Author's Note:
BSB was the greatest night ever! They rock and are still awesome and even though I've sadly moved past the stage where I dreamed of marrying a Backstreet Boy (mostly) it was an incredible show.
Reviews and Comments: To je t'amour: Yes, BSB are definitely amazing! Thank you for saying this is one of the best fanfics you've ever read! To PlumCrazyRangerBabe: Thank you! Ha, I love that you're jealous of my BSB concert! It was amazing! To DovahStark: Yes, Harry will tell Hermione, but I felt it should be a more private moment between the two of them. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To alucardgal: Thank you! I'm glad you loved the ending! To LifeonEarth: Pretty much, yes, everyone knows how he and Ginny feel each other but them. As to Ginny dating Dean, we shall see! Thank you! To Denthefirefly: Thank you and Hinny is coming. I know it seems like forever from now, but it is, I promise. It will happen sooner than it did it in the books, MUCH sooner! We are only starting year five remember. Thank you! To midnitewanderer: I wanted Mrs Weasley and Sirius to have a blowout mainly because most of her family is very involved in what is happening and she was clearly left in the dark. It is harsh what she says and I know that she didn't believe it, but she's worried, she's panicking, and she's remembering losing her brothers in the war and she overreacts. She apologizes and Sirius understands where she is coming from. So does her husband. But I think the moment very much needed to happen. Thank you!As for Dean, it's not being gay that freaks him out so much as to the fact that he only seems to be feeling gay for Seamus, his best friend, which is what is worrying him, and why he is so adamantly denying it.
To Krazyasibe: Thank you! To alix33: Theo definitely always checks out butts lol. Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you! I love Downton Abbey so I will very much take that compliment. I am doing my best to keep a balance on everything even though the story is getting darker the older Harry gets. I still want to keep a little fun and love and romance and smut when I can. To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To purplevictory: Give Harry some time to come to those thoughts himself. As much as he may want to talk to his dads, he is fifteen, and like most teenagers, the thought is mortifying. My plans for Umbridge, such a difficult way to explain it. I hope you enjoy my changes there. Yes, I think Ron and Lavender will breaking up very soon!
Thank you! To supersandman86: For sure McGonagall is beyond proud, you know she's going to use that to her advantage! As for getting a new pet, I don't think he's ready for that yet! Thank you! To mysuvone: Thank you!
To ZeeNooblet: Thank you very much for such a kind and lovely review! I'm honoured that you find this story so addictive! I agree, Mrs Weasley is misunderstood and I wanted to show how much of a great mum she is! Thank you so much for loving my slow burn of Hinny and not rushing them into a relationship they aren't ready for. Thank you so much for such an incredibly long and beautiful review! To Wolf's scream: No, Ginny didn't notice why he moved away so abruptly, Harry didn't let it get to that. Thank you! To AKBookGirl: Yes, Backstreet Boys are the best! Have an amazing time at the concert! Thank you! To Steelcode: Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: We will see what happens indeed. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To coloredwords: I completely agree and I do explore that a little later on. Dean is not gay. Thank you! To iKingAnomalyII: Thank you! I hate seeing Molly made to be evil, she's definitely not! Thank you for saying I can make "relatively insignificant and obscure characters from the books come to life here." Thank you! To sherryola: I disagree with your assessment of Molly. Thanks for your thoughts. To Saz J: Ha, you will survive the Hinny bit, I swear LOL. To Guest: Thanks for reading Crazy Little Thing Called Love! Hope your enjoyed it! To Guest: The wedding is this chapter, don't worry! Thank you!
To jmcglynn522: Twatnugget's club literally made snort coca-cola out of my nose so thanks for that. LOL. To pottermum: Both, obviously. LOL. Thank you! To Kate: Everyone loves BSB! Thank you! To Niamh Hickey: Thank you! To Soveliss: Yes, I think there's still a few surprises up my sleeve when it comes to Umbridge. Thank you! To Matt71478: Yes, they are in denial lol. Thank you! To Tammy: Wow! Thank you VERY much! I can't believe you read up to 177 and then just turned around and started again! I am very impressed and honoured! I am doing my best to try to keep a delicate balance, which now that Harry's teenage angst is growing is proving to be a bit more difficult, but I want the story to have a little bit of everything. I want to explore characters who aren't usually given the opportunity and I'm enjoying doing it. Thank you so much for your kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. There will be an update on the weekend. Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics, this version is covered by the Ramones.
Thank you Steel for coming up with the name of CBC. Much appreciated — it is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe for her hard work on this chapter and for the edits provided on chapter 185, which I have gone back and fixed.
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-SIX:
The One With Baby, I Love You
When Sirius left the Ministry that evening, he felt like things were working out and that the Ministry of Magic was finally taking a step in the right direction. Amelia Bones was turning out to be the absolute best choice that the Ministry could make. She was trying to prepare the Ministry against the potential onslaught from Voldemort and Sirius thought that she was doing a bang-up job of it.
Bones loved the idea of the Phoenix Initiative. She had formed a new cabinet within her government called the CBC otherwise known as the Crann Bethadh Cabinet. The goal of the CBC was to work together to build the Phoenix Initiative Project into an actual bill to be formally passed by the Wizengamot and put into immediate action. After the initial discussion during the Wizengamot that had resulted in Fudge's impeachment and Bones' election, the next few weeks had been spent forming the new cabinet by Bones and the new potential allies.
Bones had called forth Dumbledore and Zee to assist in putting the cabinet together since they had assisted in bringing forth the potential allies. Dumbledore brought in Katherine Thomas from the Magical Law Office and Jericho Jones, a fellow member of the ICW (International Confederation of Wizards). Zee had urged Walter Barrow, the Head of the Beast Division from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, to help out. Adrian and Echo invited Rune and Daimon, the four pack leaders of the United Kingdom, to sit on the cabinet. William Clovenfield agreed to sit as part of the VCE along with the vice-president of the confederacy, Alice Langdon. The half-Veela witch, Colleen Sanders, agreed to sit on the cabinet on behalf of the Veela population of the United Kingdom. Zee convinced King Taliesan of the fae to join the cabinet, and with him came Brigit, the Mage of the Court of the Fae, and a known scholar of fae history. This put the cabinet at fifteen members to discuss and vote on how to proceed with the new project.
The first matter of business was discussing a name. Everyone unanimously agreed that PIP, Phoenix Initiative Project, wasn't appropriate when they were only the cabinet to begin discussing the project and not the project itself. After almost forty minutes of discussion, it was Brigit who offered the name that everyone had loved: The Crann Bethadh Cabinet, shortened to CBC.
The name itself meant tree of life and as Brigit had explained, they were each a root in the tree that connected to the greater good of the world, which was symbolized as the trunk. It was their duty to work together and to branch out from the trunk to come together for one bright new future. Bones had beamed at the Court Mage and nodded.
That was exactly what they wanted to do with this new world order.
And the CBC immediately got to work.
There were four main components to the potential project that the CBC would be outlining: Education, the Wizengamot, the sub-government, and a war council. Education was one of the most important as it was one of the key components for the allies agreeing to assist, and the one that they had already stepped up for September. Every British Magical Citizen would have the right to obtain a magical education no matter what being or beast they had previously been classified as. If they had the ability to perform magic, they would be given the opportunity to learn how to use it.
