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.

205. The One With Bellarosa and the Snake

Author's Note:

Happy December all! I will be doing my best to keep posting a chapter each week, but as I'm sure most of you know, December gets a bit hectic, so if I miss a week, please don't hold it against me — I promise, I'm not going anywhere! At least not until I finish this story 😉

I dedicate this chapter to Saz because a) she rocks and b) she needs a little pick me up. Everyone send lots of love her way, thanks!

Reviews and Comments: To thecapitalbey: Thanks for that tumblr page recommendation it's pretty great. In reference to the chocolate comment, it was a throwback to the Deamus teasing I had them doing back in chapter 113 when they were in complete denial over their experimentation ["No!" Seamus said, eyes wide. "What do you think we're gay or something? 'Cause we're definitely not!" "Absolutely not," Dean insisted. "I got up to pee," Seamus said simply. "I found Dean wanking and I told him that it was interesting how different our pricks are, you know? Not just because his is black —" " — Chocolate," Dean interjected. "Right, his prick is chocolate and mine is vanilla, but that they look different. His is larger, and I was a little curious, nothing wrong with that is there?" he demanded. "No," Harry answered quickly as Seamus was staring at him, almost daring him to say otherwise.] As to the boob size by fruit comparison, I thought it was the easiest way to differentiate. Thank you. To alix33: Thank you! A few people have asked me about heights, I always imagined Harry as being fairly tall, but short in comparison to Ron. So Harry is 6'2 (187-188cm) and will stay that height; Sirius is just shy of six feet like 5'11 (180-181cm) and 3/4 (just enough to piss him off 😉lol); Remus, I always imagined as very tall 6'4 or 6'5 (193-194cm); Ron will also be 6'5 like Bill is in my mind (194-195cm). As for the girls, Ginny is 5'4 (162-163cm)so when she stands on her toes she can curl perfectly into Harry's neck. Hermione is 5'3 (161-162cm); Tonks is 5'5 (165cm) ; Zee is 5'1 (153-154cm); Theo is 5'8 (172-173cm). Hope this helps! Thank you!

To Saz J: Thanks for being over the moon for Theo, it is good news. Yes, Hinny being honest with each other is what we needed. Thank you! To pix25: Thank you! I promise there is a lot more story to come! To Star 90: I can't make any promises on not killing anyone important, sorry. Thank you! To Melinda the Proud Bookworm: I know, poor Theo deserves the worry! He's safe over the Christmas holidays but he will get free of Ernie. Thank you! To MinervaMcGee: Thank you! Sirius will definitely finish the bike before Christmas, he's on a mission now! To Leaf Ranger: Thank you. To Guest: Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Yes, some people are more skilled in the kitchen than others. Harry and Ginny make a great couple! Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To zorica: Thank you for taking the time to leave a review now! To boothbonesrule: Thank you very much! I'll try not to keep you on pins and needles too long. To Ruby4Life101: Ginny's breasts are not huge, they are between oranges and grapefruits in size. They are decent but not huge, Zee on the other hand, she has huge breasts. Thank you. To supersandman86: Harry is more powerful than Riddle, but he doesn't know this yet. Harry has already gone to his ancestral home with Sirius back in chapters 191-193. I think I might pass chapter 300 with this story lol, but I doubt I will reach 400. Thank you!

To Amor-Fati7: Thank you so much for that kind review! I am so happy that so many people are falling in love with my Theo for he has fast become one of my favourite characters to write as well. I look forward to showing you where his story is going. I love that you are shipping him with the mysterious fae prince! I hope you like where his story will take him. Theo has a lot of story yet to come. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Harry isn't ready to get a tattoo yet, but he's considering it. I love sassy Harry so I appreciate other people liking that part of him as well. As to the wolf situation, yes, it is complicated. I will provide a little character tree in the end notes of this chapter. I'm glad that Ginny spoke to Harry as well about her past and what happened to her. I agree, the height difference between them is cute! Thank you! To dutchie: Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! To Steelcode: A tree ornament would be a cute way to wrap the gift, but no! Seamus and Dean will get there, but those boys are best friends and Dean is confused. Thank you! To riddermark: Thank you! To Matt9917: Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: They are totally THAT couple lol, sickeningly sweet and they don't even care. Zee is such a mum and I really love writing her as such. Yes, if she knew what was really happening with Theo, she wouldn't be as annoyed that Harry resorted to violence on Ernie. Yes, Ginny was sad that Harry put his shirt back on lol. Thank you! To nomek1012: Thank you for wishing ASC was canon. Thanks for reviewing!

To Guest: Thank you so much for saying this story "is one of the most beautiful written things you've read in a long time. I love how deep the lore of the story goes and it's so obvious how much time you've put into this." Thank you very much and thank you for appreciating how I write Hinny. It's how I imagine them too! To minxblades: Thanks for saying my take on the prophecy is totally off the wall which you love, so thanks I think lol. To HinnyMe: Harry and Ginny are amazing, but they are also saps lol. I'm so glad you liked Tonks comparing Harry to his two dads. Harry sharing the tattoo idea with Tonks and Zee shows his relationship with these two women as well. Yes, Zee will be getting a tattoo to cover up her burn scar. As to Zee's tattoos, she currently has 3: A gold and green tribal elephant on the right side of her ribs, a red and gold dragon down her spine, and a small black niffler on the back of her neck. Thank you! To CF: I'm glad it was Hinny and you loved it. Thank you! To Guest: Yes, Harry and Ginny finally spoke a bit more about the details of the Chamber. It was an important talk that needed to be addressed between them. Thank you. To KhaleesiGinny: I'm glad you think Harry being a mini Remus and Sirius is perfect. Thanks for loving my Tonks. Dean and Seamus scene was hot in my mind, but I agree, Seamus did need to tell Dean to stuff it. Dean needs to figure his shit out. I'm glad you thought the Remadora scene was so hot. As to Sirius being on guard with Mr Weasley, you will have to wait and find out. Thank you!

To MrToddWilkins: You will have to wait and see. Thank you! To FriendlyNeightbourhoodCatDemon: Thank you! To PurpleLotus: I thought it would so nice for people to reach out and give references for Theo without him having to ask. I'm glad you find them all adorable, that's exactly what I'm going for! To Pegg7: It is coming, slowly. Macmillan will get what's coming to him. Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: You finally caught up! I'm glad you loved the fluff, but with the holiday, you will have to wait for Theo to break free from Ernie entirely. Thank you!

Thanks to Dusk for her awesome work editing.

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!

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CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE:

The One With Bellarosa and the Snake

Ginny's idea turned out to be a scavenger hunt, and Harry and Zee thought that the idea was perfect. They tied a large bow around the handles of the bike and decided to make up clues and to hide them between Zee's old cottage and their home. Harry thought it sounded fun as they laughed and came up with the different clues for Sirius to find.

Afterwards, Harry wanted to watch a memory from his memory chest. He asked Ginny and Zee if they wanted to watch one with him. Ginny squeezed his hand and nodded.

Harry dug out the basin and his memory chest, his fingers dancing over the many vials.

"You have so many in here," Ginny said in amazement. "This is the most incredible gift."

"I know," he told her. "That's why I want to savour them. See, I mark on X on the ones that I've viewed."

Ginny's eyes moved over the marked ones. "Which one do you want to view next?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I usually just pick at random, but Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus made a list of them here."

Ginny's eyes scanned the numerical list stuck to the lid of the chest and her finger pointed to one. "What's an Octopus' Garden?"

Harry frowned reaching the vial. "I know that it's the name of a Beatles song, but otherwise I have no idea. Let's view it."

"Are you sure?"

He snuck a look over his shoulder at her. "If you picked it, I'm definitely sure."

Ginny smiled at him as he poured the memory into the basin as Zee came into the sunroom. "We chose one titled 'Octopus' Garden.' Any ideas?"

Zee shook her head as she sat down. "Not the foggiest. I've only seen the one memory from there. I'm as intrigued as you two."

"Thanks for viewing this with me," Harry told them.

Ginny took his hand in hers. "We're honoured that you'd share it with us."

Harry pointed his dragon heartstring and unicorn hair wand at the basin. He found that he was equally as comfortable with both wands now, and felt like each of them had moulded themselves to his magic. He still favoured his holly and phoenix feather wand, though he often thought that was more nostalgia than necessity. He projected the image onto the windows of the sunroom and the three of them took seats to view it.

It looked like a living room that Harry thought might be Godric's Hollow. James and Sirius were in the room with baby Harry, who was crying rather loudly.

"Aww, look how cute you were," Ginny said, poking him in the ribs as he put his arm around her.

"Much cuter now though, right?"

