A Second Chance

by Breanie

Part 2 Kismet Trilogy: What if Sirius didn't spend twelve years in prison but was given a trial after 4 years? Follow the story of Sirius Black as he learns what it means to be a father/brother/guardian & the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him. Slow-burn Hinny. M for sex & violence.

188. The One Where Harry Calls Ginny His and

Author's Note:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the quote and the speech as they belong to the lovely JKR.

Alas, no one recognized my song lyrics, guess I'm the only nerd. It's from Commentary! The Musical because I'm that much of a Whedon nerd.

Also a few people asked about my referencing the Queen of England in the last chapter. As I mentioned before, I think the older pureblood families have nobility and aristocracy and because of that I think they are connected to the Muggle political world which I will explain in more detail in the upcoming chapters. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we learn that the Prime Minister is made aware of the magical world when he or she is sworn into office, I like to think that the ruling monarch is also aware of the magical world for the same reasons. More will be elaborated in the upcoming chapters.

Reviews and Comments: To LifeonEarth: Harry needs to talk about Ginny to anyone who will listen, even to his girlfriend LOL. He just doesn't realize he's doing it lol. Thank you! To iKingAnomalyII: Thank you! I am trying to make Voldemort more intelligent and organized, yes, it always bothered me that he never seemed to have a specific goal outside of kill Harry Potter, like no offence, but before he knew of Harry's existence, what was he doing? What were his plans? He was evil and people were afraid of him, that's really all we know. Thank you! To Guest: As to the Blood Quill, you will have to wait and see. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: No, Nott Senior wouldn't at all be afraid to kill his son. Colin is very perceptive. I think Harry has come to accept that Peter was a big part of his parents' lives and his as a child. I don't think he really compares the memories he sees with the man now, I think he almost sees them as two different people because he doesn't really know Peter therefore seeing him in memories isn't something that bothers him the way it would Sirius and Remus. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Guest: Yes, I know people are getting frustrated with the lack of Hinny, but you have to trust me. I have a plan and it is coming very soon. Thank you!

To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! Depends on if Theo decides to choose one at all. I have plans for him as you will see. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Thank you! Poor Mandy, she is very sweet! I love Sirius teasing Harry! Thanks for liking Narcissa, she is a good mother. Theo is a bit of a rebel against his parents like Sirius was. Narcissa is conniving and she wants Theo to have what he deserves. Thanks for loving the memory! Yes, a breakout is coming! Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: No, Theo did not take the Dark Mark… yet. Is there a lesbian Slytherin? I'm certain there is, but no one I have or currently plan on writing. Ha, nope, not small at all LOL. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: I'm sorry that you feel this story is getting too long and not progressing fast enough. I write this story first for myself and there's a lot of things I want to happen before we get to things, including Hinny. I have no plans of changing the pace. Thank you for your thoughts. To coloredwords: LOL, like he's a distant aunt or something is kind of funny, but yes, the Dark Lord was coming to dinner lol. Will Theo tell Harry about Snape? We'll have to see. Thank you!

To Moony The Sheep: Yes, there are darker parts coming, that I can promise. And yes, it is going to be one hell of a year! I have so many things coming! Thank you very much! To Guest: Poor Mandy. LOL. Thank you! To x-shadow-x-kisses-x: I can promise you that Hinny will lose their virginities together. I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you! To alix33: Very true. Thank you! To ladyinwaiting2005: I think you're right, Mandy is going to realize it soon. You think Ginny will pretend to be Theo's girlfriend to help him out and Harry will be incredibly jealous? We'll see. Thank you! To supersandman86: I approve of your inner Deadpool there lol. Yes, poor Theo really did have a shit end to his summer. Interesting thoughts on Theo and Blaise, I do enjoy hearing your guesses as to what will happen. It's true, if Umbitch comes, things will be a bit different. Thank you! To Girl Harry: More will come into play, but outside of a few scattered memories, Harry's abusive childhood is over. Thank you! To Krazyasibe: Thank you! To Sirenstrong0617: You think it would be a mistake to kill Mandy off? Did I say I was killing her? Pretty sure I never said that. Thanks for your thoughts though. To nightwing27: Good to know, thanks. To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To Steelcode: Thank you! I love sharing those memories and yes, Remus and Sirius were clueless about putting a nappy on. Thank you! To purplevictory: Yes, Theo isn't afraid to be gay, but he is afraid of his father. You think Charlie Weasley would be a great fit for Theo? We shall see!

To Jbrowne26: You think Ginny will be Theo's supposed girlfriend? Interesting. Worried about Umbitch? Wait and see. Thanks! To Saz J: Thank you! I know, poor Theo, he deserves better! But he has a lot coming his way! Thank you! To Itsaka: You think Blaise is going to betray his friends? Interesting. Thank you! To Pegg7: You also think Blaise is going to betray his friends because of the time he spent with his mother this summer? Hmm… we'll see. Thanks for leaving your first review and for saying my story is truly worthy of starting an unfinished fic, I really appreciate that! I love writing from different POVs as it gives me a chance to tell multiple stories within a story which is what I love! As for Umbitch, I do have plans. You want me to save Theo? He has a lot of his own story coming up, that I can promise! Harry and Ginny do belong together and I promise Mandy won't be around much longer. Thanks for saying Bagman as a twist was a good one and for loving my Lily care on Snape. We will see more of Harry's growing power, yes. Harry did tell his family yes, Zee right when he woke up, the others later! I hope you continue to enjoy my story. Thank you very much! To pottermum: Lots happening on the dark side indeed! Thank you!

To Jaganoto: Thanks for catching up. Hinny is coming soon. To Laedari: Thank you! There is lots more to come, that I can promise! Thanks for loving Zee and considering her such an awesome OC. I appreciate that. Thank you!

Thanks to Saz for helping me with my British slang.

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!

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT:

The One Where Harry Calls Ginny 'His' and then Denies It

Remus made himself comfortable in the staff room next to Flitwick the next morning. Dumbledore had called the staff meeting for noon today instead of after the feast and he was a bit relieved. The lateness of the staff meeting always made him feel rather exhausted for the next day. But with the first of September falling on a Friday this year, it hardly mattered as they had the weekend to settle in before classes started up on Monday. He tapped his fingers on the table as he watched everyone come in, exchanging small talk with the other professors. He smiled and thanked the ones who congratulated him on his marriage, his fingers curling around his wedding ring with a smile.

It had only been a little over a week, but the sight of the ring on his finger brought a smile to his face every single time. Waking up next to her every day seemed more incredible than it had a week before. He had never felt more happy or more alive in his entire life.

When Dumbledore finally stepped into the room, Remus leaned back in his seat to wait to hear what changes were happening this year.

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to what I hope will be our best year yet," Dumbledore exclaimed with a smile. "We have a few changes this year, both in the curriculum and in staffing, and I would like to discuss them now."

Everyone settled in and gave him their full attention.

"First off, Charity Burbage is no longer a professor here. She finished off the final lag of Muggle Studies classes with last year's graduates and the old class has ended. Gideon will be teaching the new version from now on. She sends her regards to everyone, but she is looking forward to moving to Australia and working on a research project there. She will be greatly missed. Now, as I'm sure all of you are aware by now, the new Minister of Magic has taken it upon herself to work with a new cabinet to help us to better the education that we give to our children. Our children being the operative word. We want every single child to be given the education that they deserve no matter who or what we have classified them to be in the past. This includes witches and wizards who are extra, such as werewolves or even vampires. I will make Remus an example, even though I know that he hates it," he added, his eyes twinkling.

"I brought Remus Lupin into this school in September of 1971 and I'm sure that a few of you will remember that I held a staff meeting informing you all of his condition to help prepare for his many absences within the school year. He was an exceptional student; hard-working, dedicated, and he strived to be the best that he could be. He has become an extraordinary wizard and professor here at Hogwarts due to our help with his education. What would have become of him if I hadn't welcomed and invited him to our school? All children should be given an equal opportunity to learn."

McGonagall stood up to speak, clearing her throat. "We have six new potential students who will be arriving today and will be ready to be sorted. Three of them are werewolves: Two boys named Maximus O'Ryan and Jack Wolf, and a girl named Sari Danson. One vampire: Mila St James. She isn't the first half-vampire child we've had here, most of us have taught the Clovenfield twins, who will be in third year starting today, but as you know, Henry and Hudson were brought in by Dumbledore much in the same way that Remus was once upon a time."