The problem was implementing something like this as it had never been done before in the United Kingdom, or really to this extent, anywhere else in the world. The International Confederation of Wizards was still working on the major divisions within all of the countries and hadn't attempted to implement anything of this kind. This was a big step for not only the United Kingdom, but to show other countries how and why change needed to take place.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was going to be open to all new students this year. There were only five new students who would be attending that were technically qualified as beings: Three of them wolves, one vampire, and two half-fae. All five of the new students had only just turned eleven and would be attending as first years. Everyone was completely unsure on if they even wanted their children to attend the school as it was a big change to their own societies as well. Bones wanted this transition to be easy on the students and their families as well as everyone else and not everyone agreed with the idea.
Depending on how it all worked out; older students could possibly also be starting, but that was something to discuss in the future once a more established plan could be set up.
The wolf pack leaders main concerns at the moment were getting the students somewhere safe to transform during the full moon, especially considering the fact that the Wolf Packs did not agree with the idea of drinking the Wolfsbane Potion. After speaking with Remus about how it dulled the senses and kept them rather docile, the wolves were even more against the idea. Being a wolf was part of who they were, the danger and the ability to track and hunt, was part of it. They refused to do anything that would render them as losing part of that ability.
Adrian had volunteered for Remus to be the werewolf representative at Hogwarts. To be the support that the students may need if they had any questions or any problems. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea, but they needed to counter it for the other students. It was decided that a representative from the Education Department would work as a counsellor in the school for any and all students to go to, no matter their background or being status.
The other big question was about wand magic. Brigit, the Mage of the Court of the Fae, taught children how to use their magic where as witches and wizards were taught how to use it and control it through their wands. Brigit wanted to know why witches and wizards were not taught how to harness their magic without the use of a wand. The question wasn't about the wand itself, but about learning to control the magic. It was decided that a new class would be introduced for sixth and seventh years to learn how to control their magic both with and without their wands. It was deemed a class for older students only, who had already passed their OWLs and were capable of taking the next step of their magical education.
The class on "Wandless Magic" would be paired with the second new class being added to the curriculum for fifth through seventh year students. It was a mandatory class they were calling "International Magical Relations" which would provide each student in the class a chance to learn about international relations, magical cultures, and traditions from all over the world along a chance to learn up to three new languages — one each year. It would be taught by both Carthaginian and Babbling and would have guest speakers to assist when needed.
It was still very much a work in progress, but Sirius felt like they were on the right track to some big, positive changes that were going to really change how the magical world worked.
Bones had then called for a vote to expand the Wizengamot from its minimum of fifty-three seats to seventy-three, making available seats for the wolves, the vampires, and the fae with a few extra for any other wizarding families who wanted to claim a seat in the governmental assembly. This meant that the Wizengamot, which in its full capacity had previously held 211 seats in the House of Lords and Ladies, needing only 37 members present to pass legislation, and the Common Wizengamot Members which had previously held 188 seats, needing only 29 members present to pass legislation, were both now increased to accommodate all new potential members. With the increased numbers, the full Wizengamot session would hold 475 members, as opposed to the previous 399, adding seventy-six new seats for new allies and new blood to join the governmental assembly. This was something that hadn't been changed since the Ministry of Magic was formed in 1707.
The issue of sub-government would also be added to the bill once they had debated the merits. Bones was completely on board with each sect governing themselves as long as they were willing to follow the laws and the governing sector of the Ministry of Magic. They were still to be detained under Ministry laws if any law was broken and would follow Ministry standards in their daily lives. Clovenfield and Langdon agreed that the Vampire Confederacy of Europe would be happy to do so as long as they were able to deal with rogues as they saw fit before turning them over to the Ministry. The wolves and fae had each demanded the same. The promise to break down the particulars was going to be in the next meeting and Bones asked each leader to bring in their own laws to discuss openly at the table.
The last part of the project was the idea of forming a War Council. Sirius and Dumbledore had both agreed to co-head that part of the project since they were already basically running their own war council in the background, not that they had admitted to such publicly of course. The idea was that the War Council would help keep track of the Death Eaters and potential Voldemort movement, by forming coalitions among their allies, including not only the wolves, the vampires and the fae, but potential coalitions from the Merpeople, from the elves, from the goblins, and from the international Ministries willing to help along with their own Auror Squads. The War Council could then call upon the designated coalitions as needed when Voldemort ultimately brought the battle forward. They needed soldiers ready on the front, people willing to fight, and they needed to be organized and ready when the time came.
The educational reforms were being tentatively signed for a one year trial. The rest of the project would be discussed and organized over the next month with plans to be finalized and ready to be voted upon by no later than mid September for the test trial. Sirius felt like the Ministry was finally taking a step in the right direction and he was proud to be part of it.
He adjusted the garment bag on his shoulder that contained his tux for Saturday as he stepped into Black Cottage and grinned when he saw Harry and Zee lounging on the sofa watching a movie. Lady Godiva was stretched out on the floor in front of them.
"Hey," he said, draping the garment bag over the bannister and kicking off his combat boots. He plopped down next to them and nodded at the television. "What'cha watching?"
"Grumpy Old Men," Harry supplied. "It's pretty funny."
"How'd it go today?" Zee asked, urging Harry to stop the movie.
Sirius shrugged. "Pretty well. They've really taken this whole project to the next level." He filled them in on what had happened and Harry frowned.
"Soldiers?"
Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore and I are working out the kinks to the idea. But we need people willing to fight when the time comes. The more people we have ready to stand against Voldemort, the better our chances will be when that moment inevitably arrives. The MIA is an option, but they are trained to work for the ICW. We'll have their assistance of course, but they are highly trained Aurors with their own jobs to do. We need soldiers here, from our Ministry, people willing to help fight for our country. We still need to organize it and form a semblance of a plan, not to mention figure out how we will implement this into action, but it's a great start."
"The CBC table discussions are quite fun," Zee admitted. "Yaxley isn't too pleased with my being involved with them and he claims that it's taking me away from my job, but Bones overruled him. I think that Barrow and I will be able to help make some real change in our department later on because of the table discussions happening now. I'm glad that the Wizengamot will be voting on the bill once we've written it."
"Me too, it makes it more official and it is a positive change for the Ministry," Sirius told them. He grinned at Harry. "You and Uncle Moony get all of your school supplies?"
"Yes, and a back-up wand."
Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Good. He said that he was going to urge you to do so. What is it?"
"Twelve inches, made of hawthorne, and it has a dual core of a unicorn hair and a dragon heartstring. Mr Ollivander said that it's powerful and precise and it works great, but I like my old wand more."
Sirius smiled. "That's all right. It's just a back-up wand. You just have to be comfortable with it in case you ever need it."
Harry nodded. "I will be. We also got some new uniforms as my trousers were too short again and my shirts were too tight in the shoulders. I'm all set."
"Good," Sirius said, kissing Harry's forehead. "We have the wedding on Saturday and then almost two weeks left to enjoy of summer before you head back to school. Anything particular you want to do?"
Harry grinned widely. "Get my motorcycle license?"
Sirius smirked. "Have to be at least sixteen for that, Prongslet. But, if you're up for it… we'll take a little bike ride. You can even drive the Ducati."
Harry beamed at him in response.
~ ASC ~
Tonks stared at herself in the mirror of her childhood bedroom, her eyes glancing at the clock that told her it was almost half past five. At six, she would be standing across from the man she loved and saying, 'I do' and she couldn't wait for it.
