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.

215. The One Where George Gets the Girl

Author's Note:

Thanks to Steel for helping me with the name.

Thanks to Saz — it was her idea, and I fell in love with it. I just hope that I did it justice.

This is a bit of a smutty chapter. A lot of smut, actually. *shrugs, tries to look embarrassed, smiles instead.*

To answer some reviews: Yes, Fred is always looking out for his twin — they look out for each other. I like to think all of the Weasleys do. To speedsONEandONLY: I absolutely love that Feo means faithful in Spanish (I don't speak Spanish so I will take your word on that), it gives so much more meaning to a potential ship name, I think. And as to Remus' heightened senses, yes, he will be able to tell when she is pregnant (no, she is not pregnant — yet). To Wolf's scream: George is dense and taking a page of denial out of the same book that Ron is reading.

Lately, I've had some really great questions on my tumblr so I wanted to supply some of the answers here, in case anyone had similar questions. They will be in my end author's note for anyone interested who does not follow my tumblr or who is just curious. To those who just want to get on with the story, disregard.

I mentioned this a few chapters ago and now it is a thing so I wanted to explain it more, because again, my interest in it, and second, because I thought it would be more fascinating that way!

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her great editing skills.

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 FIFTEEN:

The next morning, Neville nudged Harry on the shoulder. Harry turned to look at the paper in his friend's hands.

"They finally found a replacement for Azkaban."

Interested, Harry took the paper from Neville to read the article.

NEW PRISON FINALLY IN PLACE BY THE MINISTRY

After the two breakouts from Azkaban over the last three years, the last one having destroyed half of the building, the Ministry of Magic has decided that a new prison system needed to be implemented.

The fortress of Azkaban (and the use of Dementors) has been a constant battle within the Ministry of Magic almost since its implementation by Minister Damocles Rowle back in 1718. Rowle insisted on using Azkaban instead of building a wizarding prison on some remote Hebridean island as the Aurors originally wanted. Rowle claimed that it was a better idea to put the Dementors to work as guards and to use them as assets to the Ministry, which would save expense, time, and lives. It wasn't long after before light was shed on the prison conditions. Minister Eldritch Diggory was horrified by the conditions of Azkaban when he visited a decade or so later and he formed a committee determined to find an alternative solution, claiming that using the Dementors was inhumane. However, he was met with opposition, as others feared the Dementors would invade the mainland looking for a food source if Azkaban was taken away from them. All decisions to change the prison were dropped after Diggory died of Dragon Pox.

Now, with You Know Who controlling the creatures who are supposed to be guarding our criminals, Azkaban doesn't seem like such a safe place anymore. Old plans have been renewed and combined with new ideas and new plans to build an all-purpose Ministry-sanctioned wizarding prison — one fit to house criminals who need to be safely locked away from the population. With two breakouts and the loss of the guards, a new prison seems to be in order.

"It was high past time for an overhaul," Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt told the Daily Prophet. "Minister Bones has agreed that using the Dementors isn't a wise decision and Azkaban is no longer our main choice for a prison, though the fortress in the middle of the sea is still being used by the Auror Department for the time being as a temporary holding cell."

The new prison has been built and designed by Magiarchitects Jason Rhone and Madeline Gray. It spans nine levels underground within the London Catacombs. The prison itself is loosely modelled after the Italian poet Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. Each level will be delegated to a specific crime, with the ninth level holding the most nefarious and vicious of crimes.

"Without the Dementors, we've had to come up with a different sort of security," Gray explained. "Each level is equipped with its own security and warding. Rhone and I worked with both the Security Department and Gringotts Curse Breakers to make sure that this prison is better than secure. The new fortress is just that, a fortress, and I can promise you this — no one is getting in or out unless the Ministry allows it."

Minister Bones assures the Prophet that the Crypt of Azkaban, as it is being called, is a secure and safe place to keep criminals away from the populace during sentencing. The prisoners who have been in holding in the Ministry of Magic jail cells will be moved to their new home by the end of the week. Since the name Azkaban has been associated with the prison here in Britain for over two centuries now, it's been carried over to the catacomb prison.

The Ministry is looking to hire prison guards. For anyone interested, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where they will explain prerequisites.

Harry put the paper down and nodded at Neville. "Sounds like the Ministry has finally got their shit in order."

"An underground prison though?" Neville said. "That sounds… ominous almost? Imagine being imprisoned so far under the ground. It sounds way worse than Azkaban, well, minus the Dementors, of course."

Harry had to agree with that. "The catacombs are definitely an interesting find. I think Ginny mentioned that Bill was doing something in them months ago, maybe he was helping design the new prison security."

Neville shrugged. "I think it sounds kind of cool."

Harry looked up when Hermione plopped into the seat next to him. "Good morning, Hermione."

"Hi, Harry," she said, reaching for an apple. "Anything interesting in there?"

"New prison," Neville answered.

Hermione accepted the paper to read the article as Harry grabbed a slice of bacon. "I think it's about time they did something to change the penitentiary system. It looks like they have their ducks lined up in a row."

"Agreed," Harry replied.

"And it's based on Dante's Nine Circles of Hell, that's interesting. Was he a wizard?" Hermione asked.

"Yup," Neville said. "I assume it's just the concept though, I mean, wasn't his work rather dark?"

"Entirely," Hermione said, putting the paper down. "According to Dante, the nine circles were each given a separate punishment based on their crimes. He based them on what he considered to be the worst crimes. The first circle was considered limbo and was for pagans, which is why I'm surprised to learn that he was a wizard. He considered anyone non-Christian and unbaptized to be an abomination."

"That was the version published for Muggles," Neville told her.

Harry nodded. "In the version released in the magical world, limbo was for Muggles and Muggleborns where he thought they deserved to be punished for all of eternity in an inferior form of Heaven. His idea was that they should suffer because of what they lacked, but since they didn't really do anything wrong, they can just live in this limbo. What was the second one?"

"Lust," Hermione replied, looking over at Ron as he sat across from them. "Anyone overcome with lustful feelings was punished by strong winds that would blow them all over the place for all of eternity."

"Third was Gluttony," Neville said, surprising them. "Gran used to like that. She used to tell me that gluttons were punished by being forced to live in a Cerberus-guarded room of constant, icy rain. It was why I had to eat my vegetables and not be a glutton for chocolate."

Harry smirked. "Harsh."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, spreading jam on his bread. "Dante?"

"You know it?" Hermione asked him in surprise.

Ron nodded. "Don't be so shocked. Dad used to use it as a life lesson. The Greedy are fourth in the circle of hell. Dad used to say that there are two kinds of greedy people; those who hoard possessions and those who lavishly spend their money on possessions. The first are punished by jousting matches where they have to push large weights with their chests to symbolize their selfish drive for fortune and fame and the latter have to drag heavy weights and boulders around with their chests for all of eternity to symbolize that money doesn't grow on trees and only those who spend it wisely will have lives worth living. It was his favourite story whenever one of us asked for something that Mum and Dad couldn't provide."

"You can't buy love," Ginny said, nipping a piece of bacon from her boyfriend's plate. "Why are we talking about Dante's Inferno?"

Harry kissed her cheek. "The Ministry of Magic has a new prison built in the London Catacombs and apparently it is loosely based on Dante's Nine Circles of Hell."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"The Prophet says: 'Each level will be delegated to a specific crime, the ninth level holding the most nefarious and vicious of crimes,' but we were just saying that I don't think it will follow the exact same guidelines," Hermione replied.

Ginny nodded as she munched on the bacon, snagging a second piece from Harry's plate. "I agree with that because isn't the fifth circle a representation of anger? It claims that those who are wrathful and sullen will be punished by drowning for all of eternity inside of the River Styx."

"Yeah, I don't think they plan on drowning people," Neville said. "And six is for heretics and that's hardly a terrible crime in today's society. Dante claimed heretics were to be encased inside a flaming tomb."

"Seven is for violence," Harry said, trying to remember his studies with Remus from years ago. "The seventh circle had three inner circles within it, if I remember correctly?"

Ginny reached for another piece of bacon and Harry's lips brushed her hand as he bit the bacon, making her laugh. "Share, Harry."

He broke the piece off in his hand and handed it to her, "I am. I know better than to not feed a Weasley."

Ginny kissed him softly as Hermione chuckled at them.

"As I was saying, Ginny is right. The seventh circle had three inner circles within it. The Outer Ring was for murderers where they were chased and torn to pieces by wild dogs; the Middle Ring was for suicides, transfigured into trees and fed upon by harpies; and the Inner Ring was for blasphemers who were punished by a desert of burning sand and burning rain. Interesting that those two crimes are comparable to homicide."