"Maybe," she teased, eyes turning back to the memory.

Baby Harry was crying loudly. Tears leaked down his cheeks and his bottom lip trembled. His chubby cheeks were rosy from exertion and James was dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"It's been twenty bloody minutes, Padfoot! I'm a terrible father!"

Sirius, who was sitting on the sofa with both of his fingers in his ears, shouted, "What is Prongslet's problem?"

"I gave him a bottle, he didn't want it! I tried to give him cereal, he didn't bloody want that! I gave him a bloody baby biscuit, and he threw it at you!"

Sirius grinned. "My Animagus rather enjoyed it."

"Even you being a bloody dog didn't cheer him up!" James exclaimed.

"Did you check his nappy?" Sirius asked.

James glowered at him. "Yes, I checked his bloody nappy! What do you take me for?"

"How much longer did Lily say that she was going to be?"

James covered his face with his hands as Harry continued to sit on the living room floor and scream. "Who the bloody hell knows? She was working on a potion thing for the Order at headquarters. 'I'll be fine,' I told her. 'Harry and I will be great.' Yeah, well three bloody hours later and we aren't so great! Bloody fucking bollocks!" he exclaimed, kicking the coffee table.

Harry screamed louder and James fell to his knees.

"Harry," he begged, desperately. "Harry, love, Da-Da loves you so much and I want to help you, but you need to tell me what you want. Please!" he begged, picking up his son for the umpteenth time. "Please stop crying, baby!"

He snuggled Harry into his shoulder, crooning softly, but Harry only coughed, gagging on his own tears, and continued to cry.

Remus came out of the kitchen with a fresh bottle. "I warmed it up for him, Prongs."

James took it and carefully tried to feed his son, who pushed it away, wiping at his eyes and screaming louder.

"He doesn't fucking want it, Moony!"

Remus sighed. "He wants his mum, that's who he wants."

At the sound of Lily's name, Harry sniffled and looked around to look for his mother, when he didn't see her, he began to cry again.

"Well, Lily's not bloody here now, is she?" James exclaimed desperately as Remus reached out to take the bottle from him.

Remus was quiet for a moment as he stood there holding the bottle. "You could try to help, Padfoot, instead of just sitting there with your fingers in your ears.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. "Prongs, why don't you bounce him a little, you know, dance or something?"

James nodded, pressing his lips to Harry's chubby cheek as he held his crying son close. He bounced a bit and then he began to sway gently. Harry continued to cry. James kissed his cheek, the top of his head, gently patting him on the back.

"Shh, baby, I got you, shh," he crooned. "Wise men say, only fools rush in," he sang quietly. "But I can't help falling in love with you."

Harry hiccuped when his father began to sing, his tear filled eyes staring up at his father.

"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you," he sang softly. "I think it's working," he whispered.

No sooner had the words left his lips than Harry started to cry again.

"Shit!" James exclaimed.

"No, no! He loves it when you sing!" Sirius said, his eyes widening. "Maybe he's just not into Elvis!"

Remus nodded, jumping to his feet. He hurried across the room and picked up James' guitar that was leaning against the fireplace. "Pass me little Prongs. You take this. He always calms when you sing to him! He likes the music of it as much as your voice!"

"I did sing! He's still bloody screaming!" James retorted, passing his crying son to Remus.

Remus carefully snuggled the crying child into his arms, pressing him against his warm chest and swaying gently as James picked up the guitar. "Try something more fun; something less lullaby-like."

James tapped his fingers on the guitar impatiently, his eyes wide. "I don't bloody know!"

Sirius jumped over the couch and started going through James' record recollection. "The Beatles! Harry loves it when you sing him their stuff! They have all sorts of fun songs!"

James nodded, shaking his head as Sirius held up A Hard Day's Night and then Help. "No, none of those are what I'm looking for!"

"Rubber Soul?"

James shook his head again and then grinned when his friend picked up Abbey Road. "I've got it!" He grabbed his guitar again and began to play the opening chord before he stopped. "Wait!"

Remus was still swaying with the crying baby as James grabbed his wand. "What are you doing? Wait for what? Just bloody sing already!"

James shook his head, grinning widely. "No, I've got it!"

Sirius and Remus watched in amazement as James began to charm the living room. Bubbles floated throughout the room as coral erupted from the ground; seaweed grew from the sofa and swayed in the breeze. The room darkened as he charmed the windows so that the sunlight dipped only one way into the room; giving it an eerie, almost underwater feel. Underwater plants and flowers sprung up from the floor, grew out of the walls, and blue and silver transparent sea creatures began to float around. He picked up the guitar again, played the opening chord, and began to sing.

"I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus' garden in the shade. He'd let us in, knows where we've been, in his octopus' garden in the shade."

Sirius grinned and transfigured the armchair into a huge stuffed animal of a green octopus, floating it up so that it created almost like a tent. Remus grinned and knelt under it with Harry, whose cries had stopped. He was staring around now, his teary-eyes wide as James sang.

"I'd ask my friends to come and see, an octopus' garden with me!" James sang, putting his guitar down and reaching for his son.

Remus passed Harry over and pointed his wand at the record player, floating Abbey Road onto the turntable and rotating to the third track.

James sat Harry on the ground, holding his tiny hands as he stretched out on his stomach. He flicked his wand at the ceiling, making it look like they were underwater and a storm floated ahead of them; dark clouds rolled in and magical lightning flashed as he sang along with the record.

"We would be warm, below the storm, in our little hideaway beneath the waves. Resting our head, on the sea bed, in an octopus' garden near a cave."

Remus waved his wand over them and levitated a blanket and pillow down as James held his son close, resting on the blanket as Harry gurgled happily, his eyes watching all of the flashing and moving charms in awe.

"We would sing and dance around, because we know we can't be found!" James sang, swinging Harry up into his arms as they danced under the stuffed octopus.

Harry began to giggle and Sirius and Remus charmed everything until the three of them were dancing with the baby in the middle of the living room, objects of all sorts flying and levitating around as the three of them sang along loudly. James tossed Harry up into the air, then caught him as he laughed; then he passed him along to Sirius, who did the same, and then to Remus, and back to James. Harry giggled madly.

"We would shout and swim about, the coral that lies beneath the waves," James sang loudly.

"Lies beneath the ocean waves," Sirius and Remus echoed as Harry goggled at them.

"Oh what joy, for every girl and boy, knowing they're happy and they're safe."

"Happy and they're safe!"

"We would be so happy you and me," James sang, snuggling Harry into his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "No one there to tell us what to do!"

"What is going on in here?" Lily asked as she stepped through the front door of the house.

All three men turned to look at her.

The living room was a complete disaster, but also a complete underwater cavern full of floating objects. James' cheek was pressed up against a laughing Harry's as he spoke.

"We're entertaining the baby."

Lily looked around at the magnificent cavern that they had created. The large stuffed octopus; the plants and coral that had erupted from the walls and carpet. The beautiful charm work of the night sky seen from below the water, and the storm clouds overhead as magical manifestations of sea creatures floated around them.

"Gah do-da!" Harry exclaimed.

James covered his son's face in kisses as he giggled.

Lily dropped her purse on the sofa and stepped into the charmed living room. She tugged Harry into her arms, snuggling him into her breast as he cooed happily before snuggling herself into James' arms. "I want to play in the garden with my boys. Sing to me, Jamie."

James grinned widely and flicked his wand at the record player to start the song over again. "I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus' garden, with you!"

And then he was kissing her deeply as the song played behind them and Remus nudged Sirius gently.

"I think that they can handle it from here, Siri."

Sirius nodded and grinned at his friend. "I think so, too."

He pointed his wand at the record player and turned up the volume a bit. Then he and Remus snuck out the front door.

Ginny kissed Harry's cheek as the memory ended. "That was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. They made an entire underwater garden just to entertain you!"

Zee stood up, stretching her arms up over her head. "I have to agree with Ginny. Those three men were quite clever. That's a lovely memory of your parents as well."

"Yeah," he agreed, a small lump in his throat. They had been so in love and watching his dad tell him how much he loved him had been nice. "Uncle Sirius had his fingers shoved into his ears."

Ginny laughed. "He learned though, didn't he?"

He had more than learned. Harry knew how lucky he was to have had Remus and Sirius in his life. "Still funny. I'll have to rag him on that later."

Zee chuckled. "Of course you do. Did you want to watch another memory, Harry?"

He shook his head. "Nah, that was a good one. I'm good with just the one tonight. Know of any good Christmas movies?"

"Absolutely," Zee said with a smile.

