Author's Note:
Reviews and Comments: To Seriously Sam: Harry is a serious captain and he's not about to let his team not practice just because half of them partied! The tower room was so much further away lol. Ron is very sly. To elizabethrene: Thank you, I'm glad you can feel their pain and grief like it's your own. To Leapyearbaby29: Of course McGonagall put Walburga in her place, you can't tell me this didn't happen at least once! To Steelcode: McGonagall is a mother tiger. To PurpleLotus: Harry might be channeling Wood a little, lol. I think Ron was always good at working Hermione. He takes care of her in ways she doesn't take care of herself and I think it's the sweetest. Thank you for understanding that there are other things we need to focus on, but that the war is still there. To Jmcglynn522: Thank you! I thought we needed to see some of the babies acting up while in the womb. To Katiekat197: Thank you! To Roxy_ricki: Sirius would totally jam out to Ride of the Valkyries!
To GatorLHA2: Thank you, I do plan to continue after all this time lol. To Bumlewis: Only a little impending doom, I promise ;), at least for now. To Nightwing2013: I do think Remus and Tonks know what's important and they do revel in the little things. To elin2002: More of McGonagall telling people off? LOL. I will keep it in mind. To ladyinwaiting2005: You'll learn more about Neville and Luna later on. To coconut5639: Thank you, I like to balance characters and story arcs as best as I can. To DetroitNate: I wish I had a Pensieve as well. To Dianne: Thank you, we all needed that little moment to grieve. To bronzebec: Goosebumps is always a compliment! To Chintan: Haha, McGonagall did murder Walburga with that line, didn't she! To alix33: Thanks and McGonagall made up for it with the cake I think. To Wolf's scream: The world will be ready when the twins emerge, but it will be fun (I hope). To Runningtwiceasfast: Thank you! I love writing Hinny and I always appreciate it when someone else loves how I write them. To pix25: Thanks! To .wills15: Granny Minnie is going to be great! To coloredwords: Harry finds out about Romione in this chapter.
To notthatchhavi: I miss Sirius, too so, I thought we needed a little tribute to him. To speedsONEandONLY: I love domestic Remadora as well. I have a chapter coming up with them soon. McGonagall is definitely a BAMF, but no, they don't make her wear the cape. To Funbunnypotter26: Thanks, I hope you like the chapter when the twins are born, it's still a few away.
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 FORTY-NINE:
When Harry woke up the next morning, he felt a little better. The day before had been sad, thinking that Sirius wasn't going to have any more birthdays, but it had also been nice for all of them to get together and to remember him in that way. To think of the future of his children and to make plans for the incredible little people that they were going to grow up to be.
Today, he didn't want to be sad. It may have been the day after what should have been his father's thirty-seventh birthday, but it was also a day that held something important to him. One year ago today, he had kissed Ginny in front of the whole school. One year ago today, she had agreed to be his girlfriend.
He had never been so thankful for anything in his life.
Harry had told Zee what he wanted to get her and with a few suggestions from her, he had designed it for her. Zee had taken his gold and gone to buy it for him in Diagon Alley, sneaking it to him at the house yesterday. He dressed quickly and hurried down to the common room to wait for her. Hedwig should have delivered the flowers he'd ordered to her bedroom that morning, so he waited a bit impatiently for her to come downstairs.
His eyes widened at Ron and Hermione when he saw them kiss at the base of the stairs. "Well, well, well."
Hermione's cheeks flushed as she took Ron's hand. "Yes, we're together."
"Since the party," Ron told him.
"I'm happy for you," Harry said. "Why did you wait to say anything?"
"That was me," Hermione said. "I knew that you were going to Sirius' grave yesterday so I told Ron to just wait a few days. We were going to tell you at breakfast today."
Ron wrapped his arm around her waist, bending down so that his chin rested on the top of her head. "Guess we ruined the surprise."
Harry snorted. "Yes, I suppose you did. Does anyone else know?"
They shook their heads.
Harry grinned. "When Seamus finds out there might be confetti."
Ron groaned. "Merlin, no!"
Harry glanced at his watch and Hermione smiled. "She got the flowers. She was mooning over them. I'm sure she'll be down soon."
Ron looked between them in confusion. "Flowers?"
"Yes, Ron. Flowers. Today is Harry and Ginny's first anniversary."
"Already?" Ron said.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, and Harry is being a gentleman and sending her flowers because it's romantic."
"You don't need flowers to be romantic," Ron grumbled.
Whatever Hermione's response was Harry didn't hear it as they disappeared out of the portrait hole. He shook his head in amusement. It was good to know that some things weren't going to change.
Harry waited another five minutes before Ginny came down the stairs; her eyes lit up when she saw him before throwing her arms around him.
"You sent me flowers," she said, her voice almost accusing.
"I did," he said, kissing her lips. "Carnations."
"That's the one year anniversary flower."
"I know," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Neville told me. Happy anniversary, Ginny."
Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him deeply, arms linked around his neck. "Happy anniversary, Harry. I can't believe that you remembered."
He kissed her again. "It's you, of course I wouldn't forget."
"I spent five full minutes mooning over those flowers! Dark red and beautiful and they smell so sweet. You're wonderful. Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "I'll have to find a way to show you how much I appreciate them."
Harry swallowed when she took his hand off her back and slowly slid it up her thigh so that he could feel the garter clips. "Merlin, you expect me to sit through class all morning knowing that you're wearing those?"
Ginny only grinned mischievously.
Harry reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out the box, passing it to her. "This is for you."
"Harry," Ginny said. "The flowers were beautiful, you didn't have to get me a gift."
"I wanted to. Zee snuck it to me yesterday as she went and picked it up for me."
Ginny carefully untied the ribbon, lifting the lid. Nestled on black velvet was a thin gold bangle bracelet with a tiny flat Quaffle dangling from it. Imprinted on the Quaffle were the letters H&G in cursive and on the other side it said: 4/11/95.
"Harry… it's beautiful."
"The Quaffle because you play Chaser, but also because on this day, I kissed you on the Quidditch pitch," he said softly.
"It's perfect," she told him, slipping it over her wrist. "I love it. Thank you."
Harry pulled her close to kiss her again. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She carefully slipped the bracelet on her wrist, smiling at it a moment before she moved out of his arms to open the bag she'd tossed to the ground. "I have something for you, too."
Harry took the package from her curiously. It was wrapped in red tissue and when he opened it, it was a handmade card with a photo of the two of them on the front. They were standing in front of the stables on the ranch, arms around each other and big grins on their faces. When he opened it, he smiled at her neat writing.
Happy Anniversary, Harry!
Your eyes are as green as a fresh picked toad
Your hair as dark as a black board…
I gave this to you once before,
A young girl who simply adored,
You blushed and stammered like a bumbling fool
And five years later you kissed me in front of the whole bloody school!
I love you.
Love,
Ginny
Harry smiled at her. "It's perfect. And I was a bumbling fool."
Ginny smiled as he pulled her close. "I didn't know what to give you. A first anniversary is important, and I didn't know what you could possibly need."
Harry nuzzled his face in her neck. "I need nothing. This photo and this poem is perfect. All I need is you."
Ginny kissed him. "I have to meet Colin. Meet me in the tower before dinner."
Harry watched her grab her bag and hurry off to meet Colin for her breakfast meeting of the Herald and carefully adjusted himself, wondering if he had time for a quick wank before breakfast.
Harry managed to sneak one in and was feeling relatively better when he headed to Defence Against the Dark Arts class. But he felt like his day was dragging. He only caught a glimpse of Ginny during lunch before she'd hurried off with Luna and Theo and he frowned. Potions seemed even longer.
Snape seemed to be in a particularly bad mood that day and spent most of the class scowling at them and telling them why they were all never going to amount to anything. His mood soured even more when Slughorn breezed in.