"As in, the Ministry isn't aware of it," Remus added, making everyone chuckle.

"And finally," McGonagall continued, a small smile on the corner of her mouth. "There will be two half-fae girls named Tara Brady and Ciara Casey. It is up to us as professors to make sure that they are being treated like the other students and to assist them with whatever they may need. They are used to a different sort of community, especially Brady and Casey so, we must help them feel like they are at home. Like all first years we want them to feel welcomed here."

Dumbledore nodded at her and continued off. "The Ministry of Magic is working on a new project which we are dubbing the Phoenix Initiative — which claims that every British Magical Citizen has the right to obtain a magical education. For the first time in our history, we are including those citizens to be anyone with magic who may be considered other. If they are human, even if only in part, they deserve the chance to be trained to become the powerful young witches and wizards that they were born to be."

Everyone was nodding in agreement with him and he smiled as he continued. "With this comes the introduction of two new classes for our older students. The first one is for sixth and seventh year students only. It is an elective and not mandatory for students, but it is called Wandless Magic and we have a new professor coming in to teach it. Her name is Rhiannon. Rhiannon has been working under Brigit, the Mage of King Taliesan's Court of Tara, teaching the children how to use their magic for many years now. We are very excited to invite her here to do the same to our young witches and wizards here at Hogwarts. Rhiannon will be teaching them how to harness their magic both with and without the use of their wands. She should be arriving just before the feast and apologizes for not being able to be here earlier. As to our second new class, it will be co-taught by two of our own. Delta, would you and Bathsheda like to discuss your new course?"

Carthaginian stood up. "I'd love to, Albus; grazie! The second course is something that I am very excited about. It was something that I was trying to get up and running last year as maybe a club of some kind, but I think that adding it to the curriculum is a much better idea. This class will be mandatory for all students fifth through seventh year. We are calling it International Magical Relations and Professor Babbling and myself will both be teaching it. This class will help keep our students up to date on magical cultures and traditions all over the world, keep them informed on international magical relations, and the rights and wrongs of the world. It will also give them the chance to learn up to three new languages: A new one each year. Taking on a new language will not only help prepare them for the future, but give them the chance to broaden their horizons. We all know how to do a translation charm and as handy as it is, it doesn't really help you immerse yourself in the language and the culture. It doesn't help you learn it, not truly. We want to offer this meraviglioso opportunity to our students. At the end of the year, Professor Babbling and I will assess each student and decide with them whether they will take on a new language the following year or continue with the one that they have already chosen."

Babbling smiled. "Everything that she said. Delta and I will each teach part of every class since she is better in the relations area and my expertise lies in language and culture. We will be planning and organizing our lessons together and working as a team to get this course out."

"We look forward to seeing the finished product," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, with the introduction of these two new classes on top of curricular changes, the Department of Education has insisted on bringing in two Ministry members to evaluate our classes, our curriculum, and our professors."

"That's outrageous!" Flitwick said, his eyes flashing. "I've been a professor at Hogwarts for over twenty years and I don't need to be evaluated nor does my class!"

A few people nodded and murmured in approval as Dumbledore raised his hands.

"It's nothing against any of you, I can promise, Filius. This is just something that needs to be done with all of the new changes that we've implemented over the last few years. With the Life in Magical World, our new Muggle Studies class, and these two new programs, the Department of Education wants to make sure that we are staying on our toes — that we're not introducing too much to our students at once and that we are giving them the education that they deserve. We are first and foremost a school and educating our children is our first priority. The Head of the Education Department, Henry Richardson, has chosen two people to assist us in this task: Mary Raffigan and Dolores Umbridge."

Remus' eyes flashed. "Umbridge? Do you honestly think that anything she is going to have to say is going to be good?"

"I agree, Albus, she's nothing but a bigot who likes the sound of her own voice!" McGonagall declared darkly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Alas, I have no say in who they are sending over, Minerva. Raffigan will be covering the core curriculum subjects: History of Magic, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Flying, and Astronomy. Umbridge will be covering the course electives as well as the new subjects: Muggle Studies, Life in the Magical World, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Wandless Magic, and International Magical Relations. The two of them will also split the extracurriculars including Art, Frog Choir, Ghoul Studies, Magical Theory, Non-Magic Studies, Music, Orchestra and Xylomancy. From what I understand they will be moving between the classes, taking notes and speaking to our students and our professors on what they may or may not be learning. As Education representatives they will have authority as professors to implement rules and rule breaking as they see fit. They will be working from the staffroom for the time being and probably won't be moving into your classrooms until October, but please be prepared for them. Suites have been made up for them in the guest areas near the kitchens. They will be staying with us for most of, if not the entire school year. I urge you to welcome them and I ask the Heads to tell your students to treat them with respect."

"What are they hoping to find?" Flitwick demanded. At the mentioning that his Frog Choir would also be investigated, he looked particularly unimpressed. "Frog Choir is hardly something that needs to be worked over!"

"They are looking to make sure that we are sticking to the Ministry outlined curriculum and moving from there to give the students the education that they are supposed to have and this includes the extracurriculars, Filius. Are we covering all aspects of music? Are students given the opportunity to expand on their skills? It is all equally as important to the education process. If there are any other changes on that front, I have yet to be made aware of it. If there are any problems or concerns or questions about anything that we have discussed here today, please address myself or Minerva."

Remus raised his wand. "Clubs still fair game this year or will they be watched as well?"

"Clubs are different and not curriculum based therefore we have the authority over what we teach in them. I assume that you are still interested in running the Defence Club, Remus?" McGonagall asked.

Remus nodded. "I am and I was wondering if this year we could have some of our staff guest speak for a few weeks. I would love to get some of Filius' knowledge as well as Severus' as there are both defensive charms and potions that can be discussed."

Flitwick smiled. "I would love that, Remus. We'll work something out!"

Snape merely scowled. "If you insist on it, I suppose that I could spare an hour or so of my time."

Remus smiled. He found that he took a bit of a gleeful pleasure in the fact that Snape desperately didn't want to help him. But Snape was very knowledgeable about potions and he wanted him to pass on that expertise to his students despite his dismal attitude. "Thank you."

Dumbledore grinned. "Quidditch will also be happening again this year. If the Heads could make sure each of their common room bulletin boards are updated with the full list of the clubs offered, along with any tryouts and meetings that would be appreciated. Any other orders of business that need to be addressed?"

"Yes, what will be happening with O'Ryan for the full moon? I know that the packs do not agree with the use of the Wolfsbane Potion so, where will he be going to transform?" Remus asked. "He needs a place where he can be safe from himself as well as from others?"

"O'Ryan's parents have insisted on bringing him home for every moon for the time being. This may be something that changes later on, but for now his family will be picking him up after classes and taking him home for the three nights that he transforms each month," Dumbledore explained calmly. "As Remus is already aware, Wolf and Danson have not transformed yet. They were born wolves, not bitten, so the process is different. Teachers, if you could make sure that O'Ryan has a study partner to help him keep up on his classes and what he will miss in his absence, it would be greatly appreciated. Any other concerns?"

When no one answered, he smiled.

"Good. I look forward to another wonderful year ahead. Students should be arriving in four hours. Take your time to settle in and get ready for the year."

Everyone began to move and bustle around the room and Remus turned to Flitwick. "I'll get you a copy of what Minerva and I have already covered with our Defence Club and you can see what you think you'd be interested in teaching?"

"That's perfect, Remus. The students really love that club. I've heard them talking about it. Are you still keeping it for third years and above only?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. I think that it's the best place to be in terms of learning. I'll have new auditions this year for any new third years and then the new fifth years will automatically be in the Beginning Level until I deem them worthy enough to move up. It's just easier that way."

Flitwick smiled. "I look forward to working with you."

Remus grinned back at him. At least he had one thing to look forward to because he was pretty sure that having Umbridge around wasn't going to be good.

~ ASC ~

Harry leaned back in his seat on the train, his arm draped casually around Mandy's shoulders. Ron and Hermione were sitting across from him with Ginny and Luna. They had spent the last little bit catching each other up on their summers. Mandy was explaining how amazing it was to swim with the dolphins in Corfu.

"That does sound incredible," Ginny said. "I saw some dolphins, but I definitely didn't get to swim with them. I did learn how to surf though. It's this amazing Muggle sport where you stand on a board and ride the waves. Absolutely brilliant!"

