Author's Note:
Thank you for all of the lovely welcome back reviews. It feels nice to know that I was missed.
Reviews and Comments: To pottermum: Thank you! I do love writing some Hinny fluff and yes, it's great to be back! Thank you! To Matt9917: Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Thank you for the welcome! I love Sirius apologizing, it was needed. You should definitely watch Buffy. Thank you! To cha-chris: Thank you! To pinkphoenix1985: Thank you! It was fun to bring the gang back together. To BioHazard82: Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: I do love banter. Thank you! To samjordan08: Thanks for loving my Harry/Ginny scenes! To maisa potter: As to the fight with Sirius and Zee, I thought it was necessary, and I know that not everyone agreed with how I made it happen, but to be clear — it was an accident that Zee hit him with the frying pan. They both moved at the wrong moment and bam! They love and care for each other very much, yet both are incredibly stubborn and bull-headed. Zee would never intentionally hit him nor he her, but sometimes these things happen (my grandma hit my grandpa with a frying pan once when they were arguing and much in the same way, it was in her hand and they moved and bam — they laugh about it now). Thank you! To Queen Raja: Thank you! To MinervaMcGee: Thank you!
To coloredwords: Yes, I do think Sirius put his foot in his mouth and yes, he did make up for it. I like the Penis Card and I felt it fit the moment. I like the idea of Harry getting a tattoo, definitely never covering his entire chest, arms, shoulders, and back like Sirius, but something for his parents would be nice. Thank you! To HGRHfan35: Yes, make-up sex is the best. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Thank you! To ClarieRoss: Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To christyannb94: Thank you! Yes, Sirius just kept making it worse. He meant well, but he went about it entirely wrong. I love Draco and Blaise keeping an eye on Theo. The Theo and Ernie situation is coming, but not in the next few chapters as the Christmas holidays are approaching so Theo will not be at school. But Ernie will get what's coming to him, I promise — and I can't wait for you to find out how! We'll see more of Harry and Ginny and yes, we will see some of Ginny's chamber experiences show up. Thank you! To supersandman86: No Scooby Doo adventure lol. I know it seems obvious to all of us who know exactly where the diadem is hiding, but at the moment, Luna only knows what the Grey Lady told her, and they don't know that she knows more about it than what she said. But don't worry, we'll get there.
To ZeeNooblet: It has been a while since the six friends had an adventure. Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you very much! To Lovely Luck: I love the idea of Harry getting a tattoo for his parents as well, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my Hinny, they deserve some happiness. To epicwazoo: Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To J Jamie Dupane: Thank you! I think you said it best here, "I know that many of us feel impatient because it is so *obvious* but we should realize that the only reason it feels obvious to us is because vision is often 20/20 in the hindsight. If we only have the data they have, the possibilities are endless. They are just kids and Hogwarts is a huge place with a thousand new places yet to be explored. RoR is not something everyone thinks of at the snap of your fingers. Many stories make them simply reach the conclusion out of nowhere calling it logical. No, it is not. It wasn't until the very last moment that Harry realized it in the canon." — thank you. Thanks for loving the chapter and I'm glad to see you enjoyed my Nyx/Harry interaction and Nyx keeping on eye on Smith lol. Remus does deserve a mic drop — he knows how worried Sirius is because he feels the same about Tonks, but they have to trust their women if they want the same trust in return. Thank you! To wheezing-reader: Thank you! To Guest: I hope no words is a good thing, thank you! To Krazyasibe: Thank you very kindly.
To speedsONEandONLY: Harry does see more than people think and deserves credit for it. To Saz J: Yes, they did makeup like grownups lol. Thank you! To Steelcode: It's true, Sirius definitely went about it all wrong lol. We will see what the Chamber of Secrets yields! Thank you! To Carys924: Thanks for finding Harry and Ginny so adorable, I quite agree. Remus and Sirius' relationship and showing how they support each other is fun to write. Snape and McGonagall are trying to help Theo, but they can only do so much if he doesn't come clean about what's happening. Reviews are never too long, so thank you very much! To Leaf Ranger: Sorry, everything can't be put together that easily. Thank you! To sherryola: As I mentioned before, it was an accident that she hit him. She didn't aim to hit him. He's not going to dump her for it because it was an accident. It's not abuse. There's a very clear difference and I'm sorry that you can't see that. Thank you for your thoughts. To bobstur: Thank you for saying I am one of your favourite authors!
To Ham: Thank you for rereading! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. To PurpleLotus: Thank you! Yes, they needed to have it out. To Kartina88: A bit longer I'm afraid — Christmas vacation is coming up and the Ernie situation will not be dealt with until after the holiday, but I promise, he gets what's coming to him. Thank you! To Tania: Thank you for loving my story! To K: Thank you! To Firekel: WOW! Thank you so much, that is honestly an honour that I don't think I deserve, but I am so pleased that you are enjoying the story. Thank you VERY, VERY MUCH!
And just a reminder — they don't know about the Room of Requirement yet.
Thanks to Dusk for her awesome work editing this! Much appreciated!
My posting schedule: Once a week.
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 TWO HUNDRED AND TWO:
The One With the Fluke
When they arrived in the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny immediately balled her fists in the back of Harry's jumper. He attentively turned to put his arm around her waist. He knew that despite coming down here last year for the defence course and despite coming down here to close it all up and map it out, the place still made her nervous. No, not nervous, he thought… it made her feel helpless — and he knew that was the one thing that Ginny hated. It was a reminder of the worst time in her life, and he loathed that she still felt even an inkling of helplessness just thinking about it.
The six of them stood in the throne room, their eyes wide as they looked around. Remus and McGonagall had begun to set up some new obstacles around the large room, interweaving through the statue of Salazar Slytherin and flowing through the other defence course.
The room itself had changed a great deal already. Now the mini lake under the statue was surrounded by a stone fence. The stones were clean and the room was well lit. The office of Slytherin stood in the mouth of the statue, its door left open, and with all of the defence stuff around, it looked more like a classroom and less like the horrible place that Harry remembered. It was almost comforting in some way — and he knew that Ginny felt the same.
"Where do you want to start?" Neville asked, his eyes searching the room. "It can't be anywhere in here. Not with the way Professors Lupin and McGonagall have set everything up."
Hermione put her hands on her hips as her eyes roamed the room as well. "Well, why don't we split up into twos to explore the outer chambers and tunnels, and we can meet back here in say, an hour? Hour and a half?"
Ron nodded. "That sounds sensible. Like Harry said, it's not exactly small down here."
Luna removed her wand from behind her ear. "I'll go with Neville."
Neville beamed at her. "Sure thing, Luna."
Hermione smiled at Harry, who still had his arm around Ginny. "I'll go with Ron."
Harry nodded as Neville and Luna headed into one of the main tunnels and Hermione and Ron headed through another one. He took Ginny's hand in his and kissed her fingers.
"We ready?"
She nodded and urged him to go through after Ron and Hermione, but they veered left; their friends had gone right.
The large aqueduct was built from stone, and the illuminated torches gave off an eerie light as they moved through the tunnel. The torches were obviously motion-charmed to light up at movement, Ginny stayed close to Harry, her wand drawn as they trudged through the low water that covered the ground.
"You don't actually think that we're going to find it down here, do you?" Ginny asked him softly, her eyes on the walls to look for any kind of symbol that could tell her of a secret hideaway.
Harry shook his head. "No, I don't. I think that it would be too easy if it were down here, but not looking… I have to be sure."