Slughorn was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Snape. Outside of Defence Club, Slughorn hadn't really made himself known among the classes yet. But today, he was walking around giving advice, helpful hints, and, dare he say it, teaching the students. Snape only scowled from the front of the room and responded to Slughorn's questions with one word grunts.
Slughorn didn't seem to mind. When he got to Harry's cauldron, his face lit up.
"Ah, look at this, superb! I knew with Lily Potter as your mum, you'd be a whiz at potions!"
Harry knew that he wasn't a whiz at potions. But ever since he'd taken the time to really read that potions book, he was feeling much more confident in his abilities. "Thank you, Professor. I found some advice from my grandfather."
"Good job, m'boy! Professor Snape will definitely be giving you an outstanding on this one!"
By the look on Snape's face, Harry had a feeling he would definitely not be getting an outstanding. Snape may have been grading him somewhat fairly over the last year, but Harry knew that he still wasn't being given the grades he deserved. Snape was just less obvious about it.
"Severus, maybe you'll let me lecture a class one day next week? Bestow some of my wisdom upon your sixth years?" Slughorn suggested.
Snape frowned. "After fifteen years as a professor, I think I can teach them without assistance, Horace."
"Of course! Of course! Dumbledore just thought I could offer a little help and a bit of an old man's wisdom, no harm in that, is there?"
Snape scowled as Slughorn made a jolly comment about some of the famous students he'd taught who had done incredible things with potions over the years. How Slughorn's wisdom had helped them along and how he himself had even taught Snape what he knew once upon a time. Harry tried not to smile at how annoyed Snape was, but he couldn't lie, seeing Snape annoyed was like an early Christmas present.
Since Slughorn was busy distracting Snape, Harry was able to finish his potion and hand it in. When the charm went off, his brain immediately reminded him that he needed to meet Ginny. Thoughts of her wearing that garter belt all day had plagued him and despite the distraction that Slughorn had provided, she hadn't been far from his mind, which the tightness in his pants reminded him.
He tossed his bag in Gryffindor Tower, leaving Ron and Hermione bickering about whether to study or not before dinner, and escaped to the West Tower. He slid behind the tapestry of elves, eager to snog his girlfriend.
He found her sitting on the chesterfield. She'd taken off her robes and his eyes immediately roamed over her nylon stockings to where her skirt was pushed up, revealing the black garter clips. He licked his lips.
Ginny smiled and crooked her finger at him. "Come here, Harry."
Harry swallowed as he walked towards her, his eyes raking over her. "You're so beautiful."
Ginny pushed his robes off his shoulders as he got closer to her and then she reached down to undo his belt. "It's time for me to thank you for your lovely gifts this morning."
"What? No, that was… bloody hell…" he trailed off as her fingers wrapped around him through his boxers "Okay, you can thank me."
She chuckled, pushing his trousers down before her hands fondled him through his boxers. He was wearing Gryffindor red boxers today with gold stripes on them. They made her smile as she slipped her hand into the opening and found him.
Harry moaned when her fingers made contact with his bare skin; when those soft fingers wrapped around him, he gasped. Merlin, she was so good with her hands. Wicked good with her hands, in fact. They were stroking him, rubbing and teasing until he stood fully on command.
Then she put her thumbs in his boxers and pulled them down. Those talented hands found him again as she stroked him, fondling and kneading; Harry tossed his head back in pleasure. Then she gave him a little shove and he fell down onto the sofa, eyes slightly dazed. Ginny straddled him, kissing his lips as her hands wrapped around him again. He moaned against her mouth as they kissed and her hands did naughty things to him.
He unbuttoned her blouse, loosening her tie and tossing it behind her. Then her blouse was slipping down her shoulders and he licked his lips at the sight of the white lace camisole she wore underneath.
"New?"
"Fleur picked it out," she said, kissing his chin.
Harry pulled it over her head, marvelling in how soft it was, almost as soft as her skin, and then his eyes raked hungrily over the light purple bra she wore. It cut low in the centre and made him want to bury his face between those lovely mounds. But then her mouth was meeting his and he lost himself in her kisses.
Her mouth left his to trail down his neck, sucking on his pulse point and driving him mad before slipping down to loosen his tie, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing her way down his chest through his tee shirt. Then she was kneeling before him, her hands still playing as she lifted his tee shirt to kiss his stomach and he shivered. He let his head fall back as she kissed around his belly button, her hands still working him over. He let out a soft moan as her thumb brushed over his tip and her hair tickled his thighs — and then he felt the kiss.
His gaze immediately moved down to her. Her long red hair danced along his thighs but he watched as she lowered her head and planted a gentle kiss on his balls that startled him. She kissed him there again, lingering this time. Then her mouth pressed against the side of his shaft, another sweet kiss and then another. One at the base of him, one by his pelvic bone, one on his shaft again. One kiss… two kisses… three kisses… they continued on, each one lasting a few seconds longer than the one before until she finally brought her lips around and pressed them against the tip of him.
"Ginny, you don't have to..." Harry began
Ginny merely kissed him again, her eyes on him. "I want to."
"I just... I don't want you to feel that you need to —"
"— Harry, when have I ever done anything that I haven't wanted to do?"
"Er... never?"
"Exactly," she said, pressing a kiss to his balls. "So, shut up."
"I just mean... I don't want you to feel obligated to —"
"Harry, do you want me to do this?"
"Fuck yes," he breathed as her lips brushed him again.
"Then shut up."
He grinned. "Right, shutting up."
Then her mouth brushed him again.
"Merlin…"
Her lips brushed his tip, teasing him, and he shivered.
"Oh fuck..."
Ginny smiled up at him. "Does that feel nice?"
"Incredible," he admitted.
Ginny's thumb circled the head teasingly. "Good."
Then she opened her mouth and wrapped it around the tip.
Harry thought that he was going to die.
Never in a million years would he have imagined that anything could feel better than Ginny's hands on his cock, but he had been wrong. He had been so wrong. The feel of her hot wet mouth wrapped around him was enough to make him moan aloud.
His moan made Ginny's lips curve around him. Holding him in her mouth was different than she'd imagined. He was hot and hard and pulsing. The feel of him there was interesting. She removed her mouth, holding him in her hand for a moment, and then she leaned forward and licked him. He tasted like his skin so she licked him again, relishing in the familiar taste. He shivered in delight as her tongue stroked the length of him, teasing the base, tickling the head; then she wrapped her mouth around him again, holding the tip of him there as her tongue circled experimentally. He groaned, his hands clutching the sofa cushions on either side of him desperately. Feeling encouraged, she opened her mouth a little wider and took half of him inside. She almost gagged, but caught herself, enjoying how full her mouth felt as her hand worked the rest of him in slow strokes.
As Ginny was deciding her thoughts on it, Harry thought that he was going to self-combust. It was the most incredible feeling that he had ever experienced in his life… and then she sucked him.
"Bloody fucking... Ginny, I'm not..."
She sucked again, her hand stroking his length as she worked him, savouring and stroking him like he was a lolly. She made a moaning sound in the back of her throat and sucked a third time and Harry's body shuddered. His fingers grabbed her hair, tugging her away and her eyes were wide.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No," he murmured, shaking his head. "Not wrong. You could never… it feels fucking incredible! I can't take it anymore. If you keep that up I'm going to come."
Ginny smiled seductively, gently trailing her nails over him. "I know."
His breath hitched as her hands slid up his thighs then she gently fondled his balls, dipping her head to kiss them softly before she once again gripped his cock with her hand and put it in her mouth. The moment she sucked him, he knew it was over. She sucked him twice more and he cried out incoherently as he came. He tried to watch her, to see what she was doing, but he was too lost in his own pleasure to take note of it. All he knew was that he was coming in her mouth and it was amazing. It was better than anything he had done himself. It was bliss. It was a feeling he couldn't even put into words. All he could do was completely dissipate himself in her, surrendering every last bit of control without a single regret.
