyjamas. When I was folding laundry this morning I noticed that they are at least twelve centimetres too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing! At this rate by Christmas you'll be as tall as Bill. We'll look tomorrow when we go shopping, what colour would you like?"
"Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said, smirking as he helped himself to a sandwich triangle from the platter.
"Match his what?" Mrs Weasley said absently, straightening the platters onto the table and levitating over a stack of cups before pouring them all glasses of pumpkin juice.
"His badge," Fred said, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely, shiny, new, prefect's badge."
Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs Weasley's preoccupation with organizing the food on the table.
"His… but… Ron, you're not…?"
Ron held up his badge.
Mrs Weasley let out a shriek of joy. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" George asked indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news! You could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie!"
Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back, but Mrs Weasley didn't notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.
"Mum… don't… Mum, get a grip!" he muttered, trying to push her away.
She let go of him and said breathlessly. "Well, what will it be?"
"W-what do you mean?" Ron asked, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.
"You've got to have a reward for this!" Mrs Weasley said fondly. "How about a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through?"
"Mum," Ron said hopefully. "Can I have a new broom?"
Mrs Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.
"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just — just a new one for a change…"
Mrs Weasley hesitated, then smiled. "Of course you can. I better go check on Ginny's birthday cake. Little Ronnie, a prefect! Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled back into the Burrow.
Fred and George exchanged looks.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked in a falsely anxious voice.
"We could curtsy, if you like," George said.
"Oh, shut up," Ron said, scowling at them.
"Or what?" Fred asked, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"
"I'd love to see him try," George sniggered.
"He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione said angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing.
"Drop it, Hermione," Ron muttered.
"We're going to have to watch our step, George," Fred said, pretending to tremble, "With these two on our case."
"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," George teased, shaking his head.
They were chuckling to themselves as they helped themselves to the food on the table.
Ron stared at the badge in his hand for a moment and then grinned. "I'm going to see if maybe Mum will get me a Cleansweep, be right back!"
He dashed into the house and Ginny grinned at Harry. "Guess that means no more rule breaking for you either, Harry."
Hermione frowned at him. "Or sneaking out after hours."
Harry smirked at her. "What if I bring the prefects with me? That means I'm safe, right?"
Theo laughed. "I don't think it counts, Potter, but nice try. Draco made prefect for our house and frankly, he can have the added responsibility. I don't know who the other is, but my bet is on Pansy."
Colin shrugged as he looked at Ginny's booklist. "As exciting as this is, I vote Ginny opens presents now."
Ginny grinned. "I vote yes to that as well."
Luna smiled and hurried over to the table where they had all piled their gifts for her. "Can I choose the first one?"
Ginny grinned and hopped up onto the table to sit. "Bring them to the queen!"
Harry laughed. "Greedy, isn't she?"
Hermione chuckled as Mrs Weasley came outside with another platter of food. "It's her birthday, she's allowed to be."
~ ASC ~
By the time the party broke up and Theo and Colin headed home, Ginny had everyone follow her out to the pond. Once they were all seated under the large willow tree, Harry let out a slow sigh. They were all waiting for him to talk and it made the pit in his stomach seem to plummet nervously.
"I've been keeping something from you lot," he said quietly before he quickly fired out the rest before they could interrupt him. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it's just everything moved so fast, and on top of Voldemort coming back and Viktor's death... it got pushed back. But Ginny knows. She was with me when I found out and... I asked her not to say anything… I… I just didn't know what to say."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "What's up, mate?"
Harry sighed. "We found another Horcrux. It turns out there are eight of them and not seven. He made one by accident."
Hermione's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'by accident?'"
"When... when he tried to kill me when I was a baby, we think that he was trying to make another Horcrux, but well... he was badly injured and he lost control when the killing curse rebounded off of him…"
"No!" Hermione gasped, her hands immediately covering her mouth as Ron gripped her arm tightly.
Harry nodded. "It's why I had those dreams; why I was... affected like I was by him… when he was nearby… the diary…"
Neville frowned. "Are you saying that you are the accidental Horcrux?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I was."
He told them about the night he found out, how his family had known for over a year and had kept it from him, and what the real reason was that he went to Greece. He told them about seeing his parents both in the graveyard and in the afterlife. By the time he was done, the five of them were all staring at him in shock.
Harry let out a deep breath. "So, when I go home today, Uncle Siri and I are heading to headquarters to destroy it. We were going to go this morning, but…" he trailed off and blinked back tears. "We had to bury Marauder."
"Oh, oh, Harry! I'm so sorry," Hermione exclaimed, moving to hug him as Luna moved in from the other side.
"He knew that you were safe," Luna told him. "The Horcrux was gone so he knew that you were safe."
Harry hugged her back and blinked back the tears at Luna's words. "Thanks. I… it doesn't seem real. Um… it was peaceful, in his sleep, that is. Um… so there's just the two Horcruxes to go and then we just have to kill Voldemort himself."
"I can't believe that Sirius kept it from you," Neville said, his eyes wide. "But at the same time... how do you even tell someone that?"
"Exactly. I was angry at first, but now I get it and well… it's done. We just have the diadem and Nagini."
"Nagini?" Ron asked, his brow crinkling.
Harry nodded. "Voldemort's snake."