Mandy smiled warmly at her. "Harry was telling me about it. He said that it was kind of like the Muggle version of flying. Did you have a nice time in Anguilla, Ginny?"

"The best," she exclaimed. "Theo and I met some really nice Americans there who were on holiday."

"And she met Ryan Baker," Luna said, grinning widely as she fiddled with the red radishes that swung from her ears.

Ron's eyebrow rose. "Who the hell is Ryan Baker?"

The compartment door slid open and Neville poked his head in. "Hey, sorry that took so long." He passed the book across to Hermione who eagerly accepted it.

"Oooh, thanks Neville."

"You look a bit peaky, Neville. Was your walk to the baggage compartment not nice?" Luna asked him, looking him over in concern.

Neville moved to sit next to Mandy and shrugged. "Let's just say that it was a little more sight-seeing than I wanted. Hermione, that book has all sorts of stuff on house elves from all over the world. Is Zee still helping you with your ideas?"

She nodded. "Yes. Everything was put on hold because of… yes, I am still working on it."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Ron turned his attention back on his sister.

"You never answered my question, Ginny. Who the hell is Ryan Baker?"

Ginny pulled her legs up onto the seat, moving to sit cross-legged. "This bloke I dated this summer. It was a small summer fling."

"Ginny said that he kissed like a dream," Luna supplied, earning a glare from Ginny.

"Yes, he did," Ginny said on a laugh. "Then we played this Muggle game called Spin the Bottle and well, that's how I snogged Dan, who was quite possibly an even better kisser."

Hermione smiled at her. "Spin the Bottle, really?"

"It was strange," Ginny said. "But it was kind of fun. It was nice to just kiss someone with no strings attached to it."

"How many blokes did you kiss in the game?" Mandy asked curiously.

Ginny blushed. "Seven, but one of them was Ryan and I snogged one girl. She was nice, I suppose, but that's not for me. Theo met this adorable bloke named Connor. He kept making him blush the whole time, but by the end of our time there, they were snogging like crazy."

"You kissed seven — Ginny! People are going to start thinking that you're a scarlet woman!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hardly. They were just a few snogs, Ron. I want to learn how to kiss well so that I don't drool all over my next boyfriend like you and Lavender do."

Neville snorted and Ron glared at him.

"For your information, Lavender and I do not drool. And I am breaking up with her. Tonight."

Luna stared at Ron for a long moment. "I don't think that she'll appreciate that, Ronald."

"Well, I don't want to be with someone who I don't… want to be with. In the end that's only hurting the both of us, and she deserves a chance to be happy with someone else." Ron said simply.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "That's very mature of you, Ron."

He shrugged. "It's how I feel."

"Where is Lavender anyway?" Neville asked. "I'm surprised that she's not in here with her Won Won?"

Ron rolled his eyes, the back of his ears flushing. "I er, told her that I had prefect duties for the whole train ride."

Neville snorted. "Smooth."

"You've been rather quiet, Harry," Ginny said kindly, her eyes on him. He had been staring out the window, his face looking pensive. Mandy was snuggled into his side and rubbing her hand over his stomach through his tee shirt.

"Just thinking is all," he said with a smile, watching the sunlight dance along Ginny's hair before he caught himself. "Nev, why don't you tell us more about that Herbology camp that you were at with Will?"

Neville smiled. "It's nothing that you would be interested in, I'm sure. We studied plants and took care of them and I thought it was great. There's nothing better in the world than taking care of something with your hands and watching it grow. I love having my hands in the dirt like that. It's so rewarding. Will loves it, too. Actually, he's decided to apply for that Herbology apprenticeship in the Congo. If he gets in, he would potentially be transferring there come January."

"Wow," Ron said in surprise. "The Congo? That's pretty far."

"It has a large rainforest there and is full of so many interesting plants and creatures. It's a great place to build some experience. I hope that he gets in. He'll be seventeen in October and that's what he wants to do is be a Herbologist when he graduates," Neville explained. "But keep it quiet, I don't think that he's told Seamus that he's applied for it yet."

Luna smiled at him. "Sounds exciting. Daddy and I visited the Congo for a few days this summer. The heat was dreadful, but it was very beautiful. We were hoping to find a Jarvey, but we only found a herd of Erumpents and some rhinoceroses. I did ride an elephant though; that was pretty fantastic. It was worth the trip."

"I bet riding an elephant would be brilliant," Ginny told her, her eyes dancing at the thought.

"It sounds like you all had pretty amazing summers," Mandy said. "Ron, you didn't go with your sister to Anguilla?"

He shook his head, scratching the end of his long nose. "No, I decided to stay here. I helped my brothers with some of their inventions — which watch out, they have some wicked ones to get you out of class this year."

Hermione frowned. "That is very irresponsible. Classes are important! Ron, as prefects we are going to have to put a stop to that."

He sighed. "But it's Fred and George, Mione; that's like trying to stop gravity."

Hermione gave him a pointed look and he sighed.

"I'll talk to them."

"Speaking of being prefects," Hermione said as she stood up. "Ron and I need to go make our rounds."

Mandy picked up Harry's wrist to look at the time and stood up as well. "I have to go too. I promised Hannah that I would sit with her on the train." She bent down to kiss Harry softly. "Will I see you later?"

He nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

She said goodbye to everyone and followed Ron and Hermione out of the compartment. Neville stretched his legs out across the seat as Ginny and Luna did the same across from them.

"I still can't believe that Ron made prefect," Neville said honestly.

Ginny grinned. "I can't wait to see him try to stop Fred and George from doing anything."

Harry smiled at her. He watched her stretch her arms up over her head, her long red hair tumbling over her shoulders. "Where's Colin at?"

Ginny shrugged. "He was helping Dennis with something or other. I think that I'm going to go find him actually. Luna, you want to come with?"

Luna nodded and stood up. "Sure. Bye Harry, bye Neville."

Neville watched them go and then he grinned at Harry. "Not to sound like Ron, but can you believe that Ginny kissed seven blokes and one girl while she was on holiday? Like blimey, I've still never even snogged anyone!"

Harry grimaced slightly. He didn't want to imagine Ginny kissing anyone. An image of her kissing him was something else entirely though, he thought, shutting that idea down quickly.

"Sounds like she had a good time anyway."

Neville nodded and leaned his head back against the seat. "Well, unless you have any objections, Harry. I think that I am going to try to get a little nap in."

"Sure," Harry said as he watched his friend close his eyes.

He moved to sit on the bench across from Neville, stretching his long legs out across the seat and when his head hit the back of the seat, a floral and distinctly Ginny scent washed over him, and he scowled. He inhaled her scent slowly and felt it calmed him as much as it aroused him before he closed his eyes too.

Actually, a nap sounded like a pretty good idea.

~ ASC ~

When they arrived at the school, Harry and Neville quickly found a carriage pulled by the Thestrals and jumped inside. Ron and Hermione were still busy doing prefect duties so the two of them pulled their luggage off the train. Harry held onto Crookshanks' cage as he meowed at him. He was glad that he let Hedwig fly to Hogwarts on her own, he would hate having to cart her cage around all the time. They travelled quietly up to the castle with two second year girls that they didn't know and left the luggage in the front entranceway.

Harry's stomach was growling something fierce as he and Neville took their seats at the Gryffindor table. He tapped his fingers on the table impatiently as Seamus sat across from him.

"Hey Harry, how was your summer?"

"Good, yours?"

"Same," he said, shrugging. "Me Mam hesitated about letting me come back after what happened in June. But she agreed that maybe the school was the safer place for me."

Harry nodded. He hadn't thought that some parents might try to keep their kids home with them, but it did make sense and he found his eyes roaming the Great Hall to see if anyone he knew was missing, but nothing caught his eye outside of the flash of red dancing on her shoulders. He caught himself staring and quickly looked away.

It wasn't long before everyone was settled and McGonagall organized the sorting. Gryffindor received thirteen new students this year, seven girls and six boys. By the time McGonagall took the hat away, Harry was almost groaning as he held his stomach. Ron was doing the same and was saying something about eating a hippogriff.

Harry's eyes scanned the Head Table, recognizing a few new faces and he scowled at the sight of Umbridge up there. What was she doing here? She was wearing a pink pant suit with a matching pink pointy hat and he thought that she still had the face of a toad.

Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat, a bright smile on his face. "Welcome, welcome to another year here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year, there is a darkness that is creeping into the world. Last year, we had a terrible tragedy here at our school. We lost one of our own students, Cedric Diggory and we lost the Durmstrang champion and internationally famous Quidditch star, Viktor Krum. We all know why this happened. Lord Voldemort has returned and with him, he brings darkness and chaos and I am sorry to say, a war. But no matter how dark the world may get, we are here to teach you to learn and to become the amazing young witches and wizards that I know you are all going to grow up to be. Remember that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."

His eyes twinkled as he looked around the room over his half-moon spectacles. "Now, I know that you are all hungry, but I would like to introduce a few people before we tuck in. This year we have two new classes starting for our older students. The first one is for fifth through seventh year and will be called International Magical Relations. It will also feature a language component where each student will be given the opportunity to learn a new language. It will be taught jointly by Professors Carthaginian and Babbling. Our second new class, Wandless Magic, will be an elective for sixth and seventh year students only. It will be taught by our new teacher, Professor Rhiannon. Any sixth or seventh years interested in signing up for this class, please speak to your Head of House tomorrow."

"Wandless Magic?" Hermione whispered urgently. "That's fantastic! I wish that we could take it this year!"

Ron grumbled under his breath. "They've already added another class, Hermione. Do you know how much homework were going to have?"

"But it would be so interesting," Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide in excitement. "Don't you think, Harry?"

Harry smiled at her. "Yeah, it will be and next year you can take it. You learned your lesson in third year about taking on too much."

She blushed before turning her attention back to Dumbledore.

"We have also said goodbye to our formal Muggle Studies professor Charity Burbage as Professor Birmingham has taken over the entire course load. She enjoyed her time with us and is looking forward to new opportunities in Australia. This year, the Ministry of Magic's Education Department will be working directly out of Hogwarts. We have two new special guests who will be staying with us here at the school for the duration of the school year. They will be sitting in on your classes, asking questions of both staff and students, and working on the Ministry curriculum. They will have the same authority as professors when it comes to enforcing school rules including the awarding of and taking away of house points so, I urge you to treat them with the same respect that you give our professors. Madam Mary Raffigan, the Head of the History Department in the Department of Education," a tall, lean, blonde woman stood up, adjusting her dark rimmed glasses and gave a little nod. "And Madam Dolores Umbridge, the Assistant to the Director of the Magical Review Board."

Everyone applauded their welcome as Umbridge's eyes looked greedily around the school, narrowing as she did so.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Yes, welcome to Hogwarts. Now, I would like to remind you that —"

"Hem, hem," the sickly sweet voice said and Harry scowled.

Dumbledore looked back at Umbridge in surprise before he sat down.

Umbridge stood up, smiling around at the students in what Harry thought was a sickly sweet and fake smile. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore for your kind words of welcome. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts have brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress' sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment," she declared as her eyes shifted down the Head Table and passed over Remus before she turned back to the students.

"Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited," she finished sweetly with a bright smile and sat down.

The hall was completely silent and then Dumbledore clapped as he stood up. "Yes, thank you Madam Umbridge for those enlightening words. Now, I urge you all to tuck in."

Food appeared on the tables and Harry groaned in appreciation. He bit into a butter croissant gleefully before he even attempted to fill his plate. He glanced over at Hermione who was staring up at the Head Table and shaking her head.

"What?"

"Didn't you hear her speech, Harry?"

"Well, yeah, but come on, we know that she's bat-shit. Uncle Siri said that the new Minister is just looking for an excuse to sack her. She has to know that she's on her last leg."

Hermione nodded but shook her head. "'Progress for progress' sake must be discouraged?' That hardly sounds like someone here to implement a new educational curriculum. And did you see the look on her face when she looked at the new professor and Professor Lupin?"

Harry looked up at the Head Table where his father was talking to Professor Rhiannon before his gaze moved back down the table to land on Umbridge. "It's going to be an interesting year, Hermione. We'll see how it goes."

But the whole time he ate, he felt like eyes were watching him and when he snuck a look back at the Head Table, he swore that Umbridge's eyes were on him and it sent a little chill down his spine that unnerved him.

It was going to be a rather long year, he thought.

~ ASC ~

Sirius grinned at his girlfriend as she stretched out on the sofa in their living room, her feet on his lap. She had worked late tonight and had just taken a long shower. Her curls were still a bit damp and she was wearing her pjs. He kneaded her left foot between his hands and she groaned in pleasure.

"Ooh, never stop that!"

He chuckled and lifted her foot to his mouth to kiss the arch of her foot. "We have the house to ourselves again. Harry's back off at school."

"Mmm," she answered as he continued to massage her foot.

Sirius danced his fingers up her ankle, up her calf. He stopped to tickle behind her knees and her legs fell open and he grinned slipping his hand up higher. He tugged her towards him, locking her feet behind his back and sliding his hands over the boxer shorts she wore.

"What happened to that foot massage?"

He grinned and lifted her shirt up to kiss her stomach, his tongue playing with the belly button stud that was there.

"I could use a massage myself," he told her, kissing her higher, his tongue slipping beneath her breasts.

Zee sat up, moving into his lap and giving him more access to her breasts as he lifted her pyjama top. "You owe me a foot massage, Black."

Sirius grinned at her and tugged her shirt over her head. "Absolutely. I promise. But first, this." He laved at her right nipple, flattening his tongue against it.

"Mmm," she moaned, her hands moving into his hair to hold him in place. "I thought that we were going to watch a movie."

Sirius slipped his hand into her boxer shorts and between her folds. "I want to watch you instead."

Zee sighed against him. It never failed to amaze her how quickly he could arouse her. The smallest touch and she was suddenly so needy for him. She arched under his quick fingers, gasping. After all this time, she felt like they should have burned each other out by now. But every time was just as amazing as the last, if not better than the time before, and she couldn't get enough of him. His thumb circled her and her hips arched to meet him as she licked his neck.

"Siri?"

"Hmm?" he asked, his tongue still working her nipple.

"Use your mouth."

He lifted his head, his grey eyes full of arousal as he stared at her. "So bossy."

Zee sighed in disappointment when his hand moved away, but then he was kneeling before her in the living room. He tugged her boxers down, his lips moving over her thighs, her legs, and then he nudged her down a bit and spread her legs wide.

"How do you want me, love?"

Zee gripped his hair in her hands and threw her legs over his shoulders. "Like this."

Sirius grinned up at her and then buried his face between her legs. His slow teasing made her arch desperately.

"Don't tease me, Sirius!"

His tongue slid just under where she wanted him and pressed a kiss there. "It's been a while, I need to investigate thoroughly and —" kiss "— make —" kiss "— sure that —" kiss "— I don't miss —" kiss "— a —" lick "— single —" kiss "— spot."

Zee groaned, her hand moving to her hair as his tongue began to work her, slow licks and soft kisses, long swipes and swirls, flicking in and out of her achingly slow and then like a jackhammer as she held his head in place, groaning his name.

Sirius moaned against her. As much as he loved having Harry home, he missed having the opportunity to spend hours making love to Zee. Her taste and her desires were something that he desperately craved. He loved the way that she wasn't afraid to tell him when she wanted something. She wasn't afraid to do what she wanted. He slid his tongue slowly along her folds, licking every spot and feeling her tremble beneath him. Merlin, the taste of her made him so hard.

He reached down to rub himself, urging his cock to be patient as he licked slowly as if she was melting ice cream on a hot day. He pressed his lips to the heat of her, kissing her there and opened his lips to tug her clit into his mouth. At the first suck, she screamed his name and he suckled her slowly, slipping a finger into the heat and the feel of her pulsing around his finger as well as his tongue made him groan against her.

Zee let go of Sirius' hair to grip her own hair tightly, slipping a hand down to fondle her breast. She twisted her nipple lightly, rubbing the other one fiercely as Sirius worked her over and then one of his hands slid up to rub her breast and she sighed his name.

Merlin, he was so fucking good at this, she thought. It was like he knew exactly what she needed, like he could understand her body before she could. He suckled her harder and added a second finger and she felt the fluttering in her stomach.

"Sirius, I — oh, yes!"

He grinned against her as she came and he eagerly continued to pleasure her with his tongue and fingers as she rode him, crying out. He licked and sucked continuously until she stopped trembling and then he slowly pressed a kiss to her clit, swiping his tongue into her belly button, and then licking a hot trail up her ribs and between her breasts to the side of her neck.