She looked at herself in the mirror again, grinning widely. She had decided on a slim fitting strapless dress in ivory-silver satin. It had a thigh slit on the left and the dress laced up in the back like a corset with hot pink laces that tied in a bow at the base of her spine, adding just a splash of colour to her dress. Her bustier beneath boosted her cleavage, making her actually have some, she thought, tucking her mate's heartbeat between her breasts. Beneath the dress, she wore knee high pink platform heeled boots that laced up gladiator style across the front of the legs. She let her hair out a little to curl around her head, wearing it longer and shaggier than normal, and she wore no jewellery except for the bronze choker necklace from Remus with her name, his heartbeat, the crystal wolf pendant dangling from her bellybutton (not that anyone could see it), and her engagement ring.
She smiled when her father came into the room. "Hi, Dad."
His eyes softened as he looked at her. "I still can't believe how grown up you are. You look beautiful. My daughter has grown into an incredible woman who I am so proud of."
Tonks smiled and pressed her hands down the sides of her dress. "I feel like a princess or something in this. I'm glad that Mum didn't press me on the loads of taffeta and lace."
Ted chuckled. "Your mother knows you too well. She tried to put you in lace once when you were five and halfway through your birthday party we found you running around in your underwear, the dress mysteriously disappeared."
She grinned. "Sounds about right."
Ted smiled and tugged her close, kissing her cheek. "Remus is a lucky man."
"It's me that's lucky, Dad. He's everything that I've ever wanted; more than I imagined I could ever have."
"I'm glad that you found him, Dora. I like the way that you two take care of each other. Marriage is about being partners, being equals. I would never have survived this long without your mother, and I like to think that she feels the same."
"She does," Tonks told him, pulling away to smile up at him as Andromeda hurried into the room.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes when she saw her daughter. "Oh, Pixie, you look beautiful! Such a radiant bride!"
Tonks hugged her mum tightly. "Did you see him? Is he nervous?"
Andromeda smiled. "He looks very calm and very handsome. He looks wonderful in teal." She turned her daughter around to look at the dress and smiled, adjusting the hot pink laces of her corset back with a smile. "He's going to faint when he sees you."
Tonks grinned. "I'm hoping his eyes bug out in amazement."
Ted chuckled. "You women always like to see us squirm."
Tonks grinned wider. "Definitely. Is everything okay out there?"
Andromeda smiled. "It all looks beautiful. Zee helped me with the last minute decorations and everyone is here, and waiting. You have nothing to worry about, Dora."
Tonks smiled at that and nodded. She passed her mum the simple floral crown she had made with pink, white, and teal roses, and smiled as her mum carefully placed it on her head, tucking her curls around it.
"Perfect," she said, tugging one curl out to dangle just so near her eye.
She let her mum kiss her cheek again before Andromeda turned her around again. "What are you doing?"
Andromeda smiled as she gently laced the small blue sapphire dragonfly brooch through the bottom of her dress so that it sat on the top of her bum just above the bow. "My grandfather, he gave this to me on my fifteenth birthday. He said that it had once belonged to his grandmother and that he thought the dragonfly symbol suited me above all of the other Blacks. I wore it pinned to my dress the day I married your father. No one from my family was there, but I wore it anyway. I like to think that it is a symbol of good luck for a happy marriage plus — it's something borrowed and blue."
Tonks smiled, turning to look at the brooch in the mirror. "Mum, it's beautiful. Thank you."
Andromeda kissed her cheek again. "I love you, my little pixie; all grown up and getting married yourself, wherever did the time go?"
Tonks hugged her mum tight once more before she grinned at her parents. "I love you both very much. You were the best parents a girl could ask for. Are you ready to walk me down the aisle?"
"No," Ted said, tugging his daughter back into his arms as she laughed. He hugged her tight for a long moment, his lips pressed to her forehead and then he sighed. "Okay, now I'm ready."
She grinned and kissed his cheek. "He makes me so happy, Daddy."
Ted smiled at her. "I know. Seeing you so happy, makes me very happy." He held his hand out for his wife and kissed her fingers. "Let's go give away our baby girl."
Andromeda sniffed and Ted passed her his handkerchief.
It was time.
~ ASC ~
It was a small ceremony, which is exactly what they both wanted. There were only five of them up at the front with Adrian officiating. As the Alpha of his pack, he was pleased to officiate all weddings for his wolves and had offered his services to Remus and Tonks, who had been happy to accept. They wanted a small ceremony, simple and uniquely them.
Sirius and Ted had built a beautiful arch out of flowering branches of ferns and white blossoms, using the forest as a backdrop and planting pink roses and alstroemeria in bright colours around the arch. Hagrid had helped extend the flowers to creep up over the chairs of the wedding guests and make Remus' garden look as if the forest had swept in and taken over. Twinkling fairy lights danced in the surrounding wood and hovered around the yard. It looked like a fairy tale wonderland and was picturesque as the large trees surrounded the garden and the little cottage itself, making it look exactly as it was; a little slice of heaven in the middle of the forest.
He smiled at Colin Creevey, who they had offered to pay for his photographs. He was snapping photos of the wedding and had done individual photos of Remus, Sirius, and Harry earlier that day before moving to get photos of Tonks and her parents, and Tonks with Charlie. He truly was a gifted photographer for one so young.
Remus was dressed in black pants, a dark teal dress shirt with a white and pink striped tie under his black suit jacket. Harry and Sirius stood next to him, each in a black tux with a white shirt striped in teal. Their ties were solid teal. Charlie was the Man of Honour and he stood on the other side of Remus in a black suit with a hot pink shirt and a teal tie.
When the music started to play, Remus couldn't help but smile. The song they had chosen by the Ramones was perfect for them. She claimed a traditional wedding march was boring and she wanted something more up their alley; more fun and more full of life; something to explain their love.
Remus thought this song couldn't be more perfect.
Sirius had set up Remus' record player, charming the garden so that the music would surround it and play everywhere. When the upbeat music began, he turned to look down the aisle and the sight of her, hips moving to the beat as she linked arms between her parents, brought a huge smile to his face.
She looked incredible, like a vision that he couldn't quite believe was real. Her lips, painted a dark pink mouthed the words to him and he grinned; that was his woman, he thought as he mouthed the words to the song back to her.
Have I ever told you?
How good it feels to hold you
It isn't easy to explain
And though I'm really tryin'
I think I may start cryin'
My heart can't wait another day
When you kiss me I just gotta
Kiss me I just gotta
Kiss me I just gotta say
She began to move up the aisle now, her hips still moving to the beat and she was still mouthing the words to him and his heart was soaring, pounding in his chest like a jackhammer, and he knew that every word in this song spoke to him; spoke to them.
Baby, I love you, come on baby
Baby, I love you
Baby I love, I love only you
I can't live without you
I love everything about you
I can't help it if I feel this way
Oh I'm so glad I found you
I want my arms around you
I love to hear you call my name
Oh tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel the same
Baby, I love you, come on, baby
Baby, I love you
Baby, I love, I love only you
Oh I'm so glad I found you
I want my arms around you
I love to hear you call my name
Oh tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel the same
"Baby, I love you," Tonks said when she reached him, tripping slightly as her father clutched her tightly to prevent her from falling.
Remus grinned and accepted her hands from her parents and brought them to his lips. "I love only you."