Ginny was only mildly surprised by the burst of him that flooded her mouth. It was hot and wet and the feel of him losing control made her stomach flip-flop in desire. She loved that she could make him surrender to her so completely; that Harry gave her that power and no one else. Suddenly she felt even randier than she had before and she resisted the urge to touch herself. Harry was moaning above her, not making much sense of his words as he came again and again. She wasn't sure what to do now that it was in her mouth and she vaguely remembered Theo telling her that it was best to swallow it down. She swallowed slowly and felt scandalous as she continued to lick and suck him as he came, milking out every last drop.
When he finally came down from his high, he saw that she was still gently kissing his cock, her tongue darting out to lick him clean.
"Ginny," he murmured, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair.
Her chocolate brown eyes met his. "I see why you like having your mouth on me now." She kissed the tip of him again before she kissed her way up his chest. "I don't know if it's better than treacle tart kind of good, but I certainly liked it."
Harry's eyes darkened in desire. "I fucking love you."
"Yeah? I fucking love you, too."
He grinned. "But speaking of treacle tart... I want to taste you… I just need a little nap first."
Ginny chuckled and kissed his cheek. "We have dinner to get to anyway. Then Quidditch practice, Captain Potter."
She stood up, looking down at where he was half sprawled on the sofa. He had one eye half-opened, his glasses slipping down his nose, his tee shirt was pushed up revealing his toned stomach, his dress shirt unbuttoned and hanging off his shoulders, his tie loose around his neck, his trousers and boxers were bunched at his ankles, and his sated cock rested against his thigh. He looked absolutely delectable, she thought.
"I just need a minute," he murmured.
Ginny bit her bottom lip, feeling quite proud of herself. "Happy anniversary, Harry."
"Happy anniversary, Ginny."
He watched her tug her camisole and blouse back on with a sigh and wondered if he could get his hands on her after practice tonight to show her how much he'd appreciated his gift.
~ ASC ~
Theo looked up when Ginny touched his arm and gestured for him to follow her. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Luna before he allowed them to pull him into the broom cupboard under the stairs.
"Lovely," Theo said, wiping dust off his robes. "Couldn't we meet somewhere less dusty?"
"Ginny obviously has something important to share, Theodore. The place she chooses is irrelevant."
Ginny bit her bottom lip, her eyes on her friends. "Today is my one year anniversary with Harry."
Theo grinned. "A full year, wow. Congrats!"
"Thanks. He gave me this beautiful bracelet this morning."
Theo admired it. "That's perfect for you. It's simple and not very expensive or extravagant."
"I wouldn't want something very expensive or extravagant," Ginny told him.
"Exactly why it's perfect for you," Theo said with a smile.
Luna was staring at her friend before she suddenly blinked, her eyes full of knowledge. "Did you fit it?"
Theo stared between the two of them. "Fit what?"
"His penis in her mouth," Luna said matter of factly. "She was worried it wouldn't fit."
Theo's mouth dropped open. "I knew he was hung!"
Ginny flushed. "It was… I liked it."
Theo's eyes twinkled. "Of course you did, chick. Now, did you remember to do everything I told you?"
"I think so. I liked just… kissing it at first."
Theo smiled. "It deserves love and attention, not just the slap and tickle."
Ginny blushed. "I didn't pull you two in here to give you a play by play. It was between me and Harry and it's… private."
"But we like the play by plays!" Theo pouted. "I'll tell you that Finn and I were supposed to go shopping on Saturday, but instead he took me to Tara. My eight hour day away from here was almost three full days with him in the fae court because of the whole time thing. He rode me so hard in so many different ways, it still hurts to walk a bit even now, two days later. I don't regret a second of it."
Luna giggled. "I don't think I would either."
Theo grinned sheepishly. "It was brilliant. Now, whenever I take him in my mouth, I hold him there and just bask in him, I feel like he's sharing something precious with me. It's why it's so important to make sure you treasure your man while you're getting him off. It's not a chore, it's a luxury; an indulgence, a bloody privilege! It's satisfaction and bliss all rolled into one. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes. I want to do it again. I want to… get better at it."
"Well, let's go over all the steps again," Theo said. "Erogenous zones first and you can describe in explicit detail your man's reactions, his cock, and his taste. I want to know everything."
"Theo, I'm not telling you that."
"Spoilsport," he said, turning to Luna. "But she told you he's hung, right?"
"I'm not telling you that," Ginny repeated.
Theo winked at her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Ah, but your lack of words speaks volumes."
She blushed and he kissed her cheek. "You're still not getting details."
Theo chuckled. "Fine, but you used your tongue like I suggested, right? Making sure that you lick and suck on the —"
"— Yes!" Ginny exclaimed. "Shush."
"Just making sure," he said. "How did Harry like it?"
"He wanted to kip right there after. I had to practically drag him down here for dinner."
Theo's smile widened. "The sign of a truly satisfied man."
"You think?" she asked.
"Do you?"
She bit her lip and Theo grinned.
"Exactly. And you're welcome. It sounds like my lessons were very helpful. Harry should send me a fruit basket."
Ginny blushed. "I appreciate your advice, yes, but Harry won't be sending you a fruit basket."
"I'll take other gifts if he insists, but nothing too lavish."
Ginny rolled her eyes and he grinned before he looked over at Luna.
"Anything else you two lovely ladies have been hiding from me?"
Luna tucked her hair behind her ear. "I must be off. I think the Nargles are causing too much chaos."
Theo frowned as Luna escaped through the door. "I really don't understand her."
"It's part of her charm," Ginny said. "But there is something going on with her that I haven't figured out yet."
Theo's eyes met hers. "You will. Now, let's talk a bit more here. I would say that Finn is like a banana when it comes to girth, is Harry comparable or more like a cucumber or a beater's bat?"
"I'm not telling you, Theo," she repeated.
His eyes twinkled. "One day you will."
She laughed. "Come on, let's go get some dinner. I have practice after and I can't do a good job if I don't have any sustenance."
"Thought you already got some sustenance today."
Ginny elbowed him and he laughed.
"Right, sorry, dinner it is," he said, linking her arm with his. "Can I come watch Quidditch practice? Maybe I can figure out the girth while I check out his arse in his uniform."
"He'll be in sweats."
"Excellent, more of a challenge then," he said as they made their way into the Great Hall.
"You're incorrigible."
Theo's lips twitched. "We all have our quirks. We need time this week, just us two. I want to talk to you about the holiday."
"Deal."
She watched him run his thumb over the ring on his finger. "I want to give him the best holiday. I need to find the perfect gift. I mean, he gave me this incredible ring that symbolizes so much and I know it's not an engagement ring, but… I love him, Ginny. I know I'm only seventeen and all but, I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I want forever with him and his nineteenth birthday is coming up at the end of this month and I want to get him something incredible. Something that he'll never forget. Something big before the holiday, you know?"
"Theo, being with you makes him happy. His eyes light up when he sees you. He doesn't need you to give him some incredible gift. Material things aren't important," Ginny said.
Theo nodded. "I know, but I still want to find him something. I was thinking maybe a bracelet with our names on it or something?"
"I think he'd like that," she said.
"It's so hard being away from him," he admitted. "Isn't that silly?"
"No, I think it's sweet."
Theo squeezed her hand. "I'm going to send an order to the jeweller in Apricity Lane. They make the best there."
Ginny watched him move to the Slytherin table to sit with Blaise and she smiled. She loved how in love he was. She knew that he would fret over the bracelet until Finn had it around his wrist. No matter what he gave him, Finn would treasure it just like he treasured Theo. She loved watching the two of them just look at each other. They were completely head over heels and it made her happy to see it.
She moved to sit next to Colin at the Gryffindor table, her eyes meeting Harry's as she sat down with a blush. It had only been thirty minutes since she'd had her mouth wrapped around him and she knew that he was thinking the same thing. She licked her lips and she saw his Adam's apple bob.