Zee chose It's A Wonderful Life, which was much sadder than Harry anticipated, as the three of them curled up in the living room and ate popcorn. It was after eleven when they headed up to bed. Zee said goodnight and instructed them to say goodnight to each other before she closed her bedroom door behind her and Lady Godiva.

Ginny followed Harry into his bedroom, smiling and curling into his lap when he tugged her down into the egg chair. "I have to go to my own room."

Harry kissed her softly. "I know. But stay with me a little longer first."

She kissed him again. "Okay, but just for a minute."

He stood up, lifting her with him, and sat her on his bed. "Stay there."

Ginny only raised an eyebrow as he moved to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer. When he turned, he had a box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a red bow.

"Happy Christmas, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes widened as she stared at the box. "Harry… it's not Christmas Eve until tomorrow."

He sat down next to her and handed her the box. "It's Christmas Eve in twenty minutes — and I want to watch you open it."

Ginny bit her bottom lip as she carefully untied the bow and tore open the paper. She lifted the lid on the box and her eyes widened at the sight of the small treasure chest. It was made of wood and leather, with Quidditch symbols pressed into the sides. "Harry, it's beautiful," she said honestly, fiddling with the tiny brass broomstick latch.

"Open it," he urged.

She lifted the broomstick latch and looked inside. Her eyes widened at the little compartments, each full of tiny vials, sponges, brushes, and bristles. "Did you make me my own broomstick servicing kit?"

"Only the best for my Chaser," he told her.

Ginny closed the chest, placing it on the bed before she kissed him deeply. "It's perfect! Thank you! I'll take excellent care of the Nimbus, I promise."

Harry kissed her again. "You better, as it's yours."

"For the next three years, absolutely!"

Harry kissed the tip of her nose. "No, it's yours. Uncle Sirius donated another one to the school anonymously. You can keep the Nimbus."

Ginny's eyes widened before she jumped into his lap and kissed him. His hands slid up her back and he sighed against her mouth, her legs wrapping around his waist. Harry's fingers were in her hair, his mouth meeting hers for long, deep, greedy kisses that left him breathless. When she pulled away, her eyes were dark with desire.

"You know giving me a broomstick is too much, right?"

"I didn't. I gave you the chest with the servicing kit inside. The broom is simply being donated to you by the school," he said.

Ginny smirked. "It still counts, Harry."

Harry kissed her cheek. "I want you to have it. You deserve it — and I know you've always wanted your own broom. I also know there's no way you'd ever let me buy you one."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest before she promptly shut it again. She kissed him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "You know me too well, and you're the absolute best!"

He hugged her tight, kissing her cheek before she stood up.

"I have a gift for you, too. It's with my bag."

Harry nodded as she hurried out of his room and into the next one, returning a moment later with an average sized wrapped box. Harry took it from her and carefully unwrapped it. It was a beautifully hand-painted wooden picture frame in Gryffindor gold and red stripes. She'd painted little snitches along the sides, and in her neat writing across the bottom of the frame it said: Our First Kiss, 4th November, 1995. Inside was a photo of the Gryffindor Quidditch team huddled together, cheering their win. Harry watched as his photo self let go of Katie, his eyes meeting Ginny's before he tugged her into his arms for a kiss.

"Colin took the photo. It's not much, I know but — mmph!"

He silenced her with a kiss, his hands in her hair as his lips met hers. "It's perfect," he said. "I love it. Thank you." He put it on his night table, facing his bed, and she smiled.

"Good."

Harry tugged her back into his arms, bending his head to kiss her again. "I don't want you to go home tomorrow."

Ginny smiled up at him. "It's Christmas Eve, that was the deal, remember?"

"Don't care. Come to Moscow with me."

Ginny smiled, her hands sliding up his back. "Harry, I need to spend Christmas with my family, and you need to go have an amazing Christmas in Russia with yours. But maybe one day I'll get to meet them."

"I'd like that," Harry said honestly, kissing her again.

Ginny melted into the kiss, sighing as they stood. For the longest time, they stood there sharing soft kisses before she pulled away. "It's late, I should get to bed."

He nodded reluctantly. "Goodnight, Ginny."

She stole one more quick kiss before she took the little wooden treasure box with her broomstick servicing supplies. "Goodnight, Harry."

When the bedroom door closed behind her, he plopped back down on his bed and sighed in disappointment, his eyes moving to the framed photo. He watched the look of surprise on Ginny's face over and over as his lips met hers and he grinned at the memory.

Kissing her in front of the whole school may not have been his plan, but he had never been more pleased to have done exactly that. He changed into his pyjamas and slipped into bed, his eyes on the photo as he put his glasses on his nightstand. He fell asleep with a big smile on his face, and his head full of Ginny.

~ ASC ~

Sirius stood next to Arthur in the Department of Mysteries, his body concealed beneath the invisibility cloak from Kingsley. It was Sirius' third shift as a guard since they had started and so far he had to admit that it was rather dull work. He leaned back, his left foot flat against the wall behind him, and his wand in his hand.

They had erected a small privacy bubble so that they could talk while they listened. But for the most part, they kept their eyes peeled on the door to watch the movements of those who came and left the department.

Arthur stood next to him under his own cloak. They agreed to always work in pairs in case anything did happen. More than once they had witnessed random people seemingly searching along the corridor for someone or something unknown, only to watch them hurry off at the first sight of an Unspeakable emerging from the department. But at night, no one was hardly ever working on this floor — and that was when they thought someone was most likely to attack.

Sirius looked over at where he knew Arthur was standing. "Are you and Molly all set for Christmas?"

"Yes," Arthur responded from his right. "Mostly anyway, but Molly is fretting a bit about Ginny staying with you and Harry before Christmas. She didn't get as much help baking as she usually does. The boys aren't as helpful as Ginny, though they pull their weight when threatened."

Sirius grinned. He couldn't imagine any of the Weasley boys in the kitchen, but he knew that Molly Weasley ran a tight household. There was no way that she hadn't made sure that all of her boys knew their way around the kitchen or at least the difference between a carrot and a turnip.

"Harry rather likes to cook. He's bloody brilliant at it, way better than me. I left him and Ginny cooking dinner tonight."

Arthur only made a rather noncommittal noise.

"I think it's about time those two started dating, don't you?"

The sigh that came from his right only made him grin.

"Arthur, you're not going to tell me some bullshit line about your daughter and boys now, are you?"

The soft chuckle made his grin widen. "No, I know better than that. Am I happy that Ginny is dating Harry? Well, I like Harry. He's a smart and responsible lad who I would absolutely trust with her life — after all, he saved her life. I can see how much they care for each other, and Merlin knows my lovely Ginny has been carrying a torch for him for much longer than I think she even realizes but… she's my baby. I guess it's just reminding me that she's growing up, and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

Sirius nodded. He understood that. "I can agree with that sentiment. Sometimes I have no idea where the time went. I swear I just blinked and Harry was learning how to walk and now… he's a young man."

"I know that they will take good care of each other. Molly is just fretting that they're young, but it's not the age that's bothering her. We were both Ginny's age when we started dating."

"I didn't know that," Sirius said in surprise. "You and Molly have been together a long time, then?"

"Oh, aye," Arthur said. "Been married twenty-five years, together twenty-nine. She had a massive crush on me and well, I found it embarrassing, if I'm honest. Then in fourth year she came back after the summer and Merlin, had she blossomed into a woman — and, suddenly, I was very aware of just how beautiful she was. Ginny reminds me of her sometimes. She looks more like my mother than like Molly, but she has Molly's vibrancy, and her passion, her stubbornness, and her tenacity. Molly wanted to keep her safe, to keep her away from the roughness of the boys. She wanted a little girl who would wear fancy dresses and do girl stuff. Ginny not only threw herself into the middle of the mud, but was often the culprit of most of the things that the boys got up to in the first place."

"I always said that she was a little spitfire," Sirius said. "That girl is not afraid to take what she wants. She's honest and kind, and watching her and Harry… they understand each other on a level that I don't think anyone else can. I know that they're young — and maybe it's too soon to speculate — but that's a love that's going to last."

"Have they admitted that they are in love yet?"

"Hardly, and I can't imagine that they will just yet, but they do know that they love each other. How long it takes them to admit that they are in love is anyone's guess. To be honest, they remind me of Harry's grandparents."

"How so?" Arthur asked in curiosity.

