Author's Note:
First off, I want to give a big shout-out to mousewords for the incredible artwork she drew for me that is now the cover of this story! For anyone who noticed, the picture changed on Wednesday night when she sent me the art. Her attention to detail in the little things is just phenomenal! From Harry's scar brushing through his eyebrow making it harder for him to hide, from the detail in Sirius' tattoos including the colour of Remus' wolf form in the tattoo matching his hair in his regular wizard form, is just amazing and I am extremely grateful for her incredible work! She is hopefully working on a more detailed Sirius tattoo drawing for me as well as a sketch of Zee and in the coming weeks or months when she completes it, I look forward to sharing it with you all. You can see the full artwork on my tumblr. Thank you mousewords!
Reviews and Comments: To Jmcglynn522: Fucking hell Ron indeed LOL. As to the key, we shall see if it even opens anything. I haven't decided yet tbh. I thought they needed a moment where Tonks was attacked and thankfully saved. Remus was calmer than expected, but only because he's so grateful that she's okay and he knows that despite the brave front she's putting on for him, he knows that she's scared. To Leapyearbaby29: Ron and Lavender already dated and now Lavender is dating Padma, so no, they will not date in sixth year. To Steel: Thanks for noticing the nod to Gryffindor in the nursery being an ode to Harry's first bedroom! To PurpeLotus: I agree, Dean and Luna were the best choices for the job. Thank you for the Kudos ad Infinitum! To anika23: I do have plans for Draco and we will see where his choices take them along the way. Romione is coming slowly, not as much of a glacial thaw as Hinny, but it's coming along. Along with lots of Hinny smut. To Cynthia411: I mean, technically I am writing chapter 250 right now, but there are only 237 (now 238) chapters posted. To Crunchy_cheeseball: Happy to entertain you and happy to give you a scare. An Auror is a dangerous job and I wanted to show that.
To reader777667: Just changed the picture to the artwork as stated above and hey, never say you're shit. If you have a desire to write and the ideas are there, go for it! To HPF: Thank you! I have some ideas for Blaise and I hope people find his story as intriguing as I do. To scrappy8: I'm glad you think the nursery sounds beautiful! I uploaded some pictures on my tumblr to help showcase how I imagine it! To elin2002: Thank you! I do enjoy writing Remadora smut. To Kelto2010: It is usually their pride more than anything and don't worry, Ron and Hermione will get here. To Hasti: Thanks for the offer but my beta is great! Also, I don't have TikTok. To Zacnelson0628: He doesn't enjoy the taste of his own foot, that's why he's so mad at himself LOL. To Nobothersgiventoday: I, too, love McGonagall. She's going to be a great granny! To Dianne: I try my best to space out the characters so that we don't miss them for too long, happy to oblige with some Deamus time.
To coloredwords: My Beta is a gem, I agree (Dusk, if you're reading this, you rock!). The nursery is beautiful and I agree, I don't even want kids, but I want to make this nursery for some lucky kids lol. I like giving Harry more friends, a happier childhood makes him more social in my mind. Thank your kind and amazing words on my tumblr, they made me smile and made me remember why I love sharing my work with all of you. Thank you! I genuinely look forward to reading your review every well as much as you look forward to reading my new chapter so please don't stop!
To speedsONEandONLY: It is Zabini and has always been Zabini lol. You are right, Greyback wouldn't have hesitated. To Tiyaxoxo: Back to regular updates soon enough! Sometimes we just need a little break! Of course, Zee is excited about the twins! And don't worry, lots more Hinny to come! To notthatchhavi: I think it only shows the influence Sirius had on so many people. Everyone wants to help Zee not only to help her, but to honour his memory. To alix33: Yes, magizoologists are the equivalent to non-magical veterinarians. Elephants are awesome so, of course! Bael's words made you think of Volk… interesting (wink, wink).
To tim2604: Zee is learning to live again which is sometimes harder than staying locked in grief. Lots of Hinny is coming, I can promise you that. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: I can't wait for you to meet the babies as well and to learn their names! To libs614: I think I am secretly in love Theo and Finn as well so, please gush about them! I absolutely love that — you're talking to your books again — I consider that the ultimate reader compliment. To Wolf's scream: I liked Ron's summary of the plot as well LOL. To mslyon: I like that idea, that the more accepting you are the less pain the transformation brings you, interesting theory. To Mutt N. Feathers: Padfoot is just a cute puppo, I swear! To .will15: Soon. To jadely31: Thank you! I'm glad I can still bring surprises, I have more to come!
To .X: I am still writing, I promise! To LifeonEarth: I did mean for both Tonks and Ginny to call their men softies, I'm glad you like the parallel, and that you love Ron's inner pining monologue LOL. #ProtectBlaiseZabini2020… I have plans for Blaise, that's all I will say. "I love the playfulness of Harry and Ginny and though I didn't post a comment in the last chapter it counts here because I love how you balance their fears with the fact that they're still falling very much in love. It's very well done (again)." — thank you! That means so much to me! Aww, what are some of your favourite parts that you keep rereading every month? That's so sweet! And no, Padfoot is adorable, please love him! To lenalighthouse: Not quite 17 books, maybe 8 lol. Thanks for reading and I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! To ManyGrey: Hogwarts is coming which means more Hinny and yes, Blaise's character is more interesting, I hope. To Slaidback: Sorry, have to keep writing. Hi to New Zealand, thanks for reading!
To PeevesTwinBrother: Everyone has that same concern from chapter 183, we shall have to see what it means when the time comes. Thanks for lurking and for leaving a review! I really appreciate hearing your thoughts. As to Harry and Ginny, I can promise they will grow old together — it's everyone else I can't promise will be safe, muahahaha! To TheaTypes24: Dusk kicked butt in editing his week, so it was only one week without a chapter (two whole weeks since I posted last, 16 days technically) and hopefully we're back on track! To Snatchmewig: Fred may get a love interest, I just haven't chosen anyone for him yet. We shall see. To h871: Thank you!
My posting schedule: Once a week.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing 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!
CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT:
Tonks spent the rest of the day in bed with her husband, intermittently sleeping and making love. Kingsley ordered her not to return to work until the next morning and she was grateful for the time. She knew that Remus was worried about her and she knew that she'd been a bit more scared of Bael than she was willing to admit, but the last thing that she wanted was to alarm Remus enough to send him out to hunt the wolf. And the look in his eye when he'd caught Bael's scent on her that morning was enough to make him do just that.
She sprawled out on the sofa once she'd locked the door to the cellar that night, the sounds of her husband's howls along with Harry's playful ones made her smile. She just needed to get some sleep. She had eight hours until she was needed back at the office first thing in the morning.
Tonks didn't remember falling asleep, but the lynx Patronus woke her three hours later. She left a note, grabbed her badge and her wand, and headed back to work. She met Higgins in the lift.
"Did they say what they found?" Tonks asked.
Higgins shook his head. "No, Atwell just said that it's bad. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Rex," she insisted as the doors to the lift opened and she led the way into the bullpen.
Kingsley looked grave as he spoke. "It's worse than we imagined. The good news is that we've found all twelve children who went missing at the beginning of the month, however... they're being detained in holding cells in the dungeons."
"The children? Whatever for?" Higgins exclaimed.
Kingsley stared at him. "The children were all abducted by a werewolf under Fenrir's orders. They were all bitten."
Tonks gasped. "No!"
Atwell nodded. "Greyback and his wolves kept them hostage over the last month to get them ready and tonight he sent them all home to their parents an hour before the moon rose."
Higgins swallowed. "How many survived?"
"Two," Kingsley said quietly. "One father and one sister from the same household."
"Can Muggles be turned?" Higgins asked.
"No," Tonks answered. "Only those with magical blood can be turned. Muggles just die."
Kingsley nodded. "Twenty three of of the deaths were parents of the children, the other six were siblings and in one case, a family dog. It was a bloodbath. Neighbours called in the attacks and the Muggle police didn't know what to do. The Werewolf Capture Unit had to step in and use silver nets to contain them and the police had to be obliviated. The children will have to be treated in the morning. Lupin, come the dawn I want to question Bael again and I want you there."
She nodded. "You think that he knows something?"
"I hope he does. As soon as he's able to talk, we'll both be in there. I don't think the fact that he attacked you the other night and that these children were set upon their families on the same night, is a coincidence. There's something bigger at play here."