Ginny frowned. "It's actually a little disgusting that murder wasn't the worst thing at one time."

Harry had to agree. "Especially that it was only ranked seventh. What's eight?"

"Fraud," Ron said as he swallowed his toast. "I remember this one was broken up as well into some pretty awful things."

"Horror-like," Neville said.

Hermione answered. "There were ten sections or ditches that they called bolgias, and bridges divided them. The first was for panderers and seducers who were forced to march single file around the circumference of their circle while being constantly lashed by horned demons. The second was for those who used excessive flattery and who immersed forever in a river of human excrement. The third was for Simoniacs who were turned upside down in large baptismal fonts cut into the rock and their feet were set on fire by oil flames. The fourth was for those who followed divination and their necks were twisted backward to walk backwards in a circle never seeing a beginning or an end."

Ron goggled at her as she continued to tick them off her fingers.

"The fifth was for blackmailers and they were thrown into a river of boiling tar guarded by demons with grappling hooks to tear them to pieces. The sixth was for hypocrites and they were forced to wear robes made of heavy lead and walk around forever. The seventh was for thieves who were thrown into a pit full of serpents, dragons, and vengeful reptiles to be bitten and torn apart for all of eternity. The eighth was for deceivers and they were continuously burnt alive. The ninth was for those who caused scandals or schisms and were forced to be brutally disfigured and disemboweled over and over again while carrying their own severed head. And ten was for falsifiers who were were punished by diseases like rashes, consumption, leprosy, etc. The entire boligias were said to be guarded by giants to prevent escape."

"How the hell do you remember all of that, Hermione?" Ron asked her. "You just know it" — he said as he snapped his fingers — "like that!"

Hermione shrugged. "I have a photographic memory."

"No wonder she rarely forgets anything," Neville whispered, making Harry grin.

"Which is why I think they must be designing the prison differently as the ninth circle is for treachery and I hardly think that's the worst crime someone can commit," Hermione continued.

"Treachery… frozen within an icy lake for all of eternity," Ginny said, making Hermione smile.

"Exactly, but Dante took it a step further and divided the lake into four sections," Hermione explained. "The first was named for Cain for killing his own brother, those were frozen at the feet. The second was named for Antenor, Priam's counsellor during the Trojan War, they were frozen to the waist. The third was for Ptolemy, who held a banquet for his father-in-law and his sons and had them murdered, they are frozen to the neck. The last is for Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus of Nazareth, they are submerged completely in ice and are said to be alive and aware the entire time."

"It's quite gruesome really," Ron said with relish. "Do you think each circle will have a punishment similar?"

Harry shook his head. "No way! That would only make the Ministry as bad as Voldemort. But I hope that the ninth circle is reserved for murderers and dark wizards rather than for treacherous people."

"What about for people like Ernie?" Ginny asked. "He's a rapist and a blackmailer."

Hermione nodded. "I imagine that he will be put into a cell on the level for which he's sentenced for the longest crime. That would make the most sense to me."

Ginny huffed. "I wouldn't be too upset if he was forced to drown in human excrement."

Harry snorted. "You'd enjoy the idea of it for a moment, but then you'd feel guilty."

Ginny gave him a look. "Only a little."

Neville and Ron laughed as they finished up their breakfast.

"I'll write to Tonks," Harry told them. "She might know more. I'm just glad that they have something lined up as Azkaban and the Dementors was not a foolproof plan. This sounds much more serious and much easier to maintain control over."

"And less of a chance of someone stealing all of the guards and leaving the prison defenceless," Ron added.

Harry had to agree with that. He just wondered what else the Ministry was doing to make it safe and if they had used the curse breakers for more than just the exploration of the catacombs. It definitely gave him a bit to think about.

~ ASC ~

George was sitting in his flat thinking about what his brother had said the other day. It was their eighteenth birthday in five days and he suddenly felt ancient at the thought of it. He took a long shower and felt slightly better as he used a towel to wipe steam from the mirror. He ran a hand over the rough stubble on his face and voted to go another day before he shaved; he wrapped the towel around his waist and padded into the kitchen to look for a drink of Firewhiskey. He needed something to take the edge off.

The knock on the door startled him.

He looked outside the window to see who was ringing and his eyes widened when he recognized the long dark hair. George waved his wand to let her up, quickly putting the Firewhiskey down and glancing around the flat. It looked all right, he thought, nothing out of the ordinary. Then he remembered that he was only wearing a towel.

George ran into his room to change and emerged in pyjama pants with a tee shirt, being the closest cleanest things that he could find, and then he opened the door.

Angelina stood there in a blue spring dress, smiling brightly. "Hi, George. Fred snuck into the castle for an early birthday celebration, but he said that you were feeling under the weather?"

"Er, yeah, and I guess I didn't feel much like celebrating."

She continued to smile at him for a moment before she raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that's fair. Are you going to let me in?"

George quickly moved out of the way to let her inside. Once the door was closed behind her, she spun around to look at him, her fingers enclosed around the necklace at her throat.

"Why did you send me this?"

"Well, the note said..."

"I know what the note said," Angelina told him cooly. "I'm perfectly capable of reading."

"I know that. I made it."

Angelina stared at him before she let go of the necklace so that the bright blue crystal nestled between her dark breasts. "It's beautiful. But you didn't answer my question."

"Er... well… we're making them for Katie and Alicia too, I just… finished yours first."

"Oh," she said, looking hurt for a moment before she masked it. "I thought — so that's why you sent it through Ginny… I — never-mind. Do you need anything, if you're sick? Want me to make you soup or something?"

"No, no, I — er, I'm fine. How did you get here?"

She smiled. "You taught me a few tricks or two about sneaking out of the castle."

"Oh, right."

Angelina nodded. They stared at each other for a moment before she let out a slow breath. "Okay, I guess I'll go then."

She turned to the door before she stopped and spun around to look at him.

"No! No, I won't leave until you're honest with me. What did you mean by giving me this crystal?

"I told you, it's supposed to give warmth when someone is thinking about you?"

"Someone?"

He swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. "Me."

Angelina stared at him. "It's been warm almost constantly since I put it around my neck. Are you saying that you think about me a lot?"

"Angelina… I miss seeing you every day. I think about kissing you more than a friend should, and I guess maybe I hoped that if I sent you that, you would consider giving a bloke a chance?" George said, his words tumbling out quicker than he expected them to.

Angelina stared at him for a long moment, her fingers wrapping around the crystal around her neck. "I gave you a chance, George. I gave you a chance over a year ago when we want to the Yule Ball together — and don't even try to tell me that it was Fred! I know he asked me and I know that you're the one who escorted me. It was you I danced the night away with. It was you who I kissed under the stars, not Fred, and then you had the nerve to lie to me about it! You never asked me out. You never did anything about it!"

"Angie —"

She held her hand up to stop him. "You left, George. You flew off into the sunset like some bloody hero and you know what, good for you! I'm happy for you and for Fred. I'm so proud of what the two of you have accomplished. I always said that you would be successful and so far you're proving me right. But now you're here, and I'm there, and if my tryout goes as I hope it will next week, I'll be off playing professional Quidditch come the summer."

George nodded. "Angelina... I'm an arse and a coward when it comes to you. I just... please… don't say never."

She only stared at him. "I won't say never, George, but right now, you haven't given me a reason to say yes."

He watched her walk away, and his heart clenched in his chest. And he knew at that moment, with sudden, glaring clarity, exactly how to give her a reason — and he was going to do everything in his power to make her say yes.

George wasn't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.

~ ASC ~

"So I still have this one lovely biscuit left," Sirius said as Zee snuggled into his arms on the sofa that afternoon. Zee had gotten a rare day off and Sirius had decided to stay home and spend it with her.

Neither of them had anything particular in mind to do that day and had voted to slip downstairs and veg on the sofa after breakfast. It would be Easter the upcoming weekend and Sirius knew that Zee was just as excited for Harry to come home as he was. Though he kept thinking about the engagement ring that he had locked in the vault upstairs.

But Sirius had something else in mind for this particular day.

Zee tilted her head to look over at him. "You do, huh?"

"I do. My fantasy fulfilled…"

Zee's tongue darted out to touch her bottom lip. "Ah, I did wonder about that one."

Sirius' hand crept up her thigh to rest on her hip. It was the only biscuit he had left.