"You're the only food I need," he murmured against her neck, sucking the skin there.

Zee moaned and wrapped her arms around him. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"I admit it, you are a god."

Sirius grinned widely and cupped a large breast in his hand. "And you are my goddess." He bent his head to suckle her nipple. "What would you like me to do to you now, my goddess?"

Zee licked her lips, grinning widely. "Use your mouth again."

He smirked against her nipple. "Greedy. Aren't you going to let me play?"

Zee slid her hand down to cup him through his jeans and smiled. "Touch yourself while you lick me."

Sirius' eyes darkened as he unzipped his jeans and pulled out his erection. He kept his eyes on hers as he stroked himself and then he bent his head and began to lick her all over again. Zee's eyes stayed on his moving hand, watching the way he fisted himself, getting faster with every movement. She groaned as her own orgasm began to build again.

She grabbed a fistful of Sirius' hair and lifted his head. "Don't come."

He groaned, his hand still pumping himself furiously as he bent his head again.

She was writhing beneath him, crying his name as his tongue moved in and out of her in expertise and when she came, he squeezed his cock in an attempt to not come before he used his fingers on her and watched her fall apart. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed, a soft flush on her breasts as well and she was glistening in a soft sheen of sweat that he found himself licking the salty taste of from her skin.

"You're so delicious," he murmured.

Zee smiled and urged him to stand up. She fisted her hand around him and pumped him faster and faster and he cried out as he came, his legs trembling as her hand held him. He groaned as she milked him and he slid back down to his knees when she let go, burying his head in her lap.

"I love you so much, Zahira."

Zee gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. "The feeling is mutual." She slid off the couch to the floor with him and snuggled into his side as he wrapped his arms around her. "Sirius, I think that I want to get married."

Sirius turned to look at her in surprise. "Yeah? To me?"

She slapped his chest. "No, to Tripp! Of course to you, you idiot!"

He kissed her softly. "I've never really thought about marriage."

"Me neither," she admitted. "But it could work for us, don't you think? I mean, not right this second, but maybe down the road we could… talk about it again."

Sirius slid his hand over her round bum. "We could talk about it right now."

Zee rested her chin on his chest as she looked into his eyes. "I love you. I love Harry. I want both of you in my life forever. That doesn't mean that I need a ring on my finger. It doesn't mean that I need to marry you and take on your name."

"I never thought it did," he admitted. "I love having you here with us. Harry does too. We… we're happier with you; better with you. I sometimes wonder if it would have been different if I met you years ago when Harry was still young, if it would have changed anything?"

"I think we met exactly when we were supposed to." She placed a kiss to his chest. "Mama told me that she thinks we should get married, but I think that's just her wanting to be at her daughter's wedding. But I honestly don't know if I'm ready yet. I mean, I still haven't even sold my cottage yet. It feels like if I married you, I would lose a bit of myself and I don't know if I'm ready for that."

Sirius frowned. "How so?"

Zee shrugged. "Well, when you marry a man, you take on his name and you lose part of yourself and I love being Zee Zacarias, I don't know if Zee Black has the same oomph to it."

Sirius made a growling sound. The name Zahira Black made him harden instantly. "Zahira Black sounds fucking amazing."

She laughed and kissed his chest again. "It does have a nice ring to it. But you and I, we're not exactly conventional."

"You can say that again," he admitted. "I don't need to marry you to know that I want you forever. I'm happy the way that we are. I don't need you take on my name. But if you wanted to get married, I would be happy married to you as well. Wow, I never thought I'd say that."

Zee nuzzled his chest. "Let's just put a pin in it for now. Something that maybe we can discuss again in the future. At this moment, Siri, I'm not ready to get married. But I like to think that when I am, we can discuss it again?"

Sirius tugged her up to his lips and kissed her deeply. "My world is yours, Zahira, as much as you'll let me give you. If you want to just keep living in sin, I'm all right with that too."

She chuckled at that, her hand moving down to stroke him. "The sin part is a particular favourite of mine."

He grinned and his breath hitched as her hand worked him over. "I must agree on that."

She kissed the side of his neck, sucking the skin hard enough to leave a mark as her hand continued to stroke and pump him. And then her hands were gone and she was moving away. He made a sound of protest before he was greeted to the lovely sight of her round bottom as she turned her body and she stretched out across his, her tongue licking his ankles and then she was guiding him into her and he groaned. He reached out to stroke her bum, watching it bounce as she rode him, her knees pointing towards his and when they both went over, all he thought was that there was nowhere in the world he would rather die than with her riding him.

She collapsed against him, her face pressed against his thigh and she sighed. "I can never have enough of you."

Sirius slapped her bum, watching it jiggle and grinned. "Same here. Let's just catch our breath a bit and maybe we contemplate that movie."

Zee rolled off him and sighed as he tugged her up to cuddle. "Sleep first."

Sirius kissed her forehead, snuggling her close with her face pressed against the middle of his chest. "Anything you want."

Zee drifted off to sleep, a huge smile on her face and as Sirius watched her sleep peacefully against his chest, he thought about what she had said. He tucked a curl out of her eyes as he looked down at her.

Down the road, marriage might be something he thought, but only if it was with her.

He closed his own eyes, sighing in contentment and when he drifted off, he dreamed of her.

~ ASC ~

Harry was sitting in a comfortable armchair by the fire of the Ravenclaw common room with his girlfriend sitting next to him. She was thumbing through the pages of her Rune Dictionary, a pensive look on her face. Harry nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck as she squirmed.

"I need to make sure that I'm ready for my classes," she told him.

He grinned at her. "You're adorable. You might not even have Runes on Monday. We don't even have our schedules yet. We still have two whole days before classes even begin."

Mandy turned in his arms to kiss him. "It's our OWL year, Harry, we have to be ready."

Padma Patil rolled her eyes before she took a seat next to them. "Is she already stressing? Girl, I am going to hit you if you start stressing already about OWLs. You know I want to be a healer and if we don't rock our OWLs this year, I can kiss that dream goodbye!"

Harry smiled as Mandy and Padma began to discuss classes and the stress of the upcoming year until Padma nodded at the clock.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, Harry, but as a prefect, I must tell you that curfew is in ten minutes, which means that you must be in your own common room."

Harry tightened his grip around his girlfriend and pouted. "That's not what I want to hear, Padma."

"Hey, it's my first night as a prefect, I have to enforce the rules, even for my friend's boyfriend."

Harry frowned at that. He knew that she was right. He kissed Mandy's cheek before he stood up and lead him out of the common room and out into the hall near the entrance way to Ravenclaw.

"Thanks for coming to stay with me this evening," she said with a smile, standing on her toes to kiss him.

He kissed her back, sighing into her happily. "It wasn't exactly a hardship. Plus, I wanted to avoid the Gryffindor common room if I could as Ron was planning to break up with Lavender and I bet that she made a scene."

"That's not very nice," Mandy said, giving him a stern look.

"I like Lavender, don't get me wrong, but she's so… much… when she broke up with Seamus it was so matter of fact and then with Ron, sorry, Won Won," he emphasized, rolling his eyes. "Everything is so much bigger and… she's quite annoying!"

Mandy chuckled. "Want me to give you some crazy nickname? Har Har maybe?"

Harry grimaced. "Please don't."

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," he said, pecking her lips before he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

The common room was still pretty packed with people and his eyes scanned the room in search of his friends. He found Neville sitting with Dean and Seamus in one of the corners so he made his way over there. He sat on the arm of Neville's chair and nodded at his friends.

"Hey, how'd the breakup go?"

Neville grimaced. "It was loud. She cried. A lot. Parvati had to come and take her away to her room."

Harry frowned. "I feel kind of bad for her, but she had to know that it was coming, right?"

Dean shrugged. "Ron went up to bed. He said that everyone was staring at him, which to be fair, they were."

Seamus snickered. "He should have done it somewhere more quiet and not in the middle of the common room."

"Well, it wasn't like he made an announcement," Dean said in annoyance. "They were talking quietly in the corner until Lavender exploded and started yelling that he was her Won Won and that he needed her."

Harry visibly winced. "Poor Ron."

"Yeah, smart on you to disappear, mate," Seamus said with a grin. "Where did you go?"

"Ravenclaw, until Padma kicked me out because of curfew."

Seamus grinned. "You and Mandy are still going strong, eh? Good for you. She's great."