Yeah, Theo was definitely right. It had been a privilege and one that she was most anxious to share in again some time soon.
~ ASC ~
George didn't look up from the ledgers on his desk when the door opened. "I need ten more minutes, Fred."
"Nope, time's up," Angelina said, moving to sit on his desk. "It's after nine, George."
George smiled at her, tugging her down and into his lap to kiss her. "Hey, I've missed you!"
Angelina kissed him deeply, her hands going into his bright red hair. "I missed you, too. Next time you have to come with me."
"I will," he promised. "I'm going to be at every game. How was it?"
"Incredible," she admitted. "Hearing the fans cheer for your team is just amazing. Plus, we decimated the Wasps."
"I listened on the wireless," George admitted. "I heard that Johnson scored a whopping fifteen goals in that game. That girl is on fire!"
Angelina grinned. "The record is eighty-two goals held by John Cranberry from the 1956 Quidditch Cup. I'm going to beat that goal."
George grinned. "If anyone can do it, you can."
Angelina kissed him again. "Kendra's having a party to celebrate our win. Come with me. We can dance and drink and have a good time."
George hesitated. "I really need to finish these, Angie. Ten minutes and I'm yours."
Angelina's lips pressed against his, lingering just long enough to make him groan. She slid her hands under his shirt, running her nails along his ribs and making him shiver. "I can think of something else I'd like to do with ten minutes."
George's breath hitched. "Angelina, Merlin, you know I can't resist you."
She kissed his ear, his neck. "How about we sneak out of here and shag in the shower?"
"I thought that you wanted to go to Kendra's party?"
"Well, we have to clean up first," she said, sucking his earlobe into her mouth. "And I've been a very dirty girl today."
Her hands slid lower, those strong hands gripping him through his jeans and he groaned. "You're the reason I never finish my work."
She chuckled and hopped out of his lap with a smile. "Fine. I'll go bother, Fred. But if in eleven minutes you're still working, we're going to have a problem." Angelina placed another kiss on his lips. "Shower sex then we're going dancing."
He chuckled as he watched her saunter out of his office. A moment later he heard his brother's boisterous laugh and grinned. He turned back to his ledgers, determined to finish up so that he could spend the evening celebrating his girlfriend's incredible win. He was going to spend the evening licking and kissing every inch of her to show her just how much he admired her and loved her. He remembered the way she felt in his lap and he bit his lip.
Fuck the damn ledgers.
He threw the quill down with the intent of finding his girlfriend and snogging her senseless when the rumbling shook his desk so hard that the lamp crashed to the floor. He stood up, brows knitting together as there was another rumble, this one strong enough to knock the pictures off the walls.
And then he heard the screaming.
George was out of the office in seconds. He grabbed Angelina's arm as Fred led the way out into Diagon Alley, their wands out. There was another big rumbling and then two giants stepped into the street. People were screaming, running around in a panic. Some wizards had stepped forward, wands out ordering the giants to halt.
Angelina's fingers dug into George's arm in alarm as one of the giant's spoke. "Hoff!"
"I said, halt!" the wizard shouted, brandishing his wand. "Don't come any closer!"
"Hoff!" the giant roared.
"Wait!" Fred exclaimed, turning to look at his brother. "Hoffman! Isn't that the agent that Charlie said was dealing with the giant from the Ministry attack?"
"I think you're right," George said. "Mitchell Hoffman, the one who can speak Jötunn."
Fred nodded and hurried towards the wizard, telling him what he thought.
The wizard turned back to the giant. "Are you looking for Agent Hoffman?"
"Ja, Hoff!"
The wizard turned to nod at Fred. "Good catch, Weasley! Can you send word to Mitchell Hoffman?"
Fred immediately produced a Patronus, sending word that Hoffman was needed in Diagon Alley immediately as two giants were looking for him.
"If giants are looking for Hoffman in a somewhat friendly manner, that's a good sign, right?" Angelina asked.
George shrugged. "I would say so, but that's still only two giants. We can't assume they represent their family in any way."
Fred looked at his watch. "I know that you two were heading out to a party, but this has me a little revved up. I'm going to head into London and run some drills with the Wing Guards."
"We still don't have any real ideas for the unit commander yet," George said.
"No," Fred admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't get some flying in and think about it. Have fun at the party."
George saw a man Apparate into the alley and wave down the giants. He assumed the man must be Agent Hoffman by the way the giants began to respond in Jötunn to him. He turned and kissed Angelina's cheek.
"You ready to go dancing?"
Angelina nodded, her eyes on him. "Sometimes I think I need these celebrations to keep myself going. I need the fun and the happiness, but then something like this reminds me of what's happening out there and I think that I'm too superficial; that I should be doing more."
George pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "We can't stop living our lives. The moment we do that, Voldemort wins. You deserve happiness and you deserve to celebrate with your team for the amazing way you played today. I want to celebrate with you. I don't think that makes us superficial."
"Even when Fred goes off to do important things and we just go dancing?"
George's eyes twinkled at her. "But Fred doesn't have a sexy girlfriend like I do."
"True," Angelina said, her lips curving. "I still think that he should give Kendra another chance."
George grimaced. "I wouldn't recommend bringing that up. Fred says that Kendra is a mad woman and really, considering Fred's only requirement is that she's female and doesn't have the face of a horse, that's saying a lot."
Angelina rolled her eyes. "He's so full of himself! I'm telling you, Kendra's not a mad woman. He just didn't give her a chance!"
"No more match making from you," he chided. "Fred will be Fred and you just have to leave him to find his own women, okay?"
"Fine," she admitted. "But I still think that he should come out to more of the Quidditch parties."
"Trust me, that's not going to be a problem," George told her. "You just have to whisper the word party and Fred practically appears."
Angelina laughed. "True."
George linked his arm with hers as he led her back to the shop to lock up. He knew his girlfriend worried about Fred's bed-hopping and his lack of a serious relationship with anyone, but George wasn't concerned. He knew that Fred was too focused on the store, on the work, the stock, and the inventing. He knew that when his brother met the right person, it would work itself out. Fred was happy with his life, content, and George could feel that.
He just wished that they both weren't so worried about what was to come.
~ ASC ~
The paper the next morning gave a hint of what was to come.
It seemed that the giants had marched to London all the way down from Scafell Pike looking to communicate with Agent Mitchell Hoffman. The giants had startled Muggles all over the country who were reporting the most ridiculous sightings from killer robots to moving mountains; some people were even claiming that pollution had caused a chemical spike in the food and it was making people grow at alarming rates.
The good news was that there was a dense fog that followed them down from the Pike and hid them from view from the majority of the Muggles, which gave them the ability to laugh it off as a weird joke including alien invasions. It also made the Ministry have an easier job of hiding the whole thing. It was because of the thick fog that the giants had made it all the way to London without the Ministry being made aware of them, otherwise their trip to Diagon Alley would have been stopped hours before they'd arrived.
As to the giants themselves, it seemed that there were quite a few of them who were looking to make a move towards the side of the Ministry as opposed to Voldemort. They wanted better living conditions and more wards to keep them away from Muggles, but they wanted the ability to live freely. It seemed that Hoffman was planning to negotiate those kinds of talks with them as soon as possible.
Bannerman, the head of the newly coined Department for the Reconstruction and Cooperation with Magical Creatures, wanted the giants on their side and part of the new changes that were being made in the Ministry of Magic was to make a better peace with all magical creatures, including better alliances that benefited both parties and not just the witches and wizards.
It was one small step in their favour, but the Ministry was jumping on it and sadly, it was only a handful of giants looking to take up the move. The others were still very much on board with the freedoms for chaos and destruction that Voldemort was promising them.