Sirius sighed. It was more of a feeling, and he wasn't sure if he could articulate it properly. "It's hard to explain… Fee and Monty were just the other half of each other. It was incredible when you saw them. They were the parents of my heart, and they took care of each other and of the four of us like we were their own. It was like Fee knew Monty's thoughts; he almost never had to say them aloud. She just understood him, and he her, and it's that kind of relationship that I see between Harry and Ginny. After Voldemort returned in June, Ginny was by his bedside holding his hand, and she calmed him. She kept him relaxed, and when he did panic and stress and worry over what had happened, she kept him balanced. She allowed him to feel what he needed to feel. He does the same for her. In the Chamber… they stood side by side, holding onto each other, each comforting the other in some way. They just make sense. I know that they're young, but that's a bond that will last a lifetime. Neither of them will ever truly be happy without the other."

Arthur was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was low. "I think you're right about that. I think on some level, I've always known that as well — since the moment my four-year-old-daughter told me that she kissed Harry Potter in the park, hugged his dog, and invited him to her birthday. But I don't want to rush them."

"Nor I," Sirius admitted. "I like to tease Harry, as he was obviously pining for her for sometime before he built up the courage to tell her how he felt. But now that they're together, they'll take their time; they'll get to know each other a little differently than as friends — and yes, in ten years from now, I'm sure that they will be married, maybe even have a few kids themselves."

Arthur chuckled. "Let's hope for that kind of happy future is in the cards for all of us."

Sirius nodded. They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments before he reached out to touch Arthur's arm. Someone was coming through the dark, and they could hear movement edging nearby. The corridor was dark, the lights having gone out a few hours ago when the last Unspeakable left the Department of Mysteries. The only light was a soft glow from the end of the hall near the lift. The black marble walls left an eerie glow in the reflected light, but for the most part, the wing was engulfed in darkness.

The sound grew closer, a soft panting almost, followed by the heavy sound of something moving across the ground at a quick pace. Sirius raised his wand, eyes peeled in the darkness, before a startled cry from his right made him light it. Sirius' eyes widened in horror at the sight of the giant python sinking its large teeth into Arthur's arm. He tossed off his cloak and sent a knockback jinx at the snake. One tooth ripped out into Arthur's arm, tearing his flesh from wrist to elbow… but Sirius was transfixed by the beautiful woman, inexplicably standing before him.

Her skin was like molten gold and she was dressed to the nines, her body adorned in jewellery. Her wand shimmered like diamonds in her hand. She smiled coyly.

"Mio tesoro, you really shouldn't be here," she said in a voice designed to send lust through anyone that heard it.

Sirius lifted his own wand just as she sent an Imperius at him. He dodged it, eyes on Arthur, who had sunk to the ground, his arm bleeding profusely. "I'm hardly going to let you Imperius me, love."

She smiled, her moist, blood-red lips full of promise. "I don't need to Imperius you."

She held up her hand and the snake hissed but stopped in its tracks before coiling back to the opposite wall. Clearly, it was following the woman's instructions.

Sirius swallowed as the woman took a step towards him, her finger trailing slowly down his cheek, over his neck, down his chest, and stopping at his belt buckle. She was good, he had to admit that. She was beautiful and she knew it. She knew exactly how to use her looks to her advantage.

"You don't?" he asked, keeping his eyes on hers.

She licked her lips slowly. "Would you like to kiss me?"

Sirius kept his eyes on her dark brown ones. Oh yeah, she knew exactly what she was doing. He bent his head a fraction… but then sent her flying back with a jinx that crashed her into the marble wall.

"Not my type, love."

The woman growled in anger as she rose to her feet, her wand shimmering in the light.

Sirius pointed his wand at her heart. "Take another step — or allow that snake to move forward — and I'll have the whole DMLE down here in seconds."

The woman seemed to heed his words; she snapped her fingers, the snake coiled around her legs, and they both Disapparated on the spot.

Sirius fell to his knees beside Arthur. He was deathly pale and bleeding profusely. He scooped the man into his arms and Disapparated. A moment later, they arrived at St Mungo's.

"Help!"

A medi-witch immediately hurried forward, wand raised. "What happened?"

"We were in the woods and he was bitten by a python."

"A python? In England? Are you sure?"

Sirius glared at her. "Well, it was a pretty big fucking snake!"

The witch nodded, summoning a gurney, and Arthur was immediately taken into a room. Sirius sent a Patronus to Kingsley. He and Moody were the backup guard for the night. He looked down at his hands; they were covered in blood, and he paled slightly at the sight of it.

He had to tell Molly what had happened.

Sirius informed the witch at the front desk that he was going to notify Arthur's wife of the attack, and the witch nodded in response. He Disapparated and landed smoothly in Ottery St Catchpole. He walked through the grass, feeling uneasy at the sight of the Burrow up ahead. He banged loudly on the front door and was greeted by the tousled hair and sleepy gaze of Percy.

"Sirius," Percy said, his eyes widening as he saw the blood. "Galloping Gargoyles! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's not my blood. Can you wake your mum?"

Percy paled, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Is Dad… ?"

"Percy, please get your mother."

Percy turned and ran up the stairs. It was only a moment before Molly came running down in her dressing gown, attempting to tie her robe, Percy at her heels.

"Sirius! Sirius, Arthur — ?"

"I just left him at St Mungo's, Molly. We were attacked. He's with the healers now."

Molly paled, her red hair in curlers around her face. "Attacked — he… "

"He's alive," Sirius told her, reaching out to cup her hands. "He was bitten by a snake."

Percy's arm came around his mother as she stumbled slightly. "A snake? What on earth was he doing?"

Sirius' eyes met Percy's. "You know what he was doing, Percy. And yes, Voldemort's snake. The snake attacked with a woman and… they Disapparated soon after. King and Mad-Eye have taken over the post. Molly, get dressed. I'll take you to St Mungo's."

"The children… "

Percy nodded. "Mum, I can take of everyone. We're not kids anymore. Go, get dressed. Dad needs you."

Molly nodded and ran back up the stairs.

Percy only stared at Sirius. "How did a snake get into the Ministry of Magic, of all places?"

"Apparition. It came with a woman, a Death Eater I presume. I'm not sure why she would bring a snake but… they know that we're guarding the hall now."

Percy swallowed slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we were on the right track with keeping our eye there. You have duty two nights from now, do you not?"

Percy nodded. "Yes, with Tonks. What should I tell my brothers when they wake?"

Sirius put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "Tell them whatever you think is best. You know what needs to be kept a secret, Percy, and what you can share."

Molly came running back down the stairs, her curlers gone, wearing black trousers and a warm blue jumper. She slipped her boots on and grabbed her cloak before she turned to her son. "I'll send word as soon as I know something. Tell the boys he's okay."

Percy nodded and kissed her cheek. "If you need me… "

She patted his cheek gently. "Thank you, dear. I'll send word as soon as I know something."

She followed Sirius out into the garden before he took her arm, and together they Disapparated to London. Molly immediately headed to the front desk to demand news of her husband. Sirius sat outside of Arthur's room, his head in his hands. He didn't want to get in the way, but he couldn't leave either. Not until he heard news. He knew how deadly snake venom could be, and the amount of blood loss on top of it… he knew that Arthur was fighting for his life in there.

He sent a quick Patronus to Zee to tell her what was going on, and to let Ginny know about her father. Then he sat, his head in his hands — and he waited.

~ ASC ~

The Patronus woke her. Zee turned towards the projection of Sirius' dog, her eyes widening as she heard the message. She jumped out of bed and hurried down the hall to the guest room. She knocked softly on the door before pushing it open just a little. Ginny was sleeping soundly in the bed.

Zee walked over quietly and gently shook Ginny's shoulder. "Ginny, Ginny, sweetie, wake up."

Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she turned, blinking at Zee. "Zee? What's wrong?"

Zee bit her lip. "Sirius just sent a Patronus. Your father was attacked tonight. Your mum is with him at St Mungo's right now. That's all I know."

Ginny's eyes widened as she jumped out of bed. "I need to go to him!"

Zee nodded. "Get dressed and wake Harry. I'm going to go do the same. The three of us will head straight to the hospital."

Ginny gave her a grateful look as she watched Zee hurry from the room. She quickly tossed on warm tights and a large jumper before pulling warm socks up. Then she grabbed her wand and ran to Harry's room. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. Harry was sleeping in nothing but red pyjama pants with gold snitches on them. He had kicked the blankets off and was sleeping on his stomach. The light of the moon reflected on the toned muscles in his back, and she smiled in appreciation. As she got closer she noticed that he had some light scarring, barely visible, in soft lines across his back. She wondered if it was from the Horntail, and she ached for him.

She touched his back softly, the feel of his warm skin making her feel warm. "Harry."

He moaned softly, burying his face further into the pillow.

"Harry!"

His eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Ginny?" he asked, blinking in confusion before his brow furrowed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

Ginny fell into his lap, burying her face in his warm chest. "Dad's been attacked."

"What?" he said in alarm, his arms coming around her. He kissed her hair as he held her. "What happened?"