Ginny nodded as they moved further through the passage and came to a fork. "Left or right?"
"Left," he said, tugging her with him.
The further they walked, the more the tunnels seem to narrow. There was an eerie silence only broken by the sound of water flowing — and when a water snake lifted its head above the low water, Ginny jumped. Harry picked her right up though, making her grin. She shimmied around onto his back until her legs were locked around his waist. Harry turned his head to kiss her.
"Still not big on snakes, eh?"
"No," she growled, burying her face in the back of his neck.
He chuckled, but kept a tight grip on her thighs as she piggybacked him through the tunnels. The feel of her pressed up against his back was rather lovely. He did his best to focus on what was before him, and not on the feeling of her soft breasts pressed against his shoulder blades.
The tunnel widened into a new chamber, this one full of large stone arches showcasing where the water flowed from under the Black Lake, bringing water in and out of the school. He walked up the steps to where the passage widened as Ginny slid down his back to examine the script on the wall.
"This is just the numbering system for the aqueduct," she told him, running her fingers over the Roman numerals and Latin writing.
Harry looked around, his eyes moving to the winding stone staircase at the opposite end of the chamber. Ginny followed him, hopping across the stone path and away from the water to avoid any more water snakes, until at last they arrived at the stairs. They walked side by side until it became too narrow. Harry was forced to duck his head as the stairs rose higher, and finally they reached a large circular stone door with a metal lock on it.
"Alohomora," Harry said. The lock clicked, but didn't open.
Ginny frowned. "Well, that was rather anti-climatic."
He grinned. "I learned another one in Ancient Greek the other day." He pointed his wand at the lock a second time. "Ánoixe."
It clicked twice, but still didn't open.
Ginny smirked at him. "Time for plan B."
He watched in amazement as she tugged her hair down, pulled out a tiny bobby pin, and inserted it into the lock. She played around with the pin for a moment before it clicked and the lock opened, dust escaping in a large puff.
"You are brilliant, Ginny, do you know that?"
Ginny grinned widely. "Sometimes, it pays having Fred and George as brothers. How else do you think that I snuck into the broom shed?"
He chuckled as they tugged the heavy door open together, using their wands as buffers against the waves of cobwebs covering the door. The moment they stepped inside, torches lit up along the walls. Intricately carved designs in etched gold covered circular archways down a long hall, revealing a tall staircase that wound around the walls of the room.
Ginny sighed in defeat at the sight of yet another staircase, but nonetheless began to trudge up the stairs, with Harry on her heels. They had only been walking for a moment before she snuck a look back at him.
"It's bad form to stare at a girl's bottom for so long, you know?"
He smirked. "Hmm, is it? Even when said girl's bottom is shaped like a perfect upside down heart?"
Ginny blushed as he grabbed her hand and stopped her so that he could kiss her. When she stood two steps ahead of him, they were almost the same height.
She smiled against his mouth. "Come on, we have about a million more stairs to climb."
Harry nodded as he looked up. The stairs definitely seemed to go on for a few more levels, and he wondered how far under the school they'd wandered. He slid his hands down her waist and cupped her behind.
"Keep walking, then, so I can get my eyeful."
She laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we should trade places so that I can look at yours?"
He grinned slowly. "Sure."
Ginny laughed and kissed him once more before she continued her trek up the stairs. They walked up eight more flights before they arrived at another door. This one wasn't locked, but it required both of them to pry the heavy stone open. The sound of rushing water surprised them as they climbed through the door into what looked like a cave. Harry immediately recognized where they were.
"Is that a waterfall?" Ginny asked in amazement, pointing ahead.
Harry nodded. "It is."
He took her hand in his as they walked through the cave. The door slid shut behind them, disappearing into the stone as if it had never been there. He pulled her around the waterfall and out into the hidden swimming pool.
Ginny's eyes widened. "Wow!"
"It's incredible, isn't it? The water is like the ocean, warm and refreshing. It's even salt water."
His eyes travelled over the room. The pool was pitted into the ground as if it had been born out of the castle. He pointed to the ceiling to show Ginny how it was enchanted to look like the night sky, and how the pixie lights surrounded the rock and stone to make the pool shine in a deep coral blue.
"There's even a shower and room to change over there. Bathing suits and towels just appear as needed."
Ginny stared at him. "How come you've never shared this with anyone?"
He shrugged, his eyes meeting her warm brown ones. "Mandy showed it to me last year."
"It's beautiful," Ginny said.
He nodded, his eyes on hers. "We came swimming here once. I think she comes fairly often as she's a swimmer, you know? But I thought that it was pretty brilliant. Is it weird that I came here with her?"
"No. I went to The Three Broomsticks multiple times with Michael and once with Dean. Does that mean that we can't go there?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not!"
She moved closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest to softly knead his shoulders. "Are you thinking about being with Mandy down here instead of me?"
Harry shook his head. If he was honest, this was the first time that he had even thought of his ex girlfriend since his lips had first touched Ginny's. "No, not even a little bit."
She stood on her toes to kiss him. "Maybe one day we'll come back for a swim. It does look lovely and inviting."
Harry smiled at her. "You're kind of incredible, you know that?"
"I know," she said, making him laugh. She grabbed his hand in hers. "Now, is there a shortcut out of this place? We have to meet the others. Maybe they had better luck?"
Harry tugged her towards him, bending his head to kiss her softly. "Come on. Follow me."
~ ASC ~
Ron led the way through the tunnel, taking the right passage with Hermione behind him. He didn't know where he was going, but he figured that the tunnel had to lead somewhere. He slowed his pace so that she was walking next to him and he smiled at her.
"So, can we count this as a patrol?"
Hermione smirked at him, shivering from the cool air of the chamber. "No."
He grinned and tugged his jumper over his head before passing it to her. "Worth a shot. Put this on."
Hermione accepted the warm maroon sweater from him. It was fairly roomy on her and she had to roll up the sleeves a couple of times, but it was warm and soft and smelled like Ron. Earthy. "Thank you."
Ron nodded, his wand lit before him. "Let's go this way."
Hermione followed him closely, her eyes searching the ground as much as the walls. "Ron?"
"Hmm?" he asked, glancing over at her. His uniform shirt was rolled up to the elbows, untucked and partially unbuttoned, showing his undershirt. The light hair on his arms seemed to shimmer in his wand light.
"You've been a pretty great prefect, I just wanted to say. Some of the first years who have come to ask me questions have asked for you specifically. The two wolf boys seem to have taken a liking to you."
He shrugged. "Well, I found some of them drinking. I mean, at eleven? Can you imagine? They're just looking to belong, and its kind of nice having someone to boss around. Ginny stopped letting me do that by the time she was six."
Hermione chuckled. "I'm surprised that she let you boss her around at all."
Ron shrugged again, a smile on his lips. "I actually enjoy being a prefect, to be honest. I never expected it. I thought it would go to Harry for sure."
"I did too, but I think it going to Harry would have been a mistake. He doesn't have what it takes to be a prefect. He has too much on his plate to begin with, and you just seem to understand it. I applaud you for it, Ron."
He smiled at her in surprise. "Well, thanks."
"I just mean, we work well together — as prefects, that is. Don't you think?"
Ron smiled at her. "Yeah, we do. Just like I think that we both understand that the diadem is not down here without searching for it."
"Harry doesn't want to leave anything to chance."
"And I get his reasoning for it," Ron told her. "But it feels like a waste of time to search for something in a place where we know it won't be."