He took a deep breath and then he started to tell them the details that he had refused to tell them back in June. He watched their eyes widen in surprise and horror as he explained how he had been tied to the headstone, what the Death Eaters did, what Voldemort had looked like and how he had been resurrected, how the Death Eaters had arrived, how he had been tortured and forced to duel with Voldemort, and how he escaped with the help of their wand cores joining.
Ginny reached out and gripped his hand tightly. "To have seen your parents twice in such a short time… Harry, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be feeling."
He stared into her warm brown eyes and saw nothing but understanding there and he nodded. "Thanks, Ginny." He let out a slow sigh. "So, um… the important thing is that we know Nagini is a Horcrux."
"How do you know, Harry?" Neville asked him. "Did You Know Who give the impression that he had put part of his soul inside of her?"
Harry shook his head. "When I was in the graveyard… I just knew that she was a Horcrux, I could feel it… which now I know I could feel because I was the accidental one. So, we have to find the diadem inside of Hogwarts and then we have to figure out how to kill Voldemort's snake and then him."
"We'll find the diadem, Harry," Ron assured him. "Especially with Hermione and I as prefects this year, we'll be able to wander the castle more than usual."
Harry grinned at him. "Thanks, Ron. We have to find it soon and I think that we could use as much help as possible on that front. In the meantime, Uncle Sirius is working with the Wizengamot on this new project called the Phoenix Initiative that Dumbledore implemented and Madam Bones is helping organize. But they are also still recruiting for the Order of the Phoenix. Uncle Siri says that there are still missions and small projects that can be taken care of as we still don't know who all of his followers are or how many more of them are still working in the Ministry of Magic."
"My gran told me that Sirius actually showed the Wizengamot your memory from the graveyard and that it implicated Malfoy, Macklebee, and Bulstrode directly which is why they were arrested," Neville said.
Harry nodded. "He did. It helped cement support for the Phoenix Initiative and Fudge's denial over it being real is what caused them to impeach him. Uncle Siri says that Madam Bones is the woman for the job. They are even looking to make allies with the segregated parts of the population. Mandy told me that the paper reported that we might have werewolves and vampires as students this year."
Hermione smiled widely. "It's about time the magical world starts doing so. I think that it's awful the way people are treated for being different. People are people and it's as simple as that."
"I agree," Ron said, his eyes on her. "Our family is still considered blood traitors and we're what the magical world calls purebloods. The whole thing seems ridiculous."
Harry sighed. "Well, the Phoenix Initiative is looking to bring some positive change into the government anyway. Uncle Siri says that it won't change overnight and that there will definitely be a lot of animosity at the beginning as not everyone agrees with it, but it's a start. In the meantime, the Order is still trying to uncover who Voldemort's followers are and maybe try to work out what his next move is. There are some things that still need to be done in secret and that's what the Order of the Phoenix is going to be used for."
"What do you know about the Order of the Phoenix, Harry?" Mrs Weasley demanded from behind them.
Harry turned slowly as Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes, her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, Mrs Weasley?"
"What do you know about the Order? That is secret information, young man!"
Harry nodded. "I'm aware."
Ron swallowed slowly. "Sirius trusts Harry, Mum, and he trusts us."
Mrs Weasley was turning a lovely shade of puce now. "He trusts you with war information? You are children! He should be ashamed of himself! None of you are old enough to join the Order and you should not even be aware of it!"
Harry winced. "With all due respect, Mrs Weasley, he's my father, and after everything that I have been through — coming up against Voldemort again and again, what Ginny went through in the Chamber... if anyone deserves to know — we do."
Mrs Weasley failed to agree. "That is the most irresponsible thing I have ever... how dare he inform MY children of such things without... he cannot!"
"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed, making Mrs Weasley's eyes snap to her. "If anyone deserves to know this, we do. We aren't children anymore."
"We stopped being children the moment that Voldemort came back," Ron said quietly, his hand reaching out to grip Hermione's. "The moment that Mione lost Viktor and Hogwarts lost Cedric."
"The moment that Tom stepped out of the diary," Ginny said quietly.
Harry's hand squeezed Ginny's wrist gently as he stared at Mrs Weasley. "Uncle Sirius and I always try to be honest with each other and he has kept things from me; things that I deserved to know… but I'm informed on everything now and I will continue to be. It was me that watched him come back, Mrs Weasley. It was me who was tortured in that graveyard."
Mrs Weasley stared at him for a long moment. "If Sirius Black wants to be the kind of parent who informs his son of things that he has no business knowing, I can't stop him, but I can do something about him telling my children."
"He didn't tell them," Harry said. "I did. Uncle Siri told me that if I trusted them and felt like I could tell them, then to do so. Are you saying that it was wrong of me to trust my friends?"
"No, Harry," Mrs Weasley said kindly. "Of course not!"
"That's what it sounds like to me," he said angrily. "My dads are the best men that I know, Mrs Weasley, and if I can grow up to make even half of the good decisions they make, then I've done something good in my life."
Mrs Weasley opened her mouth to comment and then promptly shut it again.
"Mum, a war is coming. Wouldn't it be better for us to be on our guard and to be prepared?" Ginny asked her.
Mrs Weasley bit back tears, shaking her head. "After Gideon and Fabian I… I don't want you in this war and I will not let Sirius Black or anyone else drag you into it!"
She stormed off and Harry tugged his mirror out. When Sirius' face came on the mirror he looked sheepish as he spoke.
"So, Mrs Weasley accidentally found out that we all know about well, everything, and she's beyond livid at you."