They'd covered table sex and shower sex the first day. Zee had done a sexy striptease dance for him in Barbados that had ended in the lap dance. They'd shagged on the beach, covering the outside shag. He'd received the blow job biscuit in Barbados as well. They'd done anal the night they'd returned. The public hand job had been at the last Order meeting when Zee had gotten him off right there in the kitchen while Moody was explaining the attempt to get the prophecy down by magical means. Sirius was positive that Moody's magical eye had been well aware of what was happening, but thankfully the old Auror hadn't said a word as Sirius had tried not to make a sound as his woman got him off under the table.

They'd had sex somewhere they shouldn't by doing it in the training quarters for the Terra Troops (Sirius couldn't believe that no one had walked in on them). The 'do anything you want biscuit' had been Sirius' decision to sixty-nine in bed. The rim job had been the most pleasant surprise, especially when Zee had basically shagged his arse with her tongue as he'd cried out in pleasure. He'd really liked that, surprising them both enough that they'd done it a second time the next night where he'd tried it on her. Which left only one biscuit left — Fantasy Fulfilled.

"Are we talking full on fantasy, where absolutely anything goes?" Sirius asked her.

Zee turned to straddle him, her eyes on his. "Absolutely anything you want me to do to you or that you want to do to me, goes."

The back of his neck flushed and he grinned. "I have one... I've been imagining doing it to you for years."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "Really?"

Sirius nipped at her mouth. "It may have also been the fantasy that I find myself wanking to when you're out of town."

"Mmm, well, now I'm really intrigued."

"It involves my Bonneville."

"Of course it does."

"And you completely naked on it," he added.

The next words out of his mouth made both her eyebrows rise and she gasped at the sudden spark of desire as she imagined it.

"Sirius, I don't think that's anatomically possible."

Sirius' tongue trailed over her jaw to her ear and he gently sucked on the lobe. "I dare you."

The laugh that erupted from her made him grin.

"Is that a yes?"

Zee leaned in and kissed him softly. "It's a fuck yes."

"One more thing."

"Oh?"

"Not in the work shed."

Zee stared at him. "You mean…"

"I want you riding me and that bike outside in the sunlight as it vibrates beneath us."

Zee's breath hitched and she kissed him again. "I'm up for the challenge, are you?"

Sirius tugged one of her curls. "Baby, I was born ready."

She grinned and stood up, holding her hand out to him. "I guess you better eat that biscuit then."

He let his eyes rake over her before finding her gaze as turbulent as he felt. "Race you to the bike."

Zee made a run for it as he hopped off the couch, both of them laughing as they ran outside and crashed through the door of the shed. Sirius pinned her against the wall to kiss her deeply, his hand slipping up his old Queen tee shirt to cup her breasts. He had definite plans for this fantasy, and he couldn't wait to give it a try.

~ ASC ~

George stepped into Dumbledore's office the next evening, nodding at McGonagall who was standing next to the Headmaster.

"Good day, Mr Weasley."

"Good day," he said, taking a seat when they gestured him too.

Dumbledore lifted an eyebrow. "I was surprised when I received your owl. You and your brother flew out of here, leaving quite the show behind for Madam Umbridge in January."

"We did, Sir, and I don't regret that. Not for a moment."

"Then why do you want to come back?" McGonagall asked him. "You and Fred have started quite the business, and from what Sirius has told me about the orders the Ministry has made, you're doing extremely well for yourselves. NEWTs are not something you will require in your future endeavours as businessmen."

George nodded. "I'm aware of that, Professor. But... I want to write them. I want to finish out my year here and help Fred on the weekends."

Dumbledore stared at him, his two index fingers tapping together as he looked pensive. "You understand that if we were to let you return, you would be responsible for catching up on all of the work you've missed if you were to finish the year with your fellow classmates. This includes any papers or assignments that your professors have asked for."

"Yes."

"And that there will be no allowances for mysterious mystical swamps to be dropped in corridors?"

"Yes," he said, smirking slightly. "That was actually Fred." And Ginny, he thought with a grin.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "It's not unheard of, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes on George for a moment. "You may return to write your exams and finish out the year. But as I said, let's keep the troublemaking down to a minimum."

"Three pranks a week?" George asked hopefully. McGonagall's eyes narrowed and he grinned sheepishly. "Kidding."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You may have the evening to do as you wish and to get your belongings. I expect you in class first thing tomorrow. You will meet with each professor after class to set up a time to speak with them about what you missed. If you have any concerns, Professor McGonagall will assist you."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

"Welcome back, Mr Weasley."

George couldn't help but grin at those words. He had big plans for his return.

It took him an hour to pack his trunk and to break the news to his brother who actually seemed dumbstruck.

"You're going back? Why?"

"It's just something that I have to do."

Fred looked like he wanted to protest, but he shut his mouth. His twin knew him better than anyone and Fred understood his reasons, even if he didn't necessarily agree with him.

"I'll be back every Saturday afternoon to help out and Sundays if needed."

Fred nodded and hugged him. "You lovesick fool. Now you have to spend your eighteenth birthday in class."

George had grinned in response.

He settled himself back in his old dormitory as Lee filled him in on what he'd missed and then he headed down to the common room. He hugged his sister and smiled at Katie before his eyes scanned for her. He didn't see her so he headed out to her favourite study spot — an abandoned classroom on the seventh floor. Sure enough, her books were spread around her at the large table.

"Hey, Angelina."

Her head shot up when he spoke and she turned slowly. "What…? You're sneaking into Hogwarts now?"

George strolled into the room, took her hands and pulled her to her feet. "No, I'm giving you a reason to say yes."

Angelina stared at him. "I don't... what are you doing here?"

"I'm a student again," he said.

Her eyes widened. "A student? You..." She goggled at him. "You're back?"

"To spend every moment with you while we finish our year together." He reached out to tug lightly on her long ponytail. "I came back for you, Ang. Say yes."

Angelina stared at him for a moment before she threw her arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss him and he melted into her, sighing against her lips. She smiled when she pulled away to look at him.

"Yes."

And then she was kissing him again and George knew that he had never made a better decision in his life.

~ ASC ~

Harry merely wrapped an arm around his girlfriend when she sat in his lap that evening.

"So, why is your brother here?"

"Which brother?" Ginny asked, her eyes twinkling.

Harry gave her a pointed look. "You know which brother. One of the twins."

"George."

"Sure," Harry said. He still had trouble telling them apart without talking to them first.

"He's come back to finish his year."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why? That was epic the way the two of them just flew off on their brooms, leaving everything behind like that! Why would he come back?"

Ginny kissed Harry's nose. "For love."

"Huh?"

Ginny smiled. "Because he's head over heels for Angelina and by coming back to school, he's showing her that. He's making a grand gesture, for her. She's the only reason he came back. George doesn't care about final exams or coming back to finish the school work, he cares about Angelina."

"Does she know?"

Ginny pat his cheek gently. "You're such a clueless man. She will."

"I take offence to that."

Ginny brushed her lips gently across his. "I'll make it up to you."

"Oh yeah?" he replied, eyes on hers.

"You two are getting a tad revolting," Neville said, moving to sit in the chair across from Harry. "Happy that you're together and love you both, but get a room."

Harry grinned. "We can definitely do that."

Ginny turned in his lap so that she was leaning against his chest. "I won't apologize. I like kissing him too much."

Neville chuckled. "I suspected that on my own, thanks."

Ginny nuzzled into Harry's neck. "I have homework to do anyway."

Harry gripped her hips tightly when she attempted to stand up. "No, stay with me."

Ginny laughed, turning her head to kiss him softly. "Love you, bye."

Harry pouted a little as he watched her hurry over to Colin; Neville laughed.

"You are allowed to be separate from each other."

"I know," Harry said, grinning at him. "Besides, we're going on a date on Saturday."

"I can't believe that you're going to sneak into Hogsmeade!" Neville whispered, his voice aghast.

Harry chuckled. "Ginny wants to get a feel for Finn and well, this was her idea."

"What am I supposed to tell Hermione when she asks where you are?"

"That you don't know works for starters," Harry told him.

He loved Hermione, but he knew that if she found out he was sneaking into the village, she would most definitely lose her mind. Hermione was a rule breaker when it worked for her, he thought, but strangely strict at the same time.

Neville let out a slow breath. "Bring me back a butterbeer."

"Deal," Harry said.

~ ASC ~

Remus looked up from his desk when the Floo lit up and grinned at his friend. "Sirius, this is a pleasant surprise."

Sirius dusted himself off, moving to sit in the empty desk chair and propping his boots up on his friend's desk. "How's it going, Moony?"

Remus raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. "What did you do?"

Sirius chuckled. "Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because it's usually true."