"I agree," she said. "But I also like his reasoning of crossing it off a list. There's a lot of unexplored territory down here, and we may stumble upon another hidden room of some kind."
He nodded as they moved down a wide tunnel with a steep incline. "Or end up under the Black Lake."
Hermione laughed. "I've been under that lake. I'd rather not reach the bottom again."
Ron grinned. "Right, but you don't remember being down there."
"No," she said. "But I'd still rather not go back. That feels like eons ago."
Ron snuck a look at her. "You miss him."
It wasn't a question, but she nodded. "Yes."
"You still writing to Desi?"
Hermione smiled. "I am! She's such a sweet girl. She's always fascinated by my classes and what's going on here. I told her that I have a date for Hogsmeade next weekend and she said that she's happy for me. She says that Viktor would have wanted me to be happy."
"He would have," Ron told her. "He was a stand-up bloke, but I know for a fact that he wouldn't want you to be happy with McLaggen."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh really?"
"Trust me," he said as they turned the corner through a stone passageway. It seemed to get warmer the longer they walked and the smell of lavender and cedar seeped into the air. He sniffed in curiosity. "Smells like my mum's bath."
"It smells lovely," she said, sniffing the air herself. "And for your information, Ron, Cormac is quite pleasant and I agreed to go out with him. He wants to be a professional Quidditch player when he finishes school."
Ron snorted. "You know, for a girl who hates Quidditch, you sure pick blokes interested in it."
She looked over at him. "You don't like him."
"No, he's a bloody prick, but if you like him I'll shut up about him."
"Really?"
He grinned. "No."
She laughed as they moved further into the new passage, her eyes moving across the stone walls and arched doorways of the aqueducts. "We're way past the chamber now, so where is that smell coming from?"
She led the way through the large archway, and they found themselves in a large circular room with what looked like a marble square bath in the centre. Classic Roman columns arched around three sides of the room, the last side seemed to spring out of the underground like a cave opened up. The heat from the water warmed the room as she walked closer.
"Is that a hot spring?" Ron asked in surprise, his eyes on the bath.
Hermione nodded. "I think so. I heard that the Romans built pools and baths like this all over Europe, but I never imagined that Hogwarts had one. And everything I've ever seen… nothing ever as beautiful as this. I always heard that they smelled sulphuric, and this one smells like a relaxing bath."
Ron leaned over the edge to peer down into the water. "I heard witches used to charm the hot springs to make them more relaxing."
Hermione inhaled deeply. "It definitely looks and smells relaxing."
Ron unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it on the side. "Reckon we should try it out?"
Her eyes widened as he stepped out of his shoes and socks and tugged his trousers off, revealing dark green boxer shorts. Ron pulled his undershirt off as well and slipped into the water. His eyes closed immediately.
"Mione, you've got to come in for a dip! This is incredible!"
Hermione bit her lip, shaking her head. "I can't! I don't have anything suitable."
"Come in the water, Mione," he said from below her.
Hermione hesitated only a moment before she tugged his jumper over her head and stripped down to her blue cotton knickers, leaving her white vest on over her bra, before she dipped her toes into the warm water. It felt heavenly on her feet and she slipped into the water with a soft gasp of delight. The scent of cedar wood and lavender seeped into her skin, and she instantly felt relaxed, as if all of the tension was oozing from her body.
"I don't think that this is the kind of searching we're supposed to be doing."
Ron swam across the spring. "We deserve a little break. Besides, this is incredible! I wonder if anyone even knows this is here."
"Maybe the staff does," Hermione told him.
Ron made a face. "I'd rather not imagine Snape swimming here, thank you."
She chuckled and began to swim across the pool-sized spring herself, the hot water soothing her tensions away. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the water. They swam around each other, splashing and laughing until Ron finally hopped over the side.
"Come on. We have to meet everyone soon and we still don't know how to get out of here."
He stood and reached out his hand to pull her out of the pool. Hermione let him tug her to the surface, but she slipped on the stone edge and tumbled towards him. Ron's hands reached out to steady her, gripping her bottom in his attempt to catch her. The feel of his warm, large hands on her arse made her flush. When her eyes met his deep blue ones, her breath hitched.
And then he was kissing her.
Or she was kissing him.
She didn't know which one of them had made the move — and frankly, she didn't care.
His lips were soft against hers, yet surprisingly urgent. This is Ron, rushed through her brain until her brain shut off as lust swept through her instead.
Her fingers clutched his forearms; the soft hairs there, the feel of his warm skin making her burrow closer. His lips moved against hers, deeply and slowly, and when his tongue slipped between her lips, she didn't protest. She slid her hands up his arms, revelling in the lean muscle, over his shoulders and down his naked back. She moved closer, lips meeting his, and imagined pushing him to the ground and grinding herself over him until the aching inside of her stopped.
Ron's fingers clutched her bum, the tip of his thumb brushing under her wet knickers. She jolted back, suddenly realizing what was happening, pushing herself away.
This was Ron.
His eyes widened in surprise before he dropped his hands.
"Sorry, I didn't — I didn't mean to touch your bottom. Um..."
Hermione blushed, gripping his forearms to steady herself. "It's all right." She shifted away from him, the cool air of the room pebbling her nipples through her wet top and bra. Ron's eyes dropped to her breasts. Her breath hitched and she made to cover herself with her arm, suddenly feeling very exposed.
Ron caught himself and backed away. "Er, that was..."
"A fluke," she said sternly, her cheeks heating in embarrassment. "We went for a swim and it escalated into something that it shouldn't have. It won't happen again."
Ron looked like he wanted to protest, but he swallowed slowly and nodded. "Right, a fluke. Won't happen again, of course. Let's dry off, yeah?"
He picked up his wand, using a drying charm on himself before doing the same to her, and they quickly put their clothes back on. He handed Hermione his jumper again and she pulled it over her head, the warmth of the jumper and the drying charm making her feel safe. She dragged her fingers through her hair, attempting to tame it, before she tugged it back into a messy bun at the top of her head. When she turned, wand in her hand, she could feel Ron staring at her, but she refused to meet his gaze. She slid her shoes back on.
"Come on; let's go find the others."
And Hermione headed towards the stairs at the opposite end of the pool refusing to look back at him and ignoring the desire that stirred in her gut.
That had definitely been unexpected, she thought.
~ ASC ~
Neville kept his eyes on Luna as she skipped ahead of him down the tunnel. She kept alternating between herself and the hare, making him smile as she sniffed around in curiosity. They walked for almost ten minutes in silence before Luna changed back to herself and pointed to the wall.
"I think that there's a secret passage here."
Neville raised an eyebrow as he got closer. "Why do you think?"
She tugged on the candelabra and the stone slid away. "Because Sirius Black once said that it's a classic for a reason. No where else in this passageway is there a candelabra on the wall."
He grinned, using his wand to rid the entrance of cobwebs. "Shall we?"
Luna nodded, leading the way through the passageway with Neville on her heels. "Ooh, look at the insect activity! You know, that means there might be a Moke living down here!"
"Luna, sometimes I forget how much I miss you," Neville said sincerely.
She beamed at him. "I'm glad that Harry asked us to help. It's not here. It would be too obvious of a place to hide it. We should check all of the statues instead."
Neville's eyebrow rose. "Why?"
"Well, hiding it in plain sight would be genius, would it not? It's a tiara — and with the right charms it could blend right in."
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, sometimes your mad ideas aren't so mad."