Ted and Andromeda each smiled warmly, kissed their daughter's cheeks, and then kissed Remus' cheek before they took their seats. Sirius waved his wand and turned the music down, an instrumental version of the same song played quietly in the background.
Adrian smiled at them. "Today, I have the honour of standing before you and officiating the wedding of Remus and Dora. Two people who are made for each other; who hold the other half of each other's hearts. I welcome you today to witness their formal joining under law." He smiled, his eyes on Remus. "Remus, would you like to start?"
Remus nodded, his eyes on her grey ones. They were darker than usual, outlined in something to make them look sultry and big, but he only saw her beautiful grey eyes. He swallowed slowly, still holding both of her hands in his.
"Someone once said that loving someone deeply gives you courage, but being deeply loved by someone gives you strength. You give me both of those qualities in ways that I never knew I could have them. I'm stubborn and when I set my mind on something, I tend to stick to it, but you kept chipping away at me and I've never been more thankful that you did. You are the other half of me, Nymphadora, of my heart, of my soul. I want nothing more than to hold you and to make you happy, for you being here with me is all I will ever need."
Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
"As the song said when you walked up the aisle to me, 'baby I love you, I love only you;' now, forever, and for always," Remus said clearly.
Adrian smiled. "Dora, would you like to say something to Remus?"
She nodded, her eyes on him. "I love you more than I can put into words. Words have always been your specialty, but I will try my best here. Remus, you are who I was waiting for without realizing I was waiting. You are the sun to my sky and the moon to my stars. I love everything about you; your heart, your scars, your soul. I know that no matter what happens or where life takes us, that as long as I have you by my side, I'll be all right. 'I can't live without you. I love everything about you. I love only you.'"
They grinned at each other and Adrian smiled.
"Remus, do you take Dora to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and to cherish, to care for in sickness and in health, to be your mate and wife, forever and for always?"
"I do," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. "I really, really do."
Tonks grinned widely as Adrian turned to her.
"Dora, do you take Remus to be your lawful wedded husband, to love and to cherish, to care for in sickness and in health, to be your mate and husband, forever and for always?"
"I really, really do."
Remus' smile widened and he mouthed 'I love you' to her and she smiled brightly.
"May we have the rings?"
Sirius was grinning at Remus and Tonks, amused by their antics and when Remus' raised an eyebrow at him he simply grinned back.
"The rings, Padfoot?" Remus asked.
Harry elbowed Sirius who grunted and quickly pulled the ring box from his pocket passing them over.
They had chosen a matching Celtic wedding ring set. Tonks' was rose gold and braided in an interlaced weave. Remus' was the same weave of rose gold with a matte finish. It was perfect for them.
"Repeat after me, Remus," Adrian said as Remus accepted the ring from Sirius. "With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love."
"With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love."
"As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your husband and mate."
"As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your husband and mate," Remus repeated.
"With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always."
Remus smiled at her as he spoke. "With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always," and he slid the ring onto her finger. It clicked into her engagement ring, joining the two and her fingers linked tightly with his for a moment.
"Dora, repeat after me," Adrian began.
Tonks grinned at Remus, her eyes twinkling in tears of happiness. "With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love. As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your wife and mate. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always." She slid his ring onto his hand and their fingers twined together tightly.
Adrian smiled warmly at them. "Now, if you would each pass each other your wands."
Charlie handed Remus Tonks' wand and Harry passed Remus' wand to Tonks.
"Hold them against the other with your ring hands," Adrian instructed as Remus and Tonks each held each other's wands crossed together like an x. "Repeat after me, together. With these wands crossed, I hold your magic within me."
"With these wands crossed I hold your magic within me," they repeated.
"By holding onto my lover's wand I claim safety and swear to never use my magic against my lover in anger or animosity."
As they repeated the words, a golden swirl of power emerged around their crossed wands, binding them together as they switched hands, now holding onto their own wands.
"Magic to magic, heart to heart, soul to soul, we are one and we are all," they said as the gold tightened and exploded into soft dust that fluttered to the ground.
Adrian smiled at them. "And alas with the exchanging of rings and the merging of wands, I can now pronounce you husband and wife; two soul mates bound by love. You may kiss the bride."
Tonks stood on her toes, despite the tall heels, and tugged Remus' face down to hers before he could kiss her. Her lips met his for a long, greedy kiss that left him breathless; when she pulled away, he could feel his cheeks were heated.
"I love you, Nymphadora," he said quietly as their guests clapped. He turned the hand on his face to his lips and kissed her palm.
"I love you, my husband," she said, slipping an arm around his waist and turning to smile at the guests before them.
Remus knew that it was the happiest day of his life.
~ ASC ~
When the ceremony ended, Zee and Andromeda levitated the tables around the yard and re-arranged the chairs so that everyone could be seated. It was a small gathering with only three tables plus the head table of which was Harry, Sirius, Charlie, Remus, Tonks, Zee, Andromeda, and Ted. The rest of the wedding party included a table with Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Auror named Natalie Atwell, Moody, and two other Aurors that Harry didn't know along with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick. The next table had Hagrid, Adrian, and Maia, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Percy, Fred, and George. And the third table had ten people with Neville and Augusta Longbottom, Ron, Ginny, Mr Lovegood, Luna, Mr and Mrs Granger, Hermione, and Colin.
Remus had insisted on Hermione and her parents coming to include them and because he wanted Hermione there. He still was very appreciative of her for keeping his secret as long as she did. Sirius had told him that Greg and Jean were very nice and had urged him to invite the Muggles along because she would appreciate having her parents nearby. Harry thought that it was a good idea and he could see that Hermione was grateful that they were there. He knew that she was still having a bit of a difficult summer.
Zee had taken it upon herself to do all of the cooking and the meal was beyond fabulous. Dobby and Kreacher had been asked to serve and they had both been thrilled at the opportunity. Zee made miniature crab cakes and a caesar salad as an appetizer served with frozen watermelon slices before serving a dinner of grilled chicken cordon bleu wrapped in bacon served on a medley of fresh summer vegetables with broccoli and cheddar rice. For dessert she had made strawberry shortcake and a peach blueberry cobbler. They drank pinot grigio and white sangria to pair with it.
After dinner, Sirius had charmed the record player to work as a DJ and they danced on the patio under the twinkle of fairy lights and the stars. It was how Harry came to be dancing with Ginny to the music later on that evening.
His hands rested on her waist and her arms were wrapped around his neck as they swayed to the music. He thought that she looked incredible. She had a light tan from her holiday in Anguilla and he was positive that she had a few more freckles on her face. He had a sudden urge to trace each freckle with his finger and his hands twitched slightly at her waist. She was dressed in ankle length summer blue sundress with white flowers and her long hair was in a partial French braid down her back with curls. She was in blue heels that did something to her legs and Harry had found himself admiring her calves and the freckles that adorned them. She was wearing the beaded choker necklace that he had given her for her birthday and dangling silver and blue stars in her ears. He shifted her in his arms and his eyes fell to the swell of her breasts before he pointedly looked away, staring at where Charlie was laughing as Tonks danced in his arms. She was almost his height in her heeled boots, he noticed.
"You okay, Harry?" Ginny asked him, smiling up at him. "You're acting strange."
He nodded, swallowing slowly as he worked to keep the right distance between them. "I'm fine. I'm happy that Tonks and Uncle Remus are married."
"They seem really happy," she said. "It was a perfect wedding. Something small like this is all you really need. The people who care about you, and no one else. Where's Mandy today? She would have loved to be here with you."