The night after the giants made the paper, Harry was once again spending his time in Dumbledore's office as they went over the last few entries of the diary. After school, Riddle had travelled internationally while working for Borgin and Burke which is when he had found the diadem in Albania. He wrote about how others had been too stupid to follow the trail to such a great treasure; how he alone was smart enough to find it and therefore he deserved it above all others. He murdered a a fifteen-year-old wizard in Albania to make the diadem into his third Horcrux.
He returned to England to continue to work for Borgin and Burke and after killing Smith and taking her treasures, Riddle had disappeared. His diary was full of his travels, his studies, and his research. Riddle spent time studying dark curses and the history of immortality. He travelled to Egypt and to China to look at the old tombs and curses. He found more answers there as he burrowed himself in a small cabin in the woods, studying dark magic from all over the world and perfecting the idea of splitting his soul even more. He studied the Egyptian canopic jars that he'd stolen on his first travels as a salesman from Borgin and Burke. He spent time in Bulgaria speaking to professors from Durmstrang, studying Grindelwald and what he represented.
Grindelwald had a vision for a new world that I see merit in. He wanted witches and wizards to flourish. He wanted those strong enough to do so to take over, to protect themselves from those who were weaker, from those who wished to do us harm. Muggles are a bug that we must squash under our boot if we're going to flourish. Grindelwald claimed that he did not hate them, but I think that was the problem and was the beginning of his downfall — he underestimated them.
I will not be so foolish.
For one thing, I will not let that old man Dumbledore be the one to take me down. He may have defeated Grindelwald, but he will never match up to my power. The new stuff I've been studying, the new curses I've learned… Dumbledore will be in awe of my power and will finally show me the respect I am deserved! He never trusted me from the beginning and even when I was at school, I felt like he was waiting to show Dippet that I didn't belong there. But I will show him where I belong and why he belongs under my boot.
The diary went on, discussing how he corresponded with his old Hogwarts friends, making plans to return to England and to start making a change in how society was run, how the Ministry was run. He explained how he was going to see about getting the post as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts for the job posting was a sign that it was time for him to return.
Brax doesn't understand why I want to teach snot-nosed children, but I've explained to him that it's not about teaching them, it's about molding them. They are the clay of society and it is only by molding them to my will that we will truly see the changes that I seek. If we can start with the students at Hogwarts, start by showing them how much better the world can be if given the chance, the world will change. What better way to promote that change than by raising a generation who supports me?
…
That old man has refused me the post!
He says that word has come to him that I've been part of some nefarious activities and he doesn't feel that those are the kinds of activities that a professor should be involved in. I told him that I wished to go by my new name, the name I have given myself, but not only did he not show me respect by calling me lord, he kept insisting on calling me Tom — Tom, the name of my filthy Muggle father! Tom, that filthy arse who defiled my saint of a mother and abandoned her! He as much as killed her himself and now Dumbledore would dare to call me by HIS name! I deserve more respect than that! I deserve to be remembered as someone greater than that!
Little does he know what I hid in his precious castle. I planted it in the Room of Hidden Things. I had plans to build better protection around it, but for now, that room will keep it safe. Dumbledore isn't smart enough to find it and I'm not worried about it. When it's time to put it some place safer, I will have someone retrieve it for me. Until then, it can remain there.
After being refused the job, Voldemort began to build up his army. With the help of his old school friends, he made more and more connections in the wizarding world. He brought the werewolves to his side by befriending Fenrir Greyback and within three years, had control over the Dementors and the giants.
According to his diary, he wanted to take over the Ministry of Magic and destroy it from within. He wanted to bring back an old school way of government where he ruled as lord and master and his subjects worked for him. His Death Eaters, his loyal followers, would all be running the show alongside him, but he would have final say. They could do what they want, take what they want, and in return, they would help him run a world where witches and wizards were respected.
He wanted to stop allowing Muggleborns from learning how to practice magic. They were going to be monitored and once discovered, they would be executed for magical theft. Their parents would also be executed for consorting in magical theft. He planned on making all executions public to show the severity of the situation and to make a point in explaining why magical blood had to be protected at all cost.
By the time Harry reached the part about Dumbledore starting the Order of the Phoenix, he was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"As you can see, the ramblings of a mad man have turned into a man who has a plan," Dumbledore said as Harry finished explaining the last bit that he had read.
Harry nodded. "He wants to be what? A King?"
"More or less," Dumbledore told him. "He wants to rule, which I think we understood already. But you can see here how he is beginning to form plans on how he wants to rule and that is what I think we need to focus on now. I don't think his goals have changed much. I think he still has the same ideas and values and even more so now in that he is looking to make them come true. The difference is, this time around the Ministry listened and this time we've been able to try to make precautions."
"But will it be enough, Sir?"
Dumbledore's expression gave nothing away. "Alas, we can hope. The new Defence Department that Sirius helped create is one of the best things that I've seen come out of the Ministry of Magic in my lifetime. He helped bring people together, to come to terms with the fact that Voldemort means to do us harm."
"And you, Sir?" At Dumbledore's look, Harry gestured to the diary. "You were constantly in his thoughts. Years later after he left school, he still seemed hellbent on making sure that you showed him respect, that you saw what he did and understood it. He wants you dead."
"Yes," Dumbledore said simply. "He does and one day he may succeed, but today is not that day. I daresay that just gives us something in common, does it not?"
Harry half-smiled. "So, it's '78 now… when does he learn about the prophecy?"
"Professor Trelawney gave the prophecy in December of 1979 and as you know, he soon learned about it from a Death Eater who was sent to spy on me."
"Snape," Harry said bitterly.
"Yes, Harry. Professor Snape, who within a few weeks of telling Voldemort of the prophecy, realized his mistake and came to me, begging for forgiveness; begging me to do what I could to save you and your parents."
"You don't have to lie to me, Sir," Harry said. "I know he only asked you to save my mum."
"He has since realized the error of his ways," Dumbledore continued. "As you know he has been working as a double agent for me since that time. He has worked hard to protect you, Harry. He made mistakes, but he is paying penance for them."
Harry chose not to respond to that. He still had very mixed feelings about Snape. "Voldemort wrote that he was going to start by killing the Minister of Magic, gaining the information they possessed, and putting in a fake Minister to show the world they weren't fit to rule," Harry said, his fingers tapping on the diary. "Have you been keeping an eye on Madam Bones?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, so you did realize his first step and yes, I have been. She's been using checkpoints on all of her routes everywhere and never travels anywhere without security, even when going home. For the moment, she is safe."
"Once he gains the Ministry, he plans to start changing how the wizarding world is run, how we work and how we live… he wants to murder children who don't have magical parents."
"It's not a world that I hope to see happen," Dumbledore said sadly. "But I hope it gives you a better understanding of what we're up against. Despite many of the wonderful changes our Ministry has made, there are many who would agree with Voldemort's reforms; those who would see his plans as an unfortunate side benefit for the greater good. Sadly, a lot of old pureblood families are still in the mindset that they are stronger if united against those who are not of pure magical blood and they've been brainwashed through generations of propaganda telling them otherwise. Young Theodore Nott is one such example and the way he has risen up to become a proud member of the Wizengamot makes an old man like me hope for a brighter future."
Harry nodded. "Now that we know some of the things he might be considering, are you going to inform more people?"
"Some," Dumbledore said carefully. "I don't believe that letting the entire Wizengamot know is a wise choice as I said, there are still some there who may support Voldemort even if not openly. But I have spoken to Madam Bones and to her personal security team about taking more precautions and I would like to fill in the Order of the Phoenix as well as the Horcrux operation."
"KSB," Harry said.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrow.
"Operation Kill the Sodding Bastard," Harry said simply. "Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus changed the name for when we were down to the final days."