Luna smiled. "All the best people all."
He shook his head and they continued to trek through the passageway until it widened into a larger aqueduct. They bypassed the archways, past the water levels, and followed a winding staircase up two levels to a heavy stone door. The door disappeared into the wall when they stepped through it, making it look like it had never been, and leaving them in a dark, musty-smelling room. Neville lit his wand as Luna wrinkled her nose at the dust. The room looked like a storage facility. There were shelves upon shelves of boxes full of old parchment and the like. Luna stuck her head in the first box.
"It looks like old class rosters! Ooh, this one says Gryffindor House, Class of 1743!"
Neville knelt beside her to rifle through the boxes. "This one is Hufflepuff, 1682. They must just store them down here."
They pushed the boxes back into place and looked down the long aisles of shelves.
"This way," Neville said, leading the way.
They passed rows upon rows of shelves before they spotted a door up ahead leading to a narrow staircase. They climbed up and quickly emerged at the dungeons.
Luna grinned. "Well, that was rather a lovely walk, wasn't it?"
Neville snorted. "Peachy. Well, I guess we didn't find anything."
Luna shrugged. "Better luck next time."
"Let's go meet the others. I think your statue idea has real merit, Luna."
Luna skipped along next to him, filling him in on why she thought the statues were a good idea as he listened attentively. Being around Luna meant that there was never a dull moment, he thought with a grin.
~ ASC ~
Harry sat in the heavy wooden chair behind Slytherin's desk with Ginny in his lap, his lips hungrily meeting hers. They'd only been snogging for a few moments when Ron's voice broke through his concentration.
"Oi! No one wants to see that!"
Ginny merely kissed Harry's neck before she turned to glare at her brother. "Don't look then."
Harry stood up, lifting Ginny with him. "We didn't know how long everyone else would be."
Ron only glared at them. "Right."
Ginny took Harry's hand and led him past her brother and into the throne room where Hermione was talking to Neville and Luna. "Any luck?"
Neville shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Nothing. But Luna and I ended up in the dungeons in an old storage room where it looks like class rosters of all of the witches and wizards who had ever stepped foot into Hogwarts."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Really? That's fascinating!"
Luna nodded. "We only looked into a few boxes. The door is at the end where the dungeons wind around before they lead outside onto the grounds."
"Harry and I ended up back in the main castle as well," Ginny said. "There's a saltwater swimming pool by Hufflepuff House and the kitchens with a waterfall and everything. It's pretty amazing."
"Mandy actually showed it to me last year. She heard that it was built by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Harry told them. "The entrance is behind a portrait near the kitchens."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "A swimming pool is pretty awesome. Hermione and I found a large Roman bath, big enough to swim in. It led us through a secret passage behind the portrait across from the staff room. We wondered if that meant the staff may know about the bath. It's a hot spring the size of a swimming pool after all."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Guess we just have to add our findings to the Marauder's Map now."
Hermione nodded and opened her satchel to pull out her parchment pad. "I'll start a list here and we'll cross off our search areas."
"That would be great, Hermione. I think that we all knew it wasn't down here, but I'm still glad that we came down. It sounds like we all discovered some new places, which is definitely a plus."
"Luna had a brilliant idea about where to search next," Neville said, nodding at her.
"The statues!"
Ginny stared at her for a moment before her eyes widened. "Of course! The diadem could blend right in and no one would notice!"
Luna nodded. "There are hundreds of them all over the school and hidden in plain sight. If the right charms were used, it could sit on the top of one of them for decades and no one would be any wiser."
Harry grinned as he thought about what she was saying. There were statues everywhere. Some wearing hats or helmets, some with crowns… it was possible. "Luna, that's brilliant."
Luna smiled sweetly at them. "All we'd have to do is use a revealing charm on the statues to make sure that all of their parts are marble and stone. Anything that isn't would show itself."
Hermione added statues to her list and nodded. "That sounds like another great place to start."
Harry reached for his own bag and parchment pad. "It's only nine. Are you interested in adding our new finds to the map tonight?"
"I am," Ginny said, kissing him softly.
Harry smiled at her. "I added the pool already last year after Mandy had showed it to me, but the tunnels leading from the chamber up to it still need to be included."
"How do we go about it?" Hermione asked.
"Measuring Charm," Harry explained. "We need to make sure that we know every angle and every section we're mapping out — tunnels and rooms and stairs so that the map can be entirely accurate. We will also need a basic sketch of the area along with the measurement for accuracy. Ginny and Luna helped me last time."
Neville nodded. "Well, why don't we split up again between those that know?"
Ginny smiled. "Sounds good to me. Up for a new partner, Neville?"
"Sounds great, Ginny."
"I'll go with Harry," Hermione said. "And Luna can go with Ron."
Ron nodded. "Same destinations then? I'll take the bath, Harry and Hermione the pool, and Neville and Ginny the dungeons?"
They all agreed, this time planning to meet back at the entrance near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
The six of them headed off in their new directions and Harry guided Hermione through taking proper measurements as they moved into the tunnels. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes as Harry did his best to sketch the frame of the tunnel. He was thankful that the charm would make his drawing accurate, as his artistic skill wasn't the greatest.
He glanced over at his friend. Her silence didn't bother him. He had always liked that he and Hermione could sit quietly without the need for endless chatter, but she looked rather lost in thought.
"Are you okay, Hermione? You look more pensive than usual."
Hermione looked up at him. "Fine, just thinking."
He stared at her for a minute. "Okay, if you need to think aloud, I'm listening."
She smiled at him but stayed quiet until they slipped through the stone door that Ginny had broken into. "I'm going out with Cormac on Saturday."
"McLaggen?" Harry asked, his face disgusted. "Why?"
"Because he asked me."
"And you said yes?" he asked in disbelief.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Saying no seemed rude when he's been very nice to me."
"He looks at girls like they are pieces of meat."
"It's only one date, Harry."
Harry frowned. "One date with a real ponce. You could do better."
She smiled at him. "Not everyone is going to be like Viktor, Harry. I know that. Talking with Cormac was nice after the Quidditch match and he's sought me out a few times since then to ask my thoughts on things. He's charming."
Harry stared at her for a long moment. "I'm sure that you'll have a good time then."
Hermione nodded and went back to her measuring, but Harry couldn't help but think that something else was going on in that mind of hers. He didn't know what, but he'd bet his broomstick that her thoughts were not on Cormac McLaggen.
~ ASC ~
By the time that Hermione made it back to her dorm room that night, her mind was in overdrive. She desperately wanted to tell someone about the kiss, but also didn't want anyone to know. It had been Ron. She had never pictured Ron in that way, not really. He was Ron, her friend, her confidant. Ron, Harry, and Neville were friends and nothing more, and to think of Ron in a sexual way felt wrong.
But then she closed her eyes and she remembered exactly how good his lips had felt against hers; desire fluttered through her.
She grabbed her things and climbed into the shower to wash the dust and grime from the Chamber explorations off; letting the hot spray hit her as she remembered what it felt like when Ron's hands had touched her arse… the feel of him pressed against her, his lean muscles and strong arms… and when her own finger stroked her clit, she jumped in surprise.
She was hot, she realized… hot and a little randy. She let her fingers explore in hesitation, unsure of what she wanted, and feeling frustrated when it didn't seem to help. She leaned back against the wall of the shower, pushing her hips out, and the shower head sprayed her in a way that made her gasp in surprised pleasure. Hermione bit her lip in embarrassment before she reached up and pulled the removable shower head down, angling it towards her and letting the water pressure do delicious things to her body. It wasn't long before her hips were arching as she imagined Ron standing across from her, watching her pleasure herself with his lips swollen from kissing her. She came hard, crying out in pleasure, his name bursting from her lips.