Sirius winced. "I'm on my way."
The mirror went blank and Harry looked around at his friends. "Well, that went well."
Ron gulped. "I've never felt worse for Sirius in my life. I'll go track down Dad, he might be able to calm her down."
Harry nodded and jumped to his feet. "I'll come with you."
Harry and Ron hurried around to the shed where Mr Weasley could be heard whistling as he tinkered with whatever Muggle contraption he was currently playing with.
"Dad," Ron said quickly, startling his father who bumped his head on the shelf and winced.
"Bloody shelf!"
Ron grinned as his father's head lifted, his hand rubbing the back of it. "Didn't mean to startle you, Dad. Um, we wanted to tell you that Mum sort of found out that we know stuff about the Order and about You Know Who."
Mr Weasley paled slightly. "Merlin's beard! You didn't tell her that I knew, did you?"
Ron shook his head. "No."
"I called Uncle Siri, though, and he's on his way over to talk to her," Harry told him.
Mr Weasley nodded. "I'll go and try to head her off."
Harry and Ron exchanged an amused look as Mr Weasley hurried into the Burrow to find his wife and Harry let out a slow sigh. "I feel bad for your dad."
"I feel bad for Sirius," Ron said with a grin, leaning back against the counter of the workshop. "Mate, I'm really sorry about Marauder, I know how much he meant to you."
Harry nodded. "Thanks. It… it was a shock this morning and I don't really know how I feel. I'm sad, of course, but it still doesn't seem real."
"Well, if you need anything or if you want to stay here for a bit, you can."
"Thanks, Ron." He let out a slow breath and then closed the door of the shed. "I wanted to ask you something… about girls…" Ron raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Um… have you and Lavender… moved past snogging?"
The tips of Ron's ears reddened as he shrugged. "There's been some hanky-panky, sure."
Harry nodded, glancing behind him to make sure that no one else was around. "Mandy came to Corfu with us after I had healed and everything and we snogged… a lot, but the last day before we left, she er… we were still in our bathing suits, but she was rubbing herself against me and… we both… erm… finished… and it was kind of brilliant. I mean, if it was that great with our clothes on, it makes me wonder how great it could really be, you know?"
Ron's eyes widened. "She started it?"
He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, and it felt bloody amazing."
Ron grinned. "Lavender's let me kiss and touch her tits and she… used her hand a few times which was kind of brilliant. I mean, she clearly didn't know what she was doing, but it sort of worked? I mean, I still came, but nothing like… that."
Harry grinned back at him. "I mean, I want to do more, but I still don't think I'm ready."
"Me neither," Ron admitted. "And Lavender's great but… she still calls me Won Won."
Harry snickered. "It's a very manly pet name."
"I was kissing her tits the other day and she called me pookie."
Harry snorted. "Even manlier."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't laugh, you git! I like her and all, but… I feel like you did with Cho, where she could literally be anyone and I wouldn't care, which makes me feel like a really shitty bloke when I'm snogging her."
"Maybe you should dump her, yeah?"
Ron shrugged. "When we get back to school I think I will. Ginny told me that I can't do it in a letter."
"Probably not."
Ron's brow crinkled. "She's going to cry."
"Yup," Harry said simply as his friend sighed.
He grimaced. "Would it be wrong to let her give me a hand job first even if it's a poor one?"
"Yes."
Ron grinned. "Thought so."
Harry laughed. "You prat."
He sighed and then he glanced out the window of the shed to where Hermione was standing with Ginny, Luna, and Neville. "How do you think she's doing? It sounded like she had a brilliant time in Germany with her parents."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, it did. I think that she's doing all right. I doubt she's eager to start dating again, but she's taking it one day at a time. Viktor was a really great bloke and she fell in love with him."
"She's writing to Desi, Viktor's little sister. I guess they've become pen pals of a sort."
"Good for her," Harry said quietly. "You still fancy her, then?"
The tips of Ron's ears reddened. "Don't be daft."
But Harry watched the way Ron watched her and he smiled.
Time would tell.
~ ASC ~
Sirius Apparated to the Burrow directly after speaking with Harry. He was only halfway up the drive when he heard the argument and he winced. He was entirely responsible for it and he felt a bit guilty at that conclusion.
Arthur was staring at his wife. "Molly, you have to calm down!"
"Don't you tell me to calm down, Arthur! Our children are more informed on You Know Who's actions than we are! Our children! They are not even part of the Order!"
Sirius knocked hesitantly on the doorjamb. "Sorry to interrupt, Molly, Arthur."
Molly glared at him. "Oh, don't you try to charm me, Sirius Black! You had no right to bring my children into this without first discussing it with me!"
"Well, technically Harry brought them in—"
"—Don't you dare throw that sweet boy off the broomstick! You told him! You told that child things that no rational adult should even know! You are the most irresponsible parent, Sirius Black! I love that child as if he were my own and for you to — he's not your friend, Sirius, he's not James Potter!"