Dumbledore's lips curved. "Well, I suppose that is a good place to start. The last bit of the diary is him trying to decipher the words of the prophecy and coming to the conclusion that it has to be either you or Neville. He breaks down the pros and cons of each child, based on how their parents have come up against him time and time again and in the end he decides that you are the bigger threat, as you know. It is when he comes to this decision, that Snape comes to me. He has more plans on how he is going to get to you. When he discovers the Potters have gone into hiding, he's livid and that's when he starts sending Death Eaters out to attack anyone they had ever associated with looking for information on where you and your parents may have disappeared to. The last entry is his plans to kill you and turn your death into his final Horcrux. He believed that you would be the strongest and would truly make him immortal once and for all. With your death at his hands, he was then going to march his army to Hogwarts and attack the school."
"To kill you?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "And with my death, he planned on revealing his puppet government in the Ministry and taking over."
"Do you think that he would have succeeded?"
Dumbledore stared at Harry for a long moment and Harry started to wonder if he was even going to answer him. He tapped his long fingertips together as he contemplated his words.
"If he succeeded in killing me, then yes, I think he would have. I think that people had already lost hope at this point and if he managed to overthrow Hogwarts, a place where people see their children as being protected and safe… yes, he would have won."
Harry swallowed. "You think that he's going to attack Hogwarts again, don't you?"
"I think you already know the answer to that, Harry. But first, he is going to try to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and as I said, we're doing everything we can to keep Madam Bones safe in the meantime."
Harry nodded. "So, now I can tell people about the diary?"
"If you wish," Dumbledore said. "I'd like to hear any new thoughts or ideas you or your friends may come up with and at our next lesson, we can start discussing other things."
"Like something magical?"
Dumbledore's lips twitched. "Perhaps."
"Sir, about Grindelwald… did Voldemort want the same things as him?"
Dumbledore's gaze looked very far away as he spoke, as if he were lost in a different time. "No. I think that he was inspired by Grindelwald's ideas, but Gellert never quite hit his level of madness… he was never trying to make himself immortal. He understood the concept of death. I think that it says a lot about who a person is when one looks at how they come to terms with death. Voldemort wishes to live forever, sees death as weakness, whereas Grindelwald never thought of death, but only of the now."
"But he was still a bit mad, wasn't he?"
"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "He was. Goodnight, Harry."
Harry stood up, understanding the topic was closed for the night. He hoped that the next time he met with the headmaster he would be able to learn more about Grindelwald and the role that Dumbledore played in defeating him.
~ ASC ~
Harry had decided to wait to tell his friends about the diary a little bit longer. Saturday was the big Quidditch game and he didn't want anything to deter them from winning. But by the time the game started, he realized that he had no worries on that front.
Gryffindor flattened Hufflepuff in thirty minutes.
Ginny was incredible. Between Ginny and Katie alone, they had scored on the Hufflepuff Keeper eighteen times in the first twenty-five minutes. Entwhistle fumbled the Quaffle and Demelza stole it, bringing Gryffindor's score up to 190. Smith attempted to steal the Quaffle from Demelza and in some weird fluke in the air, ended up sending the Quaffle through his own team's hoop. Ron only had one goal to try to stop and Harry swiped the Snitch before Francesca Wood had even registered he'd found it, bringing the final score to Gryffindor 380 and Hufflepuff 0.
It was a humiliating defeat and Harry couldn't believe the game was already over.
Harry and Ginny flew over to where Zee was in the stands with Remus and Tonks to chat with them about the game before heading to the changing rooms.
"So, what the hell was that?" Ron exclaimed when Harry and Ginny came into the changing rooms. "I mean, Hufflepuff has never been the best team, but they're still usually a challenge. Wood has Oliver's talents on a broom and Entwhistle is usually a pretty good Chaser. What just happened?"
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea, but we decimated them."
Ginny grinned. "They should be embarrassed and Smith needs to be thrown off the team. I mean, he scored for us!"
Ron shook his head. "They were all really out of sync. I guess Entwhistle isn't doing great as the team captain."
"Maybe not," Harry admitted. "They do have a fairly new team though. Entwhistle and Wood are the only ones who were on the team last year. The rest of the team finished school and having to bring in that many new players and coordinate everything… it is a struggle. We'll have to see how their second game goes."
"Spoken like a true captain," Ginny stated, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "The second game will hopefully have them back on their feet so that we can play a fair game. That was rather humiliating for them."
"Honestly, within ten minutes I was trying to find the Snitch. I was already embarrassed for them," Harry admitted.
Ron chuckled. "I can see why." He grabbed his toiletry kit and towel to head into the shower before turning to Harry and Ginny. "Hermione and I have patrol tonight, but do you lot want to go for a run later?"
"I'm in," Ginny said. "I always have energy to burn after Quidditch."
"Me too," Harry said. "Are you sure that you want to hang out with us now that you can be snogging Hermione?"
Ron flushed. "Bugger off."
Ginny laughed as Ron headed into the showers and wrapped her arms around Harry's waist, her head tilted back to look up at him. "If it's until after their patrol, that's ages away."
Harry bent his head to kiss her. "It is," he agreed, kissing her neck. "And I too, have energy to burn now."
Ginny grinned. "Want to race?"
"Not what I had in mind, but yes."
She laughed and grabbed his Firebolt. "This time, I'm going to ride your broom and you are going to ride the Nimbus. We'll see who's the better flier."
Harry grabbed her broom off the bench and grinned as he followed her back out onto the pitch. "What are you going to do when I beat you again?"
Ginny tossed him a scathing look over her shoulder. "You won't."
He did.
Three more times.
Ginny screamed in frustration, throwing herself onto the grass of the pitch. "I hate you, Harry Potter!"
Harry plopped down next to her, leaning over her to kiss her cheek. "Nah, you don't."
"How did you beat me every time? I had your Firebolt!"
Harry nipped at her chin, her neck, her ear. "I told you, it's because I am the better flier. Plus, I play Seeker. My position literally requires me to fly as fast as possible and to do whatever it takes to grab that Snitch. You're more in the thick of it, sharp turns and angles, sprints and dives, not about the long game."
Ginny frowned. "I suppose that makes sense."
"I couldn't do what you do," Harry admitted. "We should try it, next practice."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"
"Let's do a position swap just for fun. It could keep everyone sharp. We'll toss Ron and Demelza as Beaters, Katie will play Keeper, you as Seeker, and I'll Chase with Jimmy and Ritchie. Just for fun."
"And what will that prove other than potentially being a disaster?"
He grinned, hovering over her to nip at her chin. "Well, that I can't Chase worth shit for one."
"No, let's make this interesting," Ginny said, sliding her hands up Harry's back. "I average what, fifteen to to twenty goals during practice?" At his nod, she continued. "So, you have to score twelve goals on Ron as Keeper, to keep it fair, before I find the Snitch. And Jimmy and Ritchie have to keep the Bludgers going towards the Chasers and you."
"You need to have a second Seeker to race against," Harry told her. "If we're making it really fair."
Ginny pursed her lips. "Okay, let's see about combining it with a few of the other house teams then?"
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded. "Deal."
"And if I win, you have to be my personal servant for an entire week," she added, trailing her finger up his arm.
"Oh, I would, would I?" he teased, kissing her neck. "And as your personal servant, what kind of things would I be doing?"
Ginny's eyes twinkled up at him. "Anything I'd like. Maybe I'll need ice cream at two in the morning or a foot massage, I'll see."
He chuckled and kissed her. "Deal, and if I win, same rules apply: Servant for an entire week."
Ginny grinned and pushed him up and off of her. "Come on! Let's go talk to some Quidditch players."
"Oh, you want to do this right now?"
Ginny gave him a look. "Yes. We need to end this disagreement once and for all."
Harry's lips twitched. "You just hate to lose."
Ginny pinched his arse and he bellowed as she stood up. "Let's see about making the competition tonight after dinner."
Then she was running towards the change rooms, laughing. Harry watched as she did a perfect cartwheel as she ran and disappeared behind the pitch and he shook his head.
Sometimes, he loved her more than he could put into words.