Ginny quickly told him what Zee had said. "Zee's going to take us to the hospital. Mum is with him and Sirius. He must have been on duty with Sirius."

Harry nodded, standing up with Ginny still in his arms. He kissed her hair again, sitting her down on his bed. "Okay, let me get dressed and we'll go."

Ginny's bottom lip trembled as she stood up again. "I'll be…"

Harry took her hand and tugged her towards him, kissing her forehead. "Right here. I'm not letting you out of my sight." He grabbed a jumper from the chair and pulled it over his head before he kicked off his pyjama pants and tugged on blue jeans, oblivious to the way that Ginny's eyes raked over him as he changed. He put his glasses on, sitting on his bed to toss on socks before he picked up his wand and stood up, holding his hand out to her, and she gratefully accepted it.

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand.

Zee met them a moment later with a change of clothes for Sirius. "You two ready?"

At their nod, the three of them stepped into the Floo. They arrived at St Mungo's seconds later. It didn't take them long to find Sirius.

Zee passed him the change of clothes and kissed him softly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. This isn't my blood."

Ginny paled as she took in the amount of blood that covered Sirius' shirt and arms. Harry wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head. She swallowed before she spoke. "Is Dad… ?"

"He's okay, Ginny," Sirius told her. "The healers are working on him."

"What happened?"

"I can't say right now," Sirius whispered. "I'll explain everything later when we're home."

He tugged the blood covered shirt over his head in lieu of the clean one, and smiled gratefully at Zee as she used a charm to wash his arms and hands. Sirius nodded towards the door.

"Your mum is in there with him now."

Ginny's hands trembled before she pulled away and let herself into the room.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Molly's voice rang out before the door closed behind her.

Harry turned to his godfather. "What aren't you saying? How bad is it?"

Sirius gestured for Harry to sit next to him; when he was situated he put an arm over his son's shoulders to whisper in his ear. "The snake was there. She bit him. I don't know how bad it is, but they are working on getting the venom out."

Harry's eyes widened. "Nagini was there?"

Sirius nodded. "It doesn't make sense to me either."

"Just the snake?"

He shook his head, muttering 'muffliato' before he continued. "A woman… a follower, I assume. She seemed to be able to communicate with the snake in some way, though she wasn't speaking Parseltongue."

Harry frowned. That in itself was a bit frightening as well. "What does that mean?"

"We don't know," he whispered.

Zee took Sirius' hand in hers as she sat on his other side. "What about the boys?"

"Percy was filling them in," Sirius told her. "He's going to keep an eye on things."

Zee frowned at that, but nodded.

Harry stared at the closed door through which Ginny had disappeared. "They can fix snake venom, right? I mean, they have a potion for that?"

Sirius nodded. "Usually, yes. His arm was torn up pretty bad as well, but there must be something else going on. All we can do right now is wait."

Harry wasn't sure he liked that answer.

~ ASC ~

Ginny ignored her mother's surprised response and immediately moved to her father. He was sitting up in bed, his arm in a sling. He looked pale, but alive. She sat on the side of his bed and flung her arms around his uninjured side, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Arthur's good arm came around her, kissing her cheek. "I'm all right, princess. Not even a big ol' snake can knock me down."

Ginny chuckled against his shoulder, kissing his cheek tenderly. "Dad, what happened? You're not allowed to scare us like this!"

Molly's eyes softened as she moved to sit on her husband's other side. "Ginny, you know that your father and I are part of the Order, and there are some things that you are not privy to."

Ginny's eyes darkened. "When Dad is attacked by a giant snake, I don't accept that!"

Molly sighed. "Ginny, I know that you want to know more but —"

"Mum, I'm not a child! None of us are! You can't keep us away from this, not after Dad's been hurt!" she declared, glaring at her mother, "and you know that Harry will find out — and he'll tell me anyway!"

Arthur sighed, snuggling his daughter into his side. "Don't begrudge us wanting to keep you safe, baby girl. We know how capable you are. We know who you are and what you can do, but we're your parents, and we love you, and we just want to keep you safe in any way that we can."

Ginny sighed, but nodded grudgingly. "I still deserve to know."

Arthur's eyes found his wife's for a moment before he shrugged.

"Arthur…"

"No, she's right. Harry will only tell her."

Molly let out a frustrated sigh, but didn't argue.

Arthur turned to Ginny. "I was on a mission and I was attacked by a snake. The venom is acting strangely in my blood. The antidote worked great, but for some reason, the gash that the tooth left in my arm won't heal. There's something about it that the healers can't quite pinpoint, so until they do, they are keeping me on Blood-Replenishing Potions to keep me strong. I'm going to be okay, I promise."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest and then promptly shut it, letting her father cuddle her close. She turned her head to kiss his cheek again. "Thank Merlin that Sirius was there!"

Arthur held her close as his eyes met his wife's. "Sirius saved my life. If he hadn't gotten me here as soon as he did, the venom would have reached my heart."

Molly's eyes filled with tears before she furiously blinked them back. "Do you know who it was, Arthur? Was it anyone that you recognized?"

He shook his head. "No. It was a beautiful woman and a great snake. She attempted to Imperius Sirius, and when that failed, she tried to seduce him in an effort to get past. I thought that it was working for a moment, but he lured her in to knock her back into the wall with a knockback jinx. I remember him kneeling in front of me, so the woman and the snake must have left. Then I woke up here. I was blacking in and out."

Ginny looked back and forth between her parents. "The snake just attacked you?"

"It was dark and we couldn't see much. We can't keep a light on or it would alert to the fact that someone was there. We heard a sound and suddenly I just saw these massive jaws…" he shuddered. "I'm not too fond of snakes anymore myself, love."

Ginny nodded, her eyes on her father. "How bad did it bite you, Daddy?"

Arthur's eyes softened at her words. His kids had stopped calling him Daddy years ago, and he was surprised at how much he missed it. "Just in the arm, princess, nothing to worry about. They gave me something for the pain, so I don't even feel a thing. I promise, I'll be as good as new in no time."

Molly smiled and reached out to grip her husband's good hand, placing her other hand on her daughter's knee. "As you can see, your father has a very large gash from elbow to wrist, and it's quite deep."

"Mollywobbles, I'll be fine," he insisted.

Ginny smiled at her parents, linking her fingers with her mum's. "Why are they having trouble healing it? If the antidote worked, shouldn't the poison be out of your system?"

Molly nodded. "Yes, but there's something different about the gash. The healers said that it's not simply snake venom. They don't know what it means yet, but they seem confident that they can find the issue and adjust a new antidote as needed. He keeps bleeding and the healers aren't sure why, as the poison has left his system. In the meantime, your father will stay here, and stay on Blood-Replenishing Potions. We're hopeful he'll be home for Christmas Eve later tonight."

Ginny let out a slow breath. She could see the worry in her mother's eyes, but she also sensed relief there. Her father was going to be all right, and that's what mattered. She kissed her dad's cheek again, making him smile at her. "Want me to bring you something, Dad? A book or some of those Muggle magazines you like?"

Arthur tucked her hair behind her ear. "That would be nice, Ginny, thank you."

Molly smiled and stood up. "I need to tell Sirius that you'll be sound and get word to the boys. Arthur, I'm staying with you for the rest of the night and day —"

"— Molly, I'm fine. It's late, go home. Get some rest."

Molly only gave him a defiant look. "Ginny, you can head back with Sirius and let the boys know how your father is doing. I'll be home around lunch time. I want to stay and speak to the healers again in the morning before I go home."

"I can stay — we can help keep Dad company."

"That's sweet of you, dear, but I'd prefer you go home and fill the boys in. Let me fuss over your father."

Ginny smiled at her and nodded, kissing her dad's cheek again, before she stood. "I'll make sure that you get some magazines, Dad, and other things to keep you occupied."

Molly nodded, standing as well, and tugging her daughter into her arms. Ginny hugged her tightly. She was the same height as her mum, and she ran her hands up and down her mum's back in comfort until her mum finally let go. Molly kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you came, darling."

Ginny smiled and hugged her mum again. "Are you sure that you don't want me to stay?"

Molly shook her head. "I need to fuss — you know that. Go, fill in your brothers. Everything will be all right."

She nodded and turned to hug her dad once more before they moved to the door. She knew that he would be fine, but she felt so much better after seeing it with her own eyes.

~ ASC ~

Harry jumped to his feet when the door to Mr Weasley's room finally opened. Mrs Weasley stepped out, tears in her eyes, but her shoulders straight. She nodded at Sirius.