Hermione slowly caught her breath, coming down from her high as she hooked the shower head back up, her legs trembling as she sank to the floor. She had never imagined that her body could do something like that. She'd explored a little after a particularly good snogging session with Viktor, but thoughts of Viktor had never… she closed her eyes, her heart pounding as she realized what she had just done.
A fluke, she had told him. It had been a fluke and he had agreed. He hadn't meant to kiss her like that.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked them back. It had been a fluke, she told herself. Just like this. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She climbed to her feet, shut off the shower, and dried off, rubbing the lotion that Ginny had given her for her birthday into her skin.
She wasn't attracted to Ron, she told herself. She wasn't.
But when she crawled into bed, her body still trembling from her first orgasm, she wasn't entirely sure if she believed her own thoughts.
~ ASC ~
Dear Theo,
Ciara says that you are going home for Christmas and are looking forward to a quiet holiday. That sounds lovely. I hope you find time to spend with your loved ones as well. Do you have a large family?
Life here for the holiday is always fun. We decorate the court and sing and dance and drink until the morning. I like to play the flute myself and am quite good. My family is looking forward to having Ciara home for the holidays. I miss my favourite niece and can't wait to hear all about her stories in person.
I find myself enjoying writing to you. It's nice to have a found a friend outside of my world. Perhaps you can help me better understand how your world works and I can do the same with mine, if you are so inclined?
I must finish this letter off now as I must get back to my command post, but please write back when you can.
Your Friend,
Finn
Theo smiled as he tucked the letter away in his pocket. The correspondence between him and the prince was almost every other day now, and he enjoyed writing to him as well. It was a constant thing that made him curious about the man who loved his niece so much. He waited until he went up to his dorm to respond, sitting up in his bed, his parchment pad on his knees.
Finn,
It is lovely to have a friend to write to like this as well. You are kind and I feel like you've taken me under your wing the way that you have your niece. I'll have to start calling you Uncle Finn soon, too.
No, in all honesty, I find this refreshing. You are a stranger, but someone I feel like I can confide in. You told me before that if there was anything you could do for me, to only ask. I was wondering if I could ask some advice?
I have this friend, he's in a bad way at the moment. He's being blackmailed into performing sexual favours, and he thinks that he knows what he's doing. He thinks that he knows how to put an end to it, but in the meantime, he's being hurt. I want to help him. I want to tell someone that this is happening to him, but I am worried for him. It's important that he keep his secret, and if I tell someone about the blackmail, word might get out and ruin everything he's trying to accomplish for himself. What do you think I should tell him? How can I help him?
Thank you.
Your Friend,
Theo
He stared at the letter for a long moment before he made his way into the bath to shower, his thoughts still on the letter he had just written. It was the first time that he had consciously admitted it. He was being blackmailed. He was allowing Ernie to treat him like a piece of garbage all for the sake of his pride, his reputation, and most of all, securing his inheritance.
But it had been four months now.
He felt afraid all the time. A cute seventh year boy had flirted with him, and he'd been too afraid to flirt back. It was getting worse and worse. It wasn't even about the forced oral anymore. He'd become used to that; accepted it, even. But the violence that came with it was too much.
Ernie liked it when he bled: His lip, his nose, his face, his ribs...
Theo was a walking bruise, and he didn't know how to put an end to it. He'd glamoured the bruises away so often now that it became second nature, but when he stood in the shower and looked at the multicoloured wounds on his body, shame washed over him.
He'd become Ernie's whore, and he hated himself.
Macmillan had found him again last night for the first time since Theo'd left the hospital a few weeks ago. He'd been leaving the library after returning a book and had gone off alone, not thinking. The prefect had pinned him against the door of the broom closet, squeezing his throat so tightly he'd thought that he was going to die. When he'd shoved Theo to his knees, he'd slapped him across the face, hard enough to make his lip bleed — and he'd smashed Theo's head into the shelf on the side, clipping his ear. By the time Ernie'd unzipped his pants, he'd been hard; Theo had known the prefect had gotten off on hurting him.
Theo stood at the basin of the sink with the razor in his hand, staring at his neck. Sometimes he wondered if it would be easier if he just killed himself. He'd no longer have to deal with the blackmail, with his father, or with the upcoming war — and sure, his friends would miss him, he knew that.
But they'd get over it.
But the longer he stared, the more he knew that he could never go through with it. He didn't want to die.
He put a glamour charm on himself to hide his injuries and the dark circles under his eyes, something that had become second nature to him as of late. He pulled on his clothes before he let himself look in the mirror again to check his reflection, to make sure no one would be able to see the damage Ernie had done to him. He put on a wide smile, trying to make himself look normal; It hurt his face as his torn lip cracked open. Before he could hold it back, a loud sob escaped him.
Theo gripped the counter desperately, loud sobs wracking his body in between heavy breathing, and he slowly crumpled to the bathroom floor.
Warm arms wrapped around him and he turned into them, sobbing uncontrollably. A firm hand ran up and down his back as he was held tightly and when he finally felt like he had no tears left in him, he cuddled closer into the soft neck and then slowly pulled away. His eyes met the silver-blue ones of his best mate.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Draco only stared at him. "Tell me what's wrong, Theo."
Theo swallowed, wiping his eyes and nose on the sleeve of his jumper.
"Theo," Draco repeated when he didn't answer. "Please. How am I supposed to defend you against the unknown? Weaslette thinks it's Crabbe and Goyle… is it? Are they hurting you? Are they threatening you over something for your father? Does it have to do with the Dark Lord?"
Theo shook his head. "No, Crabbe and Goyle haven't done anything. No one is hurting me, Draco. I just… I'm scared about the Dark Lord and about my father too. It's a lot to deal with."
Draco only stared at him cooly. He reached over and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "I found you lying in a pool of your own blood, Theo. When are you going to stop lying to me? If not me… please, talk to someone. I'm worried about you."
He knew that Draco was beyond worried if he had admitted that. He forced a smile onto his face to reassure his friend. "I'm fine. You've been great and I know that I can depend on you. I do, I know that. I just… there are some things that I'm dealing with over the majority issue, and taking on Norfolk and the estate. It's a lot and… I wish your dad was around to give me advice."
"Shit," Draco said quietly, slipping his arm over his friend's shoulders as he shuffled closer to him on the bathroom floor. "I'm sorry. I forgot that my dad being on the run meant you lost him too."
He nodded, wiping away the rest of his tears. "It's a lot… being Marquess and taking on Norfolk and the estate and the properties and all that comes with it. I just… I wish I had someone to help me sort through it; to help me with this lawyer. If Smith comes through, I'll have it before my seventeenth birthday and as great as that is… it's a lot of responsibility, Draco, and I don't know what I'm doing!"
"You will and you do. It just seems daunting. Take it one step at a time and you know Blaise and I are here to help you with whatever we can," Draco said.
"I know. I know that, like I said, it's just been a lot." He climbed to his feet, rubbing his hands through his messy dark brown hair. "Thanks for… you know for …"
Draco climbed to his feet as well and nodded. "Yeah, of course." He watched Theo gather up his shower stuff before he called his name, making Theo stop at the door. "Whenever you're ready, Theo, I'm here to listen. Whoever or whatever it is that you're not sharing with anyone… I'll be here to listen."