"Her brother is getting married today, too," he admitted. He had been disappointed that she couldn't attend, but being at her brother's wedding clearly held precedence. "She was really excited about it and disappointed that I couldn't go with her either."
She smiled. "I like her, Harry. She makes you smile and you need someone like that in your life."
He grinned back at her, watching the fairy lights dance in her hair. "She does. She's incredibly sweet. Did you have a good time with Theo in Anguilla?"
"The best!" Ginny exclaimed, her brown eyes lighting up in excitement. "Harry, I learned how to surf! It was incredible! Its like flying on the water and it makes you feel so alive! You would love it!"
"Sounds brilliant," he said honestly.
"It was. Theo didn't have the knack for it, but he said that it was still fun, but I could stand on a board and I rode two waves before I fell off into the ocean. Ryan said that I was a natural! I think that with practice I could be great at it."
He grinned. "I bet you could be. Who's Ryan?"
Ginny flushed. "Oh, this American bloke I met. He was nice. He taught me how to surf and to play volleyball."
Harry merely raised an eyebrow.
"I told you before, Harry, who I snog is not your business."
"I didn't say anything," he said, his voice visibly annoyed. She was allowed to make friends, he thought bitterly.
Ginny only stared him down. "Well, for your information, his name was Ryan Baker. He was very nice and I enjoyed my time with him. He was an excellent snog; almost as good as Dave."
"Who was Dave?"
Ginny only grinned mischievously at him. "Another American bloke I met. Let's talk about something else. Are you excited to be Quidditch Captain this year?"
Harry nodded, his eyes on hers as his hands sat on her waist as he tried not to think about her snogging two different blokes. The creature in his chest gave a little roar and he pushed him down in annoyance. He had no right to be jealous he thought, annoyed at himself.
"Yeah. We'll have to have tryouts as we need a Keeper with Wood gone. But I think that it will be great. I'll talk to the team when we get back to school and see how everyone feels about it. I want to start training right away. With there being no Quidditch last year, I think that we're all a bit out of shape."
Ginny smiled up at him. "You'll whip them back into shape in no time."
Bill came up behind them and tapped Harry on the shoulder. "Can I steal her for a dance?"
Harry nodded and dropped his hands as Ginny turned to her brother with a smile. His eyes fell on the soft swell of her bum before he caught himself and hurried off in the opposite direction. He spotted Hermione dancing with her father and he moved across the dance floor to ask to cut in. Mr Granger reluctantly passed his daughter over to him.
Harry grinned at her when her arms came around his neck. "I think your dad is annoyed that I stole you."
Hermione smiled at that. "No, he's just being Dad."
Harry held her close, hugging her as much as dancing with her. "How have you been, Hermione? I'm sorry that I haven't been around much this summer."
Hermione shook her head, moving closer to hug him back as they danced. "No, you had much more important things to do. I get it. I've been okay. I miss him, Harry. But the ache I get in the pit of my stomach doesn't come every hour of every day anymore and Mum tells me that that's a good thing. Ron's been wonderful. He writes me almost every day. Ginny sent me postcards from Anguilla and I loved the ones that you sent from Corfu. Neville sent me a beautiful bouquet of Spring Squill flowers in a pale blue that he potted himself in that Herbology camp. Mum and I planted them in the back garden as a tribute to Viktor. Luna's sent me all sorts of postcards from Africa. She rode an elephant!"
Harry grinned. "That's pretty amazing. I'm glad that we're all checking up on you."
She smiled. "I'm very grateful for all of you. Mum says that I have wonderful friends."
He nodded, his eyes solemn. "We just want to make sure that you're doing all right. Sometimes… when I lay in bed at night after I dream about that night… I think if I would have just let Cedric stay in the graveyard with me, he still would have died, but maybe Viktor would still be alive."
Hermione shook her head. "Don't think like that, Harry. I don't blame you for an instant. None of this is your fault. It was Ludo Bagman who murdered him, but… this happened because of Voldemort."
He nodded, his eyes on hers. "I'm still sorry you lost him. He was a really great bloke. Actually… there's something that I've been meaning to tell you." At her arched brow, he sighed. "Do you remember when I told you how I was on the edge of the afterlife and I saw my parents?" She nodded and he swallowed slowly. "I left out a few parts of that. I had a guide first who brought me to my parents and my grandparents. It was Cedric."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Cedric was your guide?"
"Yeah," he said, smiling at her. "And he was the one who brought me back as well, but before I went back, Viktor was with him." Harry could practically feel her heart stop and he tugged her up against him, his lips to her cheek. "I only saw him for a moment, Hermione. But he asked me to pass on a message to you. He told me to tell you that he loves you and that he wants nothing more than for you to find a chance at happiness; to become the incredible woman that he knows you will be."
Tears rolled down her cheeks and he turned his head to kiss her cheek, using his thumb to brush her tears away. "He… you really saw him?"
Harry nodded. "I really saw him. He wants you to be happy, Hermione. He doesn't want you to spend your life grieving him."
"I'm not… I miss him."
"And that's okay. I miss Marauder every day," he admitted, hugging her close. "I know it's not the same, but I do. I don't think about him every minute of every day and then I feel guilty, but I shouldn't. Viktor wouldn't want that for you either."
She blinked back tears and kissed his cheek. "Do you think Mandy will mind if I come to you for lots of long hugs this year?"
Harry hugged her close again, letting her burrow into his shoulder. "She won't mind at all. I give great hugs."
"You really do," she said, letting him hold her close. "So does Ron. I always feel like when you two hold me close, I know that I will always be safe."
Harry kissed the top of her head. "Always."
When she pulled back he nodded towards where Ron was talking to Neville and Luna. "Make Ron dance with you. He never got the chance at the Yule Ball."
Hermione smiled. "I'll just go sit with them for a bit. Want to join?"
"In a bit," he said, his eyes moving to Zee who was sitting up at the head table by herself. Sirius was busy talking with Mrs Longbottom about something so he moved up and held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"
Zee looked up in surprise and smiled. "I'd love to." He swept her up into a dance and she grinned up at him. "Mama taught you well."
"When do Grandmama and Papa come back to England?"
"I'm afraid that you probably won't see them again before Christmas," she said. "Papa is back at work and as head of the Auror department in Moscow, he is very busy."
He nodded, feeling a bit disappointed at that news. "I get it."
It must have shown on his face because Zee, standing in four inch heels, stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "They love you too and this year we'll be going to Moscow for Christmas. With everything that happened with you and our trip to Greece, we didn't quite make it to Russia. But at Christmas, we're going, I promise."
Harry grinned, pleased at the thought of going to Russia for Christmas. He twirled her into the dance making her laugh. "They look really happy, don't they?"
Zee turned to look where Harry was pointing at the happy couple. Tonks had kicked off her heeled boots and was dancing in her naked feet, toes painted a bright pink, her arms laced around her husband's neck, dancing on her tip toes. Even at almost one hundred and sixty-five centimetres, Remus towered over his bride at one hundred and ninety-five centimetres.
"Incredibly. Come on, let's go steal them for a dance."
Harry grinned as they headed over so that he could sweep Tonks into a dance and Zee danced with Remus.
It really was a great wedding.
~ ASC ~
Harry, Sirius, and Zee were the last guests to leave the wedding. Dobby and Kreacher cleaned up the garden before congratulating the happy couple and hurrying off. Harry, Sirius, and Zee each hugged them before taking off themselves and Remus turned to look at his beautiful bride.