He laughed. "All right, fair point, but in this case, I did nothing. I just came by to say hi. I'm feeling jittery."

Remus stared at his friend. "Jittery?"

He nodded. "I'll explain later. Right now, I'm keeping it close to the heart. You and Tonks still coming by on Saturday?"

"Yes. Harry's coming home, where else would we be?"

"Right, right," Sirius said, wiping his palms on his jeans.

"Padfoot, what's up with you?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, it can wait. I… it's a surprise. I'lll explain later. What'cha doing?"

"Marking second year papers on Cornish pixies."

"How boring," Sirius told him.

Remus grinned, still watching his friend carefully. "A little bit, I will say. How was Barbados? Did you and Zee have a great time?"

"Incredible time. We needed it. You and Tonks should go away soon, just the two of you. Use Potter's Paradise as well. It was isolated and we were alone with the hot weather and the beautiful beach. It's been much too long since we've had a weekend for sex and fun."

"Been much too long since I've had a weekend of sex myself," Remus admitted.

Sirius grinned. "Things not staying good with the missus?"

"If Nymphadora hears you call her the missus, I won't save you."

Sirius chuckled. "Zee and I had a great time. We explored the island and each other. She gave me those naughty sex biscuits for Valentine's Day and we were still using them up."

"Using them up, indeed, I thought Moody was going to have a coronary at the Order meeting. I couldn't figure out why his eye was twitching so badly until you knocked over your glass of wine. You know that he can see through solid wood, right?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Hey, her hands found my cock all on their own accord. Besides, didn't Tonks blow you under your desk with McGonagall standing right in the doorway?"

Remus flushed. "Just the once."

He laughed. "Well, this was just the once, too. Though, I wouldn't mind if there happened to be a repeat performance. My woman's got wicked hands, though she's even better with her mouth. She rimmed me, Rem. Must say, that was new for me, and fuck me, I liked it."

Remus crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are we sharing sex stories now? Did we go back to being teenagers?"

Sirius ignored him. "I'm just saying, I never really thought I would like something like that."

"Nymphadora uses her tongue quite well herself," Remus told him.

"So, you've had a tongue up the bum before then?"

Remus flushed a bit. "Merlin, Sirius, are we really talking about this?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm curious. I mean, fuck me, Zee's mouth is wrapped around my cock at least once a week, but this was new, and fuck, she's good at everything."

"Part of the reason, you love her, isn't it?"

"One of many," he said with a smile. "But yeah, incredible sex is part of that."

"Look, Dora and I… yes, the sex is stupendous, and we've done quite a lot of naughty things, including a tongue in the bum, me and her. I love going down on her more than I like to do anything else and if I could spend fifty years with my tongue on and around her clit, I'd be a happy man."

"And with her mouth on your cock."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Just because my wife doesn't blow me as often as Zee does you, doesn't mean that I'm not a happy man, Padfoot. Plus, blow jobs are harder for her — huge cock, remember?"

Sirius gave him a rude hand gesture. "Bragging is rude."

"And what the fuck are you doing, eh?"

Sirius grinned at him. "I miss you, Moony."

Remus sighed. "Come to the cottage after five and we'll have a pint. Talk about something other than our cocks, maybe."

Sirius chuckled as he stood up. "Where's the fun in that? I'll see you later for that pint."

Remus watched him go and he shook his head. His best friend was a man of mystery and sometimes he couldn't quite figure him out. He checked his watch and grinned, but the talk had made him want something else. If he could time it right, his wife should be on her own lunch break right about now. He put his notes away and slipped into the fireplace to head to the Ministry.

He found his wife sitting in her cubicle ten minutes later, a half eaten sandwich on her desk, a quill behind her ear, and parchment spread everywhere. He ducked his head down to kiss her cheek and her eyes lit up.

"Hi!"

Remus kissed her cheek. "Bad time?"

She shook her head. "No, everyone is at some big head honcho conference meeting for the next thirty minutes or so. Higgins and I are trying to sneak our lunch in."

"Good," he said with a smile. "Take a quick break with me. Let's go for a walk."

Tonks raised her eyebrow, but nodded. She told Higgins she'd be back in fifteen before she let Remus lead her out of the office.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," he told her, tugging her into the empty office on the left and closing the door.

"Remus, this is the office of the Assistant Head of the Auror Department," she whispered.

"I know," he told her, tugging her close to kiss her.

"Who is at work today," she hissed carefully.

Remus glanced at his watch as he knelt down in front of her. "I know, at the conference meeting, you told me. Better hope that meeting lasts the extra thirty minutes or so," he said as he unzipped the leather trousers she wore.

"Remus," she hissed and then her head fell back as his fingers dipped into her knickers. "We can't…"

He pulled her trousers and knickers down and licked his lips. "I most certainly can."

And then his tongue was on her, licking her in long greedy strokes and Tonks was clutching his hair, gasping in pleasure. The smell of her, the taste of her… it was pure ecstasy and as he suckled her, he thought it was exactly the kind of break that they both needed.

~ ASC ~

Harry pulled Ginny into an empty classroom on the fifth floor of the castle on Saturday morning and let out a slow breath. "Okay, the passage into Honeydukes is just behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. I'll keep watch and let you go first and I'll follow you with my cloak, got it?"

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him. "Got it."

Harry took her hand in his as they headed to the statue. He glanced down at the map in his hand and ensured that no one was coming before he tapped the statue and watched as it moved away from the wall, revealing the secret passage in the back.

Ginny ducked down behind the statue and into the passage and Harry took one more quick look around before he followed, closing the statue behind him. Ginny immediately linked her arm with his and led him down the passage.

"I'm excited for you to meet Finn," she told him. "I think between the two of us, we can get a good sense of him. Theo is so head over heels for him already."

Harry nodded. "It sounds like he's lucky to have him."

"He is," Ginny told him. "Anyone would be lucky to have Theo. I hope you don't mind that I offered the Italian restaurant as our location?"

Harry shook his head. "No, we said that we would share it with friends."

They talked about what they were going to order for lunch and Ginny filled him in on what Theo had told her so far about Finn.

"He seems happier from what I've noticed," Harry told her.

"I told him not to worry about Finn thinking less of him. He's just nervous about the new relationship and I think he deserves to be pampered. Finn wouldn't think him weak or anything about Macmillan, he's just taking things slow."

Harry shrugged. "It wouldn't make sense for him to, considering how he treated Macmillan, but I haven't met him yet, so I can't be sure."

Ginny only made an agreeable sound in response. They continued to walk hand in hand for another ten minutes before he spoke.

"I admit, I'm a little worried that someone is going to realize we left the castle…"

Ginny squeezed his hand and grinned mischievously up at him. "I'll protect you."

Harry saw the light up ahead from the trapdoor and he pinned her up against the stone, bending his head to kiss her. "My hero."

Ginny slid her hands over his back, moving lower until she slid them over his bum. She kept her eyes on his as her hands slid up his bum and back along his spine. "We still have thirty minutes until we have to meet Theo and Finn."

Harry lifted her, pleased when her legs wrapped around his waist as he leaned her into the wall. "It will only take us five minutes max to make it out of Honeydukes."

She grinned and nuzzled his neck, her lips trailing along his throat. "Plenty of time. I'm sure that we can think of something to do in the meantime."

Then her lips were on his and he lost all track of what they were doing. Nothing else mattered except his hands on her and her hands on him. He slid her jumper up, letting his hands wander beneath it, cupping those breasts in his hands as his tongue danced with hers.

Ginny's teeth grazed his neck and he shivered at her touch, moaning softly, and when she tugged his jumper right over his head, he did nothing to protest it. Her legs were wrapped comfortably around his waist and he could feel the heat of her pulsing at his navel and he urged himself not to grind into her; to keep it together. But then she was ducking her head, her mouth wrapping around his left nipple. He moaned loudly.

The feel of her tongue swirling and flicking over the peak made his already hard cock twitch. One of her hands sat on his shoulder and the other rested just below his belly button, her thumb brushing the top of his jeans.

"Ginny…" he groaned.

Ginny merely lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting his. "Your skin tastes so good, Harry."

He gulped, his hips grinding against her. She sucked his nipple back into her mouth, her thumb tracing every line and groove of the other one, her fingernails tickling. Harry, not wanting to be outdone, lifted her jumper over her head and captured her lips with his.

He kissed her deeply, his hands cupping her breasts through her bra and vest, kneading them in his hands. He trailed down her neck, over her collarbone. His lips brushed against the edge of her top and she moaned. The sound tickled his senses and made his entire body shiver. The power Ginny had over him was astounding, and he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life kissing and touching her.