Theo let out a slow breath and let himself out of the bathroom, his heart pounding in his chest. He had never doubted Draco wouldn't be there, and it was part of the reason why lying to him was so bloody hard.
~ ASC ~
Ginny yawned hugely from her seat at the table in the library the next evening. It wasn't her usual place to work, but Colin needed to do research for his Herbology assignment and Harry was in Astronomy class. They had gotten back late from searching the Chamber of Secrets, and she wished that she'd snuck up to her dorm to have a nap. She smiled when Theo slid into the chair next to her.
"Hi, I've missed you."
He only raised one eyebrow. "Did you? I figured that you were too busy snogging to notice that I wasn't around."
She rolled her eyes. "No, but that's been lovely."
Theo grinned widely. "Tell me how he kisses."
"Better than I imagined," she said honestly.
"Oooh, now I want all of the details."
Ginny grinned, blushing a little as she whispered. "His hands are always in my hair or cupping my face, sliding over my back and shoulders, on my waist, around my abdomen. When he kisses me, it's like he has all the time in the world… and he just can take his time with these soft, slow, delicious kisses that can turn hot in an instant."
"Damn! Bloody hell woman, now you've got me wanting to snog Harry. How's his arse? Still delectable?"
"Yes," she admitted. "I might have pinched it once or twice."
"That's my girl," Theo said with a grin.
"Theo," she said quietly. "The other day, when we were snogging, he was very… hard, and when I, you know, looked down… he was…" She carefully pointed to her mid thigh.
Theo licked his lips. "I knew he was hung!"
Ginny blushed. "I… I traced the outline of it. It was… I liked it."
Theo gave her a suggestive look. "And when the time comes, you'll like it much better, naked-wise."
"I'm not ready for something like that," she told him. "Not yet."
"I know, chick. I'm always here when you need advice."
"And I'm always here when you need someone to talk to," she said, her chocolate brown eyes staring right at him. "I hate that you're lying to me."
Theo let out a slow breath. "I met with an advocatus in Hogsmeade and I'm working on getting character references. McGonagall and Snape have both provided me with one, and so did Draco's mother. Once he has those, he can file and hopefully soon I will have gained control over the Nott Estate, wealth, and holdings. That will make all the difference."
"Will it stop you from lying?"
"I'm omitting, there's a difference."
"Theo —"
"— I'm okay, chick, I promise. And once these references go to my lawyer, I'll be even better."
"Who's your lawyer again?" Ginny asked him.
"Franklin M. Smith from Smith and Davis. He's a nice bloke and I trust him," Theo told her.
"Good," she said as Colin returned to the table with a stack of books. "Find everything Colin?"
Colin made a face of disgust. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing research?"
"If you'd just done the assignment last week with me, you wouldn't have so much to do. I told you that you could use my notes," Ginny told him.
He sighed. "And I appreciate that sentiment, but if I'm going to write a paper with a deserving grade, I have to do the work myself, including the research. Thanks Ginny. Hey, Theo, how's it going?"
"Good," he said with a smile.
He and Colin talked for a moment, teasing Ginny about her quality Harry snogging time.
"Hey, I happen to very much enjoy my quality Harry snogging time!"
"As you should," Theo said with a grin. "Colin and I are just jealous of your time with Harry instead of us."
Colin grinned. "Only a little."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to neglect you! I don't want to be one of those girls who suddenly can't be away from her boyfriend for ten minutes."
"But you don't want to be away from Harry for ten minutes," Colin teased. "It's okay. You guys are made for each other. You are Harry and Ginny, it just makes sense."
"Harry and Ginny?" she asked with a grin. "I don't even know what that means."
"Hinny!" Theo exclaimed, with a smile. "I'm coining it! It's mine!"
Ginny bubbled up in laughter. "Hinny?"
"It's your couple name," Theo said. "From now on, I shall call you Hinny. Accept it. Trust me, it's the better option; unless you want me to call you Garry?"
Colin giggled, covering his mouth with his hand so that Madam Pince didn't hear him. "Can we please call them Garry?"
"No!" Ginny hissed, rolling her eyes at them. "Hinny is much better."
Theo beamed at her. "Hinny it is."
~ ASC ~
When Ginny said goodnight to Theo, she and Colin headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Dennis came over to talk to Colin, so Ginny found a seat in front of the fire. She opened her bag to pull out some fresh parchment, thinking about Theo's words. She wrote home, outlining her conversation with her friend and her worries about him before detailing the same to Bill. She had just finished when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville came in.
"I just didn't see it! I mean, how am I supposed to sketch the star when I couldn't even find it?" Neville asked, sighing in annoyance. "I hate Astronomy."
Hermione smiled sympathetically. "I'll give you my notes."
"Thanks," he said gratefully, smiling at Ginny. "Hey, Ginny, how's it going?"
"Good," she replied, smiling when Harry moved into the armchair with her and lifted her so that she was sitting on his thigh. "This is my seat!"
Harry kissed her cheek. "Now it's for both of us."
She grinned and kissed him softly. "Theo has decided that he's now going to refer to us as Hinny from now on."
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"
"He says that it's our couple name."
Hermione chuckled, sitting in the chair next to them. "That's cute. It suits the two of you."
"Well, I flat out refused to let him call us Garry."
Harry blanched at that and she laughed.
"So we're Hinny now, Harry and Ginny."
Harry cupped her face with his right hand. "As long as I get to be with you, I'll go by whatever you say."
Ginny's eyes softened as she leaned in to kiss him. "You're the sweetest."
"Letters home?" he asked, nodding to the envelopes in her lap.
She nodded. "And one to Bill. I'll send them out in the morning."
"Sounds good. Hogsmeade tomorrow."
Ginny smiled at him. "I remember. I believe that you said something about taking me out on a proper date."
"I did," he said with a grin, kissing the tip of her nose. "Maybe we can meet up with everyone at The Three Broomsticks in the afternoon?"
"Sounds good to me," Ron cut in. "How about you meet us around two?"
"We'll be there," Ginny told him. "Hermione?"
"I'm meeting Cormac there for twelve, so that shouldn't be a problem."
Ron grimaced. "I can't believe that you're going out with that idiot."
Hermione glared at him. "Who I decide to go out with is no one's business but my own. I already know your thoughts and yours, Harry — I don't need more!"
Harry put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I told you my thoughts and I said that I wouldn't bring it up again."
Ginny smiled at her friend. "You said that he was nice and I think going on a date with him is a good idea. You need to put yourself back out there, Hermione, and even if the date turns out to be a bust, at least you went."
Ron glowered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Why waste your time when you can just come and have fun with Neville and me?"
"Ron, I know that it's hard sometimes, but don't be a prat."
Harry smirked at his girlfriend's comment as his best mate turned a lovely shade of red.
"Whatever, Ginny! If Hermione wants to waste her time on that prat, that's her problem!"
Hermione chose not to answer that and stood up. "I plan to have a lovely time. Now I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
She took off towards the girls dormitories and Neville sighed. "Way to go, Ron."
"What did I do?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "You were a prat and you know it."
Neville stood up. "Ron and I will be nearby anyway in case she needs us. Not that she'd admit it. I don't much like Cormac either."
Ginny shook her head at them. "Hermione is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. You lot act like she's going to be attacked."
"No," Neville said carefully. "Not her, him."