Sirius cleared his throat, his voice rising as he glared at her. "I am aware of exactly who he is, Molly. Maybe I'm not perfect, but Merlin knows you and Arthur aren't either. Name me one perfect parent who hasn't made mistakes. I never expected to be given the task of raising him. I expected to be the fun godfather who let him get away with all of the shit that James and Lily wouldn't let him do. I wanted to be his friend and confidant and I think that despite me taking on the role of his father, I think I still managed to be the fun godfather and friend that I wanted to be. You remember how he was as a child; terrified to be touched, to be yelled at? He fucking exploded your windows out of your kitchen when Arthur touched his shoulder. He is the most resilient and the most caring person that I have ever met in my entire life. He has his mother's heart and his father's great capacity to love. I have done my best by him and maybe it's not the best by your standards, but it's worked for us. For the three of us. Remus, Harry, and I are a family, Molly, and when Harry was a child, we wrote our family rules together. Number nine: We don't lie to each other. Now there are some things that I admit, I have lied to him about in order to protect him. Every time I lied to him it was like there was this sour taste in my mouth, bitter and wrong. We're a team, Harry and I, and if I have to tell him every single tidbit of information that I learn on the mad man who murdered his parents and wants to kill him, I will do it!"
Molly let out a huff of breath. "Sirius, of course I don't think that you're a bad parent, I just… I lost my younger brothers in the war and they were my world growing up. I loved those boys more than life and the thought of losing anyone else… you're a wonderful father. I'm sorry for saying otherwise. It was wrong of me. You and Remus are everything to that boy and I know Zahira has come to be an important part of Harry's life as well. But you're giving them too much information. They're children, not adults!"
"Molly, he's fifteen years old. He's not a child. And he's faced Voldemort four times in one way or another. He just watched his rebirth in June and was tortured by him, duelled him, and escaped near death. He has more of a right than anybody. As much as I want to put him in a protective bubble and baby him, he's not a child anymore! And if he looks to his friends, who he knows will support him, especially the girl who he rescued from Voldemort: How can I fault him for that?"
Molly huffed and then promptly burst into tears.
Arthur pulled her close. "Hush, Molly, it's okay."
Molly waved her hand and shook her head. "It's just... that poor sweet boy! Being forced to grow up like that! Watching that foul evil man come back…!"
"I don't like it anymore than you do, Molly, but I like to think that if I have an honest and open relationship with my son, he won't go off and do something too stupid without at least talking to me about it first."
Arthur chuckled. "That's actually good logic."
Sirius grinned sheepishly at Arthur. "Look, he knows the drill. Until he's seventeen, he isn't going on missions or doing anything dangerous without my consent. He is helping me with something as is Bill, Arthur already knows what that is; a sensitive matter involving his knowledge on curse breaking."
Molly glared at him. "So, my eldest son along with my two youngest children and my husband are more informed than I am? Have you all just been playing me the fool?"
"No," Sirius said. "We kept it on a need-to-know and frankly, Molly, not to be rude, but you didn't need to know. Why should we burden you with it when it wasn't necessary?"
Molly huffed. "Well, I certainly need to know now!"
Sirius let out a slow sigh. He agreed with that, but for now the Horcruxes were staying strictly amongst the members of FUVP along with Harry and his friends. But it was time that the Weasleys were made aware of everything else, including the prophecy.
"On that I agree. Molly, would you mind putting on a pot of tea? We have a lot to discuss."
Arthur took a seat at the kitchen table, taking his glasses off to clean them. "Yes, yes, I think we do."
~ ASC ~
Seamus flashed his visitor's badge to the guard at the front of the camp and he was immediately let through. Having Will at this Herbology summer program was the greatest thing in his opinion since it was barely a thirty minute walk from his home and he was making time to see his boyfriend almost on a weekly basis. Neville had taken a day pass to go to Ginny's birthday and Will had invited Seamus to come spend the afternoon with him for what would be the last time until they returned to school.
He couldn't believe that he had already been dating Will Matthews for over a year.
He spotted his boyfriend's curly brown hair and he picked up his pace, laughing when Will hugged him tightly.
"You just saw me less than two weeks ago!"
Will shrugged and lowered his head to bury his face in Seamus' shoulder. "Don't care. Missed you."
They hugged for a long moment before Will grabbed his hand and tugged him along the edge of the wood. They walked for almost ten minutes until they were near a large greenhouse full of colourful plants and Will pulled him along the back, leaning back against the glass of the house before he pulled Seamus forward and kissed him deeply. Seamus sighed, leaning into his boyfriend against the glass wall as they kissed.
"What's wrong?" Seamus asked him, cupping Will's cheeks as he looked up into his boyfriend's green eyes.
"Nothing. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid if it's bothering you," Seamus said simply.
Will sighed and wrapped his arms around Seamus again, cuddling him close. "One of the blokes in my dorm spray-painted 'Poofter' over my bed and then when I called him out on it, he apologized and told me that he was just hoping I'd give him a free blow job because, and I quote, 'gays do it better.'"
Seamus frowned. "What an arse!"
"And then some," Will admitted. "I'm just annoyed."
"What did he say when you refused to blow him?"
Will grinned. "I didn't refuse per-say, I simply told him that he's right, I do give great blow jobs, and that he just had to ask my boyfriend."
Seamus chuckled. "You are the best, but also my only real realm of experience so, I can't really be sure one hundred percent, now can I? I mean, Lavender only did it once and it was over rather quickly."
Will kissed the corners of his mouth. "Yes, you can; trust me."
Will's lips trailed down his neck, nibbling at his ear, sucking the lobe before he nipped at Seamus' mouth. And then he was sliding down to his knees and Seamus froze.
"Will," he hissed. "It's daylight! Anyone could see!"
Will only unzipped Seamus' jeans and pulled out his boyfriend's growing erection. "They'll see you standing in front of the greenhouse and nothing more," he assured him before he leaned in and licked his balls.
