Author's Note:
Sorry about the delay in posting! As I said on my tumblr, the weekend was Thanksgiving for us Canucks and between dinner and my crazy work schedule, I barely found time to sleep! But here is the new chapter (only 2 days late), so please forgive me and I hope you enjoy! I can't believe I'm posting chapter two hundred and fifty!
Reviews and Comments: To Jmcglynn522: I agree, thank goodness for Neville! Let's hope that Hannah manages to get away. Thanks for liking my comparisons of Dumbledore and Grindelwald to where Voldemort took his beliefs, I think he definitely went nut job with it. PS: Literally, this chapter LOL. To Shrepa: Thank you. Harry as Ginny's servant will be enjoyable. To PurpleLotus: I love the idea of Harry and Ginny constantly teasing each other, competing, and just overall having a great time. Theo, I just love him to pieces myself. Thank you again for your lovely, amazing reviews that never fail to make me smile!
To Seriously Sam: Your reaction to the sex talk and Theo literally made this worth it! And how could I resist the slap and tickle remark? Thanks again for letting me use Apricity Lane. To LordSmidgeon: I know, I miss them being their Animagi as well, but sometimes I just don't feel like it has a place in the story at that time. To Leapyearbaby29: There will be more Romione soon. To Steelcode: Thank you! Happy to always keep you on the edge of your seat!
To elin2002: I love the idea of awkward, confused Harry not quite knowing how to act when Theo flirts with him LOL. To Bumlewis: Yes, Harry finally got a blowsie, LOL. Neville should have clocked Kevin, but I think it was better that he didn't (even though the git definitely deserved it). To eternal king of fire: Thank you. I wanted to show the twisted mindset of Riddle and help explain how he became Lord Voldemort. I think it's important. To scrappy8: Thank you! I love Harry and Ginny so much as well! To Apurva roy: So many couples you're waiting for, still a while to go I'm afraid, especially on some of them! To Nightwing2013: Ah, Cho, how I hate thee LOL. To Tmrpotterhead250: I like to write fluff, but I don't want people to forget about the looming war. The poem was important not only to call back to the original but because I think it's the kind of fun gift that Ginny would give him. Who will Fred end up with? That is the question and of course, if he lives (I'm not telling). Thanks for the lovely review!
To : Thank you for saying "we've all been hearing about so much misery and sadness in the world, and this fanfic makes me all warm and fuzzy inside" — that's sweet! To Dianne: Luna is a gem! Harry is so clueless about Theo and I love it! Harry and Ron are definitely very crushable! To tim2604: Glad it was worth the wait! You'll have to wait and see what he learns next, but I think its going to be worth it. Well said, Hinny do complete each other both on and off the pitch. To Vaarshneyan: Thank you. There will be more of the death eater stuff and more Weasley couples to come. To bronzebec: I had to have Ginny play Seeker at least once. To pix25: Thank you. I love writing fun Theo. To Menna Taha: Welcome back! And no, us fanfic writers did not have a meeting and conspire to get Neville and Luna together for experiments lol. Twins will still be a bit away! To SpeedsONEandONLY: Cho was definitely all three and Harry knows Theo gave her tips, but he still doesn't see the connection because he's adorable like that when Theo says 'you're welcome.' To Wolf's scream: It probably was Thomas and I agree, he is a "has-been" LOL. Well done on that play of words!
To Chintan: Darkness is coming, yes. To MasterGamer23: Thank you very much! But Hermione's birthday is in September and Ron's is in March, I think you might have those backwards. To coloredwords: Definitely safer is Harry doesn't ask what Theo means lol. There will be teasing, yes. To Vala van Gemert: I post once a week so the rest of the story is still coming. To WinkingSkeever: Patience, my friend! To .wills15: Ginny is not going to slap Cho, LOL. To Noghanimus: Just a typo, I fixed it! To DeadFish37: I choose characters the way I want to portray them and Hufflepuffs can be bad too. To libs614: Happy to keep you in hysterics! To Skuttdog: Thank you very much! I don't think its that Harry isn't as close to Remus anymore so much as he's getting older and as we do, we don't click with our parents as much as we did as children, we venture out on our own.
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 FIFTY:
Ginny was enjoying writing advice to those who wrote to Compass. She found it both fun and refreshing. She enjoyed writing quirks and giving advice; both witty and helpful in response. Students were writing in with all sorts of questions from relationship trouble to school problems to advice on hair styles.
She was getting about ten a week, which was more than she expected and made her feel like she was doing something right. Since the Herald was published biweekly, it meant that she had around twenty responses to get to in time for publishing. Colin had stuck to his plan and they published six of them; the others, Ginny responded to and posted in envelopes on the bulletin board outside of the Herald. Since most people wrote in without names, it was the only way that she could answer them and respond accordingly.
Ginny looked down at the newest one, still unsure on how to respond.