"He's stable. There's something in the venom that they are unsure about, so they have to figure out the right dosage, but he's on Blood-Replenishing Potions hourly — and pain potions until they do. They are keeping him here until they can determine the right potion to stop the venom from spreading further."

Sirius stood up. "Molly, I… "

She held her hand up to silence him. "You saved his life, Sirius. The healers told me that if you had been five minutes later, the venom would have reached his heart. You saved his life. Thank you."

He nodded. "I'm glad to hear that he'll be all right."

Mrs Weasley wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm going to stay the rest of the night with him. Will you take Ginny back?"

Zee nodded as Ginny stepped around her mum and back out into the hall. "We'll get your boys and bring them back with us — make sure that they are fed, and up to date."

Mrs Weasley nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Zee moved to hug the woman, and she clung to her for a moment, nodding in thanks. Harry opened his arms for Ginny, and she gratefully moved into them, allowing him to engulf her in his warm embrace. He felt her relax against him and knew that seeing her parents helped a lot. He kissed her hair, holding her close.

They said goodbye to Mrs Weasley, and Sirius led them to the fireplace to head out. Since Number Twelve was closer, they took the Floo there. Sirius dusted them off when they arrived.

"Harry, you take Ginny back to the cottage. Zee, can you go to Bill's flat and let him know what has happened? I'll head to the Burrow and get the boys. I think it's best if we all stay together."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Ginny. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes. Thank you, Sirius." She moved away from Harry and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Sirius glanced at her in surprise, hugging her back. "Hey, of course! I'm just glad that I was there."

Ginny smiled at him as she pulled away. "Thank you."

Sirius nodded at them and he and Zee each hurried out the door of Number Twelve. Harry turned to Ginny, a soft smile on his lips.

"You ready to head back?"

Ginny bit her lip as Dobby came out of the kitchen. He greeted them both with enthusiasm and eagerly took them back to Black Cottage. Upon their arrival, Dobby volunteered to deal with Sirius' bloody shirt. He and Kreacher immediately began to cook a breakfast feast in the kitchen to accommodate the large group that would be joining them soon. Harry pulled Ginny into the sunroom and into one of the large armchairs. She snuggled herself into his lap, sighing when his arms came around her.

"What did your dad say?"

Ginny sighed, her cheek resting against his chest. She looked out into the early morning darkness of the back garden as she spoke. "It was a snake and a beautiful woman. He said that it was dark, and the attack seemed to come out of nowhere. They wanted to get past them and into the Department of Mysteries. Sirius held them back."

"Did he know who the woman was?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, but from what he said about her, her striking beauty — and how she didn't really use her wand, but tried to seduce Sirius into getting past them? I mean, I've never met her… but she sounds like the way Theo described Blaise's mum. And we know that she works for Tom, right?"

Harry's arms tightened around her. "Yeah, we do. I haven't heard anything else about her though. I think that there was a rumour that she was in England, but none of the suspected or known Death Eaters have been caught. The Death Eaters have been very cautious and overly careful about keeping away from any Ministry officials who can bring them in. If it was Mrs Zabini, she knows how to hide her tracks well."

Ginny was quiet for a long moment, her cheek against his heart as she listened to his steady heartbeat. "The snake… it had to be Tom's snake, right?"

"I would think so," he admitted. "But… I know that she's a Horcrux, Ginny. I could feel it. Why would he let her out of his sight like that? And in the care of Mrs Zabini? It seems suspicious."

"For the snake to have listened to her, as well. She doesn't speak Parseltongue or if she does, Dad never heard it, yet she communicated with Nagini. Unless…" Her eyes widened as she sat up, her gaze meeting his. "He used to possess snakes before… what if he was possessing her?"

"The snake?"

She nodded. "Think about it. He has a connection with her, Harry. But he can't exactly walk through the front doors of the Ministry of Magic without causing a ruckus. If he needed to see something, to do something that was secretive — he could possess the snake that already holds a piece of his soul, and go with a trusted follower to do his bidding. It would explain how Zabini could communicate with the snake. It could explain why the snake was there in the first place."

Harry stared at her as things began to click into place. If Voldemort possessed the snake temporarily, he could connect with it. It had been him in the Department of Mysteries. Harry agreed with his girlfriend; the woman sounded like she could be Mrs Zabini, too. He swallowed slowly.

"She would get them into the Hall of Prophecy without Voldemort ever having to formally step into the building. The snake works as a disguise for him."

Ginny nodded. "And it allows him to still protect her."

"That's a scary thought, but it makes sense," he told her.

They both looked up as Ron, Fred, and George came into the sunroom.

"Ginny, Sirius said that you saw Dad?" Fred demanded, his eyes dark with concern.

Ginny jumped to her feet to hug her brothers. "Dad says that he's going to be okay."

Fred nodded, but hugged his sister tightly a little longer. "What happened? Sirius said that he was doing something for the Order and was bit by a snake? How?"

Ron's head jerked at the word snake and he moved over to stand next to Harry. "Snake?"

"Exactly what you're thinking. It was his."

Ron paled slightly and sat down on the arm of the chair as Harry reached out to squeeze his friend's arm. "How?"

George was staring at the two of them. "This is bollocks! Fred and I are of age! We deserve to know what's happening."

Sirius stepped into the sunroom with Percy. "All I can tell you is that we were doing something for the Order, and that we were attacked. A snake bit your father, and as soon as I was able, I took him to the hospital, and reinforcements took our spot. Until you join the Order, anything we do is secret."

"We want to join the Order," Fred said angrily. "We're old enough!"

"Not until you finish school," Percy reminded him sharply. "Between Bill, Charlie, and I all being involved, Mum has enough to worry about as it is. In June, you can join — and Mum and Dad can't stop you. Until then, sit down and shut it!"

Fred opened his mouth in surprise before he closed it again.

George stared at Percy for a long moment, his shoulders tense, before he turned back to Ginny. "Don't they have antidote?"

"They gave it to him already. The venom is doing something to the wound on his arm and they can't seem to stop the bleeding, or to heal the gash. Dad said that the poison is gone from his body, but it's something to do with the gash in his arm and the tooth that was stuck in there. He swears that he's going to be fine, though."

Harry looked around at the Weasley boys, understanding how they felt. Even hearing that Mr Weasley was going to be okay was still a bit scary. He had experienced the same with Zee, but he knew that they felt better after learning that Ginny had seen their father.

Dobby and Kreacher stepped into the sunroom then, telling everyone that breakfast was ready. Dobby set up the food buffet style and everyone took a plate just as the sun was rising in the garden. They scattered between the living room and the sunroom, since their kitchen table wasn't big enough for everyone. Remus and Tonks came over just before eleven, and finally, at a quarter to twelve, Mrs Weasley came through the front door with her husband.

The Weasley children immediately engulfed him in a worried embrace; Harry sat next to Tonks as they spoke to him.

"I figured that you and Uncle Moony would be here earlier this morning?" Harry hinted to Tonks.

Tonks scratched her ear. "Oh? Well, we had a bit of work to do decorating for Christmas."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The morning of Christmas Eve? You said that you decorated the first week of December. You even sent me photos at school of the living room all lit up."

Tonks blushed. "Well, it needed extra work this morning and some of the ornaments had fallen off, two of them broke actually and... never you mind."

Harry decided that he really didn't want to know, and instead turned to where Remus, Sirius, and Zee were all talking about Umbitch. He listened with half an ear as Sirius explained how they had everything recorded for Richardson, but that it was going to be a long discussion between the board and the Department of Education.

Mr and Mrs Weasley approached Sirius with a grateful smile. "Thank you for bringing my family here. It means a lot."

"No problem, Molly. Did they find the bleeding problem, then?"

Mr Weasley shook his head. "Not exactly. But they've agreed to let me out for an hour or two since it's the holiday. We've tried something else in the meantime."

"Tried what, Arthur?" Mrs Weasley asked curiously.

Mr Weasley shrugged. "Oh, nothing to worry about, Molly, dear."

Mrs Weasley looked as if she was even more worried now than she'd been before. Harry privately though it might be a wise decision to worry, considering Mr Weasley was beaming despite being in pain.

"Arthur, what did you try?"

Mr Weasley looked in the opposite direction, trying to look less guilty. "Erm, well you see, dear, in the Muggle world, they have these marvellous things called 'stitches.'"

Mrs Weasley's eyebrow rose. "Stitches?"

He nodded. "Now look, it sounds dangerous, I know, but… "

"It sounds like someone tried to sew your skin back together. Please tell me that's not true."

Mr Weasley cleared his throat. "Molly, there's this young healer there, who I got to talking to when you went to the cafeteria, and he's Muggleborn. He says this is how the Muggles heal things all the time."