"Yeah, she is," he said. "We'll have been dating for seven months on the eighteenth."

"Are you doing anything special for her?" Seamus asked.

He nodded. "I think so, but I can't decide what yet."

Neville scratched his head. "You'll come up with something or I bet Sirius will know."

He shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

The sound of Ginny's laugh had his head turning and his eyes immediately found her on the other side of the common room, head to head with Colin. Her long red hair was up in a high ponytail, dancing down her shoulders her chocolate brown eyes were full of glee as she pointed to something in Colin's hands. Colin grinned back at her and elbowed her lightly making her laugh again. The sound seemed to wash over him and he couldn't help the smile from forming on his face.

"Anyone else notice that Weasley is incredibly lush this year?" Dean asked, his own eyes falling on Ginny. "She's all lean curves and I'd love to grab me a handful of those tits."

Harry scowled at him. "Don't even think about it!"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What? Like you haven't thought about it." He leaned back in his seat to watch her stand up. "Her arse is like a perfectly formed upside down heart. She's definitely the best looking girl in the common room."

Seamus turned to look at her as well. "She is pretty tidy, mate."

"Peng is what she is," Dean said with a grin. "Corner said that she was a great kisser."

Harry glowered at them. "Ginny is off limits! She's Ron's sister and Corner is a git!"

Dean shrugged his shoulders, stretching his arms up over his head. "Ron doesn't control who his sister dates, Harry. And in case you didn't notice, I'm hardly the only bloke checking her out."

Neville put his hand on Harry's arm when Dean got up to go to talk to Ginny. "If you go over there, she'll hex you."

Harry glared at him. "She's not his!"

Neville smiled at him. "Ginny is perfectly capable of making her own decisions, Harry. Don't you think that you're overreacting a bit? Dean's a nice bloke. He's our friend."

Harry glowered at him. The creature in his chest had roared to life the moment Dean had started commenting on Ginny and now he could feel it growling in the pit of his stomach. Dean couldn't go over there. Ginny wouldn't give him a chance, he thought. But when he saw her smile warmly at Dean, his fists clenched at his sides and he stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

Neville exchanged a look with Seamus before they got up to follow him.

Harry refused to look over at where Ginny and Dean were talking again, but when he heard her laugh, the creature in his chest practically roared and he glowered harder, stomping up the stairs. Ron was sitting on the side of his bed, but Harry only nodded at him as he grabbed his toiletries from his trunk and made his way into the bathroom to try to work off some of his anger.

He had no reason to be this upset. Ginny could date whoever she wanted; snog whomever she wanted. He had no say in it. Hadn't she told him that there had been all sorts of snogging of different blokes this past summer, Americans, he remembered. He took out his toothbrush and began to clean his teeth vigorously.

Corner said that she was a great kisser.

Perfect upside down heart.

Handful of those tits.

Handful of those tits.

Dean's words echoed in his ear and he scowled in the mirror. He had to get over this. He had to do something to stop these feelings from welling up inside of him. Ginny was his friend, not his girlfriend. He couldn't be having these thoughts about her. He couldn't be feeling jealous when she was with other blokes or he wouldn't be able to be around her at all.

And that was the last thing that he wanted.

Not being around Ginny was like never stepping into the sun again. Like never feeling the warmth on his skin. It was absolutely unthinkable.

He washed his face and shoved his glasses back onto his nose before his green eyes stared back at him in the mirror. Mandy. Mandy was his girlfriend and he cared about her; more than cared about her, he really liked her. She was sweet and kind and beautiful. He knew that she deserved better than him. He hadn't even talked to her about the graveyard or what he was feeling. He knew that bothered her, but the thought of telling her… she wouldn't understand; he didn't want to try to explain it knowing that. She deserved someone who was going to give her the full attention that she deserved; someone who wasn't so visibly pining after someone else, but he selfishly didn't want to lose her. In his head, he thought that if he lost Mandy, he wouldn't be able to control the creature in his chest that seemed to emerge in Ginny's presence. If he lost Mandy, he would have to face his feelings for Ginny, and he was so afraid that she had put him in the friend column permanently.

And Mandy was… she was great. She made him laugh and when he remembered what they had done on the beach, he hardened. He closed his eyes and imagined her sitting on him again, the feel of her rubbing against him and his hand slid down into his trousers to touch himself. He remembered how good she had felt, how good he had felt, and when he fantasized about looking up into her eyes, he was awarded to the sight of warm brown ones as her red hair fell into her face.

He tried to push the image away, to think of Mandy, but it was brown eyes he saw surrounded by red flames over perfect skin dusted in freckles as his hand moved vigorously over his shaft. Red tresses bounced and danced as she held his shoulders, as those small perfect hands gripped him… as her thumb brushed just under his tip, her teeth biting that soft red lip as those chocolate eyes met his… He had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying her name aloud as he came.

He glanced back at the still closed bathroom door and cleaned himself up, changing into his pyjama pants and leaning his head against the cool mirror to catch his breath. It had to stop, he told himself.

The problem was that he didn't know how to make it stop.

Dean was right. Ginny was incredibly lush.

And other blokes were starting to notice.

He looked up when a knock sounded on the bathroom door and he waved his wand to unlock it as Ron stepped inside.

"You done in here, mate? If you need to wank again, I can wait."

Harry made a rude hand gesture that made Ron grin. He hoped his cheeks weren't flushed to confirm Ron's suspicions and thanked the gods that his best mate might have known he was wanking, but didn't know he'd been thinking about his sister while he did it. Merlin, Ron would kill him.

"So, I uh, I heard Lavender cried?"

Ron grimaced. "Screamed and cried. I told her that I was sorry, but that I just saw us as only being friends. That made her cry even harder. I feel bad, but it's for the best, you know?"

"I know," Harry said sympathetically.

He grabbed his bag of toiletries and picked up his clothes before he headed past his friend and into the dormitory. Seamus and Neville were already in their pyjama bottoms and Neville turned to look at him as he pulled a white tee shirt over his head.

"You all right?"

"Fine," Harry said, tossing his dirty clothes into the hamper at the end of his bed. At least he was fine now that he'd had a decent wank. Of course, wanking to thoughts of Ginny wasn't exactly the solution he was looking for either.

Neville moved across the room and took a seat on Harry's bed as Seamus moved into the bathroom. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were acting like a jealous git down there."

Harry glared at him. "I'm not — look, after what happened with Corner last year, I just want to make sure that Ginny finds someone who is good for her, you know? And Dean… yeah, he's my friend, but he's also… experienced and well… I don't want him to hurt her."

Neville smiled at him. "I think that you two would be great together. You know each other so well and you can read each other's moods and reactions."

"Ginny and I are just friends, Nev."

Neville shrugged. "Right, just friends."

Harry sat on the bed next to his friend. "I'm with Mandy. I care about Mandy."

"I'm not saying that you don't, Harry. But we both know that you're lying to yourself by saying that you don't want something more with Ginny."

They both turned when the dormitory door opened and Dean came in, grinning. "Hey!"

"Did you ask out Ginny?" Neville asked, smirking at Harry's annoyed expression.

"Nah. Just flirted. She's so lush though. I think that she may be interested. I'll see how it goes." He looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "You okay with that?"

"Ginny can make her own choices," Harry told him. "Just remember that she made Bat-bogeys erupt from Corner's prick."

Dean paled and cupped himself. "Well, yeah, but he deserved it, right? Right?"

Harry simply grinned and stretched his arms up over his head as Ron came out of the bathroom. "Must have. Hey Ron, where was Hermione tonight?"

"She went up to bed early. First night back at school since everything happened. She just wanted to be alone and I think that she didn't exactly want to hear my breakup with Lavender either. Don't think I didn't notice how both of you mysteriously disappeared around the time that I asked Lavender to talk. Some friends."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, mate."

Seamus came out of the bathroom and grinned. "Excellent, we're all still awake!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes. I thought that we could start the night off with some good old fashioned fun and a game of 'would you rather?'"

Dean groaned. "I hate this fucking game."

Seamus grinned widely and bent over his trunk, emerging with a green bottle. "New rules. I nicked a bottle of my dad's Jameson from the pub. We can have a wee drink or two amidst the answering."

Ron grinned. "I might take a cuppa."

"Good man, Weasley!" Seamus said, grabbing the water goblet from Ron's nightstand and carefully pouring two fingers into the glass.