The tunnel was lit with bright flames all along the way and light crept out from the trapdoor above them that led to Honeydukes. But he only cared about seeing her, about touching her…

"We're going to be late," she murmured as his hand slid up her vest, running along the taut muscles of her stomach.

He didn't care about this lunch; he wanted to touch her.

Harry slowly slid her down the wall to her feet as he knelt before her. He lifted her vest higher so that he could nip at her hip. "You started it."

Ginny groaned as he lifted her top, his tongue trailing over her belly button. "I did... Merlin!"

His green eyes twinkled in delight. He'd felt her tremble under his tongue, the quivering of her stomach muscles sending a shock of lust through him and his cock twitched again. "You like that?"

He bent his head, his tongue slowly trailing over her belly button and below, dipping just slightly beneath the band of her trousers.

Ginny nodded, her hands in his hair. "Come up here."

Harry let her pull him to his feet, letting out a growl as she kissed him and then his eyes widened slightly when he felt her hands on his belt. "Ginny…"

Her eyes met his. "We can't leave you in this condition when we meet our friends now, can we?"

He visibly swallowed as she unzipped him and slid his jeans and then his boxers to the ground. His hard cock sprang free, the tip dripping, and he watched in amazement as she wrapped her small hands around his shaft. Her thumb brushed his tip, sliding the wet along him with her hand, slipping down to cup his sack, and he shuddered.

"Bloody hell…"

Ginny smiled seductively. "Am I doing it right?"

She started to pump him and he groaned, his head falling back to hit the wall.

"Fuck... yes."

He looked down at her hands, watching as they pumped him faster and he knew that he wouldn't last much longer. His eyes met hers, those chocolate orbs staring at him, so full of desire, and he bent his head to kiss her as he came, groaning against her mouth as his hips bucked against her. When he finished she was still holding his cock, and he kissed her again.

"That was so bloody amazing."

Ginny smiled at him. "I think I like doing that for you."

Harry held up his hand. "Accio wand." His wand flew up from the ground into his hand as Ginny goggled at him. He did a quick cleaning charm on himself and his girlfriend before he pulled his jeans up. "I didn't... you know that I don't expect you to take care of me like that…"

Ginny kisses his lips. "I wanted to."

Harry gently ran his thumb down her cheek. "You're brilliant."

Ginny kissed him again. "Zip up your jeans. Theo is going to think we got caught."

Harry did as he was told, wondering how soon he could get his hands on her again. He wanted to repay the favour, but more than that, he wanted to make her feel as good as he did. He remembered the sound she'd made when he'd been in her bed, when he'd stroked and sucked her nipples just the right way, and he wanted to hear her make that sound again. He ran a hand over his crotch and felt his cock twitch at just the memory despite having only just come moments before. Down, he told himself.

He'd get that chance. He just had to be patient.

Harry opened the trap door, lifting his girlfriend to help her through and passing her his cloak. They'd just covered themselves when someone came down the stairs. Harry held an arm tightly around her waist as they edged up the stairs and into the shop. It wasn't until they'd made it to the alley that led to the restaurant that Harry pulled off his cloak.

Ginny saw Theo and Finn up ahead and waved excitedly.

"Ginny! Thank Merlin! I thought for sure that the two of you'd been caught!" Theo exclaimed, taking in the sight of their dishevelled clothing. "Ah, I see."

Ginny blushed and hugged him. "Shush!"

"So where is this restaurant anyway?" Theo asked.

"Just two more blocks this way," Harry told him, taking his girlfriend's hand in his. He smiled kindly at Finn. "Hi, I'm Harry."

"Finn," the fae replied, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. Hello, Ginny."

"Hi, Finn. I'm glad that we're doing this."

The four of them walked along and when they arrived at Mangia Italiano, the waitress smiled warmly. "Harry, Ginny! How wonderful to see you again! Ben tornato!"

She led them to a large round booth and Ginny and Theo both slid into the middle, allowing their boyfriends to sit next to them.

"So, Finn, I want to know everything."

Finn chuckled, his arm draping comfortably draping over Theo's shoulders. "He's perfect and he makes me very, very happy."

Theo blushed. "Not perfect…"

Ginny elbowed him lightly. "Take the compliment, he's infatuated!"

Finn's eyes met hers. "Theo told me about your family and how you welcomed him into your home. Thank you for being there for him. I have never really wished harm upon others before, but first with his father and then that disgusting twat who hurt him... I am so pleased that he has people to care for him."

"I am sitting right here, you know," Theo said conversationally.

Harry chuckled. "They don't care."

Ginny's hand found his and Harry squeezed it as the waitress brought them fizzy drinks and they placed their orders.

By the time the appetizers arrived, Ginny seemed content with Finn. They listened as he explained about Tara and what it was like in his world; how he could travel between worlds and parallel worlds, and how the time difference didn't bother him, but how it affected others. Finn explained more about the guard and Harry was fascinated with the way it all worked.

"Theo told me that you have two older brothers, are they in the guard too?" Ginny asked.

"Tiernan is, but he's not as fast as me and he likes to do the training for the new guard. He's the one who volunteered me to be the commander. As for Donal, he is working as the king's advisor, and plans to continue his role under Rosin when she becomes queen."

"Fascinating," Ginny said.

Harry was intrigued to know that Finn and his father were not the only fae interested in putting an end to Voldemort. The fae were not impressed with how the dark wizard was trying to throw his weight around and were looking forward to seeing an end to it.

By the time they finished their chicken parmesan, Ginny kissed Harry's cheek and told him that she and Theo were going to the loo. He watched her go, a soft smile on his lips.

"She is your cridhe agus anam."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, turning his attention away from Ginny to look at Finn.

"The way you two look at each other; offer a touch or an exchange a glance... it's as if you're part of each other. She is your cridhe agus anam, your heart and soul."

Harry glanced over at where Ginny had disappeared through the door to the toilet and he grinned. "Yeah, yeah she is." He looked back at Finn. "And Theo? Is he your heart and soul?"

Finn smiled at him, his eyes twinkling. "He has my heart, but I don't think he knows it yet. Can we keep that between us?"

"Of course," Harry told him as the waitress came to refill their sodas. "Just don't break his heart, all right? My girlfriend will have your head."

Finn laughed. "I'll remember that."

Harry grinned back. Cridhe agus anam; he rather liked the sound of that.

~ ASC ~

Ginny tugged Theo into the toilet with her and closed the door. "He's wonderful!"

Theo grinned and leaned back against the door. "Yeah, he is. You know, I don't think that I'm supposed to be in here, chick."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's fine."

Theo moved towards her and took her hand. "So, spill it."

"Spill what?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Tell me what kind of naughty things you and Potter were doing on your way over?"

"Nothing," Ginny exclaimed, her cheeks flushing.

"Ah-ha!" he declared triumphantly.

Her cheeks heated darker. "We... he... I was… giving him a hand job."

Theo's mouth dropped open. "No — fucking — way!"

She shrugged. "And… I rather liked it."

He laughed and put an arm over her shoulders. "Was it the first?"

"Second," she admitted. "I didn't really know what to do, but he seemed to like it when I... you know, tugged and pumped him. I used both hands because one wasn't really…"

Theo grinned widely. "He's totally hung, isn't he?"

"I'm not answering that!"

"Spoilsport! So... did he show you what he liked?"

"Kind of," she admitted. "It seemed easy enough."

Theo kissed her cheek noisily. "Those two can wait for us. I have some wisdom to bestow upon you."

"Wisdom?"

Theo nodded. "I'm going to give you some pointers on giving him the best head of his life."

Ginny blushed. "Er…"

"Yes or no?"

Ginny stared at him a moment before she let out a slow breath and nodded. Just because she wasn't ready to go that far didn't mean she couldn't benefit by knowing how to when she was. She looked into her friend's twinkling eyes and bit her bottom lip. "Yes."

He grinned. "That's my girl. Okay, so…"

~ ASC ~

Sirius jumped to his feet when McGonagall came in through the Floo for tea on Wednesday afternoon. He hugged her when she came in and she returned it in surprise.

"Well, hello to you too, Sirius. Everything all right? You never ask me to come over in the middle of the week?"

"Fine, fine — great even."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What have you done?"

"Minnie! Are you accusing me of something?"

McGonagall only continued to stare at him. "I'm not sure yet."

He grinned widely and urged her to take a seat as he called Kreacher in to serve tea.

"Where's Zahira?"

"She had to work late for something with the Aqua Protectors and I wanted to talk to you alone anyway."