Dear Compass,
What are your views on marriage? Do you believe in finding true love and living happily ever after? Is it true that love grows over time and that it isn't a necessity in marriage? Should you marry a friend just to please others? Are arranged marriages outdated or the better alternative to being alone?
Confused and Possibly Engaged
Ginny had read it over five or six times by now, skipping it to respond to another before coming back to it, but she still wasn't sure how to answer. It was so many questions rolled into one and she didn't know what the writer was really asking for.
Dear Confused and Possibly Engaged,
As a student myself, I'm not sure that I can really give advice on marriage. But to me, marriage means love.
My parents have been married for twenty-six years and are still madly in love with each other. They have an unspoken language of looks and touches that makes me believe there's one special person out there for all of us. I think that we're hurting ourselves if we give up that opportunity to look for and discover that love for ourselves.
As to marrying a friend, that has good and bad written all over it. You shouldn't get married to please others, getting married is for you. It's your life and if you're going to marry someone, you need to get a say in who that person is. It's a decision you make together, to share in your love and plan to spend your lives together. It could be a trusted friend if that's what you both want, but it should be more than that.
Arranged marriages have traditional benefits to them, sure, but they are outdated. That doesn't mean they're wrong, but if your marriage is being arranged to someone you don't see yourself with, then it's not a good choice. Marriage is about two people coming together and I think that for it to work, both of those people have to be on board.
As to being alone, it's not shameful to be alone if that's what you choose. Your happiness is what matters. There's someone out there for everyone, someone to love you, and for you to love in return, but it's up to you to choose to find them or not. You just have to be patient and hopefully this will help you decide if that possibly engaged question has a yes or no answer to it.
Sincerely,
Compass
Ginny put her quill down and rubbed her eyes, still not sure if she'd given any help to this person at all. In between writing the advice column, she'd also been spending time writing the article on Second Lieutenant Michael Murray. She found him so interesting and she didn't know what she was going to do with the biography when she finished, but she knew that she had to write it. She was adding some more notes to the bottom when Pansy and Daphne stepped into the office.
The two Slytherin girls hadn't been as much trouble as she anticipated. They were very much into fashion, hair, makeup, and accessories and they surprisingly had some great ideas which they put into the Herald. But when it came to associating with her, they tended to be a little on the snarky side. She knew part of it was because she was a Gryffindor, but a large part was because she was a Weasley and a blood traitor. Sadly, it was something she was used to.
She had some advice pages for them to look over, but had been putting it off. Daphne was nice enough most of the time when she asked, but Pansy always had some snide remark to make. Ginny usually felt like it wasn't worth her time to respond to those remarks.
Last week, Pansy had commented on the fraying hem of her robes, asking why she seemed to think frumpy and poor was in fashion. The week before she'd wanted to know if it was true that she had red hair and no soul because her mother had shagged a Dementor. Ginny usually ignored it, but sometimes it was hard to bite her tongue.
"Do you two have a minute?" Ginny called out.
Daphne nodded and headed over to sit in the chair across from Ginny, her long shimmering blonde hair falling over her shoulders. "If it's about fashion, we have tons of minutes!"
"Hair and fashion," Ginny said. "This one is from 'Desperate for Curls.' The writer wants to know what the secret is as her charm work never seems to last for more than an hour or so."
Daphne nodded. "Oooh, that's because she's not performing it properly. Tell her she has to do it when her hair is wet and curl it section by section with a drying charm. The trick is to pattern it. Curl, dry, set. If you try to do your whole head at once, the charm sort of wilts. Here, I'll write it down."
"Thanks," Ginny said. "I have one more, from 'Fashionably Clueless.' They have a first date coming up and want to look fantastic, but can't decide whether to wear a short skirt or a dress and want to know what the difference between the two is? The question is: How do I know what the right fashion choice is?"
Pansy tucked her short black hair behind her ear, looking her upturned-nose down upon Ginny. "Well, some girls like to look sexy instead of frumpy."
"Pansy," Daphne began, but Ginny held her hand up.
"No need, Daphne. You can let Pansy speak."
Pansy sneered at her. "You have so much potential, Weasley. A tapered waist, nice legs, great tits… yet you're always in Quidditch shirts or jeans. You looked peng at the Halloween party where you usually just look frumpy in old clothes. Dating Potter should get you a better wardrobe."
Ginny cocked an eyebrow. "And why would dating Harry get me a better wardrobe?"
"Because he's loaded," Pansy said simply. "And as his girlfriend, he should be spending that gold on you."
"I'm not with Harry because of his money," Ginny said, her eyes flashing in anger.