Seamus groaned, his eyes moving down to watch his boyfriend's mouth suck his testicles into his mouth. "Oh, fuck."
Will grinned, his hand moving around to cup Seamus' warm growing erection in his fingers as his mouth sucked below. He slowly sucked his balls, licking his way across them and over to the underside of Seamus' shaft and Seamus' head fell back in pleasure as Will's hands got busy. Seamus gripped his boyfriend's mop of curly hair, grunting with every pull and tug.
"Fuck… I'm close… babe, I'm so close…"
Will smiled and kept moving his hand back and forth, touching his boyfriend the way he knew he liked and then Seamus was groaning and coming. Will licked him and then used a quick cleaning charm on them both as he stood up, tucking his boyfriend back into his pants and kissing his lips.
"Told you I missed you."
Seamus grinned and stood on his toes to meet Will's lips. "I'll have to repay the favour and those were mostly your hands, Will, not your mouth."
Will smirked. "I'm good with those, too." They heard sounds from nearby so Will nipped at his neck. "Baggage claim, Hogwarts Express… I want you to ride me."
Seamus flushed, but he nodded.
Will kissed him again. "Come on; I'll show you all the exciting things that I've been learning about Herbology."
Seamus simply grinned, his fingers linking through Will's as he followed him around the greenhouse, a huge satisfied smile on his face.
~ ASC ~
After filling the Weasleys in, Sirius felt a bit better, but he knew that Molly was still incredibly unimpressed with him. The woman had the biggest heart of anyone and he knew that she was worried and scared. The fact that she deeply cared for Harry as much as her own children made him grateful, but also a bit annoyed that she still had deemed him an irresponsible parent for filling Harry in on so much of the so-called war information.
He had found Harry out by the pond with his friends and he smirked when he saw his son's eyes on Ginny, who was dressed in a turquoise bikini showcasing her own summer tan. His son's denial was rather adorable and quite frankly, had Evans stamped all over it.
"Harry!"
Harry turned and swam to the shore. "How'd it go?"
"Better than expected. You about ready to head out?"
He nodded and grabbed his towel. "Yeah, I want to get it done."
"Me too," Sirius admitted.
They said goodbye and Sirius took his arm, grinning. "Why don't you side Apparate me this time? Get some practice in?"
Harry grinned widely and did just that as they landed inside the entrance way to Number Twelve.
"All your parts still intact?" Sirius asked him.
Harry rolled his eyes but they both did a check for good measure. "All good."
Kreacher immediately came to greet them. "Master Sirius! Master Harry! You've returned! How was Greece?"
"Greece was wonderful, Kreacher. A much needed holiday, thank you. Did you lock up the cigar box like I asked?"
Kreacher nodded, his eyes wide. "Of course, Master Sirius. It's right in the study, Sir. Are you wanting any food or beverages?"
"Not at the moment, Kreacher, thank you," Sirius told him as he and Harry headed down the hall to the study just as Remus Apparated into the entrance hall.
"Oh, good, I was worried I was running late."
"No," Sirius told him with a grin. "Not late. We're a bit behind ourselves. I filled Arthur and Molly in."
"Everything except FUVP?"
"Yes. She cried when I mentioned the prophecy."
Harry frowned. "You don't qualify that as FUVP?"
"The Horcruxes are between us and I think that the less people who are kept informed of them means the less chance of Voldemort finding out," Remus said. "But the prophecy helps explain why Voldemort is after you and helps them understand why we have kept you informed. The Weasleys will be helping us try to track Voldemort and his Death Eaters so, it makes sense that they both know about the prophecy."
"They might not have to do as much if Amelia gets this Phoenix Initiative off the ground," Sirius said.
Remus nodded. "Have you any idea on how that's been going?"
Sirius shook his head. "Only what we already know. I'll find out tomorrow at the Wizengamot session."
He slapped his hands together as he led them through the blood wards and into the study. He moved to the safe immediately and unlocked it, carefully pulling the ornate cigar box from the safe-box. He placed it on the desk in the middle of the room before he pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the safe, lying it next to the box.
Harry stared at it, letting out a slow breath. "It's really in there?"
Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's really in there. I think that you know why it should be you who takes care of this one?"
Harry nodded and picked up the sword, his eyes on the ugly box. Sirius moved everything off the desk.
"Since we trapped it into the box, I don't believe that we will have to open it. I think you should just be able to break it with the sword," Sirius said carefully.
Harry nodded again, clutching the sword tightly in his hands. He positioned the tip over the box and let out a slow breath and pushed. The sword tore through the gold and onyx like paper and into the blackness, rising around the sword like a swarm of angry bees, buzzing and hissing. He pushed harder and a foul high-pitched scream seemed to slice through the air before the blackness disintegrated into nothing and the cigar box almost melted into the desk.
Remus squeezed his son's shoulder, tugging him back against him. "Great work, Harry."
"That one didn't put up much of a fight," Harry said, his eyes moving to where Sirius was using a spell to scrape the remains of the box off the desk.
Sirius snorted. "Not much of a fight? It stopped your bloody heart!"
Harry grinned. "I meant, now."
Remus nodded. "Well, this time it wasn't trapped by the Horcrux spell, but trapped by us and we already did the hard work extracting it from your head. This time, we just had to crush it."