That made Ginny grin as Neville said goodnight, and Ron followed him a few minutes later. She made herself more comfortable in the chair — and sat more prominently on her boyfriend's lap, stretching her legs out over the side of the chair.
"So, what time are we going on this proper date then?"
Harry smiled, his arms wrapping around her waist. "I was thinking that we could head into the village around ten and maybe do some shopping before we head to the restaurant for twelve. If you can hold out that long, that is?"
Ginny leaned in, her teeth gently nipping at his earlobe. "I'll just nibble on you if I feel peckish."
An image of Ginny nibbling on something that was most definitely not his earlobe flashed through his mind and the back of his neck flushed. "Absolutely."
"Will you tell me where it is yet?"
He shook his head, grinning at her. "Nope. It's a surprise. Uncle Sirius told me about it, and I've never been there myself. Uncle Sirius said that he met Uncle Remus there for lunch back in September. He claims that the food is excellent."
Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can't wait."
And when her lips touched his, Harry thought that he couldn't wait either.
~ ASC ~
Ron and Neville headed into Hogsmeade with Dean and Seamus, chatting and laughing about nothing in particular as they browsed Zonko's Joke Shop. He tried not to, but he found his eyes moving around the village as he looked for a sign of Hermione and McLaggen.
He knew that it was none of his business. She had every right to date whomever she liked, but he couldn't stop himself from remembering how good she had felt plastered against him, all wet and soft… the way her round arse had felt under his hands, against his fingers. He scowled.
It was a fluke.
He stared absently at the shelf of joke products. But he didn't want it to be a fluke. Kissing Hermione had been everything that he had ever imagined it would be. She had been vibrant and demanding and yet she had melted under his touch. He'd never wanted anyone more. Whenever he looked at her, fingers covered in ink spots, untucked dress shirt over her skirt, those wild bushy brown curls that tumbled to her waist, his cock responded. Just that morning he'd wanked to the memory of her pressed against him, imagined what she would have done if he'd let his fingers glide under those knickers.
Fuck, he thought. Now he was hard again. He discreetly covered his crotch with his cloak and tried to think about something else. He knew that he fancied her. He had since at least third year, right around the time that he had started to notice she had breasts. Really pretty, round, bouncing breasts that she had tried to hide. He'd told himself that it was just a passing fancy as they were friends and when she started to date Viktor, he knew that he would never have a chance with her.
Hermione Granger was intelligent and charming and she knew what she wanted. Not that he would admit it — but the fact that she was a bossy little swot was part of her appeal. He'd fantasized more than he wanted to admit about taking control over her, tying her hands and just doing what he wanted as she moaned beneath him, begging him for more.
But they had been just that: Fantasies.
Until she had kissed him.
Ron hadn't told anyone as he'd known that she wouldn't want him to. She'd been embarrassed by it, and clearly uninterested in more. That goaded him as he caught a glimpse of McLaggen walking by the joke shop with some friends. What the hell did Cormac McLaggen have that he didn't? Money was the first thought that rushed through his mind, and his face flushed. He knew that Hermione wasn't that kind of girl, but Viktor Krum had been an internationally famous Quidditch star and McLaggen's family was well off. The Hogwarts Herald had been named him one of Britain's top ten young up-and-coming bachelors at the beginning of the school year. What could Ron possibly have to offer her?
A fluke, she had told him. It had been a fluke and it wasn't going to happen again.
He heard someone say his name and he turned back to his friends, pushing thoughts of Hermione from his mind.
"Ron, we were just saying that we're looking forward to going home for Christmas. You have any big plans?" Neville asked as they made their way towards The Three Broomsticks.
Ron shook his head. "Nah, just Christmas stuff. Charlie's actually coming home this year so Mum is pretty excited. You?"
"Nothing crazy, no. Gran and I will do our usual. Seamus is telling his dad this Christmas though, right?"
Seamus nodded, swallowing. "I am. Dean's going to come stay the first part of the holiday with me."
Dean smiled at his friend. "He needs me there with him just as much as I need a place to stay. My mum went on holiday with some girlfriends and won't be back until Christmas Eve so, I'm going to hang with the Finnigans until she gets home."
Ron nodded, shoving his cold hands into his pockets. "Are you nervous?"
Seamus shrugged, looking over at his friends. "Not as much as I was. It's time. I'm sixteen and I want them to know. I'm glad that Dean is going to be there, though. At least no matter what happens I'll have someone supportive on my side."
Dean draped an arm around Seamus' shoulders. "You'll also have your mum, don't forget that."
Seamus smiled gratefully, squeezing his arm before he moved away from his grip. "Yeah. Will leaves on the twenty-eighth as well. He promised to write me, but I don't know if he will right away. We ended things rather amicably, but, you know…"
Ron nodded. "We're here if you need us, Seamus. And I know that if something goes wrong, which I don't think it will, you and Dean can always come to the Burrow. Mum loves company."
Seamus grinned at his friends. "You blokes really are the best, you know that, right?"
Neville laughed as they opened the door to the pub. "You know it, now come on; let's head inside and warm up with some Butterbeer. I can't feel my nose."
Ron snorted as they headed inside and he felt a little better — especially when he didn't see Hermione and her date anywhere. He took a seat at the table, eyes moving around the pub to see if someone else caught his eye, but even as he looked, he knew that he had no real interest.
He just wanted to go home for Christmas and think about something else. This time next week he would be home, and he'd force himself to think about anything except for the fluke.
Anything.
~ ASC ~
Harry met Ginny in the Gryffindor common room. He couldn't help but smile when he caught the sight of her in warm chocolate brown tights and an oversized bright blue Weasley jumper with a white letter W on the front.
"Weasley or William?"
Ginny's eyes twinkled at him. "Bill won't even know it's missing. I took it last year."
"You are a little klepto," he said, bending his head to kiss her softly.
Ginny smiled. "So, where are you taking me first on this proper date of ours?"
He lifted the bouquet of flowers from the table that he'd placed them on. "First of all, these are for you."
Her eyes widened in surprised delight as she accepted the beautiful bouquet of mixed tulips and orchids before burying her nose in the blooms. "Where did you even get these?"
Harry smiled. "Professor Sprout. Greenhouse eleven is full of flowers, and Neville helped me sneak in to pick them for you this morning."
Ginny's eyes were laughing. "Stolen flowers? Who's the klepto now, Mr Potter?" She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Thank you. They're beautiful and unexpected, which makes them even better."
"You're welcome," he said.
"I'm going to put them up by my bed. I'll be right back."
He nodded as he watched her hurry back up the stairs to her dorm. She came back five minutes later and took his hand in hers. Together they headed out of the portrait hole and down to where Filch was waiting to begrudgingly sign them out.
Once they made it to the bridge leading to Hogsmeade, Ginny grinned up at him. "Are you getting excited to go to Moscow?"
He nodded, his eyes on her. "Yeah, I am. I want to see Papa and Grandmama again and well, I only met Zee's Russian family once, but they were really nice. We're going to be staying with Zee's parents in Moscow and then going to Baba and Deda's for dinner in St Petersburg."
"How long are you going to be gone again?"
"Four days," he told her. "We're not going until the day after Christmas."
"I can't believe it's going to be Christmas so soon already. Charlie's coming home!"
"That's great!"
Ginny beamed as she thought of her older brother. "It is. He's only been back in England in passing over the last year — for Tonks and for the wedding, and last year, he didn't even make it home for Christmas because of the tournament. He had too much work to do with the dragons."
"It will be nice to have him home."