"Potter's sexy, I'll admit that," Pansy said. "He could be better if he lost the glasses and tamed that hair, but he has a great arse and a nice smile. He's good looking and he's rich, it's a two for one prize, Ginny. When a bloke has gold like that, you take advantage of it. Get yourself a new wardrobe, throw around some of that gold, make yourself look like you belong with him. Maybe some of that riff-raff Weasley grime will wash off if you wore more diamonds. You can get those awful brown spots removed too."
"You mean my freckles?"
"Yes, you should really talk to a healer about those, the way they cluster in strange places, it's very unseemly. It looks like you're covered in dirt patches. Haven't you ever tried to charm them off?"
"No, too worried I'd get stuck with your nose if I messed it up."
Pansy's eyes flashed. "I could buy you and your hovel ten times over! But I don't want to risk getting a disease."
"Like freckles? You're right, I don't think you could pull them off either. But we all can't be blessed with my skin tone and tits."
Pansy's lips curled. "Why you little —"
Daphne stood between them. "Pansy!"
"Did you hear what that bitch said to me?"
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Anyway, as to the letter that Ginny has graciously asked our assistance with, I suggest that you write back and tell them to wear something that makes them comfortable. A dress is great, but if this date is at The Three Broomsticks, a skirt might be more presentable. It's about atmosphere, being both comfortably and appropriately dressed for that environment. Wear something that makes them feel good about themselves and it will show."
"I like that," Ginny admitted. "It's not about the clothing so much. Thanks, Daphne."
"Oh, I never said that," Daphne interrupted. "A fashion faux pas should never occur. It could destroy the date. A fashion faux pas would be an absolute disaster!"
Ginny tried not to roll her eyes. She hardly thought the clothing choice would destroy the date, but she knew better than to get caught up in that conversation. "I think I can handle it from here."
Ginny went back down to her writing, ignoring their bickering and wrote a quick response to Fashionably Clueless. She responded to another asking for advice on how to balance studying with healthy breaks, another on how to deal with nightmares (which she felt particularly skilled with), and one more asking about the best places to go in Hogsmeade. She made a few more notes on Murray before she decided to head back to Gryffindor Tower. A glance at the clock told her that Harry should have returned from his meeting with Dumbledore by now which meant that she needed to come up with another task for him as her personal servant. Since Astronomy had been cancelled that evening because of rain, she'd used the extra time to get some of her writing done, but now she wanted to meet up with Harry. She just hoped that he was free.
Pansy and Daphne were on the other side of the Herald huddled over their fashion board and whispering. Ginny heard snippets of the conversation as she packed up her things, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"But it's Greg!"
"He's generous and it's not like you two haven't fooled around before."
"That's not the point! Agnes has already written to me. She wants us to be friends."
"Would that be so bad?"
Pansy looked down at the desk. "She's sided with my father. It's basically a done deal! It's Greg or Vince."
"Does Greg know?"
"That it's a done deal? I don't know. I'm trying not to think about it. Beatrice has written as well. She hopes to be expecting soon."
"Since Gareth and Giselle are expecting, Daddy says I've been spared, but I don't know for how long," Daphne admitted.
Pansy nodded. "I want my shop. He'll cut me off. Greg could potentially provide the gold for that, but he's just so… dumb. I mean, yes, we've fooled around a bit, but only because we were drunk. He's not exactly Prince Charming. Not like Draco."
"Draco isn't an option, Pansy. You still have time to figure it out."
When Ginny let the door close behind her, she couldn't help but wonder what it was that Pansy had to figure out. Nor could she stop the little bubble of guilt from rising up and telling her that Pansy Parkinson didn't have the perfect life she imagined.
What was Daphne being spared from?
Who was Agnes?
And why did Pansy have to choose between Greg and Vince?
Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to know the answers to any of her questions, but she did wonder what it was that made Pansy sound so desperate.
~ ASC ~
The next coordinated attack happened rather suddenly. Ten Death Eaters along with four werewolves appeared in front of the entrance to the Ministry of Magic to attack those who were leaving at the end of the day.
Percy had not been expecting it. He still had his nose buried in the paperwork he was bringing home when a spell just missed his ear. He dropped everything, wand out and did his best to defend himself and others. He shot out spell after spell to keep them at bay and his stomach dropped when he saw the flash of green light. He ducked and shot a stunner at the man in the mask marching towards him.
People were falling around him. He tripped over a body and grabbed a hold of a tiny brunette, pulling her to the ground as he dodged another spell. He shifted so that she fell on him, but the wind was still knocked out of him. Percy wrapped his arms around her and rolled as another spell sailed past him.
"You okay?"
He saw the brunette's head nod before he jumped to his feet, wand at the ready. He moved towards the Death Eater who was duelling towards him and he once more joined the fray. Pride swelled through him when he saw members of the Terra Troops begin to arrive en masse. Within ten minutes they had driven the masked figures back.
And then someone screamed.
When he looked towards the sound he saw two wolves tearing into the throat of a woman wearing secretary robes.