McGonagall nodded, watching as he tapped his fingers beside him, his leg jumping to the beat. "Honestly, Sirius, you look like you're ready to burst! What's going on?"

He grinned at her and then he reached into his pocket for the ring box, turning it over in his hand. "I'm gonna ask her, Minnie. I'm ready."

McGonagall's eyes fell to the box and they widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

Sirius bit his bottom lip. "Harry and I picked it out; designed it just for her." He flipped the lid and the ring sparkled up at her. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," McGonagall said, taking the box from Sirius to examine the ring. "The star shape is breathtaking. She's going to love it."

"Yeah?"

McGonagall smiled. "When it's the right person, Sirius, the ring doesn't matter. You could give her a fifty thousand Galleon diamond or two Knut joke ring… it's the question you're asking her that's important."

"She might be mad if I gave her a joke ring," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I just want the ring to be perfect. She's… I never expected her. There was something there from the beginning and I… need her. Harry needs her. I can't imagine our lives without her. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I never thought that I would marry, and here I am trying to work up the courage to propose."

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Friday," he said, blowing his hair out of his face. "After I pick up Harry. I want us to do it together, kind of. I mean — I'm going to do it — but I want him there. Her birthday's a few days after the holiday and it just seemed like the perfect time."

"Two days away. Are you nervous?"

"Yeah," he said, letting out a long breath, his eyes on hers. "I almost told Remus, but… I want to surprise him with the news. Zee and I… we've talked about it, getting married that is, and we both said that we weren't ready but… I am now and… what if she's not?"

McGonagall reached out to touch his arm. "She's ready. You both are basically married as it is. Are you worried that she won't say yes?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "No, I'm worried that I'm going to make a fool out of myself trying to say the words."

McGonagall chuckled, patting his hand. "You'll be fine."

Sirius felt rather reassured by her words. "Minnie, I'd like…" he let out a slow breath. "If — no, when she says yes. Will you stand with me where Fee would have been?"

Tears welled up in McGonagall's eyes. "Oh!"

Sirius kissed her cheek. "You're family, Minnie."

McGonagall hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek in turn. "Wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away."

Sirius closed the ring box and slipped it into his pocket as he smiled at her. "Good. So, when you come for tea on Sunday, act surprised when you see the ring, yeah?"

McGonagall chuckled at him as he poured her more tea. "I will."

~ ASC ~

McGonagall was just leaving when Zee returned home. She waved goodbye as the professor disappeared into the Floo and she stepped out of her shoes, moving to curl into her boyfriend's lap and kiss him deeply.

"Hi," she said, her lips moving over his neck.

"Hi," he said back, grinning when she tugged his tee shirt up. "Miss me?"

"Desperately," she told him, tossing the tee shirt over the sofa and ignoring her panther's growl as she stormed off and out of the room as if they'd personally offended her.

Sirius put his hands on Zee's waist and kissed her. "You don't have to ask me twice."

He tugged her blouse off and unhooked her bra as she groaned. "It's my fault… I accidentally walked into the breeding section of the menagerie and the pheromone levels… the magizoologists had increased the levels to make the animals want to breed and walking in there is so… toxic, like falling into a pit of amorentia and lust potion combined… it made me want to come home and shag you."

Sirius pushed up her skirt, cupping her through her knickers. "I always want to bloody shag you."

Then she was unbuckling his belt and pulling him free. He only groaned as she pushed her knickers aside and sheathed herself around him in one quick motion. He grabbed his wand and vanished her knickers and skirt altogether as she began to ride him hard and fast. She was already so wet and he knew that she was close. He pushed her back, tipping her torso so that she was hanging backwards as she rode him, allowing him to go deeper, to have a better view of those bouncing tits and he swore, holding her tighter as she moved.

He felt her clenching around him and he pressed his finger over her and within a few strokes she was crying out, wildly bucking against him. He soon followed her over, coming hard and fast. He pulled her up, staying nestled inside of her as he nuzzled her breasts.

"You should always come home like this."

Zee made a mmm sound against him. "Who says I won't?"

He chuckled and kissed her neck. "What do you want to do tonight? The weather's nice, want to go for a bike ride?"

Zee's mouth nipped at his earlobe, down his throat and over his collarbone. "I want to ride you."

Sirius' cock twitched inside of her and he felt her lips curl against his throat. "Well, that can be arranged."

Zee kissed his chest, running her tongue over his nipples, tracing his tattoos with her fingers. "I want you to ride me hard from every angle, on every surface, and then I want to tie you to the bed and ride you again."

Sirius groaned, his cock rising to her words. "You'll be the death of me."

Zee kissed his throat, sliding her hands down his back and lower, her fingers teasing the top of his bum. "I promise you'll die happy."

Sirius grinned and kissed her, slipping out of her as he stood. She moaned and shimmied back up his body, pulling his cock back into her and he barely made it to the bannister of the stairs before she was riding him again. "Merlin's balls!"

"No," she panted. "Your balls."

And then his jeans were at his ankles and her fingers were wrapped around his shaft as she rode him and he thought about the ring in the pocket of his jeans… the one he was going to give her this Friday. The thought made him even more desperate for her. He pulled her down to her knees, positioning her over the stairs until she was on all fours as he kicked off his jeans, and then he moved himself behind her and slid into her.

Zee moaned, one hand holding the step in front of her while the other fondled her breast. "Touch me, Sirius!"

Sirius' fingers slid around and into that wet heat as he thrust into her, and when his fingers brushed her clit, she cried out his name in a desperate mantra over and over and over again.

"Yes! Yes, Siri, yes! Fuck — yes!"

Sirius gripped her waist tighter with his free hand and thrust harder, and when she came, her hands slammed down on the steps in front of her. She turned her head, her face flushed from pleasure and smiled coyly at him.

"Come."

The word was all it took and he gripped her hips as he pumped himself into her, coming hard and long as he groaned. As he finally finished, she pushed him back, sitting back on his lap, his limp cock slipping out of her and she kissed him.

"I love you."

Sirius kissed her lips. "I love you. Are you sated now, wench?"

Zee ran her hands up his chest as he fell back against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. "For now."

He moaned as she nibbled on his neck. "I need time to recover, woman."

Zee continued to nibble on his neck. "You will." She kissed his lips once and then smiled widely at him. "I'll make us something for dinner. After we eat, I'm going to ride you again."

Sirius watched her jump up and head into the kitchen and he lay there, sprawled naked at the bottom of the stairs, and wondered what else she had in store for him. She was amazing, and he couldn't wait to ask her to marry him. He couldn't wait to have her as his wife.

But before that could happen, he just needed to have a little nap, and this seemed just the place. He eyed the couch, but couldn't muster the energy to stand and Sirius woke a little while later to the smell of dinner. He turned his cramped neck as he climbed to his feet, regretting his decision to not move to the couch when he stood. He pulled his jeans on before he made his way into the kitchen. He noted that Zee was wearing knickers and his tee shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "You're incredible."

Zee placed her arms over his. "How was your nap?"

"Needed," he told her with a chuckle. "I hardly expected to be shagged with an inch of my life the moment you walked through the front door."

Zee turned in his arms, her hands sliding up his naked back. "You should. You know how much I crave you."

"What's up with you tonight?" he asked, nipping at her lips. "Not that I'm complaining, but you are quite the little horny wench."

Zee smiled. "I told you, I was infected by some pheromones and it made me a little… needy." She took his hand and slid it into her knickers and he found her dripping again.

"Merlin…" he murmured, sliding to his knees.

"Mmm," she moaned as he slid her knickers down. "Yes, Siri…"

Sirius used a finger and she cried out. "Babe, you are a sensitive mess." He didn't wait for her to respond, he simply used his mouth.

Her fingers clenched his hair desperately as he sucked on her clit, rolling the nub around his tongue, and it didn't take long for her to come. She rocked herself against him, moaning until he stood up and kissed her.

"I think that you said something about dinner?"

Zee let out a breathy gasp as she held the counter for support. "I think you already ate."

He grinned and nipped at her mouth. "Nah, that was an appetizer. I need real sustenance if we're going to pick up where we left off."

She chuckled against his mouth and nodded. It wasn't long before they were eating the chicken and vegetables she had prepared while he snoozed and Zee was telling him about the animals in the menageries.

"You said that they were breeding?"

"The kelpies are in heat and so are the Kneazles. You can't go anywhere in there without feeling the wave of their tension. The breeders use a mix of amorentia and lust potion and release it into the air which increase their pheromone levels and their desire to mate. However, I missed the memo about it happening today and inhaled a bit of it myself as I was leaving. But I have you home to help me with that problem."