"Another one bites the dust then," Harry said as his fathers grinned at him.
Remus dropped a kiss to the top of his son's head. "Two to go."
"How are we ever going to get our hands on that snake?" Harry asked them.
Sirius sighed. "After we find and destroy the diadem, we'll figure that out. Until then, I don't want you to worry about that. One step at a time, Harry."
Harry nodded and let out a slow breath and moved to the board on the wall, using his wand to cross off another one on the list.
FUVP Hit List:
1. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓
2. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave; destroyed by Sirius Black) ✓
3. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property; destroyed by Sirius Black) ✓
4. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (found in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓
5. HARRY POTTER (accidentally put into the scar on his forehead; moved to cigar box; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓
6. DIADEM OF RAVENCLAW (believed to be hidden in Hogwarts)
7. NAGINI
8. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF
"Three more if we count Voldemort," he said, his eyes on Remus.
"Voldemort is going to be much harder to kill than any Horcrux," Remus told him. "Two to go and then we can worry about tackling him. Like Sirius said, one step at a time."
He nodded. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow for my school supplies?"
"Sirius has the short Tuesday Wizengamot session in preparation for Thursday, but I'll take you tomorrow morning. I have a few last minute wedding things to take care of before Saturday."
Harry beamed at Remus. "Sounds great."
~ ASC ~
Dean plopped himself down into the chair in Seamus' bedroom. He was staying with his friend for the week, but Seamus had run off to spend the afternoon with Will. He had invited Dean along, but Dean knew that he wanted some alone time with his boyfriend so he had claimed to have plans in the village.
His plans had involved joining a group of Muggles for a bite in the local pub. They had been fun, especially the brunette who he had ended up snogging in the booth for over thirty minutes.
But that wasn't what was bothering him.
It was what had happened in the bathroom.
Dean had left his new friends to use the loo. He rested one hand on the wall as his right hand aimed his cock, whistling as he pissed. He had just finished zipping himself back up when he heard the low groan. He'd found himself moving to the stall to snoop before he could stop himself. He stood on the toilet and peaked over the edge, eyes widening at the two men coupling there. His eyes had stayed on them, watching as the blond man pinned his partner's hands up against the wall of the stall before he had lowered the brunette onto his cock.
"Deeper," the brunette moaned. "Fuck me harder."
The blond seemingly obliged and the wall Dean was leaning over vibrated from the motions of their movement. Embarrassed, he had hopped down and hurried out, heading back to the Finnigan house quickly. Seamus' parents were both gone so he had hurried into Seamus' bedroom, appalled by the fact that he had an erection.
And when he touched himself, he had imagined lowering someone down onto his own cock, riding them hard and deep against a wall and when he came, it was Seamus' name that erupted from his lips.
He cleaned himself up in embarrassment as he remembered his last conversation with his ex-girlfriend.
"Dean, I don't think that we should be together any more," Parvati told him, her eyes sad.
Dean reached for her hands, tugging her into his lap. "Vati, you don't mean that, love. We're great together."
Parvati leaned in and kissed him softly. "You are a sweet bloke and I'm glad that you were my first. Making love with you these past few months, kissing you, and enjoying you has been wonderful."
"More than," he told her. "You're perfect."
"I know that you like me, but we both know that you are imagining being with someone else when I touch you."
Dean flushed. "What? What are you on about?"
Parvati stared at him. "When I touched you the other day, Dean, when you came… you said Seamus' name."
"No!" he protested. "That was… it's because I saw him through the window, that had nothing to do with me… and…"
She smiled sadly. "There's nothing wrong with being attracted to blokes, Dean. I'm not upset that you're gay."
"I'm not bloody gay! If I was gay I wouldn't be looking to shag you at every opportunity!" Dean exploded.
She smiled again. "Maybe, maybe not, but we both know that you really want Seamus to be the one getting you off and not me."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Dean said angrily, his eyes flashing. "If you want to break up with me that's fine, but don't use some bullshit excuse like that! Seam and I are friends and I'm not attracted to him or to any bloke!"
"Goodbye, Dean. I hope that you figure out what you're looking for."
"I'm not bloody attracted to blokes!"
Parvati only gave him a small smile and then gently kissed his cheek. "Goodbye."
He hadn't been able to stop thinking about their breakup over the last seven months. She was wrong. He liked women. He really liked women and he was going to show her exactly what she was missing out on when he returned to Hogwarts. He was going to date so many girls that it would blow her mind, he thought.
He looked up when Seamus' bedroom door opened, interrupting his thoughts and he grinned at his friend. "How's Will?"
"Good," Seamus said. "He told me loads of stuff about plants and soil that went right over my head. He and Neville seem to be having a great time. We caught up for a bit when Neville came back from the Weasleys."
Dean nodded, stretching his long legs out from the swivel chair he was sitting in. "I just got back myself about twenty minutes ago. I met some Muggles down at the pub."
"Meet anyone exciting?"
Dean shrugged. "Snogged a brunette."
Seamus grinned. "Good for you. There hasn't been anyone you've been interested in since Parvati?"
He shrugged again. "Who knows what will happen when school starts up again. I've been thinking about maybe even trying out for the Quidditch team this year. They're going to need a Keeper with Wood gone."
"Are you any good at Keeping?" Seamus asked curiously. "I've never even seen you play Quidditch?"
"Dunno, if I'm honest," Dean admitted. "But I'm a fair goalie at football and it's relatively the same thing. I'm just thinking about it anyway."