"I think so," she said, sneaking a look over at him. "Bill's dating Fleur Delacour."
Harry's eyes widened. "Really? Well, I guess that they have been working together a lot."
She nodded. "I suspected he liked her over the summer, but he said that they were just colleagues."
"When did that change?"
"Bill told me that they started dating in September. He likes her. She's going back to France for Christmas, and he's a little sad. But I think that it will be nice to have the whole family home for Christmas for once."
Harry slipped his arm around her waist as they walked. "I agree. I wish Grandma and Grandpa were going to be in Moscow with us. I haven't seen them in ages. They wrote back the other day and Grandma says that it's about time I kissed you. Apparently I spoke about you so much in my letters that she was starting to wonder if I had even realized that I fancied you."
"Pining away for me, were you?" she teased.
Harry stopped walking to turn her in his arms, his lips touching hers for a soft, sweet kiss that left them both wanting more. "I was waiting, not pining."
"I was pining a little bit too."
The back of Harry's neck flushed a little. "Ginny, you make me really happy, you know that, right?"
Ginny squeezed his hand, her eyes on his. "You make me really happy, too."
They grinned foolishly at each other as Harry led her off the main stretch of road and down an alley. She moved closer to him as they stepped out of the alley into a neighbourhood and moved up the street and over one more block until she saw the small house up ahead — a green, red, and white canopy over the front with the words: Mangia Italiano.
Harry led her up the front porch and through the door. The home had been turned into what looked like a warm family kitchen. Round wooden booths with thick red cushions surrounded the walls full of moving photos. Intimate tables sat in the middle of the room with more booths on the nicked hardwood and warm pine walls. Soft jazz music played over the wireless and the place smelt like tomatoes, herbs, and garlic. Ginny's stomach immediately grumbled.
A middle aged woman hurried over to them with two menus. "For two? Right this way."
She led them to one of the intimate round booths along the wall and they sat next to each other, grinning, as she dropped the menu on the table.
"I'll bring over some water for now until you decide what you'd like. My name is Maria if you need anything."
As soon as the waitress left, Ginny turned to Harry and kissed his cheek. "This place is wonderful! Thank you!"
He grinned. "You're welcome."
He moved his eyes around the room and jolted in surprise when he saw the moving photo hanging up behind Ginny.
"Ginny, look," he said pointing to it.
Ginny turned. The photo hanging there was of two young lovers. The woman was laughing as she pushed the young man away from her as he nibbled lightly at her neck, a big grin on his face and a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of them.
"Are those your parents?"
Harry nodded in amazement, the way his mum laughed, her eyes twinkling in delight and his father's quick grin… he could see the love they shared. "Uncle Sirius told me that they came here a lot, but that's kind of brilliant."
The waitress returned with the two glasses of water and saw where their eyes were looking. "James and Lily. They came here once a week after they started dating. They were always so playful, and we could hear them laughing from the kitchens. We loved having them. That photo was taken on their one year anniversary. He proposed not long after and well, I think that you know what happened a few years later," she finished sadly before her eyes widened at the sight of Harry's scar. "Blimey! Are you — those are your parents?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, they are."
The waitress beamed. "Well, on behalf of this restaurant, welcome! Let us whip you up an appetizer on the house. It's lovely to see the young man of a couple I was able to witness falling in love. Thank you for coming, Mr Potter."
Harry smiled back. "Thanks for having us."
When she left, Ginny turned to him. "She witnessed them falling in love? That's really sweet!"
"They came here once a week? That's kind of brilliant too, like it was their place."
Ginny smiled when he linked his fingers with hers, bringing their joined hands to his lips. "We have our tower room, but maybe we can have this place too."
Harry's smile was slow and it sent bolts of heat down her middle. "I like that idea."
The waitress was smiling at them when she returned, interrupting their kiss. "Sorry to interrupt. Here's an antipasto and a house salad. Have you decided what you'd like to have yet?"
Ginny smiled brightly at her. "The spaghetti and meatballs in that photo looks pretty great. I'll have that."
"I'll have the same," Harry said, his eyes not leaving Ginny's.
The waitress smiled warmly. "Absolutely. Enjoy."
"Why are you staring at me?" Ginny asked, fiddling in her seat.
"Because you're beautiful," he said simply, and she blushed.
"You need your eyes checked," she told him, slipping his glasses off and placing them on the table. She leaned in and kissed him softly, nibbling on his bottom lip as his breath hitched. "Can you see me when I'm this close to you?"
"I can see you with my eyes closed," he murmured, kissing her jaw. "But yes, I can see you this close. I can see close up, just not any further than a few inches."
Ginny kissed him again, lingering on his mouth long enough to make him groan before she turned to the cheese and prosciutto plate. "Shall we eat?"
Harry put his glasses back on and bent his head to kiss the side of her neck. "Let's eat."
~ ASC ~
Hermione spent almost two hours in the bookstore at the end of the street before she made her way to The Three Broomsticks to meet Cormac. He was already there, chatting with some friends, but when he saw her he shooed his friends away and ushered her to sit with him in the back corner booth.
"Hi, Hermione!"
"Hi, Cormac," she said, taking a seat in the booth next to him.
"I'm glad that we're doing this," he told her with a grin.
She smiled at him. "Me too."
She ordered tea instead of butterbeer and kept her attention on him as he told her about his family and his plans of becoming a professional Quidditch player (for the third time). She nodded absently and found that while he was mildly interesting, she found him a bit full of himself. When he moved closer to her in the booth, she only raised an eyebrow as he draped his arm over her shoulders.
He slowly licked his lips as he stared down at her. "Can we stop pretending now?"
"Pretending?" Hermione repeated, looking over at him. "What are we pretending?"
Cormac's fingers began to gently slide up and down her arm. "Why don't you start giving me that kiss you've been longing to give me since you first walked in?"
Hermione scoffed at him. "That I've been longing to give you?"
He smirked and leaned in closer to her. "We both know that you want this."
She let him move in. She had no desire to move away, but no desire to move closer either. His lips touched hers softly for a moment, and then became harder. She gasped against his mouth. He was forcing his tongue into her mouth in an unflattering way, and she shoved him away from her.
"No, thank you!"
Cormac grinned. "Now, come on, pet. Don't play hard to get."
He moved in again and Hermione shoved him back. "Try that again and I'll have you at wandpoint."
He snorted, but shifted away from her. "Fucking tease."
Hermione scowled at him and jumped to her feet, grabbing her bag. "Goodbye, Cormac."
She stormed out of the pub, more annoyed at herself than at him. She had known he was a ponce and she had known how full of himself he was, but her guilty conscience had talked her into giving him a chance. She wiped at her chin in annoyance and felt like it was covered in his drool. She used a cleansing charm on her face and felt slightly better. The kiss had been awful, and for someone who seemed to get around like he did, she'd expected it to be better. In fact, if she was honest, she had expected him to wow her the way that Ron had.
She would never have guessed in a million years that Ron Weasley could kiss a girl like that. It had come out of nowhere. She was glad that there were only six more days until she was going home for Christmas.
She had a lot to think about.
End Author's Notes:
(Ancient Greek) Ánoixe = open
"All the best people are" = quote from Alice in Wonderland though I tweaked it because I thought it not being exact made it more uniquely Luna.
(Latin) advocatus = lawyer
I always pictured Cormac McLaggen in the way of Armistead Stuart from the film What A Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth. I kind of wrote his character as such here.
Thank you for reading and please review!