"Arthur, are you telling me that you let that healer stitch up your arm? That's barbaric!"

Mr Weasley blushed. "We thought that it might help close the wound and stop the bleeding, but mostly it's making me really itchy."

Zee grinned, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I got stitches once. They do itch quite a bit."

"When did you get stitches?" Sirius asked her.

"When I was eight. I climbed up onto the roof of the barn to try to bring down this cat, and I fell off. I was lucky and only broke my arm, but I did slice my leg open pretty good. Grandpa flipped out and took me to the clinic as Grandma was away at the time. The doctor stitched me up, put my arm in a sling, and assured him that I would be good as new. Well, Grandma came home a few hours later and fixed me right up in no time, lecturing my grandfather on the barbarity of Muggle medicine," she explained with a chuckle.

Zee stood up and moved over to Mr Weasley. "May I see you arm, Arthur?"

Mr Weasley hesitated, sneaking a look over at his wife, before he nodded.

Zee carefully unhooked the sling and bandages, shaking her head as she eyed the oozing stitches that seemed to melt into his arm. "Stitches are definitely not the right plan here." She vanished them, re-bandaging up his arm with a smile. "Let's wait until they find out what the cause is, shall we?"

Mr Weasley nodded gratefully as Mrs Weasley glared at her husband.

"Arthur, no more Muggle remedies! Promise me!"

Mr Weasley looked sheepish, but he nodded. "Yes, dear."

Sirius picked up his tea cup and leaned down to whisper in Harry's ear. "I think that I can finish up the bike today. I just need a few more hours."

"No one will even notice you missing! Go!" Harry whispered back.

Sirius grinned and slipped out of the living room.

Within half an hour, the Weasleys had hurried off and Harry had kissed Ginny goodbye. He felt sad that he wouldn't see her until the new year, but he knew that they both needed to spend the holidays with their families. He wished everyone a happy Christmas and soon he was alone in the living room with Remus, Tonks, and Zee.

"Where did Sirius go?" Tonks asked.

Harry took a seat in the armchair that Percy had vacated. "He's finishing up his last minute Christmas stuff. He'll be back."

Remus grinned. "Last minute indeed. Does he need any help?"

"If it was from you, I'm sure that he wouldn't mind it."

Remus nodded and headed out to the work shed as Zee looked at Harry.

"What are you boys plotting out there?"

"Nothing," Harry lied. "Uncle Sirius is just really behind on his Christmas wrapping. He asked me to give him a few hours to stall."

Zee still looked suspicious, but nodded.

Harry stood up as well. "I'm going to go help him too. You two will stay in here?"

Tonks smiled. "We'll be here and yes, we promise not to snoop. Spoilsport."

He grinned at her before he hurried outside to help his fathers. The back door slammed behind him as Zee turned to Tonks.

"Sometimes, I can never figure those two out. What do you suppose they're doing out there?"

"Wrapping gifts?" Tonks supplied.

Zee blew her hair out of her eyes. "I suppose. Anyway, you and Remus were late this morning, everything okay?"

Tonks grinned widely, biting her bottom lip. "More than okay. He really liked my new outfit."

"I bet he did," Zee said smugly. "I knew that he'd lose his mind when he saw you in that."

"I set myself up under the tree, and, well, we broke an ornament or two and knocked tons to the ground during our… movements. But this year, at least I remembered to charm the tree to stay in place."

Zee laughed. "You charmed the tree?"

"With a sticking charm," Tonks told her. "Last year we got a little too enthusiastic; when he had me against the wall, we knocked the whole tree over the sofa. There were ornaments everywhere. It was quite the shock — once we noticed it, of course."

Zee grinned. "Once you noticed it? The sex must be good."

Tonks' sly smile lit up her face. "You have no idea."

"My, oh my, you two do live exciting lives," Zee surmised.

"He spanked me and I liked it," she admitted with a blush. Zee wiggled her eyebrows at her and Tonks cleared her throat. "And you? Are you and Sirius back on the horse, so to speak?"

"Yes," Zee said smugly. "But I'm saving that new lingerie I bought until the new year. I figured that I could save it for Little Christmas and give him an extra surprise."

Tonks chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Zee stretched her legs out, resting her feet on the coffee table. "What do you think about Arthur's arm?"

"They'll get it fixed up in no time. They wouldn't have let him come home otherwise."

"I agree, but the sooner the better, I say. Especially with it being Christmas tomorrow, I'd like them to have a good holiday."

"Me too."

"Speaking of, I'd better get started on our dinner. Want to come watch and drink wine?"

Tonks stretched her arms up over her head, stretching so big that her jumper rose up to show off her dangling wolf belly button ring. "You had me at wine."

Zee laughed and the two of them headed into the kitchen.

~ ASC ~

Harry and Remus helped Sirius with the fluids on the bike. The three of them were all in the hot work shed. When Sirius finally added in the new seat and then painted the bike the same deep red as it was before, outlined in chrome, Harry had to admit that it looked amazing.

Remus wiped engine grease off his chin. "I think I even have grease in my hair."

Harry laughed. "The bike looks incredible though. I think you did a great job, Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius nodded, critically examining the bike from all angles. "I think with those potions knocking Zee out so much I got to spend a lot more time out here than I thought. It looks good."

Harry glanced up at the clock. "We've been out here nearly four hours."

Remus was still examining the engine grease on his chest. "How did I get so covered?"

Sirius chuckled. "The mechanic always wonders that." He wiped his brow with a grease rag and smiled. "I think that we all need showers."

"What are you going to do with the bike?" Harry asked him.

"I'll save it out here for tomorrow. Maybe I'll put a bow on it."

Harry agreed that was a good idea, and he couldn't wait to see Zee's face when he gave it to her. To be honest, he couldn't wait to see Sirius' reaction to his new bike, either. There were going to be some fun surprises tomorrow.

Remus snuck out of the work shed to get home and take a quick shower as Harry helped Sirius put all of the tools away. Then the two of them went into the house to shower, themselves.

Harry came downstairs just as Remus stepped through the front door, his hair still a little wet under his toque, but much cleaner. The five of them ate in the kitchen, talking about the holiday and the upcoming trip to Moscow. Tomorrow, they would be going to the Tonks' house in the afternoon and Harry was looking forward to that.

Dobby and Kreacher cleaned up the kitchen and the five of them settled by the fire to drink hot chocolate as Remus pulled out A Christmas Carol. They took turns reading aloud, chapter by chapter, before Remus and Tonks went home. Harry said goodnight, heading up to bed just before midnight.

Despite the rough start to the day, it had turned out to be a fun filled Christmas Eve and he was looking forward to the rest of his holiday.

~ ASC ~

Draco paced nervously in front of the fireplace in his father's study. It was almost midnight, and he was late. His mother had long since gone to bed, but he couldn't settle himself. He'd spent the morning at Norfolk Manor with Theo. Theo'd told him the good news about his estate and about how Ciara's uncle had written him a reference letter, along with Black, Dumbledore, and two of the Weasleys. He was pleased for his friend and had told him as such. He'd brought up Ernie again, but Theo had shut him down.

Draco couldn't understand why Theo wouldn't talk about it. Theo always shared his sexual exploits. He'd learned more about what Theo and Connor had gotten up to in Anguilla than he'd ever wanted to know. He had promised Theo not to tell Blaise about what Potter had seen, but he didn't like keeping it a secret from Blaise. He didn't like not being able to stop it.

He knew that some people liked a little violence with their sex lives. He couldn't spend time at the brothels without understanding that, but he couldn't see Theo as being one of them. He knew that there were supposed to be safeguards with those kinds of things too so that they didn't get out of hand; partners weren't supposed to end up in the hospital wing. But Theo still claimed that he had fallen down the stairs, that Ernie had nothing to do with that.

Draco didn't believe him, and that bothered him as well. He and Theo had never lied to each other before.

He looked at the clock, cursing under his breath. It was five to twelve, where the hell was he?

The fireplace lit up at that moment and Draco turned in time to see his father step out of the green flames. Lucius dusted himself off just as Draco threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly, and surprising them both. Lucius wrapped his arms around his son, holding him a moment before he pulled back to look him over.

"Your mother?"

"She went to bed. She was tired. You were supposed to be here at six!"

Lucius nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. The Dark Lord wanted us to celebrate the festivities and I couldn't get away. Are you all right?"

Draco shrugged, moving away from him to lean against the desk. "What's happening with the Dark Lord?"

Lucius stared at his son for a long moment. "Father wants us to have a big new year's party, and the Dark Lord will be our guest of honour. He's set to arrive just before ten. We need to all be ready for him. You need to be ready to meet him."