Tonks didn't want to think that he was right, but she knew that he was.
The wolf attacks continued through the night. Eight more Muggles were found dead and two more newly turned wolf children were taken into custody. They found the third child just before the moon set and when the little girl changed back into a child and found herself covered in blood, she began to scream and cry.
It was the most heartbreaking and terrifying scene that Tonks had ever witnessed. Higgins was with her when she knocked on the door in Painswick early that morning.
Maia opened the door in her robe, her eyes wide. "Dora."
"Hi, Maia. Sorry to disturb you so early. This is my partner, Auror Rex Higgins."
Maia nodded at him before she stepped aside to let them in the house. Adrian was making coffee in the kitchen and he set a cup down in front of each of them.
"Since you're here so early on the day after the moon, I assume it's serious."
"Very," Tonks said quietly. "Have you heard about the children who have gone missing? Children from Muggle homes who have shown magical abilities?"
Adrian shook his head. "No, but I haven't been keeping up on the Muggle news."
"Fifteen have gone missing in the last month, just vanished with no explanation. The Muggles were flummoxed and we looked into it because the Ministry had noted down their magical abilities. They were all between the ages of four and seven years old."
"There's been no sign of them. They were abducted, but the trails went cold," Higgins explained. "The first seventy-two hours of a child abduction case are the most critical and we had no evidence to follow. Unfortunately, the department considered their abductions to be a lost cause."
Tonks let out a slow breath. "We were still searching for them, obviously, but once one week passes in these kind of cases, we have to put them aside and move onto the next one."
Adrian nodded. "That's unfortunate, but understandable. What does it have to do with us?"
"They all returned home last night an hour before moonrise," Higgins said quietly.
Maia's eyebrow rose questioningly before she gasped. "No!"
"They slaughtered their parents, and being Muggles, well, I'm sure you understand. We have them detained in the dungeons of the Ministry of Magic; healers are looking over them now. The WCU had to use silver nets as part of the containment just because there were too many of them and with the Muggle police… I'm sure you can imagine what kind of damage that wrought. We know that it was done on Fenrir's orders, but we don't know why."
"To cause fear," Adrian said. "It's what Fenrir does best. And to choose children who are from a Muggle home only restates their unworthiness... now they're not only Muggleborns, but werewolves - both what your Dark Lord considers unworthy."
Higgins nodded. "Worthy enough to be his minions, but not worthy enough to be part of the elite wizarding world."
"Exactly, not worthy enough to be equals," Adrian finished.
Tonks' eyes met his. "We were hoping that there might be some families among the packs who would be willing to take these children in. They've been turned and forced into this life. Now they've lost the people they've come to depend on. We need people to help them, to show them that they're not monsters. You were the first people I thought of."
Maia nodded. "Yes, yes of course! I know a few families who would be willing."
"They're hurt and confused and I don't want them to fall through the cracks," Tonks explained.
Adrian reached out to take her hand. "You have a good heart, it's why you're so suited to Romulus. We'll take care of them, I promise. I'll contact the other Alphas and we'll go to the Ministry right now. You get home to your wolf and take care of him."
"One more thing," Higgins said when Adrian stood up. "Do you know a wolf named Bael?"
"Rex —"
"— No," Higgins interrupted, his eyes flashing as he glared at her. "He attacked my partner the night before last, would have turned her on Fenrir's orders if I hadn't gotten there in time. I want to know more about him."
Maia stared at him for a moment. "He was turned by a wolf in Romania a decade ago. Rumour has it that he was once a killer and now he relishes in using the wolf to kill. He's one of Fenrir's most trusted. If he was sent after you, Dora, that's not a good thing."
"He said that it was a message to Remus because he's part of the reason why the Ministry is putting muzzles on the wolves."
Adrian's eyes flashed. "You have him in custody?"
"Yes."
"Good. The world would be a better place without that wolf in it. Maia, get dressed. We need to go to London." He turned his eyes on Tonks. "And if your superiors will allow it, I'd like to speak to Bael."
The venom in his voice had her pausing and she wondered if sending Adrian in to speak to Bael was any better than sending in Remus. The fact that she wasn't entirely sure only made her pause for a moment. Getting the children to Adrian and Maia was what was important.
The rest she would deal with as it came.
~ ASC ~
Harry woke slowly to the sound of Tonks' voice and he reached for his glasses, pleased when they wandlessly flew into his open hand. He shoved them onto his face and blinked at the pink-haired witch standing in his bedroom doorway.
"Tonks, everything okay?"
The last thing he expected was for Tonks to throw herself onto his bed and burst into tears. Tonks wasn't a crier and other than Sirius' funeral, the last time he'd seen her cry was when Remus had been carted off to prison.
"Tonks, what's wrong?" Harry asked quickly, moving to sit next to her. "Is Uncle Rem okay?"
She wrapped her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. Harry pulled her close in his arms.
"Don't cry, please, I don't know what to do when people cry."
She let out a small snort against his shoulder. "You're doing a pretty good job of it."
He continued to hold her close, running his hands up and down her back until she managed to calm herself. She moved back to settle herself on the side of his bed and used her sleeve to wipe her tears away.
"Thanks, Harry."
Harry only stared at her. "What happened? Where's Uncle Rem?"
"Sleeping at home. It's only noon." When he only continued to stare at her, she sighed. "For the record, holding a girl close is perfect when she cries."
He gave her a half smile. "Tonks, what's wrong?"
Tonks let out a slow breath. "I just… the night before last I was attacked by a wolf from Fenrir's pack and Higgins saved me before he could… then last night I was called away because of some attacks. I guess I just needed a moment to let it sink in… how truly lucky I was."
Harry's eyes narrowed at her words. "Does Uncle Remus know?"
She nodded. "Yes. The wolf left his scent on me and as you can imagine, he didn't take it well when I came home yesterday morning." She tilted her head back to show him the deep purple finger bruises on her throat. "I was very lucky. I was so worried about making sure that we found out what he wanted and getting him to the DMLE and then about getting home and keeping Remus calm, I just… I just needed a minute to myself. I'm fine, Harry, I promise. Please don't tell Remus. He worries enough about me as it is."
Harry hesitated. "He'd want to know that you've been upset."
"Not tonight," she said, wiping away her tears.
"How has he… I haven't been here for the last two moons and with Uncle Sirius…"
Tonks shook her head. "The first one was hard. I sat at the top of the stairs and he wouldn't let me come down. Every time I made an effort, he growled at me. And well, the last one was the night after your birthday and he… he let me stay with him, but again at the top of the stairs. I'm glad that you were there for him for the last two nights."
"I should have been here for the last two months. It was selfish of me not to be."
"No, it wasn't," Tonks told him. "We were all grieving Sirius. Remus never would have asked you to be there for him on the first… the funeral had just happened and you were planning on going to Georgia… no, you were where you needed to be. But I'm glad you'll be there again for him tonight."
Harry put his arm around her again. "Did you really just come over here and wake me up just to cry on my shoulder?"
Tonks wrapped her arms around him to hug him tightly. "Yes. Sometimes a girl needs her brother."
Harry smiled at that. "You sure that you're okay?"
She nodded. "I'm okay. I just didn't want Remus to see how scared I was. The attacks… Harry, werewolves kidnapped children and turned them only to let them go back to their parents and…"
"That's horrible!" Harry exclaimed. "What about the kids?"
"Adrian and Maia are going to get some of the other Alphas to go talk to them. They said that they'll find homes for them and help them."
"That's good then. The people they attacked?"
"Almost all dead," Tonks told him. "They were Muggles."
"I thought Muggles couldn't become werewolves?"
"They can't," Tonks replied. "But these children are Muggleborn. They were all marked down for accidental magic and had made the list to be notified for Hogwarts when they turned eleven. I can't say anything more on it as it's an open investigation."
He nodded. "You'll let me know when you can?"
"I will," she promised, standing up. "I have to head back to the DMLE. But I'll be back in time for dinner. Maybe you'd like to whip up something delicious before the moon tonight?"
"Sure," Harry said. "Tonks, tell Uncle Remus you were scared. It will help."
"Thanks, Harry. And I will tell him, just not tonight. Get some more sleep, I don't want you to too tired on the train to Hogwarts tomorrow."