Sirius took a drink of his wine. "Always."

"So, what was Minerva doing here? You don't normally have tea in the middle of the week."

Sirius shrugged. "She wanted to talk to me about something and I invited her over for tea."

"Anything important?"

"Er, no."

Zee raised an eyebrow. "Liar."

He grinned. "Not important at this moment, but I'll fill you in when I can."

Zee smiled. "I can live with that."

She finished her wine and stood up, holding out her hand. "We can clean this up later. Let's go to our bedroom."

Sirius stared at her. "How long do these pheromone things last exactly?"

Zee pulled him to his feet and gripped his bum tightly in her hands. "Oh, they've been known to last all night. Now come on, I'm going to tie you up and use you terribly."

Sirius followed her up the stairs, practically panting as he undressed on her command and when she tied his wrists to the headboard and then his feet to the end of the bed, he simply watched her. "Take off that shirt, I want to watch those tits bounce if I can't touch them."

Zee stripped before him and straddled him, sitting on his stomach. "Like this?"

She bounced up and down a little and her tits followed suit making him groan and she smiled, sliding down his body to fondle his quickly growing erection.

And when she lowered herself onto him, all he could do was groan and clench his hands. She was the sexiest sight he had ever seen.

And he couldn't wait to marry her.

~ ASC ~

Two days later, it was finally the Easter weekend and Harry was more than anxious to go home. Ginny and Ron were heading home for the weekend as well because Charlie was down for a whole week. By the time Sirius met him in the entrance hall, Harry thought that no matter how anxious he was, he could see that his father was way worse.

"You haven't caved yet?"

"Listen, smart arse, I said that I wanted you there and I do. Now let's go! If we're lucky, she'll still be at work."

Harry didn't question what his father meant by that as they headed to the bridge to Apparate home.

When they stepped into the cottage, Harry ran his bag upstairs and then went into his parents' room to get the ring from the vault. He saw the box sitting there and he smiled, putting it in his pocket before he closed the vault and went back downstairs. Sirius was pacing the living room as Harry plopped down onto the sofa.

"I've got the ring."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, so she should be home within the hour. I know that she was aiming to be here before six since you were coming home tonight. I've got the flowers in the sunroom, we just need to set them up."

"Why don't you just propose in there?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Look, I'm still working on how I'm going to get the words out straight."

Harry grinned at him. "Zee, will you marry me? Easy!"

Sirius only shot up two fingers in response.

Harry jumped up and made his way into the sunroom, surprised to find five different bouquets of flowers. "Wow!"

"I know," Sirius said. "It's a lot, but I spoke to the florist at The Potterer and he said that there's a certain type of flower that represents each anniversary. I thought, Zee and I have been together five years - four technically if you want to base it on when we admitted we were actually dating - but five years overall. So carnations for a first year anniversary," he said pointing to the pink and white flowers on the right. "Then cosmos for second," he continued. The cosmos sat in bright fuchsia next to the carnations. "Third is by the window, sunflowers, and then here on my side is four years, which is geraniums and lastly," he said pointing to the bright pink and purple flowers on the left. "Daisies for five years."

"She's going to love it, Uncle Padfoot, honest."

Sirius nodded. "Let me see the ring again."

Harry dug the box out of his pocket and flicked open the lid. The beautiful cathedral halo-star diamond glittered brightly under the lights.

"It really is perfect, isn't it?"

Harry grinned. "Definitely."

Sirius let out a slow breath again. "Fill the room in candlelight... perfect!" he said as Harry did just that making the room illuminate just so. He went to the table by the windows and opened the wine, pouring three glasses just as the front door opened.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, putting the wine bottle down.

Harry laughed as he heard Zee's voice.

"Harry, you here? Sirius?"

"In the sunroom, Zee!" Harry called out, closing the ring box in his hand and hiding it behind his back.

Zee stepped into the sunroom, smiling at the candles as Lady Godiva prowled over to greet Harry. "How charming!" She moved towards Harry, tugging his face down to kiss his cheeks. "Look at you! So handsome! You grew again!"

He blushed as the panther stretched out in front of the windows, but he hugged her tight, loving how she mothered him. "Hi, Zee."

Zee turned to look at Sirius, her eyes finding the flowers and the glass of wine in his hand. "Flowers? What's the occasion?" She accepted the wine glass before she kissed him softly. "Geraniums! Oh, daisies! Sunflowers!" She mooned about the room, burying her face in each bouquet. "They're beautiful! What's the occasion?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "What did you boys do?"

Sirius grinned. "Nothing. Do we need an occasion for flowers?" At her look, he shrugged. "You're the occasion then."

Zee merely lifted an eyebrow. "I'm the occasion? What does that mean? What did you boys do?"

Sirius moved towards her. "You deserve the romance and the flowers, the candlelight and the wine... I don't give it to you as much as I should."

"You always give me enough," she told him, smiling at him.

"I want to give you more. I love you. I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to have a life without you. You are everything to me; to Harry — to us. I want to make it official. Marry me."

Zee stared at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "What? Be serious."

"I am Sirius, Sirius Black."

She rolled her eyes at his joke. "No, you... you said that you weren't ready yet… we… Harry, is he kidding?" She turned back to Sirius, her eyes wide. "Are you kidding?"

"Nah, not even a little. Let's do it, Zee, let's get married."

Harry opened the ring box as he spoke. "Zee, he's totally serious, I mean, he did buy this and all."

Zee gasped. "You have a… oh my… is that an engagement ring?" She whipped her eyes back to Sirius and they widened even more when she saw that he was down on one knee. "Siri..."

Sirius took the ring from Harry and held it in the palm of his hand. "I love you, Zahira. I want to be your husband. Harry wants to be your son. Wanna stop living in sin and do this thing already?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed. "Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!"

Sirius slipped the ring on her finger before Zee gripped both of them, hugging them tightly to her.

"You daft boys! You are my son, sweetie! And you — you're my husband in my eyes already, I don't need a ring to make it real! I love you both more than life!"

Harry kissed her cheek. "I love you, too. But that ring looks damn good on you."

She smirked as she looked down at the ring, really taking it in. "Merlin! I can take someone out with this thing!"

Sirius picked her up and spun her around, kissing her deeply. "It's a star, to remind you that you're marrying one."

"Oh, brother," Harry muttered.

Sirius shot him a look before he turned back to Zee. "I had it engraved. Look inside the band."

She gave him a look before she slid the ring off her finger to look at the engraving inside, reading it aloud before she smacked him in the arm. "You prat!"

He grinned and kissed her. "It's perfect, right? I do really love to shag you as much as I love you."

Zee slid the ring back onto her finger and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're perfect. This was perfect. I love you."

Sirius bent to kiss her again, once, twice, before he waved Harry off. "Go away, Prongslet."

"Mmm... no!" Zee exclaimed wiggling out of his grasp. "Harry, stay! We need to have a celebration dinner! I'm going to be Zahira Black."

"If you want," Sirius told her. "I could be Sirius Zacarias if you'd like as well."

Her eyes filled up with tears again and she hugged him tightly. "Every time I think I can't possibly love you more!" She kissed him deeply and long and then she rested her cheek against his chest. "Zacarias-Black. Thats who I want to be. Thats who I am in my heart."

Sirius held her close and grinned at Harry. "Grab the wine. We've got some celebrating to do."

---

End Author's Notes:

(Italian) Ben tornato = welcome back

(Gaelic) cridhe agus anam = heart and soul

Some of my tumblr questions and responses:

Q: What made you decide to keep Althea around after she and Sirius ended their presumably friends with benefits relationship? Is she like a recurring/supporting character?

A: Well, originally I knew that she was basically just an excuse for Sirius to get laid, but I liked the way that he used her as a sounding board, the way she gave advice — and I thought, she's a great friend, why should he lose that? Then Xander came to me and I knew exactly why I was keeping her around.

Q: Why did Ginny kiss Harry right when they first met?

A: Because she was four and adorable. It's how my friends daughter meets people and I think it's so cute! When you introduce her to other kids she's like you're great! When she saw the dog belonged to him, and realized who he was and his story her first thoughts are he lost his mummy and daddy let me show him he's loved because she has a kind soul. Plus isn't it just cute to think they shared their first kiss in such a sweet and innocent way?

Q: So if you're putting George/Angelina together in ASC does that mean Fred's gonna...ya know?

A: I am not going to reveal which characters are going to die. There will be character death — some the same as the books, some not. You will have to see. Some things I can't reveal, sometimes there's too many spoilers.