Neville hesitated. "Is it any good?"

"Jameson is mother's milk, Neville. Nothing is better!"

"Oh, go on then," Neville said reluctantly, passing Seamus his own water glass.

Soon the five of them each had two fingers of Irish whiskey in their glasses. They pulled pillows and blankets down into the nook between Dean and Seamus' beds, making a makeshift fort, and settled down in a circle.

Seamus held up his glass with a grin. "Bottoms up! Let's toast to a great year! Cheers!"

They all gulped back the liquid in one shot and Harry's eyes watered as he tried not to gag.

Ron did gag, choking as he clutched his throat.

Tears leaked out of Neville's eyes as he carefully muttered, "I'm okay, I'm okay."

Dean held his hand over his mouth as if he was attempting not to vomit and Seamus merely made a face. "Delicious!"

Harry glared at him. "Yeah, no, mate."

Seamus grinned widely. "It's an acquired taste. Now, onto the game. Dean! Since you were so excited to play, I vote that you go first."

Dean held his glass out to Seamus. "I need more of that then!"

Seamus grinned and poured two more fingers of whiskey into his glass. "Good man!" He gestured with the bottle and everyone held out their glasses. Once everyone was settled, Seamus slapped his hands together. "So, Dean, would you rather spend the rest of the year as a single man or get back with Parvati?"

Dean contemplated for a moment. "Get back with Parvati. I didn't want to break up with her in the first place. Besides, at least that means I would be getting some action outside of my hand."

Harry frowned at him. "Why did you two break up anyway? You never did say."

Dean shrugged and stared into his drink. "She said that we were going in different directions. I didn't see it." He took a small drink of his whiskey. "It's not bad if you sip it." He turned his attention to Neville. "Nev, would you rather be the last virgin of our year or kiss Seamus?"

Seamus' made an obnoxious kissing sound with his lips and Neville snorted.

"Last virgin. I know where those lips have been," Neville told them as he blushed. "I went to get that book for Hermione out of my trunk in the baggage compartment on the train earlier. Let's just say that the sight before me involved a naked Seamus and Will that will forever be burned into my eyelids."

Seamus wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Ball sucking is a thing that everyone should try at least once."

Ron coughed. "Hard pass."

"But if anyone wants to suck on mine, I wouldn't protest," Dean added, making Seamus smirk.

"Harry," Neville said, turning the conversation back around. "Would you rather kiss Hermione or Ginny?"

Harry took a slow sip of his whiskey, his eyes shooting daggers at Neville. "What kind of question is that? They are both my friends!"

Ron stared at him from over his glass, his eyes carefully guarded as he watched his friend. "Seems simple enough to me. If you had to snog one of them, who would you choose?"

Harry took another sip of his whiskey, his ears burning. "Hermione is like a sister to me. I would never even consider and… and Ginny is my… friend too, my oldest friend and… um… so I guess… Ginny?"

Dean snorted. "She is so lush, mate. I'd love to kiss her everywhere."

Ron threw a pillow at him and it smacked him in the face. "Say anything like that about my sister again and I'll hex you, you tosser!"

Dean shrugged. "Can't deny the truth, mate. She's lush."

Harry finished his whiskey and held his glass out to Seamus for more. "Dean, would you rather blow Seamus while the whole school watched or blow Snape?"

"Oooh," Seamus said, grinning widely. "Harry's getting dirty now!"

"Neither. Why the hell would I want to blow anyone?" Dean demanded, taking a long drink of his whiskey.

Seamus leaned back against the bed, stretching his legs out across the floor. "Well, first of all, cock is delicious. Secondly, makes you feel right powerful to have that hard yumminess in your mouth, and third, it is a huge turn on! Not to mention that my cock is beautiful and you would be honoured and amazed to get the chance to suck me off."

Dean rolled his eyes, but his gaze dropped to the bulge in his friend's pants before he looked away. "Snape is greasy, so no, so… I'd choose Seam, even if the whole school had to watch me get him off."

Ron grinned and leaned back on his hands. "What class would that fall under do you think?"

"Charms maybe?" Harry said with a snort.

Dean crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Fine, who would you rather blow then, Harry? Draco Malfoy or Lee Jordan?"

"Why those two?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"Well, everyone knows that Malfoy's a stuck up little swot so I imagine having you on your knees in front of him would make him come down a peg or two and as to Lee, well, according to Parvati, the rumour is that he has the biggest cock in the whole school," Dean said matter of factly.

Seamus nodded. "It's true. Will said even the blokes in Ravenclaw talk about it in reverent awe. But then again, they don't know what Harry's packing."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed. "I'm no slouch in that department, mate!"

Seamus licked his bottom lip. "Oh, no, you're definitely not, but we all know Harry has the goods."

Harry flushed red. It would be stupid of him not to admit that he'd noticed he was bigger than his roommates, but hearing Seamus say it aloud suddenly made it seem more daunting. He cleared his throat, hoping to change the conversation.

"Erm, well, I'd choose Malfoy then because if I was forced to blow a bloke, I'd rather it be so tiny that I barely knew it was in my mouth in the first place."

Laughter erupted and Ron swore as he shot whiskey out of his nose.

"It fucking burns, mate!"

Seamus doubled over in laughter, clutching his side as Ron held his nose in his hands as his eyes watered. Harry passed Ron the jug of water which he gulped desperately before Seamus poured him some more whiskey. Once they were able to control themselves, Seamus grinned widely.

"For the record, Harry, I saw Malfoy's prick in the bathroom last year and he's not small."

"I really didn't want to know that," Harry said, making Seamus laugh. He took a long drink of his whiskey and turned his attention to Seamus. "Seam, would you rather marry the most beautiful girl in the whole school and never be able to kiss Will again or tell your dad that your gay?"

The whole room went quiet.

Seamus drank the whiskey back in his glass and stared at his friends. "I'm going to tell him at Christmas."

"Really?" Dean asked, his eyes wide. "For real?"

Seamus nodded. "Will and I talked about it. He said that he would come with me if I wanted, but I think that it's something that I have to do by myself."

"Do you really think that he'll be upset?" Neville asked him.

Seamus shrugged. "I don't know. I thought that it was the end of the world just thinking about telling him, but… I feel like part of him already knows. This summer, whenever I went to visit Will and Neville at the camp, he would give me this strange look. I think that he might even maybe okay with it."

"Seam, that's great," Dean told him honestly. "Your dad is a bit old fashioned and like you said, kind of set in his Muggle ways but, he loves you. I don't think that he's going to take it as badly as you seem to think."

He nodded. "We'll see."

Dean hopped up onto his bed and reached down to grab his friend's arm. "I'll come with you, if you want. Your dad likes me."

Seamus grinned. "He thinks that you need a father figure in your life."

"So he says," he said with a grin. "I'll be there, just say the word."

Seamus nodded, squeezing his friend's hand before he let go. "Thanks." He let out a slow sigh. "Well, this game took a turn, didn't it?"

"I'm sorry. I went too far with that question," Harry admitted.

Seamus shook his head. "No, you didn't. You've known about me and Will longer than anyone here and I appreciate your support, Harry. None of you know what it's like to hide part of yourself away from your parents."

"I think my dads would be cool with it," Harry admitted. "When they gave me the talk they even added this whole portion about blokes. I'm not gay, but if I was, I don't think that they would care."

"My parents wouldn't care either," Ron said. "One of Mum's younger brothers was gay and he was her favourite. Love is love, you know."

Neville shook his head. "My Gran is pretty old fashioned, I don't know how she would take it to be honest, but I like to think that she would be okay with it."

"Are you coming out, Nev?" Seamus asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

He blushed and shook his head. "No! I've never even kissed a girl let alone another bloke!"

Seamus leaned over and pressed his lips to Neville's gently. "There! Now you've been kissed."

Neville's eyes were wide in shock before he wiped his mouth in disgust. "By the lips I saw buried between Will's thighs, gross!"

Everyone laughed and Neville shook his head.

"Er, thanks though. Maybe now I won't be so nervous when the time comes for real," he admitted.

"No one is rushing you, Nev," Harry said.

He shrugged. "I'm rushing me! This year, I want to be brave enough to ask out a girl, even if she says no, I just want to do it."

Seamus held up his glass. "To Neville, finally going on his first date!"

They all cheered before Neville turned to Ron.

"Ron, who would you rather see date your sister, Dean or Harry?"