"I can sleep on the train, you know," Harry said, making her smile.
Tonks hugged him again before she hurried off.
Harry let himself fall back down onto his bed, his thoughts on what she had just revealed to him.
Werewolves were recruiting children?
Greyback was targeting Tonks and Remus?
It sounded like Voldemort wasn't going to be in hiding much longer and he wasn't sure what that meant or how he felt about it.
~ ASC ~
Ron stepped into Ginny's room, leaning against the doorjamb as he watched his sister pack. "You about ready yet?"
"Almost. I want everything to be packed before tomorrow so that I can sleep in a little later," she admitted.
Ron grinned. "Good call." He passed her the envelope in his hand. "McGonagall sent our schedules."
Ginny eagerly opened hers up. "I hope this year isn't too intense, being OWLs and all."
"It's pretty much going to suck in the homework department. I don't know if I would have survived without Hermione's constant nagging."
Ginny smiled at him. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Ron. Did you tell Mum and Dad yet?"
He shrugged and moved into her room to sit in the chair by the window. "The chance of me getting in is slim to none, I don't want to disappoint them."
"You got the OWLs to take the classes and that's one of the first steps."
He shrugged again. "We'll see how it goes. I guess if I turn out to be a complete blighter, I can always work for Fred and George."
"See, things are looking up already," Ginny teased.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Prat." He stretched his long legs out in front of him. "On one hand I'm kind of excited about having gotten the academic requirements to potentially be an Auror, but on the other hand… I'm worried about what's coming."
Ginny understood exactly what he meant by that. "Me too. Theo is so worried about Malfoy and it really made me think. All of those students who have family members who are involved with Voldemort — what kind of things are they being forced to do? Sure, some of them are foul gits and definitely probably willing participants but most of them… Ron, most of them are going to be sucked into doing things that they're too afraid to stop. War is a scary concept and it's coming and I don't know what that means for any of us."
Ron nodded. "I know. I've been…" he hesitated a moment, his blue eyes on his sister before he continued. "I've been having these weird dreams lately."
"What kind of dreams?" Ginny asked curiously.
"It… the healer at St Mungo's told me that I might dream things that I wouldn't always understand. He said that it was because of the way the thoughts left imprints as well as scars on my body. The brain that locked onto me… the healers said that it was a Muggle brain. I don't know if that matters much in the scheme of how the brain hurt me, but… I've been seeing things, war-like things."
Ginny's eyes widened. "That's kind of fascinating. What kind of things?"
Ron shrugged. "Some of it makes sense and some of it doesn't. But last night the dream was the clearest it's been all summer. I was in sitting in mud and I was soaked through to the bone. I could smell blood and earth. I was smoking those Muggle cigarettes. Sounds of explosions were echoing all around me and the men around me were moving as if they were planning to do something. It was just… strange."
"Did anyone speak?"
Ron nodded. "Just one man on my left. He just kept saying that the Germans were going to piss themselves in fear. Then all of a sudden I couldn't breathe and my skin and eyes were burning. I woke up and my heart was pounding and that was it."
"Interesting," Ginny said. "Have they all been the same?"
"More or less," Ron told her. "Sometimes it's only flashes or just the sounds of explosions and I wake up and my heart is pounding. It's like… memories, but they're not mine, so it's… weird."
"But really very fascinating," Ginny said. "Is there any way to know who the brain belonged to?"
"I don't know," Ron said, his brow furrowing. "Do you think it matters?"
"Well, I don't think it matters, but it could be interesting to find out. Maybe it will help you better understand what you're seeing."
Ron looked pensive at the thought. "Maybe. I'll write to the healer and see. I mean, the dreams don't bother me, not really. I'd rather have them then dream about bloody Crouch strung up, but it would be nice to make sense of them."
"Yes, it would," Ginny agreed. "Will you keep me informed?"
Ron smiled at her as he stood up. "Yes, and Din? Let's keep this between us for now, yeah?"
"We can do that," Ginny agreed, smiling at his childish nickname for her. "Now let's go downstairs and see what's for lunch."
Ron gave her a grateful look before he headed out. Ginny watched him leave, her mind on her brother's words and she wondered if it was indeed possible to find out who the brain had belonged to. And to her surprise, she found a little itch to write about it. She grabbed her pad and quick-notes quill off her desk and jotted down the words that had stuck out for her: Mud, Germans, explosions, burning skin, and eyes. She closed her notepad with a little nod of satisfaction. Whether Ron found out the answer or not, she was going to do her own research into what his dreams could mean.
It was interesting and she wanted to know more about it.
Thoughts had imprinted on him and she felt that it was more than simply memories. If she was honest with herself, she was most curious as to what this Muggle had been through that had warranted the Department of Mysteries wanting to examine his brain in the first place.
That was the real question in her mind that needed to be answered.
~ ASC ~
The morning of September the first seemed to come up quickly and rather unexpectedly. After spending the final night of the moon with Remus, Harry was feeling tired, but ready to go back to Hogwarts. He'd managed to nap for two hours before he had to shower and dress to meet the Hogwarts Express. He sat on the side of his bed, Padfoot in his lap as he rubbed the puppy's belly.
"I'm going to miss you, boy. I wish that you could come to Hogwarts with me."
Padfoot let out a small bark in agreement and Harry rubbed his belly again as Zee stood in his bedroom doorway.
"Do you have everything?"
"I think so," he told her. "I've gotten rather attached to this guy."
Zee smiled affectionately at the dog. "He's going to miss you. I'm going to miss you."
Harry looked over at her. The sunlight was shining through the balcony doors and making her glow in the light. At twenty-two weeks, she was obviously pregnant and the bump under her shirt looked more and more like she was hiding a small cauldron. He couldn't imagine her expanding much more, but he knew she would (a lot more). Her dark brown and gold curls spiralled and twisted down her back. The locket he'd bought her once upon a time was around her neck and it made him smile to see it.
He patted Padfoot on the head as he spoke. "Take good care of Zee and the babies, okay?"
Padfoot barked again, jumping off the bed and running circles around Zee.
"We'll be fine, Harry."
He stood up and moved to pull her close for a hug. "I don't want to leave you here to fend for yourself. What if you need me to whip up something disgusting for you to eat?"
Zee punched him lightly in the arm. "Kreacher will help me and no more jokes about my bad food choices, mister."
Harry kissed her cheek. "You'll use the mirror if you need anything?"
"Yes. Remus gave it back to me yesterday. I'll be fine, Harry. Me and these babies are going to be good."
Harry nodded and grabbed his trunk handle to bring it downstairs. "All right, I'm ready to go then."
Zee put her arms around Harry when they stepped outside and let him practice his Apparition. It was only a moment before they arrived at King's Cross station. Harry led the way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters and Zee followed him through the barrier. They still had thirty minutes before the train took off, but the platform was already full of returning students.
Harry put his trunk on the train along with Hedwig's cage and then hurried back down to say goodbye to Zee. He saw her talking to the Weasleys and he immediately picked up his pace.
"And you're drinking the protein potions that your healer provided?"
"Yes, Molly," Zee said with a smile. "Everything's been great, honest. You'll have to come by and see the nursery later this week."
"Oh, I'd love that!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed.
Harry laughed when Ron greeted him in a one-armed hug. "Hey, Ron. How was the rest of your summer?"
"Decent," he said, running his hands through his unruly bright red hair. "I made some good money working for the twins. I'm even in charge of the owl order sales for Hogwarts students."
Harry's eyebrow rose. "Isn't that a bit of a double standard for a prefect?"
Ron grinned. "Not at all. I will warn them that if they get caught with anything from the shop, they're completely at fault."
Harry laughed "Subtle. Where's Ginny?"
"Speaking of subtle," Ron said, making Harry roll his eyes. "She saw Colin and took off. I'm sure she'll find you on the train."
Harry nodded. He knew that she missed her friends, but he hadn't seen her in well over a week, not since she'd popped by and met Padfoot, and he missed her terribly. He saw Theo on the platform wrapped up in Finn's arms as they kissed rather passionately. Blaise walked over and slapped Theo on the back before he tugged his friend towards the train.
Harry wrapped his arms around Zee to hug her tightly. "Are you sure that you'll be all right?"