Seamus nodded. "Want to go have a game of football in the back then; get a little practice in?"
"Sure, why not," Dean said, standing up and stretching his arms up over his head.
Seamus nodded and moved to pull his shirt off. "I'm just going to change first."
He turned and Dean's eyes fell on the lean muscles of his friend's pale back; milky white skin with a smattering of brown freckles. Seamus bent down to open the bottom drawer of his cabinet and Dean's eyes moved over his friend's bum, the soft lines, the roundness of it, and his cock twitched slightly.
He did not like blokes, he told himself vehemently and rubbed a hand over his twitching cock in an attempt to calm it. He jumped to his feet quickly.
"Come on, Seam; I'll kick your butt on the football field."
Seamus laughed, tugging an old tee shirt over his head. "You're on!"
~ ASC ~
Harry had trouble sleeping that night. He missed the feeling of having Marauder lying at the end of his bed. He tossed and turned for over an hour until he heard movement at his bedroom door. He frowned and headed over to open it and he smiled at the sight of Lady Godiva. She nuzzled his hip with her head before she prowled into the room, hopped up onto his bed and stretched out across the end, yawning hugely. Her large yellow eyes were staring at him as if she was waiting for him to get back into bed.
Harry smiled gratefully at her as he climbed back into his bed and gently rubbed her behind the ears. "You're a good kitty. Do you miss Marauder too, Lady G?"
Lady Godiva merely licked his hand and then rested her head on her paws.
Harry stretched out, the warmth of the panther at his feet making him sigh in contentment. It wasn't the same. She wasn't cuddly and fun-loving like his dog had been, but she was watching out for him and he appreciated that fact.
He still had trouble sleeping and he woke almost every hour, staring at the clock and wondering what it was that was keeping him up. Finally at four, he just got up for the day. He urged Lady Godiva to come with him as he snuck down to the Sidmouth Town Beach and jogged along the shore until his heart was pounding and he was slightly out of breath. The panther followed him back to Black Cottage and he did twenty push-ups and sit-ups before heading up to take a shower.
It was still only a little past seven, but Harry made himself scrambled eggs and a toasted tomato sandwich before heading out to the treehouse. The morning sun shone down on him as he stretched out on the top of the pirate ship with a notebook and a pencil as he started to work out some Quidditch plays along with a workout and practice routine ideas for the team.
Remus found him up there just after nine and he took a seat on the floor of the ship, leaning his back against the captain's wheel. "Sirius said that you've been brooding up here."
He shrugged. "Not brooding; just keeping busy."
Remus nodded. "Sirius and Zee headed to the Ministry already. Zee said that Lady Godiva didn't want to go with her today."
Harry smiled at the panther who was stretched out on the edge of the deck of the ship, her eyes closed as she bathed in the morning sun. "I think that she's keeping tabs on me. She even slept on the end of my bed last night."
"Maybe she misses him, too."
He nodded. "It feels strange not having him around, Uncle Moony."
Remus smiled at him. "I know. Maybe today when we go shopping we can look at some new puppies, if you're ready."
Harry shook his head. "No! I can't just… replace him!"
"I didn't say that," Remus said kindly. "Getting a new puppy would not be replacing Marauder in any way. But we won't talk about it again. When you're ready, you'll know."
He swallowed slowly and nodded. "Can we head to Diagon Alley now?"
"I'm ready when you are," Remus said.
Harry closed the notebook and tucked it under his arm. "Let's go."
~ ASC ~
Harry and Remus stepped into Diagon Alley later on that day to take care of his school shopping. It didn't take them long to find the books that he needed or to punch up his supplies before Remus brought him into Ollivander's for a second wand, which made him feel a little nervous at the thought of doing so.
"I like my wand, Uncle Rem."
"As you should," Remus told him with a smile. "I don't want you to not use your wand, Harry. I just … I want you to have another wand that works for you just in case."
"If our wands connect again you mean?"
He nodded. "It doesn't hurt to have a backup wand, does it?"
Harry swallowed slowly and reluctantly agreed. Mr Ollivander was thrilled to see him and immediately started to check out his wand before searching the store for an alternative. It took him over half an hour to find out, but he finally found a wand that felt comfortable in his hand.
It was twelve inches long and made of hawthorn wood with both a unicorn hair and a dragon heartstring entwined together. He performed a simple spell to make flowers bloom from the floor of the shop, but the power of the spell caused flowers to erupt everywhere in the shop as if they were suddenly standing in a forest and it made Ollivander clap in excitement.
"Bravo, Mr Potter! I think that you've found your second wand."
Harry thanked him and they paid for it before he placed the wand box in his shopping bag. Remus urged him to wear it in his holster next to his regular wand, clipping it into place just behind so that no one would know he had it except him.
"Does that feel okay?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, it feels great."
Remus smiled. "I want you to learn each spell this year with both wands until you're completely comfortable with both of them, all right?"
"I promise."
Remus grinned at him and they headed into Madam let Madam Malkin measure him for a new uniform before they headed into Muggle London and he was fitted for the black tuxedo that he would be wearing on Saturday.
They stopped at a pub for lunch and Harry grinned at his father. "Are you getting nervous?"
Remus smiled at him as he dug into his ham sandwich. "Actually no, which surprises me. I thought that I would be, but… she is who I want and I know that marrying her is the best decision that I could ever make."