~ ASC ~
Neville felt like the last week had him walking on air. He and Luna were spending lots of time together and it wasn't just the new experiences that they were giving each other, though he vastly enjoyed that. It was the confidence that he was feeling. Luna had been right, he did feel like he had more confidence.
They'd spent the last week practicing oral sex on each other and Neville had to admit, he felt like he was getting pretty good. Luna was very instructional in a matter of fact way that surprised him, but it was helpful. He'd even snuck into Harry's trunk to take a look at his book to make sure that he was putting his fingers in the right spot. Luna seemed very satisfied. Then there was him. Luna hadn't even bothered starting with her hands, not really. The way she worked him with her mouth was enough to make him weak in the knees.
She definitely didn't need the practice.
Luna had suggested they make it a three week thing. Which meant that tonight they were going to have sex. He was terrified and really excited at the same time. He wanted it to be good, but he was worried that he'd get too excited. According to the book that Sirius had given Harry, it suggested that he wank once or twice before the evening to help him last a bit longer. He'd wanked that morning so far, trying to think of Luna, but as usual his thoughts had drifted to Hannah in that green silk robe.
"If you hadn't spent the evening blabbering at me, I could have come up with a better game plan!" Entwhistle shouted. "But no, because you couldn't shut your bloody mouth I had to sit there and listen to you and today we were humiliated!"
"I'm sorry!" Hannah exclaimed. "You told me to distract you."
"I never said such a thing and now I'm the laughingstock of our house because you don't know when to shut your bloody mouth!"
"Kevin, please."
He rounded on her. "You're nothing but an annoying, nagging bint! I don't know why I put up with you."
"I'm sorry."
Kevin grabbed her arm. "You have to make it up to me. I lost the game because of you. Get on your knees and show me how sorry you are."
"I... I told you, I'm not... Kevin, I'm not ready for that."
He grabbed her by the hair. "I'm so sick of you telling me that you're not ready. Do you love me?"
"Yes. You know, I do!"
"If you loved me you'd show me the respect I deserve! Get on your knees!"
Hannah paled. "Kevin..."
He shoved her so hard that she fell to the ground. "I'm tired of putting up with your whining! Either do what I ask right now or we're over."
Hannah's eyes widened, her bottom lip trembling. "I..."
Neville, who had been trying to inch away behind the tree on the other aide of them, marched around and stood in front of Hannah, glaring at Kevin. "Looks like you're over then."
"Longbottom. Hanging around with Potter makes you think you're a hero." Kevin sneered.
"Does treating your girlfriend like shit make you feel like one? You just got your answer, Kevin. She's no longer your girlfriend."
"You don't tell me what to do!"
"It was your ultimatum!" Neville snapped back. "She refused. You've broken up with her. Good riddance!"
Kevin smirked. "You want her so badly, you can have her. She's chubby, she's annoying, and she's clingy. Merlin, if you want more than to cop a feel you better not hold your breath."
"Hannah is a beautiful woman with a sweet smile and a sunny disposition and she sure as hell doesn't need you telling her what to do!"
Kevin scoffed. "She can barely choose her own breakfast without asking if it's okay! She needs me."
"Hannah deserves better than you and no, she doesn't need you. Get stuffed!"
Kevin looked like he was raring for a fight when someone called his name. He waved at them before he turned back to Neville. "You can have the little cunt. I'm done with her"
He marched off and Hannah let out a little sob. Neville turned to offer her his hand. "I'm sorry. I know that it wasn't any of my business to step in like that, but I just couldn't stand by and watch him hurt you."
Tears poured down Hannah's cheeks. "He said that he loved me."
"Blokes like Entwhistle don't know what that word means. Come on; let's go find your friends, okay?"
Hannah accepted his hand as she stood and he tentatively put his arm around her.
"It will be okay, I promise."
They'd only walked for a few minutes when Neville caught sight of Mandy and Anthony snogging by the greenhouse. He told her to sit on the bench and hurried off towards them.
"Er, Mandy?"
Anthony slowly pulled his lips away, glancing at Neville cooly. "She's a bit busy."
Neville flushed. "Sorry. Kevin just broke up with Hannah and she's a bit..."
Mandy pulled away from Anthony, her eyes wide. "What happened?"
Anthony held his girlfriend's hand as Neville explained what he'd witnessed and done.
Mandy nodded at him. "Thank you for what you did. She needed to get away from him. I'll take care of her."
"Good."
Neville watched as Mandy hurried over to wrap Hannah in her arms and Anthony sighed.
"That ponce did a real number on her, but to be fair, her mum did a number on her first."
"Her mum?" Neville asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Anthony nodded. "According to Mandy, her mum is kind of horrible. She puts on a show more than anything, claiming she loves her and claiming she does it for her best interest, but it's usually not. I'm glad that you were there. It's taken a lot for me not to pop him one when the four of us have been together."
"I'm glad I was there, too."
"Tony!"
Anthony turned and smiled at Cho as she ran towards him. "Hey, Chang, what's going on?"
"Gryffindor wants to throw together a fun Quidditch skirmish. We need some Chasers, you in?"
"Definitely. When?"
"Seven tonight."
"I'll be there."
Neville left them talking about Quidditch, sneaking a look over at where Hannah was crying in Mandy's arms. He headed back into the castle and found Luna waiting for him.
"I heard someone say that there was a big breakup with Entwhistle."
Neville nodded. "Yeah. News travels fast I guess. Hannah's devastated."
Luna linked her arm through his. "She'll get over him and when she does, you can ask her out."
Neville smiled at her. "No. She's always going to remember me as the bloke who was there when she and Kevin broke up."
Luna kissed his cheek. "And when she thinks about it, she'll be grateful. You were the Gryffindor lion who protected the lamb from the poisonous snake."
He chuckled. "Sure, Luna."
"Do you still want to do stuff today? If you don't that's okay."
Neville smiled at her. Did he still want to do stuff… the last week with Luna had felt like a dream. She was so open about everything and he rather liked the way they were teaching each other. The thought of actually shagging her… it had been on his mind every single day.
Of course he still wanted to do stuff. He was sixteen and swore he had a permanent erection! He stared at her blue eyes and her pretty white blonde hair and he sighed. He felt so lucky that someone so sweet and so pretty wanted to do those things with him.
"Luna, is there someone you fancy? Someone who you want to be good at all of this stuff for?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "No one who would like me back. I'm that loony girl. The one who no one understands."
Neville placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "One day, some bloke is going to understand you and it's going to be perfect."
"Nothing is perfect, Neville."
He framed her face in his hands. "Whoever you give your heart to, will be."
Luna smiled. "Now, come along. I want you to shag me now."
Neville took her hand in his, tugging her against the wall, his heart pounding at her words. "Luna, this thing we're doing. It's over with at the end of next week, right? Just three weeks to gain experience and then we go back to just being friends, yes?"
Luna nodded. "Yes."
He stared into her eyes for a moment, guilt swarming him at the thought of taking her virginity and then… "We could try for more, if you wanted."
Luna smiled kindly at him. "You're sweet, Neville. I think three weeks is perfect. And, if ever we maybe need a little... the offer maybe is there?"
He grinned. "Okay. If that's what you want."
"Is it what you want? Do you want more?" she asked, her blue eyes wide in wonder.
Neville looked thoughtful for a moment. Did he want something more with Luna? He liked her. She was his friend and he liked her quirkiness. He felt chivalrous towards her and guilty at the thought of taking her virginity and not marrying her, but he knew that was old fashioned. Almost no one was a virgin anymore. He certainly didn't want to be and after tonight, he wouldn't be. But he couldn't imagine dating her either. Luna was just so… Luna. She was sweet and kind and didn't have a single menacing bone in her body. But she also believed in imaginary things and liked to argue that the sky wasn't blue. He shook his head.
"No, I like us the way we are."
Luna's face brightened. "Good. Me too."