Zee tugged his face down to kiss his cheek. "Yes. I have Padfoot and Lady Godiva. Kreacher is annoyingly good at taking care of everything, Molly is close by… I promise, I'll be fine. Have a wonderful year, Harry."
He nodded. "And you have the mirror?"
"Yes, I will always have it on me if you need me."
Harry smiled at that, surprised that he felt as sad as he was to be leaving her. He kissed her cheek and placed both of his hands on her stomach. "Take care of our mum in there. I love you, Zee."
Tears welled up in Zee's eyes as Harry hugged her once more before he followed Ron onto the train.
Hermione was already in the compartment they'd chosen with Crookshanks purring in her lap. "Hi, Harry; hi, Ron. How were the rest of your summers?"
"Good," Harry told her. "I got a new puppy."
"Yeah, Ginny mentioned it. She said that you found him on the beach?"
Harry nodded as he told his friends about Padfoot. He had moved onto how Dean and Luna had helped with the nursery just as Neville came into the compartment. Neville filled them in on the greenhouses he was building and what the latest Wizengamot discussions were.
"Are you going to miss it?" Ron asked.
Neville shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it has been nice going and being informed and not being treated like I'm a child, but it will also be a nice break. Politics is a bit stressful. Theo is really in his element though. He just fits there and it's nice to see."
The compartment door opened again and Harry smiled at the sight of his girlfriend with Luna.
"There she is."
Ginny simply plopped herself into his lap and kissed him deeply and long enough that Ron began to make gagging noises behind them.
"Hi, my boyfriend."
"Hi, my girlfriend," Harry said back. He knew that he had a stupid grin on his face, but he didn't care. He leaned in and kissed her once more before she settled in the seat next to him. Arnold the pygmy puff crawled off her shoulder to settle himself in her lap, giving a big yawn as he did so.
"Hi, Luna," Harry said, giving the puff a rub as he spoke.
"Hi, Harry," Luna said, her eyes amused.
"Now that you're all here," Harry began. "I wanted to fill you in on what Tonks told me."
When he finished, Hermione's eyes were wide. "You mean they kidnapped children to turn them only to set them on their parents? That's sick and horrible!"
Harry nodded. "Tonks said that she can't say too much more about it as it's an open investigation, but the idea that Greyback would orchestrate something like that is worrisome."
"Do you think that it was under Voldemort's orders or merely something Greyback did himself?" Ron asked, his brow furrowed in thought.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know. But it is something else that Voldemort can be blamed for. He's plotting something and until we know what it is, I think the world will only be getting darker."
Hermione's gaze met his. "It's a waiting game."
"And one we have to unfortunately, wait out," Harry agreed.
~ ASC ~
Lavender looked up when Padma entered the train compartment, closing the door behind her. Before she could speak, the other girl had moved in to kiss her softly.
"I've missed you."
Lavender's eyes softened, her lips still tingling from Padma's. "I've missed you, too. Did you tell Vati?"
Padma shook her head. "No, I thought that we should maybe do it together. Have you told her?"
"No," Lavender admitted. "I don't know what to say. I haven't told anyone."
Padma sat on the bench next to her and twined her fingers through Lavender's. "Why? Are you… changing your mind?"
"No," Lavender repeated. "It's just… strange."
"I don't think it's strange," Padma said. "I fancy you, you fancy me. Why can't we be together?"
"No," Lavender said a third time. "It's not that. It's just… I guess I always imagined myself with a bloke. But… no one has ever kissed me like you have."
Padma's lips curved before she leaned in and kissed her again. "Writing letters to you the last few weeks just wasn't enough. But I want this, Lavender, and I hope you do, too. I want you to be my girlfriend. I don't want this to be pushed aside as just another experiment."
"I want this, too."
But when the train compartment door opened, Lavender moved her hand away and Padma's eyes flashed hurt. Lavender's heart clenched at the sight of it.
"There you two are!" Parvati exclaimed. "Our parents barely said goodbye and you were running off towards the train, Mae. Hi, Lav!"
"Hi, Vati," Lavender said.
"I just wanted to find a good compartment," Padma told her sister. She started to get up to move, but Lavender grabbed her arm.
"No, she wanted to come and snog her girlfriend."
Parvati laughed. "You finally found someone to fall for your charms, Mae? That's great news! Unless you tell me it's Li or Bones then we're going to have words after how those two treated you."
Lavender slipped her hand back into Padma's and smiled. "No, it's… Padma and I are together, Parvati. I'm her girlfriend and she's… mine."
Parvati's eyes widened in surprise as she looked between her best friend and her twin. "You two! When did… Anthony's party! Of course! I knew something had changed between the two of you."
"We didn't mean to keep it from you," Lavender began. "It's just that it was new and… it's still new, but… Parvati, you're my best friend and I know that this is weird, me dating your identical twin sister, but —"
"— I didn't say that it was weird," Parvati interrupted. "Padma, have anything to add?"
Lavender snuck a glance over at Padma and the girl's dark eyes were smiling at her and then she grinned widely when Padma leaned in and kissed her softly before she answered.
"Kissing her makes me feel like I could be floating without a levitation charm."
Parvati grinned. "Good. Now budge over and try to keep the enthusiastic snogging to a minimum when I'm around, yeah?"
Lavender blushed, but couldn't stop smiling. Padma Patil was her girlfriend and suddenly, nothing else really seemed to matter. As she listened to her best friend start talking about her plans for the year, she knew that she still had a big goofy grin on her face and there was nothing that she liked better.
~ ASC ~
"Longbottom!"
Neville had just stepped into the entrance hall of Hogwarts when he heard someone shouting his name. He'd lost sight of his friends in the arrival, but knew they'd be waiting for him at the Gryffindor table. He turned to see who was calling him and frowned slightly when he saw Kevin Entwhistle waving at him. He waited by the wall of the corridor for the Hufflepuff to make his way forward.
"Longbottom, hey, thanks for stopping."
Neville nodded. "Sure. What can I do for you?"
Kevin's face broke out into an expression of deep shame as he cleared his throat. "I wanted to thank you."
Neville's eyebrows rose in surprise. "For what?"
"For stepping in at Anthony's party," he said slowly. "I'm sorry I hit you. It's... that wasn't me. If you hadn't stepped in and I had hurt Hannah, I never would have forgiven myself. It was the drink..." he swallowed slowly. "I love Hannah and the thought of hurting her makes me sick. I just... thank you."
Neville stared at him a moment. "You're a nice guy, Kevin. The thought of you hurting Hannah makes me sick, too. She says that you didn't, but if Justin and I hadn't been there…?"
Kevin shook his head. "I would never hurt her, I swear it! It was a mistake because of what Anthony was serving. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize to me. I just hope that you apologized to Hannah."
"I did. I have! A hundred times at least! She's the kindest soul and she's forgiven me. It won't happen again, I won't let it!"
Neville nodded. "Okay. That's what matters."
Kevin managed a small smile and bid him goodnight before he headed off and Neville shoved his hands into his pockets. The fact that Kevin Entwhistle had gone out of his way to apologize to him was something that he hadn't expected. Hannah had swore he hadn't hurt her, but Neville still wasn't so sure. If he and Justin hadn't intervened… the thought made him wonder. And sure, he'd been spending some time fantasizing about how he could save Hannah from him; how she'd be so grateful that she'd kiss him until he couldn't catch his breath, how he'd undress her and worship her the way she deserved to be worshipped... but she was in love with Kevin. He just hoped that Kevin stayed true to his word.
When he stepped into the Great Hall, he let his eyes wander around the usual splendour and when his gaze stopped on the golden blonde head sitting at the Hufflepuff table, he caught himself. Hannah had a boyfriend and he wasn't it.
He headed towards the Gryffindor table with more purpose, determined to put all thoughts of her aside.
~ ASC ~
The welcome feast was just as grand as usual, but the feel of Theo and Blaise watching him the entire time had made Draco feel tense. He'd ignored their attempts to talk to him on the train, intentionally sitting right between Crabbe and Goyle, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid them much longer. The moment they finally made it into the sixth year boys dorm, Theo and Blaise flanked him. They crawled into his fourposter, closed the bed curtains and put a silencing charm around his bed. Draco made to protest, but Blaise lifted his left arm and slowly rolled up the sleeve of his robes. The sight of the tattoo, visible for his friends to see, made his breath hitch.