Harry grinned. "Good. Tonks is the best so you have to take care of her."
Remus smiled. "Are you warning me against hurting her?"
He shrugged. "I love you both, Uncle Moony, but she's basically my sister so I have to watch out for her."
Remus chuckled. "Yes, you do. I promise to take care of her, Harry. We're going to take care of each other."
"I'm glad," Harry said, leaning back in his chair as he munched on a chip. "So, what exactly do I have to do on Saturday anyway?"
Remus smiled. "Just stand up there next to me and make sure that Sirius doesn't lose or forget our rings."
He laughed. "Are you sure that you wouldn't rather I hold onto them then?"
Remus smirked in amusement. "Don't tempt me."
He grinned. "Is everything all done then?"
"Almost," Remus told him. "We're going to go pick up the rings when we leave here and you can give them to Sirius. He is getting fitted for his tux later today. Charlie sent his measurements so, he should be good. We just can't decide on a song for Dora to walk down the aisle to. She says that everything is too traditional and boring and she's right. We need something that's just us."
Harry nodded, his brow crinkled. "I'm sure that you'll think of something."
"I'm sure that we will," Remus said with a smile. "We're going to go through her albums tonight and if necessary, Sirius' collection."
"That will take you forever!"
Remus chuckled. "We still have a few days. I'm not worried."
Harry grinned at him and he knew that whether they found the perfect song or not, he and Tonks were going to be incredibly happy together.
~ ASC ~
When Sirius returned to the Ministry of Magic, he headed straight for the Wizengamot. Augusta Longbottom smiled at him when he sat down.
"Someone is sporting a tan. Did you enjoy your holiday?"
"I did. Harry and I both needed it. What did I miss here? Is Bones still working on the Phoenix Initiative?"
Augusta nodded. "She is and we've been working on some new educational programs. Umbridge has actually been assisting with it. Apparently she loves the idea of offering a multicultural class and wants to help Delta Carthaginian run it for the students at Hogwarts while providing guest speakers to the younger classes on why being knowledgable and having international magical cooperation is important."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like her at all."
"Let me clarify. IMC for witches and wizards only. Bones did remove her from the Minister's Cabinet once she was elected Minister, but she has been transferred to the Department of Magical Education as that is where her expertise lies, at least in theory."
Sirius nodded. "Hmm, we'll see about that."
"I agree. Since her discretions happened under Fudge, Bones says that she has to give her a chance to prove herself, but frankly I think Amelia is just waiting for her to screw the pooch so she can send her out on her arse."
"Augusta Longbottom! Such shocking language."
She rolled her eyes and ignored him. "We will see what happens. In the meantime she is out of Amelia's hair and since she was only part of the Wizengamot because she sat on Fudge's cabinet, out of our hair."
Sirius grinned. "That is something anyway. Though I can only imagine what kind of trouble she's going to get into in the education department. And you forgot that with her involvement in the education department, that does mean we will still have to deal with her antics when we sit on the Board of Governors."
Augusta nodded. "Then when she's canned, I'll pop some champagne."
Sirius laughed. "I'll buy it for you."
"Good man," she said with a smile. "Now, about the Board of Governors, we need to discuss recruiting some new members since a few of our number have been arrested."
Sirius frowned. "We can bring it up at the meeting today. I want to hear what Madam Bones has been doing first."
Augusta smiled. "Let's get started then."
~ ASC ~
When Remus got home later that evening, he heard music playing and he grinned at the sight of his mate sitting cross-legged on the floor in an over-sized Ramones tee-shirt and a pair of his boxer shorts. Records were spread out around her and she was looking at the backs of them intently, her brow crinkled.
He kicked off his shoes and knelt behind her, nuzzling her neck, wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you wearing my boxers?"
She turned and grinned at him. "All of my knickers are dirty and I didn't want to do laundry."
Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "I love you."
Tonks turned in his arms, kissing him softly. "I love you, too."
He fiddled with the hem of her tee shirt, his eyes on the emblem of the band. "You saw them in concert, didn't you?"
She nodded. "Yeah, Dad loves them. He took Mum and I when I was fourteen or fifteen. This used to be his shirt, but I stole it."
"You like the Ramones?"
"Love them," she said with a grin. "Blitzkrieg Bop is one of my favourites, as you very well know. Not to mention Joey Ramone's cover of 'What a Wonderful World;' classic."
Remus was grinning at her. "I have to agree. I always loved 'I Wanna Be Sedated,'" he said before he kissed her again. "And they covered our perfect song."
Tonks' eyebrow lifted. "They did?"
Remus dug around until he found the album End of the Century and quickly placed it on the turntable. When the beat started, he grinned widely at her and softly sang in her ear. "Have I ever told you? How good it feels to hold you?"
Tonks kissed him deeply, interrupting his singing and breaking the kiss as the chorus began.
"What do you think, Nymphadora?"
"I think it's as perfect as you are," she said, sliding into his lap to kiss him again. "This is our song, Remus, and I can't wait to marry you on Saturday."
He grinned against her mouth, kissing her softly and slowly, lingering and deeply, his hands on her back holding her in place and he knew; this was perfect. He leaned back against the arm of the sofa, tugging her more firmly into his lap as the Ramones played on the record player and her lips met his.
Spending an evening snogging his mate sounded like the best thing that he could think to be doing with his time. Especially because in three days time, she would be his wife.
And he had never wanted anything more.