Tonks was lounging on the porch swing by the backdoor, her feet bare and bright pink toes curled around the pole of the swing. Her legs were stretched across the swing, one lovely tanned leg exposed by the slit of the dress. She was grinning at him.
"I finally have you all to myself."
Remus grinned back at her, moving across the patio to bend and kiss her softly. "My wife."
"My husband," she said with a grin.
Remus scooped her up into his arms bridal style and kissed her again. "I have to carry you over the threshold, it's an important tradition, Mrs Lupin."
Tonks grinned widely. "If you must, you must."
He carried her through the glass patio doors, using his wand to lock them behind him before he sat her on the counter and kissed her deeply.
"Nymphadora…" he moaned against her mouth, his hand sliding up her ribs and cupping her small breasts in his hands. "Mmm, let's start in the bath, yeah?"
"I like the sound of 'start in,' Mr Lupin."
He scooped her back up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom, sitting her on the bathroom counter before he waved his wand and started the bath. Bubbles poured into the water and he moved back to her, kissing her lips and sliding his hands up her back.
Tonks grinned and loosened his tie, tugging it over his head before she slipped his suit jacket off of his shoulders, watching it fall to the ground. She unbuttoned his vest, tugging his shirt from his pants and unbuttoning that too, slowly sliding them off as they fell to the ground behind him. She bit her bottom lip as she undid his trousers, slipping them down his slim hips and sliding her hands down his bum, gripping his cheeks firmly.
He kissed her, lifting her down from the counter as he stepped out of his trousers. He turned her around, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror as he slowly unlaced her. He placed the dragonfly brooch on the counter as he reached the bottom and then with his eyes on hers, he slid the dress down her torso and it slipped to the floor. His eyes darkened as he took in her outfit. A white silk push-up corset bustier that made her breasts look busty and fuller than usual. The pink lace panties with the sweet pink flower garter made his eyes widened in amazement.
"Where did you get this?"
Tonks grinned at him in the mirror. "Zee helped me pick it out when we were in Corfu. Do you like it?"
Remus trailed his hand over her stomach, touching the lingerie in amazement. "You look incredible."
He slid his lips over the swell of her breasts before he carefully unlaced her, peeling it off. Her nipples pebbled to the cool air and he rubbed them with his thumbs making them more erect as he tossed the lingerie to the floor. He flicked his wand at the bath and the water stopped and then he illuminated the room in soft candlelight. He slid his hands over her stomach, softly touching the light scars that still marked her, fingers touching the wolf pendant she still wore dangling there. He lifted her arms up and back around his neck, trailing his fingertips down her armpit and down the side of her ribcage and then back up to trace the mark he had left on her. He took her left hand and placed it open across her breast, bending to kiss the rings that adorned it and the nipple that peaked through her fingers.
"You are a goddess, Nymphadora," he murmured, his hands moving up to her hair to unpin the curls from the flower crown and watched as they bounced down around her ears and almost to her chin.
He trailed his lips along the side of her chin, down her neck and over her shoulders, kissing his way down her spine and pressing his lips to the edge of the lace, where the pretty pink bow sat. He put his thumbs in the sides of them and gently pulled them down, leaving her naked and exposed before him. She stepped out of them when he told her to and then smiled when he stood up, his hand reaching down to trace the perfect triangle of light purple hair she had there.
"If I were an artist, I would paint you just like this, leaning back against me, naked, wanting," he whispered, his lips pressing against her earlobe.
Tonks smiled and turned in his arms. "My turn, Mr Lupin."
Remus grinned widely as she hooked her thumbs in his black boxer shorts and slid them down over his hips, his semi-hard erection springing free. He stepped out of his shorts, sighing as she slid her hands over him, stroking him lightly, her nails sliding along his ribs and up his chest in a soft caress that made him tremble.
"Dora," he moaned.
Tonks' hands slid around to clutch his bum tightly in her hands. "My sexy professor."
Remus groaned when her finger danced along his bum, slipping along the crack and teasing him. He bent his head and kissed her deeply before he tugged her over to the bath. He stepped in first, stretching out in the large tub that they had expanded and built for two. Tonks stepped in after him, stretching out next to him.
He picked up the soapy bath scrub and gently began to wash her, slipping the scrub between her breasts, over her shoulders and between her thighs as her head fell back in pleasure. When he got to her feet, he massaged them in his hands, lifting them from the water and kissing her toes, the arch of her foot and her ankle.
By the time Tonks got a hold of the scrub, they were both incredibly aroused. She danced the bath scrub over his chest and shoulders, down his back, across his thighs and between his legs. She massaged his feet and his shoulders, her lips trailing over his neck as she did so; they sighed into each other in the candlelight.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, his lips meeting hers.
Tonks smiled, straddling him in the tub. "So are you."
And then she took him inside of her and they both groaned, water sloshing over the side of the tub as they moved, fingers twined together and lips meeting as they made slow and steady love in the warm water. They came together, crying out in pleasure and it echoed along the bathroom walls.
Remus pressed a kiss to her collarbone, holding her close. "I love you, Nymphadora. Thank you for marrying an old fool."
"You are not old, Remus. You are thirty-five years of perfection," she said, slipping her hand under the water to squeeze his sack. "Sexy as sin and don't even know it." She kissed him softly.
He grinned against her mouth. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but you make me so happy."
Tonks' smile widened and she stood up, stepping out of the tub. They dried off and Remus eagerly picked up the lotion bar. It smelt like grapefruit and oranges with a hint of almonds and he rubbed it over her body, massaging it into her skin and trailing his lips over every surface before the lotion touched her.
By the time he was done, Tonks' body was yearning for him. She kissed him deeply and laughed when he picked her up bridal style again, flicked his wand to distinguish the candles and carried her into their bedroom.
Zee had turned down their bed and sprinkled pink and yellow rose petals on their bed and strung the room in fairy lights making it look enchanting. Remus laid her on the spread before him, stroking her hip as he moved onto the bed with her. Tonks pulled him down to kiss him and they just lay there, long languid kisses for the longest time and then he stroked a finger over her and she shuddered in pleasure.
Remus kissed her shoulders, her breasts, swirling his tongue over her nipple and sucking slowly and tantalizingly until she squirmed beneath him. He pressed on her clit, holding his thumb in place, but not giving her the movement she wanted and she groaned in frustration. Remus continued to kiss her breasts, working his way over each one, not missing a single spot of skin and trailing down her stomach. His tongue dipped into her belly button and she gasped as his mouth slid lower, kissing her thighs, kissing her mound softly. She groaned his name and his tongue slid along the edge of her, teasing as he slid his thumb out, spread her lips, and licked her.
Tonks cried out in pleasure, gasping his name over and over as his mouth worked her over, licks and nips, delicious tugs and twirls until she was falling over the edge, her hands gripping his hair as she came.
Remus licked his lips, grinning up at her. "I think you taste better now that I can call you my wife."
She pulled him up to her mouth to kiss him before she rolled him beneath her and kissed him deeply. Tonks urged him to lie on his stomach and she sat on his bum, massaging his shoulders and his back as he purred in contentment. Her hands moved lower as she slid down his body, rubbing his bum and she kissed the dimple at the top, kissing his cheeks and nipping at her favourite part of him. Her hand slid down between his legs to stroke his long shaft and sac, rolling them in her hands as they nestled between his legs and she kissed his bum. She trailed her tongue along the edge of him and he groaned in surprise when she slid her tongue into him, his cock jumping into her hand.