"I took it, okay! Now leave me alone!" Draco tore his arm away from them, but Theo and Blaise each pinned him down until he was being held between them on the bed.
"I'm not above straddling you if necessary," Theo warned.
Draco smirked at that before he caught himself. "It's safer for both of you to just leave me alone."
"Probably," Blaise said. "I do love my own skin, but we promised each other we'd be in this together."
"Yeah, well, I don't see the Mark on either of you!" he spat, bitterly.
"Why?"
Draco looked at Theo, the hurt in his friend's eyes making him swallow. "I had an out... Mother was going to have Binky take me to the Tonkses', but if I left… they would have killed her."
"Why didn't you take her with you."
"She wouldn't leave Father and... this Mark... he can track us with it."
Theo's eyes widened. "So, if you tried to run..."
"He'd find me," he whispered. "Theo... he wants you dead and..."
Blaise swallowed. "And he wants you to do it, doesn't he? Fuck! That sick sadistic bastard! That's worse than the whole making you love a dog thing... he knows how much you and Theo are like family!"
Draco nodded, tears in his eyes. "And he... Father's too scared to do anything and the Dark Lord is livid because he killed Thaddeus Nott and... my mother won't leave him!"
"Draco," Blaise said sternly. "Your parents are madly in love. They always have been, but your father is too cowardly to step out from under Abraxas' shadow."
"No, he's..." He lowered his head. "Yes, he's a bloody coward! He wants to keep Mother and I safe and instead he's pulled us in even deeper."
Theo wrapped his arms around Draco, his cheek resting against his friend's shoulder. "We can get you out of this, Draco."
"How?" he exclaimed. "I made my choice! I chose to save my mother and in the end... it's going to cost me everything."
Theo shook his head. "Blaise and I spoke to your aunt and uncle and they're willing to help you. They said —"
"—What?" Draco interrupted. "They said what, Theo? How can they help me? If I try to run, he will find me and kill me. If I don't do what he asks, he will make me watch as he kills my parents and then he will kill me! I have no more choices! I made the wrong one!"
The last word came out on a choked sob and Blaise and Theo held him close. When he composed himself, he shoved them off.
"Leave — me — alone."
His friends climbed out of his bed, exchanging a look. Draco changed into his pyjamas and buried himself under his blankets, wishing for death. He wondered if the giant squid would drown him if he swam out to it when his blankets lifted and his two friends crawled into the bed on either side of him.
"Get real! This bed is made for one!"
Theo grinned. "Guess we'll just have to snuggle."
Blaise rested his head on Draco's chest. "Want to be the big spoon?"
He snorted. "Get the fuck out - both of you!"
Theo only turned to face his friend. "We're here and we're not going anywhere. We will get you out of this, Draco. I don't know how, but we will."
Draco bit his lip, rolling on his side to look at his friend. "If... when it comes time and he tells me that I have to kill you... just... I want you or Blaise to do it. Make it quick."
"Draco, none of us are going to kill the other," Theo said darkly. "None of us."
Draco nodded, tears in his eyes. "I hope not."
Blaise cuddled closer, spooning Draco as Theo snuggled in from the other side. "Absolutely."
Draco pushed away from them. "Will you two gits go sleep in your own beds now? I'm not going to fucking spoon with either one of you!"
Theo grinned. "You love it." But he crawled out of the bed. "See you in the morning."
Draco elbowed Blaise, but he only cuddled closer. "Get out, Zabini!"
Blaise chuckled against his back. "But your bum feels rather nice against my big cock."
Draco elbowed him harder and Blaise laughed before he got out of the bed.
"If you can't sleep, come wake me. I've got a good ear."
Draco watched his friend leave, but for the first time in months, he felt a little lighter. But he knew that his friends were wrong. He only had two ways out of this and it involved either doing what the Dark Lord asked of him or his death.
And neither sounded remotely appealing.
~ ASC ~
Harry grinned when Seamus popped open the bottle of whiskey that evening. He had a feeling that this was becoming a new Gryffindor-return-to -the-dorm tradition.
"Who wants a drink?" Seamus asked, eagerly pouring two fingers into five glasses.
Harry accepted it with a smile and watched his friends do the same. The five of the clinked glasses and took a slow sip. The familiar burn wasn't as awful as he remembered and he even enjoyed it a little. "Thanks."
Ron plopped down onto his bed, his glass in hand. "Seam, this was a good idea. We were just discussing how this year none of us are going to be in the same classes."
Dean nodded, stretching out on Seamus' bed. "That is true. Sixth year means a big change now that we're all moving onto our respective career paths. You and Harry are still taking classes to be an Auror, right?"
"Yeah," Harry told them. "I made the decision officially this summer and like Uncle Remus told me, even if I decide it's not for me, I have the courses to do pretty much anything."
Seamus nodded as he took a seat next to his boyfriend. "Me Dad wants me to work in the pub with him, family business and all that, but I don't know it's what I want."
Dean nudged him. "Tell them the truth, Seam, I think it's brilliant."
Seamus blushed. "No, it's stupid."
"Try us," Harry said, grinning at his friend.
"I want to join the Official Fire Broomgade."
Ron grinned. "You'd be brilliant at that!"
Seamus shrugged. "I think it'd be brilliant to fight fires and you only need OWLs in Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions - which I received. You also need to be skilled on a broom, which I am. I mean, I didn't obtain top marks, but I still received an OWL for each course. McGonagall helped me organize my classes this year to assist so I'm taking Advanced Flying, Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. One of the OFB instructors is going to send me information on drills to run through. I need to stay in peak physical shape for the job so I may start joining Harry on his runs."
Harry grinned. "You can join our Quidditch training regime any time you want. We do need to find a new Chaser this year with Angelina being gone."
"Nah, I'm not much into playing. I like to fly, but I'm not skilled enough in the sport. However, I am willing to suffer through your drills if it will help me get into the OFB."
"Bold of you, Fred and George say that Harry might be worse than Wood was," Ron said.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not as bad as Wood, that's an exaggeration."
Ron held his fist up to his mouth and coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'denial.'
"Is it hard to get into the OFB?" Neville asked as Harry made a rude hand gesture at Ron.
"It's tough, yeah," Seamus admitted. "Once I have my NEWTs, I'd have to write the Fire exam and if I pass it, then I have to go through a series of physical and practical tests. I have to score Outstanding on the physical obstacle course to even be granted an interview. They want to make sure all participants have endurance to make it through one of their courses before they consider granting an interview. If they like me in the interview, I get to join the Academy, which is one year of training. It's a long process, but I think it'd be so wicked. Fighting fires would be a dream job."
"Plus, since you start so many of them, it'd be nice to know how to put them out after," Ron teased.
Seamus held up two fingers. "Piss off, that was one time and I was in first year!"
"Still more than me," Ron said, laughing when Seamus chucked a pillow at him.
"What about you, Dean?" Neville asked, trying to hold back a laugh.
Dean grinned. "I'm an artist and I think that I'd like to see where I can take that. Working on the nursery this summer at Harry's only made me more sure of it. I'm taking Art as my main course along with Charms, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Non-Magic Studies so that I can focus more on Muggle art as well. I received a handful of OWLs myself so my options are pretty open. I sold some of my art this summer out of my mum's shop and people paid a pretty sickle for it."
"Good for you," Harry told him. "You're really talented, Dean, and I think you'd be crazy not to pursue it. It's pretty wild to think that we might actually have real jobs some day."
Seamus grinned. "Real jobs and out from under our parents' thumbs. It'll be nice." He looked over at Dean and wiggled his eyebrows. "We can shag whenever we want."
Dean laughed. "I want to have art shows and go to art museums and immerse myself in the world of art."
"I can be your fancy OFB trophy boyfriend."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Prat."
Seamus grinned and looked over at his friends. "We have to look towards the good, right? Otherwise it's how we let the bad win."
"Well said," Harry admitted. "I do think that it will be a good year in that sense, but as to Voldemort… the war is only building more and more and I feel like Hogwarts is going to be the only sense of normalcy we have."
Dean nodded. "Amen to that." He took the whiskey bottle from Seamus' nightstand and poured himself a second glass. "And that's the reason I need another drink."
"And also the reason why we should play Would You Rather!" Seamus exclaimed.
"I hate this game," Dean muttered.