Draco swallowed, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He was afraid to admit aloud how terrified he was of this exact thing. "Is he going to ask me to join?"

"No," Lucius said, sharply. "You're too young. He just wants to meet you."

"Signora Zabini wants Blaise to join."

"Zabini is a dangerous woman and she always has been. I don't really know how loyal she is to the Dark Lord."

Draco's eyebrow rose. "She seemed pretty loyal to me when she came to see Blaise and insisted that he show the Dark Lord respect."

Lucius nodded. "Like I said, she's a dangerous woman. She knows what she wants, and she respects and honours the Dark Lord to a great extent, but she has her own way of doing things. Where's Theo?"

"At Norfolk."

"Why isn't he here?"

Draco shrugged. "He didn't want to be. He doesn't want to meet the Dark Lord a second time, and he has a lot going on. He's legally challenging Uncle Thad for the title of Norfolk."

"Your mother mentioned that. By some miracle, Thaddeus thinks it's a brilliant move. He believes that it will allow him the freedom he needs to move around more, but I don't think he truly sees his son the way that we do. Theodore plans to cut him out, does he not?"

"I think so," Draco admitted. "He hasn't said the words aloud, but I think that's his plan."

"Good for him," Lucius said, taking a seat in the chair behind his desk. "Thankfully, Thad still isn't up for travel anyway. He was part of the group who attacked Zacarias. The Dark Lord detained and punished them for weeks."

"Punished?"

"Tortured," Lucius said, his eyes on his son. "You don't fail him and get away with it."

Draco nodded. He understood that. "Have you been seeing Mother?"

"Not enough," he admitted. "Father doesn't let me come home as much as I'd like, and I don't want your mother to get in trouble either. The last time I was here there was a random spot check by the Aurors, and I only just escaped in time. We both have to be cautious."

"But you'll stay, for Christmas morning?"

Lucius smiled. "I will. And you? Things are going well in school?"

"As well as they can be," he told him. "I'm worried about Theo, but he insists he's fine. I broke up with Ophelia."

"I suspected you would. Why are you worried about Theo?"

"He says that he needs help with Norfolk and with the estate and that he has no one to talk to. You're not around, and I think I forgot how much he depends on you, too."

Lucius frowned. "I didn't mean to abandon you boys, you know that."

"We know, Father."

Lucius stood up, putting his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing lightly. "Tell Theo if he sends a letter with one of his elves, I will help him with whatever he needs in regards to the estate — including how to remove Thaddeus entirely, if he so wishes. In the meantime, it's late. Get up to bed, and I'm going to do the same. We'll talk more in the morning about what to expect when the Dark Lord visits at the end of the week."

Draco nodded and let his father lead him from the room, but for the first time in longer than he could remember, the sight of his father did nothing to reassure him.

~ ASC ~

Ginny was sitting in the living room by the fire, a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hand when she felt the cushion move next to her. She smiled at Bill as he put his feet up on the coffee table.

"It's late, Firecracker; what are you still doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "You should be exhausted. Mum said that you showed up to the hospital at two thirty this morning to see Dad. It's almost midnight."

She nodded, sipping her hot chocolate. "I know. I'm just thinking about Dad and what could have happened and what did happen. Sometimes I forget that there is a war brewing, and I guess this just made it hit closer to home."

Bill wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, it did." He kissed the top of her head. "But Dad's going to be just fine. Mum took him back to the hospital this evening when they sent word, and his arm is all healed. Tomorrow is Christmas and we're going to enjoy it as a family. Charlie is even supposed to arrive in the morning, remember?"

"I know," she said with a smile. "I'm glad that you decided to spend the night."

"I think Mum and Dad could use the extra set of eyes tonight," he admitted. "They both need rest and Mum feels better knowing her children are all under one roof."

Ginny knew that was true. "Can we add one more to the list under our roof?"

Bill looked at her quizzically. "Who?"

"Theo's spending Christmas alone."

"Why? I thought that he usually spent his holidays with the Malfoys."

"Normally, but this year he said that he's not going. Just the thought of him all alone in his home breaks my heart, Bill. No one should wake up alone on Christmas morning."

Bill smiled at her. "Get dressed and get your cloak."

Her eyes widened. "But it's after midnight."

"Do I have to say it again?"

Ginny hurried upstairs to do just that. She met her brother outside five minutes later. "I don't know where his home is."

Bill smiled. "I do. Norfolk Manor is pretty famous, Ginny. Hold on."

She gripped his arm tightly as he Apparated them away. Moments later, they appeared in the village of Fakenham near East Barsham in the county of Norfolk. She held her brother's arm as they headed up the path of the massive estate. The fancy brickwork of the ten chimney two-storey estate rose up above the trees and she stared at it in awe. It was practically a mini castle.

They stopped at the front gates and Bill tapped his wand on the front. It was only a few moments before a tiny house elf came out dressed in a tiny maid uniform.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Bill and Ginny Weasley. We're here to see Theo."

The elf nodded and ordered them to wait there.

Ginny shivered in the cold. "I can't believe that he lives here!"

"The Notts are one of the richest families in the magical world. Norfolk Manor was often used for Ministry balls due to the sheer size of it. They even hosted Muggle royalty here a few centuries ago."

Ginny's eyes widened as the massive iron gates opened. The elf led them along the path through the large gatehouse tower (a home in itself) before up the drive to the large front doors.

"This way, Miss, Sir."

Ginny stared around the enormous entrance hall: The marble and stone, the high ceilings. The walls were covered in paintings and large carpets adorned the stone floor as the elf led them to the right through the hall, through a sitting room, and into the library.

Theo was sitting by the fire in his pyjamas, eyes searching theirs in confusion. "What are you two doing here? It's the middle of the night. Are you all right? Did something happen?"

He greeted Ginny with a warm hug and she hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"Nice place to lay your head, Theo," Bill said, looking around at the tall shelves full of books.

Theo grinned. "The house needs a great deal of repair, but I'll take care of that once I'm marquess. What are you two doing here? It's almost one in the morning. Are you okay?"

Ginny took his hands in hers. "It's Christmas, Theo. Come home with us."

Theo smiled at her. "Ginny, I told you — I'm fine. I'm spending Christmas here."

Bill raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the tree in the corner. "And it looks lovely, but we have a full house of people who would like to spend Christmas with you."

"I appreciate that, really —"

"— No!" Ginny said sharply. "I refuse to go home without you! Please, Theo, I don't want you to spend Christmas all alone."

"Master Theo," a small voice said from behind them. "We don't want you to stay here alone for Christmas, either."

"Kiki," he said, kindly. "I'm fine."

Ginny grinned at him. "Even your elves agree. Come home with us."

Theo smiled at them, relief coursing through him. As much as he had enjoyed his solitude of the last week, he didn't really want to be alone. "Let me just pack a bag."

Ginny beamed, hugging him tightly. "Can I come with you? I'd love a tour of this place."

Theo hooked his arm through hers, smiling at Bill. "Anything for the woman who convinced her brother and mother to write me incredible reference letters."

"Didn't have to convince us," Bill told him. "We were happy to do it. Now lead the way, some of us are excited to see this place."

"And then we're going home to spend Christmas with our family," Ginny said, kissing his cheek.

Theo couldn't help but smile, the idea incredibly appealing. He had a feeling this was going to be one of the best Christmases of his life, and he couldn't wait.

---

End Author's Notes:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" by Elvis Presley nor to "Octopus' Garden" by the Beatles.

(Italian) mio tesoro = my darling

Wolf Characters I have mentioned:
Adrian Roberts (Alpha of Southwestern England) — original character
Echo Simpson (Alpha of Northwestern England) — original character
Daimon Adams (Alpha of Southeastern in England) — original character
Rune (Alpha of Northeastern in England) — original character
Ethan Simpson (son of Echo) — original character
Maia Roberts (wife of Adrian) — original character
Hawk Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia) — original character
Emily Roberts (daughter-in-law of Adrian & Maia) — original character
Nikita Roberts (granddaughter of Adrian & Maia) — original character
Odin Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia) — original character
Rafe Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia) — original character
Clara Roberts (deceased - murdered by Voldemort in first war) — original character
Conan (Alpha of werewolf pack in Norway) — original character
Volk (Alpha of largest werewolf pack in Europe controlling wolves from Berlin, Sweden, Scotland) — original character
Ivory (daughter of Volk) — original character
Cami (daughter of Conan) — original character
Romeo (second-in-command to Echo) — original character
Summer (wolf in Echo's pack) — original character

Hope this helps! Thanks as always and please review :D

PS — Posted more photos of Norfolk manor on my tumblr - breaniebree!

Thank you for reading and please review!