Tonks used her tongue sharply and without abandon, diving in and out as he groaned her name and then she slid her tongue out and down over his sac, sucking on the tip of his cock and slipping a fingertip inside of him.
Remus cried out in reckless abandon, rolling onto his side. Tonks continued to pump her finger in and out of him as he slid into her, riding her fast and hard, his own fingers finding her and he came first, yelling her name as he did and she followed soon after, her hands sliding up his back as he nestled her head over his heart.
"I love you, Nymphadora," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.
Tonks snuggled into his embrace, the heat from his body making her skin stick to his, and she sighed in contentment. "I love you, Remus Lupin."
And she drifted off to sleep with his arms tightly around her, a big smile on her face.
~ ASC ~
Remus woke up the next morning to the soft graze of his wife's fingertips dancing along his spine. He sighed in contentment, a big smile on his face as he rolled over to look at her and jolted in alarm, rolling off the bed and onto the floor as Tonks busted into hysterical laughter.
"Uncalled for!" he declared, glowering at her.
Tonks, who had decided to alter her face and hair to resemble a certain hook-nosed, greasy-haired git, slowly changed herself back as she roared in laughter. "Get back up here."
Remus knelt on the floor by their bed. "Promise me that you will never do that again."
She grinned and leaned across the bed, kissing his lips. "Admit it, you thought it was hilarious."
Remus fisted his hand in her curls and kissed her deeply. "No," he growled. "It sure as hell killed my morning erection."
Tonks giggled. "But your face, Rem! Oh Merlin, it was priceless!"
"How long have you been plotting this, Dora?"
"Months… eons…" she said, still giggling. "But you always wake up first and distract me."
Remus stood up. "First day of our marriage and you're already giving me trust issues."
Tonks grinned and leaned forward to kiss his limp cock, licking it softly as it trembled under her tongue. "Let me make it up to you," she murmured as he began to harden under her ministrations.
Remus held her in place for a moment, letting her work him over and then he tugged her away and to her feet on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her forward into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. He kissed her deeply before he headed into the kitchen, holding her in his arms and then he sat her on the barstool by the island.
"First we need sustenance. What do you want for breakfast, Mrs Lupin?"
Tonks grinned, stretching her arms up over her head. "Pancakes."
Remus nipped at her bottom lip and grinned. "I love you, Nymphadora."
Tonks tugged him close for a long kiss. "You're not really upset with me, are you?"
His hand moved to cup a naked breast and he grinned. "You are a mischief maker and I love you, but please, for the love of Zeus never make yourself look like Snape again, especially in our bed!"
She grinned. "I promise, my husband."
He grinned widely at her words. "I'm going to make my sexy wife chocolate pancakes with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar for breakfast."
"That sounds brilliant," she told him. "I'm going to sit right here at the counter and watch you make me breakfast."
Remus bent his head to lick her breast. "As long as you stay naked."
Tonks grinned as she checked out his own naked bum as he headed to the cupboard. "I just have a few last minute things to pack, but then I'm ready to go. Will you tell me where we're going yet?"
He grinned at her from over his shoulder. "No. It's a surprise. Our portkey leaves at one."
Tonks brought her legs up and sat cross-legged on the counter. "But it's our honeymoon, I want to know."
Remus only shrugged, a soft smile on his face. "You will, at one-oh-one."
She sighed as she watched him putter around their kitchen naked. As far as she was concerned, they could spend the next seven days right here. She didn't care. She just wanted to spend the whole time making love with her husband in every way imaginable. Her eyes stayed on his bum, watching the sway of it, the way it clenched and moved as he bent and stretched and she licked her lips, her eyes falling to the long swaying cock between his legs.
And she definitely wanted him to stay naked, she thought.
So far this being married thing definitely had its perks.
~ ASC ~
Harry yawned as he headed downstairs Monday morning, his hair sticking up even more than usual. It was almost eleven, but after waking with a full blown erection around seven that morning, he had fallen back to sleep after sating himself. But the last two nights, his dreams had been the same. Ginny, looking like she had at the wedding, hands on him, offering to do naughty things to him, and he'd woken aching for her and cursing himself.
But it was better than the dreams that usually plagued him.
Every night when he closed his eyes he found himself back in that graveyard. When he woke he could hear the manic laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange echoing in his ears, see the smirk of Abraxas Malfoy as he sliced open his arm; he'd wake with a scream in his throat as his body convulsed in phantom pain from the Cruciatus Curse. He'd wake reaching for Marauder and when he remembered why his dog wasn't there, he'd hug his pillow and try not to cry.
"Sleep well?" Sirius asked, startling Harry out of his thoughts.
"Like the dead," Harry told him, stifling a yawn as he opened the ice box to look for food.
The wand that Remus had convinced him to purchase had come in handy more than he had thought it would. Since it was a second wand and one they were keeping for his own safety, it wasn't registered to him and the first thing that he had done with it was put a silencing charm around his bedroom. Sirius and Zee didn't need to wake every night to his nightmares, he thought.
"Are you awake enough yet to chat?"
Harry grabbed the orange juice and stared at Sirius before he nodded. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of his father's tone. "Um, yeah?"
Sirius urged him to sit down as Harry pulled out cereal and milk with his juice. "I just wanted to talk to you about well, you, and see how you're doing with everything?"
Harry frowned at him. "With everything?"
Sirius nodded. "We've had a pretty busy summer and I know that removing the Horcrux and then destroying it and then healing was a big part of that. It's the healing process that I want to discuss."
"I'm fine, Uncle Siri. No more fractures or bruises or anything."
"Physically, yes."
Harry stared at him for a moment before he turned back to his cereal. He didn't want to talk about that. Re-hashing it all to tell his friends had been hard enough and on top of the nightmares that plagued him most nights, the last thing that he wanted to do was to relive the moment.
"Harry, I know that losing Marauder on top of what happened was extra tough on you. We both know that you're still having nightmares. I know that you placed a silencing charm on your room, but if you think that I can't tell when you've had a nightmare-laden evening, you're wrong. Lady G is a great pet, but she's not Marauder. You can still come to me anytime you know, just because Zee is here now doesn't mean that you can't seek me out in the middle of the night."
He shrugged, the concern in his father's voice making him feel guilty. "They're always the same, waking you isn't going to change anything."
Sirius sighed. "Harry... you need to talk about what happened. You can't bottle up everything inside because it will consume you. Trust me. It took me years to learn that."
He shrugged again. "I did talk about it. I told my friends. I don't know what else you want me to say."
Sirius only stared at him. "Telling them what happened and talking about it aren't necessarily the same thing." At his son's look, he nodded. "Well, when you are ready to talk, you know how to find me."
Harry only swallowed and moved back to his cereal.
Sirius stood up, bent over Harry's lean frame and kissed the top of his head. "Seeing Voldemort return... just your memory of it — haunts me, Harry, so, I can only imagine what's running through your dreams. Zee thinks that I should find you a mind healer to talk to. I don't think that you need one. I think that you have a lot of people in your life willing to be there for you the second that you need them. But if you want to talk to a mind healer, I will find you the best damn mind healer in the world."
"You already know what happened," he said quietly. "Voldemort tortured me."