Harry laughed. "And yet your boyfriend loves it and forces us to play at least once a year."
Neville grinned and held his glass out for Dean to fill it. "Bring it on."
"That's the spirit, Nev!" Seamus said as he filled his friend's glass. "How about you go first, then? Would you rather tell Hannah that you fancy her or get punched by Entwhistle again?"
Neville blushed. "Punched by Entwhistle."
"Aw, come on!" Seamus exclaimed. "A brave Gryffindor like you!"
Neville shrugged. "I wouldn't want her to feel sorry for me or worse, tell me how nice I am."
Ron nodded. "I get it, mate. But next time, make sure you punch Entwhistle back at least."
Neville snorted and tossed a pillow at him. "Ron, would you rather watch Hermione snog another bloke or admit that you're in love with her?"
"Hermione and me are never going to happen," Ron insisted stubbornly. "She made her choice and it was some stupid Spanish bloke named Dario." He scowled at the name and took a drink of his whiskey. "What kind of name is Dario anyway?"
Seamus gave him a sympathetic look. "Girls are shit, mate. Dean and I can show you how to suck a prick?"
"Piss off!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his pillow at him.
Dean chuckled as Seamus threw the pillow back at Ron. "No, really. I bought this book in Knockturn Alley and it gives incredible detail on how to perform the perfect blow job. Ask Seamus, I've gotten really good at —"
"Hey!" Harry interrupted. "There are some things this friendship doesn't need to share."
Dean smirked. "And how about you, Harry? Has the lovely Ginny sucked your prick yet?"
Ron's face flushed. "Oi! That's my sister!"
Harry grinned, the back of his neck flushing as he merely took a drink of his whiskey. Dean's words had conjured an image of Ginny doing just that and he merely shifted a bit, putting a pillow over his lap.
Ron raised his glass. "Harry, would you rather answer that question and be punched in the face or not answer that question and avoid being punched in the face?"
"The latter," Harry admitted, trying not to laugh. "I know better than to share my sexual exploits with you, Ron."
"Good," Ron said, nodding at him. Then his eyes narrowed. "Wait — what do you mean by sexual exploits?"
Dean and Seamus laughed and Harry only shrugged.
"I've been told I can't share," Harry retorted.
Ron held up two fingers in response.
"Anyone else concerned with how often the term being punched in the face has come up in the last five minutes?" Neville asked.
Seamus grinned. "You're the only one who's been Muggle duelling recently, Neville, so you tell us."
Neville rolled his eyes and brought his whiskey to his lips instead of responding.
Harry grinned. "Seamus, would you rather keep playing this stupid game or turn in for the night?"
Dean put Seamus' empty glass on the nightstand. "I think turning in would be a great option."
Seamus made to protest this when Dean kissed his neck. "Er, maybe turning in, isn't so bad."
"Silencing charms," Ron insisted. "That's all we ask."
Dean put the charm up immediately, closing off the bed curtains and Harry grinned at Ron and Neville. "It's nice to see them both so happy."
"I second that."
Neville finished off his whiskey as he spoke. "Harry… in all seriousness, have you and Ginny…?"
Harry stared at Neville, before sneaking a look over at Ron. Ron wasn't looking at him, but he could see that he was listening. "We've done… things, but we haven't shagged."
Ron turned to look over at Harry. "As my best mate, I want to say good for you, but as her brother, I want to punch you. It's a contradiction I didn't expect."
Harry chuckled. "I accept that. Let's never bring it up again?"
"Definitely," Ron said, looking extremely uncomfortable as Neville laughed at them. "Right. Never again."
Neville snorted. "Enough with the talk, let's go to bed."
The three of them agreed, closing their bed curtains around them. Harry put his hands behind his head and wondered what he would do if Ginny put her mouth around him. She was already so good with her hands. If Theo had really given her advice, did that mean he'd also told her how to suck a prick? The thought only made him harder.
His cock was growing with each new thought and he could see it poking out from the top of his pyjama bottoms now. He wandlessly performed a silencing charm around his own bed and tugged his bottoms down to allow his cock to spring free, stroking himself gently. He imagined Ginny licking those soft lips, kneeling before him and that pink tongue trailing along the edge of him. His thumb brushed under the head in a steady rhythm as he imagined her mouth wrapped around him, imagined watching her take his length down that soft throat inch by inch. His hand was moving faster now and he reached down with his other hand to gently massage his balls, the sensation made him even more sensitized. He bit his lip as he groaned.
He imagined her tongue stroking him, licking him, kissing him. He imagined those brown eyes looking up at him in desire, her mouth full of him, and he came all over his hand, groaning her name into his pillow. When he caught his breath, he wandlessly cleaned himself up, wondering if Ginny would like the taste of him as much as he liked the taste of her. He wondered when he could get his hands on her again; his mouth on her, the way he really wanted.
He went to sleep that night, sated, and with a big smile on his face; his dreams full of her.
~ ASC ~
Bill made his way into the kitchen of the Burrow that evening leaving Fleur in the living room to charm his father. His mother's wand was moving quickly from side to side as she chopped vegetables and stirred something on the stove.
"Smells great in here, Mum," Bill said, leaning against the counter. "Ron and Ginny get off to Hogwarts all right?"
"Yes, both of them are off on another year. I can't believe my baby girl writes her OWLs this year."
Bill smiled. "Well, we have to grow up some time, right?"
She made a sound in agreement but didn't turn around.
"Mum, I wanted to talk to you about Fleur."
Molly made a huffing sound and continued to work.
"You have to give her a chance."
"I have given her a chance. She's lovely."
Bill stared at her. "She is lovely. She's beautiful and powerful and smart. She wants to get to know you."
"She's had plenty of opportunities to get to know me. I hope my simple chicken and potato dinner isn't too much for her. Everything is too much food for her. You'd think I was stuffing her face with nothing but fat."
"Mum," Bill said in exasperation. "I can't win with you, can I? You harp on me for years about finding myself a wife and settling down and now when I bring home the woman who I want to marry, you're rude to her and tell me that I'm moving too fast."
"I'm not rude!" Molly exclaimed.
Bill only lifted an eyebrow. "I know that she's been rude as well, but she's used to having to put her back up. Her grandmother was a Veela, but she's not, Mum. She has Veela blood in her veins, but it's not her fault that she has men fawning all over her all of the time. It makes her sensitive and it makes her try harder to make herself look strong."
"At Ginny's birthday, she said that our home has nothing but cooking and chickens!"
Bill winced at that. "Mum… I work for Gringotts. I've built a life for myself that's more… I don't want to own a little farm. I like the city life and Fleur's the same. She grew up in the small tourist city of Aix-en-Province and I think coming here and seeing where I came from was a shock to her."
Molly stared at her son. "She thinks that she's better than us."
"No, she doesn't," Bill said softly.
"The French always think they're better than us."
Bill stared at his mother in exasperation. "So, you won't give the woman I love a chance because you've lumped her in with an entire nationality?"
"Bill," Molly said slowly. "She's a beautiful young woman. I know you say the Veela charms aren't her fault and I believe that, but are you sure that you aren't just enraptured by her looks?"
Bill scoffed. "So, now you don't think that I know my own heart?"
"Bill," Molly said slowly.
He only shook his head. "She might not be the woman you imagined for me, but I love that woman, Mum. She's smart and clever. She's kind and gentle and sure, she can be a bit dismissive sometimes, even a bit brash, but she's an amazing person and I think that if you took the time to get to know her, you'd see exactly why I fell in love with her."
He turned his back on his mother and headed back into the living room where Arthur was attempting to chat up Fleur about Muggles.
"I do not theenk zat Muggles are zat fascinating, Mr Weasley."
Arthur chuckled. "Most people don't, I'm afraid. I'm one of the few."
"He's a rare breed," Bill said as he took a seat next to Fleur. "Did something interesting happen at work today, Dad?"
Her hand immediately found his and he smiled, squeezing lightly as his father answered.
"Nothing too crazy, but we found out that someone has been putting a jinx on mailboxes. Those are boxes on the sides of Muggle homes that hold letters," Arthur explained, gleefully. "The jinx causes the mailbox to explode in coloured confetti whenever one opens it. Not to mention it blows a little hole in the side of their home. There's been eight cases so far and we have no idea how they've done it, let alone who might be behind it. I do have my suspicions though. The Muggles are calling them letter bombs."