Q: I know you said you see Harry as Daniel Radcliffe in POA, but is that how you see him at just 13 or how he looks currently in the story?

A: That's how he looked at that point in the story. which was third year — I see Harry the way blvnk-art draws him. Her work is incredible and that is how I picture both Harry & Ginny.

Q: As of the latest chapter posted (214?), how strong is Harry? How do you think he will fare against most of his common foes?

A: I think he's powerful and more than capable of holding his own, but he's not super powerful. He just has more knowledge than he did in the books, more spells and tricks at his disposal. Not to mention a second wand and the beginning of sword fighting skills. He's learning how to be a very powerful wizard, but right now he's just an almost sixteen-year-old-student.

Q: Since your fic includes gay characters and gay sex (which I 100% support), is it too late for any lesbian characters to make an appearance?

A: I have mentioned a few lesbian characters in passing (some of the international guests who were at the Yule Ball), but my thing with introducing characters is that I have to have an attachment to them and at this moment, there is no female characters that I imagine as a lesbian that I like enough to write about. If I don't have that attachment, I can't write the characters. Hope this answers your question!

Q: I love how you punished Ernie for what he did to Theo. But don't you think that the way you have portrayed Ernie is quite Anti-Hufflepuff?

A: Yes, and no. I always saw Ernie as a bit of pompous arse, quick to accuse, quick to gossip. I never liked his character so I chose him for that reason. But I also chose him because the point I wanted to make is that everyone is capable of doing something horrible; not everyone is a good person, and just because Ernie was in Hufflepuff, doesn't mean that Hufflepuff House can't have a bad seed. It's the same concept that Sirius came from a family of dark wizards, but was chosen for Gryffindor. Whereas Peter was a Gryffindor and betrayed his friends. Just because you've been chosen for Slytherin House doesn't mean that you're automatically evil and just because you're chosen for Hufflepuff doesn't mean you're immediately friendly and good. He had good qualities. In the books when he realized he was wrong, he apologized, but again I just didn't like his character. He was a good student, he was made a prefect, he had friends who he was loyal too (worried about Justin being attacked in CofS), a girlfriend – and in his mind, he wasn't doing anything wrong. Theo was gay so having him go down on him wasn't something he would dislike, so it seemed fine to ask him to do so. As to the violence aspect, I think it came from the fact that it wasn't as easy as Ernie had originally thought it would be and now that he was challenged by Theo, he couldn't back down. I do think once he started to hit him, he found he enjoyed it, and it escalated from there, but I don't think Ernie intentionally set out to harm Theo in the beginning. He just wanted a bj and couldn't see the harm in asking a gay school mate to do it for him. Was his logic wrong – absolutely! But, in the beginning, he didn't see it that way. He saw it as a means to an end, oh this boy likes to suck dick, I want my dick sucked, here's a solution. But when he was denied, it made him angry and like I said, I think it escalated from there. Did he know it was wrong? I think he did, but at this point he was dedicated to his task and like I said – not every single person in every single house 100% has every quality of that house. There are bad seeds everywhere.

Q: I absolutely love your fic. You write so well. I was just wondering I know over 200 chapters is overwhelming but a feat to be proud of and I know you aren't going to drop any spoilers but are you able to say if you plan on continuing after the seven books? Or is it just going to end like in canon. You're over 200 chapters already and that is overwhelming but it's so addicting and I know a lot of us are going to be sad when it's over

A: When the war is over, I plan for the story to be over, however that doesn't mean that I won't add some epilogues and time jumps to give us a little glimpse into the future. I love writing this story and I will never say never. As to spoilers — I don't mind giving out a few, just not huge ones such as character deaths. Some things need to remain a mystery, I think.

Q: Is Zee Russian? For a while I'd mistook her as Bulgarian

A: Zee is what I like to think of as a mix. Her father Misha is Russian, but her mother Magnolia was American. Her American grandparents are Colt (Muggle) and Flo (witch). Then after Magnolia died, Misha married Sorcha, who is Scottish. She can speak Russian, French, Mermish, and Gaelic.

Q: Would you give us a basic species specialities in your ASC universe? Basically a list of all major sentient species you have introduced into the mainstream storyline such as Far, Werewolves, Centeurs, Mermaids etc., and what are their specialities like healing for Far you mentioned that differentiates them from humans.

A: What a great question! I can answer it partly, but also some of it I am still exploring myself as I write A Second Chance.

Fae – they are fairies. In my world, they look exactly like humans, but their eyes are a deeper colour (greener, bluer, purpler, etc.). They have slightly pointed ears and their powers are derived more from nature itself. They are faster and more powerful than witches and wizards on the average spell-work, but witches and wizards have more power over all. As to healing, I think of them as having a fast metabolism, so they heal quickly, and have the power to draw energy from nature which they can use it to heal others, drawing the power from themselves as well if needed. They are warriors and scholars and like house elves have extraordinary power (like Apparating longer distances into any place they want despite any wards that may have been put into place). This is part of the reason why they have been outcast and rejected by witches and wizards who fear them and see them as a threat. They are taught magic wandlessly, but do use things like swords, staffs, and other magical items to help channel their powers.

Werewolves – I think of them as two varieties 1) the wolf and 2) the werewolf. The Wolf is someone born with the ability to shape-shift into a wolf sometime after they hit puberty. Puberty to them is the time when they begin to shift and then have the ability to transform from human to wolf at any time they choose, but are most powerful during the full moon. As adults they become strong, muscular, and big usually quite tall as well, even the women are usually tall and toned. Wolves have dog-like hearing, amazing eyesight at night, an incredible sense of smell, incredible speed and stamina, and the powers of the witch and wizard on top of it, whether they are transformed or not. A Werewolf is someone who was bitten by a wolf, whether someone born a wolf or a werewolf themselves. The difference is that they are forced to transform during the full moon (I always liked the Whedon mythology of 3 nights: Before, during, and after the full moon). However, I believe werewolves have the same skills as a wolf, but some things like incredible speed are only accurate when they are directly in the wolf form. But, as wolves, the Ministry of Magic has denied them the ability to learn magic the way they should be taught, which is where Remus is the exception and the new laws are taking place to teach them the way they should be. But werewolves still pertain the same qualities as humans (not in wolf form): Keen sense of smell, amazing hearing, incredible stamina, etc. along with the often craving of fresh meat which is usually sufficed by eating medium-rare to rare steaks closer to the moon. A desire to hunt when in the wolf form is normal, but only those with a need for power like Greyback would ever intentionally set out to hurt others.

Mermaids – warriors. They are half-human and half-fish, ability to walk on land with legs for short periods of time, but must always be close to water. Magical powers through channeling of power through items like staffs or tridents. Ability to speak to underwater creatures and control and train them to do as they like much like humans can do with dogs and other animals. They are intelligent and proud; treasure hunters and protectors. They can create and travel through portals in the water, moving into any large body of water they see fit. They can create their own wards and protection, but are no match for witches or wizards who want to break through them. They have constantly been taken advantage of throughout history, their treasures and power stolen over the years, which makes them extremely untrustworthy of witches and wizards.

Centaurs – I haven't really put much thought into centaurs, but I guess I think of them the same as JKR has made them. Strong, prophetic astronomers who keep to themselves, but if forced to fight, are warriors and can fight if necessary.

House Elves – like fairies they can go wherever or whenever they want to, though ideally they must listen to their masters. When they bind themselves to a witch or wizard, they can connect to their magic helping them find their witch or wizard at any given time. The magic is what connects them so, one only needs to say the name of the elf, and they will appear, having heard it as if the person were standing next to them. They have strong magic, excellent at Charm work and incredibly powerful defenders when provoked.

Vampires – as a Whedon fan since I was 11 and a certain blonde-haired sarcastic pun-giving slayer entered my life, I see them as human looking with demonic roots, ability to hide their demon face until they are ready to feed. However, I believe that vampires can mate with witches or wizards and produce normal magical children who are not vampires, but, if a vampire were to mate with a Muggle, the child would most likely be demonic as the magical blood would not be present to say otherwise. Vampires are fast, strong, and dangerous when provoked, excellent hunters, but most just want to live in peace and feed as necessary, not looking to kill. I also love the Dracula-inspired mythology of how they can put one in a trance, feed upon someone, and make them believe it to be an erotic dream. But most of my vampire mythology comes from a mix of Joss Whedon and Maggie Shayne, the first real vampire-related concepts I took interest in.

Thanks to everyone who asked questions and feel free to ask more.

Thanks as always and please review!