"I know."
Harry could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him. He was tired of people asking him if he was okay; that they understood what had happened to him. He knew that his father was just worried about him, he did, but the idea still infuriated him.
"No, you don't know!" he suddenly exploded. "Selwyn tied me to that bloody tombstone with magical vines that cut into me! They touched me like I was a bloody toy that they could amuse themselves with! Then Voldemort used the Cruciatus on me — three times! And I tried to call you for help and you didn't answer! They used my blood to bring him back! Mine! It's my fault that he's returned! It's my fault that he came back because he used me to do it!"
"Hey!" Sirius shouted back at him, grabbing Harry's arm before he stormed out of the kitchen. "None of this is your fault! None of it! I don't want to hear you saying such a ridiculous thing ever again!"
Harry ripped his arm away from him. "You don't get it! You weren't bloody there!"
He grabbed an apple from the counter and stormed up the stairs to his room, but Sirius, who had chased him up the stairs, slammed his hand on his bedroom door before he could slam it.
"No, I wasn't there," Sirius said softly. "Do you think that I wasn't there on purpose? Do you think that if I had an inkling of where you were, I wouldn't have come to you?"
Angry tears clouded Harry's eyes and he blinked them back. "No!"
Sirius leaned against the wall of the hallway. "So, it's my fault then?"
"No!" he exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger. "I just…"
Sirius simply opened his arms, his eyes on his son.
Harry stared at him for a full minute before he moved into them and the moment Sirius' arms came around him, he broke. He hadn't cried, not really, not since that first night as Sorcha held him and even then, everything that had happened didn't quite seem real. He curled into Sirius, the feel of his father's warm hands on his back, his strong arms wrapped around him, and the familiar smell of home, made him cling tightly.
He did blame Sirius, he realized. Not entirely and not for all of it, but he did blame him. They had known that Voldemort was trying to come back and yet he had still somehow gotten to him. No matter how many defensive spells they taught him or how many things he learned about Voldemort, he still hadn't been ready.
"It's okay, Harry," Sirius said softly near his ear. "You're allowed to feel all of those things. You can be pissed at me. You can be pissed at yourself. But it's Voldemort we should be angry at. It's not your fault, none of it. I'm sorry that I didn't protect you. I'm sorry that I let you down."
Harry shook his head, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "You didn't… I'm sorry. I—I didn't mean it."
Sirius kissed his forehead. "You can't leave this bottled up in here. It's going to implode. You have to talk about it. If not to me, then to someone, okay?"
Harry nodded, moving out of Sirius' arms. "I… I don't want to. Not yet."
Sirius smiled at him. "I won't push you. But you promise me that you will talk about it when you're ready?"
Harry nodded again, his eyes on Sirius'. "I promise."
He smiled at him. "Good. Now, why don't you shower and get ready for the day now that you finally got your lazy butt out of bed," he added, making Harry grin. "How about we take an afternoon road trip down the coast, take our minds off things? You can drive the Ducati."
"By myself?" he asked, his eyes wide in excitement.
Sirius grinned back. "By yourself."
Harry grinned hugely. "Can we drive to Bath and pick up Mandy?"
Sirius stared at his son for a moment. Maybe letting him spend time with his girlfriend was exactly what he needed, he thought. He glanced up at the clock and shrugged. "It's about a two hour drive there if we take the A-303."
"Please, Uncle Siri!"
Sirius grinned at him. "Send her an owl and let her know what time we'll be arriving. I'm sure that I can find something to do while you two have a short date."
Harry beamed at him and hurried into his room to send his girlfriend a letter.
~ ASC ~
The feel of the Ducati under him felt comfortable and nice. Harry grinned back at Sirius as he sat on the newly refinished Motosacoche behind him. They had left a note for Zee, not knowing how late they would be returning home and Sirius had carefully insisted that they use a shield charm over themselves just in case something happened. But Harry knew that they would be all right. Voldemort didn't even know where Harry lived and he figured that the last place he would come looking for him would be on a Muggle highway.
He locked his helmet into place and then headed out down the drive with Sirius driving next to him. They had spent the day before going over some of his defensive spells and Sirius had commented on how much stronger and more powerful his spells seemed to be now that the Horcrux was gone. Harry had to agree. He could feel the power in it. He could feel the power in himself and he felt stronger. He wasn't sure if it was true or not, but he felt like it was, and the mentality was really what mattered.
Sirius had performed a communication charm on their helmets so that they could talk to each other normally while riding the bikes and he had hooked up the wireless to play in their helmets as well so that they had music. They drove happily, both of them beaming as they made the trek to Bath and to the Brocklehurst home.
Harry pulled into the drive and Mandy opened the front door just as he pulled his helmet off. She ran down the porch steps and into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Hi, Harry," she said, kissing him.
He grinned against her mouth, holding her close. "Hey."
"Hi, Sirius," Mandy said, keeping her arm around her boyfriend.
"Hello, Mandy. How was your brother's wedding?"
"Magical," she said with a grin. "How was Professor Lupin's wedding?"
"Small and simple," Harry replied.
"Mandy, what's all that loud noise?" A woman called out and Mandy gripped Harry's hand tightly in hers.
"Come on inside, I want you to meet my mum."
Sirius grinned at them. "I'm just going to head into the village and do some shopping. I'll meet you back here for seven?"
Harry beamed at him. "Perfect. Thanks, Uncle Siri."
Sirius winked at him. "Don't do anything Uncle Rem wouldn't do."
Harry rolled his eyes as he let Mandy drag him into the house. A tall, thin woman with Mandy's soft brown hair and smile, smiled warmly at him.
"Hi, Mrs Brocklehurst," Harry said quietly.
Mandy grinned. "Mum, this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter. Harry, my mum, Diana Brocklehurst."
"It's lovely to finally meet you, Harry," Mrs Brocklehurst said kindly. "What was all of that noise outside?"
"My father and I rode motorbikes here," he said with a smile. "I was hoping that you would let Mandy come out with me for a few hours."
Mrs Brocklehurst frowned. "On that loud Muggle contraption?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Please, Mum! Harry's father is going to meet him back here at seven so, we won't be long!" Mandy begged, her eyes on her mother.
Mrs Brocklehurst sighed. "Oh, all right then, but don't go too far."
Mandy hugged her mum tightly and then grabbed Harry's hand. "Is it scary?"
Harry shook his head as he watched her put shoes on before he led her outside. "Nah, it's kind of brilliant actually. It's like the jet-ski, you'll love it." He passed her the extra helmet that was clipped to the seat and climbed on, locking his own helmet into place.
Mandy placed the helmet on her head and climbed on behind him nervously, straddling him as her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "I just hold onto you?"
He turned to grin back at her. "Nice and tight."
She grinned. "I think that you're enjoying this too much."
Harry's grin widened. "Maybe a little. Now, where to?"
Mandy smiled. "There's a lovely café just ten minutes up the road that serves really great scones and pastries."
"Sold," he said, making her laugh as he started the Ducati.
Mandy gasped at the rumble beneath her and her arms tightened around him.
"Hold on," he said and then he took off down the road, her squeals of delight making him grin.
He definitely wanted to get his motorbike license he thought, officially that is.
End Author's Notes:
Remus quote is from Lao Tzu.
Also, I've been planning that little Snape moment on Remus for some time and just never seemed to find the right moment to tie it in.
Thank you as always and please review.