"Sounds entertaining to say the least."
They all looked up when Percy came into the house.
"Evening all," Percy said, taking off his shoes and sitting down in the chair next to his father.
"How was work, Percy?"
"The same," Percy told them. "Scrimgeour didn't show up to my weekly meeting again. He sent Proudfoot and Savage to take notes."
Arthur frowned. "If he's leading the division, shouldn't he be the one attending?"
Percy nodded vigorously. "As I've told him multiple times now, but he insists that he's a busy man as department head and can send people to get him the information he needs. I agree to some extent, but Proudfoot and Savage took off halfway through the meeting as they received some form of breakthrough in their case. Then when I sent him a memo about his Aurors leaving, he didn't even bother to respond to it."
"Well, you're doing what you can," Bill told him. "It's still a great opportunity for you to be coordinating these meetings, Perce."
"Yes, but it's also frustrating when people won't cooperate," Percy admitted. "I feel like I can't do my job if I can't even get Scrimgeour to take me seriously.
Arthur smiled at his son. "I'm sure that you'll figure it out, Percy. You've always been good at organizing and getting people together."
Fleur tossed her hair over her shoulder making Arthur and Percy both turn to stare at her as Molly came into the living room. Bill kissed Fleur's hand and Molly's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Perce, put your eyes back in your head," Bill said sharply.
Percy, realizing he'd been caught staring at his brother's fiancée, flushed. "Er, sorry."
Dinner went mostly okay, but Bill noted that both his brother and his father were under the thrall of the Veela charms more than once before they were able to pull themselves back from it. Each time made his mother scowl harder and in turn, it made Fleur lash out more in abrasive comments.
By the time they left that night, Bill felt a headache coming on.
"That could have gone better," he admitted when they closed the door of his flat.
Fleur made a haughty sound. "Zey will never like moi."
Bill only stared at her. "The problem is that my mother is just as stubborn as you are."
Fleur looked scandalized by this statement. "You theenk I am stubborn! Non! I am just tired of people only seeing ze Veela part of me! It is not my fault I am so beautiful! I did not ask for zis!"
Bill chuckled at that and pulled her into his arms. "You're breathtakingly beautiful and it's not that you're beautiful that's the issue. My mum would never be so superficial like that. You use your beauty as a shield, Fleur. You give off this haughty air that you're better than everyone and I know that's not the real you." He kissed her forehead tenderly. "I know the sweet you, the caring you, the woman who's smart and sassy and not afraid to show me up. But with everyone else, you don't let that show."
Fleur looked like she wanted to protest this, but instead she buried her face in his chest. "When I get nervous I say ze wrong theengs."
"I know," he said with a chuckle. "Ron told me that the first thing you said about Hogwarts was that it was too drafty and you complained about the heaviness of the food."
She pouted. "It was too drafty! I was frozen for most of ze year!"
Bill grinned at her. "You're missing my point."
Fleur was quiet for a moment, wrapped in his arms and when she spoke it was muffled. "Your maman has your smile and your kind heart, but she worries I am stealing 'er son. You are 'er first born, 'er most precious bébé. She doesn't theenk I am good enough for 'er son."
"No, Mum thinks that you think you're too good for me, which to be fair, you probably are. Fleur, I love you. I know how amazing you are. I know you're not perfect and you know the same about me, but I also know that coming here, moving to England… it's a bit of a culture shock. France is the same, but very different at the same time. You're from a small French city with universities and art schools, old buildings full of light and tourists, and I'm from a little farm in Ottery St Catchpole. We're not exactly on the same spectrum, are we?"
"I do not care zat you are a farm boy!"
Bill chuckled. "And I don't care that you're a stuck up high society princess."
Her mouth dropped open. "I am not a high society princess!"
Bill merely scooped her up into his arms and carried her into his bedroom.
"'Ow dare you! Put me down!"
"Gladly," he said, dropping her onto his bed. When she made to scramble off, he merely locked her in place beneath him. "Oh, I didn't say that you could leave."
"Let me go! Unhand me, vous brute!"
Instead he merely slid his hands up her thighs and beneath the dress she wore. "Non, I must show my princess just what this farm boy is capable of."
Fleur made to protest, but then his head was under her dress and her knickers were slowly sliding down her legs.
"Bill! We were arguing, you… oh, mon Dieu!" she exclaimed as his tongue stroked over her.
Her legs fell open, giving him more access and he licked her slowly and thoroughly. He turned his head to press a kiss to her thigh. "Do you still want to me to let you up?"
Fleur's fingers gripped his hair tightly, tugging it free from the leather band he'd pulled it back in. "Oui, let me up."
Bill frowned but did as she asked and then laughed when she merely pinned him down to the mattress. "Oh, I see. You just wanted to be on top, did you?"
Fleur peeled her dress off and his hands automatically reached up to cup her through her bra. Then he only smiled when she slid her hands up his chest, pushing his shirt up with him and peeling it up over his head. Her lips caught his for a moment and then she was sliding her body up his chest and he was greeted with the lovely view between her thighs. He took a moment to look at how beautiful she was before he leaned in and used his mouth to show her.
Fleur cried out, her hands reaching up to cup her breasts. When his tongue wrapped around her clit, she tossed her head back, her hands in her hair. Her hips moved over him, desperate to feel everything and Bill moaned against her. It was all she needed and she cried out as she came, his name bursting from her lips.
Bill nudged her onto the bed next to him and began to plant kisses down her throat, over the swells of her breasts and below as he unhooked her bra.
"You 'ave too many clothes on," she murmured.
Bill smiled up at her from his spot at her belly button. "Do I?"
Fleur's fingers laced through his shoulder-length red locks. "Je t'aime."
He turned to kiss the hand in his hair. "Am I forgiven?"
Fleur brushed his cheek lovingly. "Oui. Je suis désolé aussi. I will work 'arder to not be so… rude et abrasive."
"Just be yourself, that's all I ask. I wouldn't change anything about you. I love you, Fleur."
Fleur tugged him back up to her lips and kissed him and he knew that no matter how long it took, he would show his family exactly why he loved this woman.
And then he kissed her again, losing himself in her in every way.
~ ASC ~
Arthur looked up when his wife climbed into bed next to him that evening and he put his Muggle crossword puzzle down to look over at her.
"Is the kitchen spotless?"
Molly gave him an annoyed look. "I just wanted to spruce it up."
"No, you were working out your thoughts and I know that means a massive clean."
Molly sighed. "Was I rude tonight?"
Arthur took his glasses off, wiping them on the bed sheet before he put them back on his face. "She's a beautiful young woman, Molly. She's quite clever. When you were in the kitchen with Bill, she was telling me about how she figured out how this curse worked and all about how to break it. She reminds me of you: Stubborn, proud, intelligent, sassy. We both know that you've been a little stiff with her."
"I... I don't dislike her," she said quietly. "She's a beautiful young woman. She's just so... French. I don't want Bill to rush into something. He's so young."
Arthur only stared at her. "We were barely eighteen when Bill was born."
"Yes, but we'd been together for years! He barely knows her! And he's so much older than her!"
Arthur chuckled. "He's six years older, Molly."
"When we met the Delacours… I knew that it was serious. I knew it then and…"
"Her parents were difficult to impress, I'll admit. We don't have that much in common with them, but they're lovely people. Her mother is very kind and just as beautiful as she is. And her little sister was a dear, wasn't she?"
Molly made a sound of agreement. "Yes. They were very kind and welcoming to us. I guess I just don't want Bill to rush into this marriage because of the war."
"He knows his own heart, Molly. I look at him and I see a strong, intelligent, handsome young man and I can't help but feel so proud that I helped shape him. We created him and he grew to be this amazing man who works as a curse-breaker. It's no wonder beautiful women like Fleur would flock towards him. In fact, you've mentioned more than once that you thought his looks let him get away with too much when it comes to the ladies."
"He just never showed any interest in settling down," Molly said quickly. "And then all of a sudden he wants to get married?"
Arthur chuckled. "I can relate to that. It's like one day he looked over and the sun rose over the woman he was with and he knew that another sunrise would never be as sweet unless that woman was by his side."
Molly's eyes softened. "Arthur…"
He kissed her, deeply. "We have to trust our son knows his own heart, Molly. It's how we raised him."