"Harry," he said so quickly that Harry's head shot up. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to keep her safe and to treat her the way that she deserved to be treated."

Dean shrugged. "But you've known Harry longer so that doesn't seem fair. I could be great for your sister. I wouldn't mind having her on her knees with her mouth wrapped around my —"

"Flipendo!" Ron said as Dean flipped backwards over his bed and onto the floor.

"Fuck!" he muttered from the other side of the bed.

Seamus hopped over the bed to help his friend to his feet. "Deserved that one, mate."

Dean rubbed a hand over his head. "Yeah, sorry, Ron, that was uncalled for."

Harry stood up quickly, grabbing the pole of the canopy for support as his head spun. "I'm going to bed."

He held onto the furniture as his head continued to spin and fell face first into his four poster. He used his wand to tug his bed hangings closed as he heard his friends decide to do the same. It was less than ten minutes before the dorm was quiet and Harry laid there thinking about Ron's words and then he shut his eyes tightly.

It didn't matter what Ron thought.

It didn't matter what Neville thought.

The only thing that mattered was what Ginny thought and he had told her that it was never going to happen. She was over him. Mandy, he thought, he was with Mandy.

But when he drifted off to sleep, Ginny was the last thought that crossed his mind.

~ ASC ~

Lucius leaned his back against the cool stone of the wall in his cell. He shivered slightly against the coolness of the rock, but the relief of it was worth it. The summer heat had been awful this year and the Aurors hadn't bothered to offer cooling charms to the prisoners. Not that he could blame them really. The fact that the Dementors had more or less been removed made the cell seem not as bad as he had imagined, other than the fact that he was now trapped with his own thoughts.

He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. All he could think about for the last two months was his last moment with Narcissa. The feel of her spreading her legs for him and the warmth of being inside of her; of coming inside of her, where he belonged. Merlin, he hoped that she and Draco were safe. And Theo. He wondered if Thaddeus had attempted to drag his son home yet.

He and Narcissa had argued about that one.

She wanted him to stay and to protect him. Not that he didn't want Theo to be protected, but he knew that when it came to Thaddeus Nott, there was only so much that he could do. All Nott would have to do is complain to Abraxas. He sighed as someone screamed from nearby.

The screams didn't even affect him anymore, he noted. A prisoner was having a nightmare or a panic attack. It all seemed normal to him by now.

But the boom of the explosion definitely wasn't normal.

He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide as he attempted to look out through the small rectangular peep hole by the door. His chains clanked together, preventing him from getting too close, but he could see movement in the halls. Someone laughed loudly and then there were more screams and an eerie chill ran down his spine.

That was the sound of someone being tortured.

He swallowed slowly and waited only a moment before the door to his cell was blown open. Bellatrix stood there, looking completely mad. She pointed her wand at his chains and the ice ripped up the metal, freezing his skin as well as the chain before it shattered apart. His raw wrists were now affected by the frosted bite of the ice charm as well, but he nodded at her.

"Thank you."

"Your father is organizing the supplies and going through the stash of wands. Go find yours."

"They weren't destroyed?"

She smirked. "Not all of them. Seems there's a bit of a backlog."

He nodded and headed out. On the one hand, he wanted to refuse to go with them, but on the other he wanted to find his wife and to check on his son.

And he wanted out of this damn prison.

Even when he knew that he was merely trading one cell for another.

~ ASC ~

Tonks was snuggled up next to Remus in their bed, half-asleep. She jolted when Kingsley's Patronus appeared in the room. It was set on stealth mode so as not to wake Remus and as she listened to his low smooth voice tell her that Azkaban had been attacked, she jumped out of bed and found her clothes. She tugged her knickers on and her jeans before grabbing a bra and light blue blouse. She buttoned it up, tucking it into her jeans and grabbed her badge off the nightstand. She clicked it into her belt and added her holster before she bent her head and kissed Remus' cheek lightly. She ran a hand through her short hair, using her wand to style the curls slightly and give her less of a bedhead/been shagging my husband look as she scratched the buzzed part at the back of her neck. She scribbled a quick note to let Remus know that she had been called into work and took off.

Kingsley was waiting for her in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He nodded when he saw her come forward. "Tonks. Come in. We are just waiting on Arnett and Atwell."

She nodded and followed him into the conference room. They only waited five minutes before everyone was stationed.

"Azkaban was attacked this evening at exactly twenty two hundred and thirty seven hours," Kingsley declared, his eyes moving around the room. "Every prisoner has been broken out except for the select few who are too elderly to have escaped. Four Aurors have been killed: Gregson, Bishop, Lewis, and Davis. Jane and Campbell have been rushed to St Mungo's and unfortunately they are critical."

"What happened, Sir?" Atwell asked, her eyes grave.

"Death Eaters attacked the prison from all sides. The Dementors fled the island entirely, letting the Death Eaters through and they blew up the entire left side of the prison. Campbell was injured in the explosion. Bishop took out one prisoner and one Death Eater who was left masked and for dead by his friends. He has been brought into custody to the hospital for the time being. Many of the Death Eaters were injured, but unfortunately, they got the upper hand on this one. We were not prepared. We only had eight Aurors on duty for the night shift as opposed to the twelve on days and we were not prepared," Kingsley repeated.

He flicked his wand at the white board on the wall. "This is a list of every prisoner who was being contained inside of Azkaban along with what their crimes were. We are not talking about petty theft and larceny here, but murderers, rapists, and arsonists, all more dangerous than we can imagine and they are all loose on the streets."

Tonks raised her wand. "What are we saying about the Dementors?"

"We lost control of them," Kingsley told her. "Dumbledore was right. They didn't even attempt to guard the prison. They let the Death Eaters in and then left with them. You Know Who has them under his complete control."

Arnett nodded, frowning at the list. "Where would you like us to start, Sir?"

"The public needs to be made aware of the mass breakout for their own safety. Get some officers to assist in alerting any victims of the Death Eaters and their families to be on the lookout. Send word to the Daily Prophet about what happened and tell them to warn the public. The Minister is on her way in now to discuss what the next step is. We are officially declaring a state of emergency. You Know Who is not messing around."

Tonks nodded. "Higgins and I will start with the paper and take the first fifteen names from the top for victim and family alerts."

Kingsley nodded. "Excellent, Arnett, you and Leonard are in charge of the next fifteen names. I want every single person affected by your fifteen names made aware of the situation by oh eight hundred hours — no exceptions. Come see me for your assignments. Those of you who already know, head out and get to work."

Tonks nodded at her partner as Rexford Higgins hurried to catch up with her. He was an A1 and had only recently graduated from the Academy two months ago, but she felt like he had a lot of potential. He was determined and a quick thinker. She liked working with him and hoped to help nudge him up to the A2 position within the year.

"All right, let's send word to the paper first and get the news out. Do you have our list of names?"

Higgins nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Yes, Tonks, er, sorry — Lupin. Our first name is Cassius, Hayden; imprisoned 04/06/75 for… blimey… setting three people on fire in the middle of a crowded street resulting in four deaths, not including the three she set on fire."

Tonks let out a slow breath. "We're in for a long night. Grab us each a cup of coffee and meet me at the Daily Prophet. We have a lot of work to do."

---

End Author's Notes:

(Italian) grazie = thanks

(Italian) meraviglioso = wonderful

To explain my thoughts on wolves: I imagine there is a pack mentality for all wolves. However, those born wolves, those with two wolf parents, can transform at any time. Their children are given the same shape-shifting ability, but it does not happen for them until they hit puberty and are mature enough for the transformation, around 13-15 years of age. Those who are bitten, are forced to transform every month on the moon. They don't distinguish themselves differently — they are all wolves. They still undergo a painful transformation, but those born as wolves can change at will and once they master it, no longer have pain as the moon does not dictate when and where they change like it does for those who are bitten. Adrian is a wolf such as this, while his wife Maia was bitten, but their children were born wolves. That's the world I imagine. It is explained more later on. So of the three new wolf children, only Maximus O'Ryan was bitten and transforms every month while Jack Wolf and Sari Danson are born wolves and have not hit puberty or matured enough yet for the transformation to take place. Hope this helps.

And side note, Jameson is my personal drink of choice. I prefer to keep it in the freezer and just drink it straight as I think the flavours are magnified when it's ice cold. Otherwise I order it with ice.

Thanks for reading and please review :D