Then she tugged on his hand and led him up the stairs to the Room of Requirement and Neville thought it was exactly where he was supposed to be.
~ ASC ~
They had more success than Harry thought they would. Between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, they managed to scrape together enough players for two teams and agreed to meet down on the pitch for seven that night. Hermione had seemed skeptical, claiming that she and Ron had to be on patrol by eight thirty so the game had to be over by then.
Ginny had simply smirked and said that she didn't need that long to show Harry up. The two teams were a decent mix of players. Ginny's team was playing with her as Seeker, Ron as Keeper, Katie, along with two Ravenclaws in Michael Corner and Connor Chambers as Chasers, and the Beaters were Hufflepuffs Daire Donovan and Danielle Freemont. Harry's team had him as a Chaser along with Ravenclaw's Anthony Goldstein and Hufflepuff's Kevin Entwhistle, the Keeper was Ravenclaw's Grant Page, the Beaters were Jimmy and Ritchie and the Seeker was Cho Chang.
Zacharias Smith agreed to referee the match. Everyone seemed excited at the prospect of a fun game and each team took ten minutes to practice a bit. The game had spread by word of mouth as well and a decent sized crowd had gathered in the stands. Theo and Blaise were running a betting pool, placing bets on who would come out on top: Harry or Ginny. It was agreed among the players that if Ginny won, she would wear Hufflepuff colours all week and if Harry won, he would wear Ravenclaw colours to show support for each house who helped them.
When Smith blew his whistle, they all took off.
Ginny was determined to come out on top. She did agree that Harry was an incredible flier. He had the skill and the balance on a broom that amazed her to watch him. It wasn't that he was better than her that really infuriated her, it was that she knew she was good and she felt like if she could beat him at his own game, it would give her a boost and prove to her that she was really as good as she thought she was.
She heard Harry's cheer as he scored his first goal and she became more determined to find the Snitch. Cho was following her, watching her closely as if she thought tailing her would make her job easier. When Harry scored a fourth time, Cho smirked.
"Seems he's even good at Chasing. Is there anything that man can't do?"
"He's great at everything," Ginny told her, eyes on the sky.
Cho licked her lips. "He most certainly is. Too bad he's wasting himself on you. I bet I could make him much happier."
"Doubt that since you had your chance and he ran away from you."
Cho scowled. "We were young and hadn't figured things out yet. This time around, it would be different."
Ginny gave her a glance over her shoulder as Harry scored again. "Doubt it."
Ginny sped up on her broom, flying around to the other side of the pitch, keeping her eyes peeled. Someone scored on Ron and then Katie scored on Page, but there was still no sign of the Snitch. Then Cho was back at her side.
"Maybe I'll let Harry know he has options," she said, her eyes on Ginny.
Ginny's fingers tightened on her Nimbus. She wasn't jealous of Cho Chang. Harry had dated her years ago, three years ago in fact, and it had barely been a relationship but more of a blip. They'd snogged and Cho had hated that he spent time with his friends. Harry had chosen to then spend the whole day with Ginny and Luna to make a point to her and had ended up breaking up with her the same day. She wasn't worried.
Of course, at newly eighteen, Cho Chang was a lot more beautiful now than she'd been at fourteen. Her black silky hair was cut short on an angle to her chin. Her skin was flawless and smooth and she was lean with a nice arse, but not much in the way of breasts. Ginny did know that she beat her out there no question. But she was still a beautiful young woman and if she wanted to go and flirt with Harry, Ginny really couldn't stop her.
The sound of cheers as Smith announced that Harry had scored for the eighth time pushed her needlessly jealous thoughts from her mind. Harry loved her and she knew that he wasn't going to up and leave her for some fling with an ex-girlfriend. She turned to say something sassy about Harry knowing he has options and choosing the right one anyway when she saw the flicker of gold just behind her. She dropped ten metres quickly and flew under Cho.
Cho caught sight of the Snitch just as Ginny sped towards it. She could feel the other girl's gaze on her as they raced, could feel her gaining speed and when Ginny reached out and wrapped her fingers around the small fluttering Snitch, a huge smile broke out across her face.
While Ginny was dealing with Cho high into the air, Harry was dealing with the Quaffle in the thick of it. He found that he had no trouble manoeuvring between the players, but getting the Quaffle wasn't as easy as grabbing the Snitch was. It was much bulkier and made flying more awkward when he was holding the large ball under his arm, but when he scored his first goal, Corner grinned at him and he felt like he was off to the right start.
Playing Chaser was definitely more in the thick of things than playing Seeker was. He dove under Entwhistle, dodged Bludgers left and right and even did a loop-the-loop around Ron's goal posts in an attempt to score. He hit eight goals making Goldstein cheer and was just starting to feel like he could do it, like maybe he really could play Chaser better than Ginny when he heard the shouts. Ginny was on the ground, Snitch held high in her hands, and a huge grin on her face.
Harry flew down to greet her, shaking his head in amusement before he tugged her close and kissed her deeply. "You won."
Ginny's smile was so big that he thought she might crack her face. "I won! I'm the best!"
Harry picked her up and spun her around, laughing before he kissed her again. "You're amazing!"
"All right, whoever placed bets on Weasley, get over here and collect your winnings!" Blaise called out.
Harry shook his head. "I can't believe they placed bets on us."
"Theo bet on your sweet arse, the tosser," Ginny said, sending him a wave as he pouted at her. "Said he couldn't be disloyal to someone with sweet cheeks like yours."
Harry flushed. "I feel like I need to be concerned with his obsession over my arse."
Ginny nipped at his lips. "I'll protect you."
"Damn, Harry! You killed it out there!" Katie exclaimed. "When you scored that eighth goal I started thinking that you'd make a hell of a Chaser yourself."
"Thanks, Katie," Harry said. "I felt like I was doing well. But I'm definitely not a match for this one."
Theo hurried over to them, shaking his head. "Harry, I bet on you, what happened?"
He shrugged. "She's better."
"That she was," Theo admitted. "By the way, you're welcome."
Harry stared at him. "Er, thanks?"
Theo winked at him. "And don't worry about the fruit basket, I know how grateful you are."
He winked again before he hurried off and Harry felt more confused than ever. What did a fruit basket have to do with anything? He watched as everyone collected their winnings and Hufflepuff handed over scarfs and toques and gloves in their house colours for Ginny to wear sporadically throughout the week in show of solidarity of Hufflepuff support. Ginny was grinning widely the whole time, winking at Harry whenever someone spoke about her Seeking skills.
Everyone headed off, laughing and chatting about the match as Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny. "That was some impressive seeking."
"Cho was making some comments about her taking you back to taunt me."
Harry's eyebrow rose. "That's not going to happen."
Ginny kissed his cheek. "I know, but thanks for saying it."
Harry pulled her into a hug. "You wouldn't be jealous of Cho now, would you?"
She shrugged. "She's a beautiful woman, Harry."
"She is," Harry agreed. "I won't deny that, but I think you're more beautiful."
Ginny's cheeks flushed and he bent his head to kiss her.
"I especially think you're beautiful when you're gloating over winning."
She laughed. "Just wait until I give you your first task."
Harry groaned. "Has my week of servitude started already?"
Ginny nodded, her eyes twinkling. "Yes. And as your mistress I want some ice cream to celebrate my win."
Harry kissed her. "Sure. Hey, can you tell me why Theo says a fruit basket isn't necessary?"
Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair. "Ignore him."
And when she tugged his mouth back to hers, he did.
End Author's Notes:
Thanks to Seriously Sam for bouncing ideas off about the Ginny/Theo conversation and for having Theo say 'you're welcome' to Harry without context (though unlike Harry, we know what he's talking about) LOL. I also would like to thank her for letting me use her Apricity Lane from her incredible story Brontide. If you haven't read it, I highly encourage you to check it out.
The fruit basket is a Friends reference.
Thank you for reading and please review!