Molly blew her hair out of her eyes. "He told me that he can't win with me. Is that true?"
Arthur was quiet a moment as he stared at his wife. "Part of what I love most about you, Molly, is your stubborn tenacity. We both know what this is. He's our firstborn and our first child who wants to get married. We're not going to lose him. And it's partially because of Fleur that he's permanently moved back to England. I know it's not just Bill. It wasn't just he and Fleur's upcoming marriage that was on your mind tonight."
Molly nodded. "He's moving into that house now."
"Charlie has always been fiercely independent."
"But when he was living in the boarding home I had convinced myself that he would move back home one day and now… he bought a house there, a house in Satul de Foc Albastru."
Arthur smiled. "Charlie loves that village. He loves the people, he loves the culture, and most of all, he loves having the dragons nearby. He's always been more concerned with animals than forming relationships. He's been fascinated by dragons since he was three."
"But if he met the right person," Molly began.
Arthur chuckled. "You thought that he met the one when he dated that blonde when he was sixteen, what was her name… Vivian! Then you were convinced he was in love with that brunette, Julia. Remember Dylan that magizoologist from Nova Scotia? He and Charlie were finishing each other's sentences and you thought they were going to get married even though Charlie told you they were just having fun."
"And then Dylan went back to Nova Scotia," Molly said. "Our son doesn't have relationships, Arthur. He's always just having fun… I mean, I don't want to say it, but he sleeps around entirely too much! He bounces from woman to man to woman and… he's just like Fabian was."
"He's handsome and he knows it. Your brothers were the same. Charlie isn't as reckless as them and I know that you're worried… but what happened to them in the last war isn't going to happen to Charlie. He has his career and he's safer in Romania than here in England, you know that. He loves it there and he isn't interested in looking for more. But he is a man with needs. Let him have his fun."
"If he were closer to home I could —"
"— Drive him bonkers?" Arthur answered. "Who Charlie decides to sleep with or not to sleep with isn't our business, Molly. He's a grown man."
"I just want him to be happy."
"He is happy," Arthur told her. "He loves Romania. He loves working with dragons. He loves spending time with the magical creatures out there. He has friends there. He has a life. He bought himself a house that he's been fixing up and making his own. He has a good life, a good job, and I'm incredibly proud of him."
"Of course I'm proud of him." Molly continued. "He's been able to travel and to do what he loves. I just wish that he'd pick a nice woman or a nice bloke even and settle down, that's all. The Village of Blue Fire isn't exactly next door and he needs family. I don't want him to be alone."
"So, you want Charlie to settle down, but not Bill?" At his wife's look, he smiled. "Our two eldest sons have reached the age where they don't really need us anymore, that's what's really bothering you. Bill moving back to England made you think he was coming home and with Charlie buying the house in Romania, it only further reminded you that he's not."
Molly sighed. "Sometimes I look at them and I feel like it was only yesterday that I first held them in my arms. Now they're grown men with full lives and exciting careers and… it worries me."
"We raised them to be the incredible men they are and sometimes when I look at them, pride threatens to erupt. I like Fleur, but what I like most about her is the way that Bill lights up when he sees her. I like seeing that goofy look on his face as it reminds me of how much I love you. Dad used to tell me whenever I spoke of you, I used to look shell-shocked. Bill has that same goofy expression. Not to mention the sooner he marries her, the sooner we can get those grand-babies we've been wanting. I know Zee's pregnancy has only increased that desire for you."
Molly sighed. "I love you, Arthur. I don't know why you put up with me sometimes."
Arthur leaned in to kiss his wife softly. "We put up with each other and I wouldn't trade a single moment with you for anything. I love you, my Mollywobbles."
Her eyes softened and he kissed the corners of her mouth, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"In fact..." he said as he began to plant kisses down her throat. "The kids are all gone and we once again have the house to ourselves. Why don't I show you how much I love you?"
Molly nodded as his hands slid over her hips and around to cup her round bum. "Yes, why don't you?"
Then she pulled her husband closer and lost herself in his kisses.
~ ASC ~
Ginny opened the letter at breakfast, munching on her toast with jam as she read it. She was a little surprised to see that it was from Bill since she'd only just seen him. But she was grinning as she read his description of his and Fleur's dinner with her parents.
"What are you smiling at?" Harry asked her, kissing her cheek before he took a seat at the table next to her.
"Bill wrote to me. It seems that Fleur and Mum are butting heads."
"Did you speak to her at all at your birthday?"
"In passing," Ginny admitted. "I know you like her."
"I do," Harry told her. "She's clever and she was kind to me during the tournament. I trust her and consider her a friend. You like her, too."
"I knew Bill fancied her when we were in Anguilla and I do like her, but... I didn't expect him to marry her."
"Why does that change things?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like she's too... I don't know — posh? She's beautiful and always so put together, but she makes Bill really happy and that's a plus. However, the way she said something about the Burrow being cooking and chickens annoyed me."
Harry gave her a lopsided grin. "It is though, isn't it?"
She shoved him and he laughed. "Shut it, you!"
"I'm just saying that you like her so you should tell Bill that. Isn't that what you said Charlie told you?"
"Maybe," she admitted.
She folded the letter up and put it inside her parchment book. "I'll write back later." She frowned over the schedule in her hand. "OWLs are going to kill me this year."
Harry helped himself to some more orange juice. "Nah, I survived them so trust me, you'll be fine." He glanced down at his own schedule. "Looks like a pretty decent year. I have some decorum of free time. I want to start Quidditch up by next week as well and get a schedule down."
Ron leaned over to glance at Harry's schedule. "Did you see today? We're stuck with the Slytherins all day, plus Snape."
"I noticed," Harry said. "At least we have almost all of the same classes."
Hermione only made an annoyed sound from next to them. "I can't believe you dropped Arithmancy this year, Harry!"
"I liked it, Hermione, but I don't need it to become an Auror and those are the classes I need to focus on."
"I can't argue with that, but I liked having you in that class with me."
Harry smiled at her. "You'll have a good year, I'm sure. What are you taking?"
Hermione passed him her schedule and he wrinkled his nose at it. It looked like Hermione hadn't decided to drop much. Her schedule was full of Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, International Magical Relations, Wandless Magic, Advanced Arithmancy, Herbology, and Ancient Studies.
"What are you taking Ancient Studies for?" Harry asked her.
"Because it sounds fascinating," Hermione told him. "It's only for sixth and seventh years and I think it's going to be incredibly interesting."
Harry figured she was right, but still. "You're still taking the maximum amount of classes I see. You really never give yourself a break, do you?"
"She'll get high marks in everything as per usual," Ron said as he helped himself to some more scrambled eggs.
Ginny grinned. "It should be an interesting year."
Harry had to agree with that assessment, he just hoped that it wasn't going to be too interesting. And yet he couldn't help but hope that Voldemort would make a move soon as well. No matter how long he was forced to wait, he knew one thing: He was never going to be ready for what was to come.
End Author's Notes:
(French) vous brute = you brute
(French) Oh, mon Dieu = oh God
(French) Non = no
(French) Oui = yes
(French) Je t'aime = I love you
(French) Je suis désolé aussi = I'm sorry, too
(Romanian) Satul de Foc Albastru = Village of Blue Fire
I kind of have this idea that the reserve where Charlie works is this small little magical village hidden under the Carpathian Mountains on the outskirts of Transylvania. I decided to call it the Village of Blue Fire. In my mind, it was named by a Romanian gypsy three hundred years before after a Ukrainian Ironbelly had burned the forest to escape hunters. A witch had attempted to stop the flames and inadvertently made the flames blue and magical blue fire raged for three days miraculously not burning anything in sight. When the fire was finally distinguished, the forest had remained untouched and unburned. The locals had claimed it was a safe haven from then on out and called it Satul de Foc Albastru (The Village of Blue Fire). The dragon reserve had been built there one hundred and fifty years later.
Just something I thought about and wrote a while back that I felt needed more explanation.
As to Charlie, I know many people have different views on his sexuality. I see him as a solo act, terminal bachelor, who spends time with whoever catches his fancy when he has a sexual need, whether that's women or men depends on his mood. He's not the relationship sort, but if he met the right person, he could be. Charlie cares about his dragons and his family and he's happy with his life.
Thank you as always for reading and please review!