And then the masked figures made a run for it. Two of them were captured, the others had Apparated away safely. The four wolves were all captured and then he heard someone shout.
Whitney Dashwood had been taken hostage.
Percy swallowed as he saw Miranda Jameson hurry out of the lift.
"Percy! Thank Helga you're all right! Did you see who took Dashwood?"
He shook his head. "No, Madam."
"I did," a voice said to his left.
He turned around and recognized the tiny brunette as Scrimgeour's secretary. She had a scratch on her cheek that was bleeding and her clothes were dirty, her hair dishevelled. Audrey, he thought, feeling very pleased to see that she was okay.
"Who was it?"
"One of the masks slipped, but I recognized his picture. It was Rabastan Lestrange and another man. They covered her mouth and grabbed her, Disapparating amongst the chaos."
Percy swore. "That can't be good that they've taken the Deputy Minister. Do you think that they were making a play for Bones?"
Jameson shook her head. "Amelia was in a meeting with me. Dashwood was heading out to a meet with the Vampire Confederacy to discuss some new changes. She must have been on her way out."
"We all were," Percy said. "Most of us were heading home for the evening when the masked figures came out of the fireplaces shooting off spells."
Jameson nodded. "Scrimgeour will want to take your statements."
Percy nodded and went over to where the Terra Troops were evaluating the hit. Their arrival had helped a lot, though still one security guard had died during the attack. The woman who had been attacked by the wolves had bled out, but most other injuries were non life threatening.
It took an hour to round up the statements before he was able to leave. Percy took the long way out and stepped out into Muggle London, taking a deep breath of relief. He adjusted the messenger bag on his shoulder, thinking of all of the paperwork he had been hoping to do that night. Now it was the last thing he wanted. He recognized the slim brunette sitting on a bench in front of the nearby Muggle bakery and he made his way over to sit next to her.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey," she said back, folding her hands in front of her lap. "So, that happened."
He let out a slow breath. "Yes, it did. Are you okay, Audrey?"
She nodded. "Yes. You saved my life back there. I... thank you."
Percy smiled at her. "I'd like to tell you that it was my intention to rush in and save you, but I just reacted. I didn't even realize it was you."
"Good, that makes me feel less like a damsel."
He smiled. "You sure didn't look like a damsel out there. You fight well."
"Thank you. I never expected to have to use it."
Percy knew the feeling. He cleared his throat, sneaking a look over at her. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a very tall drink."
She grinned. "Black velvet?"
"I was thinking more of a simple pint, but sure."
"How about I buy it for you? After all, you did save my life."
Percy stood up and held his hand out to her. "That sounds great. I know a great pub."
Audrey accepted his hand to stand and brushed her loose hair behind her ear with a smile. "Lead the way, Percy. I think a drink with a curly-haired-ginger-paper-pusher sounds perfect."
He chuckled, his cheeks flushing. "Especially when Scrimgeour's personal house elf is buying. Let's go."
~ ASC ~
Lucius looked up when the woman crumpled to his feet. Her dark hair was knotted around her face and there was blood mixed in. He didn't recognize her, but he knew that she'd been more manhandled when taken then hurt.
"We brought you a present, Lucius," Crouch said, his eyes twinkling in delight. "She's lovely, isn't she?"
Lucius bent down to lift her chin, brushing the brown hair away from her face. "Lady Dashwood, you weren't who I was expecting."
She spit in his face.
Lucius dropped her chin, wiping the spit from his cheek before he stood up and turned to Crouch. "What happened to grabbing Bones?"
"She wasn't there, but Dashwood was, so Rab and I figured that she was a better alternative than no one at all."
Crouch waved his wand and she flew up to her feet, her hands and ankles bound together. He approached her carefully as she levitated an inch above the ground.
"You're much lovelier than Amelia Bones, aren't you?" Crouch purred, running his finger over her cheek. "Younger too, by at least a decade." He opened her robes, slipping the government garment off and to the ground before he removed her blazer, her blouse, her tidy skirt and shoes. By the time he was done, she was hovering in nothing but her bra and knickers.
Lucius pointed his wand to the hook. "String her up then, Crouch, and get on with it. The Dark Lord wants some answers."
"Are you going to help?"
Dashwood's eyes met his and he shook his head, feeling nauseous as the mere thought of what Crouch was going to do to her. "Why would I take that away from you, Bart?"
Crouch's eyes gleamed in glee as he used his wand to untie her hands just long enough to hook them into the metal shackles. He hooked the chain on the meat hook hanging off the wall so that she was dangling off the ground just enough for her toes to brush. He trailed his wand down her cheek and throat, lovingly between her breasts, dipping the tip into her belly button before he smiled.
"We're going to have some fun, dearie."
"I won't tell you anything," she declared, speaking for the first time.
Crouch grinned. "Who said that I was looking for information?"
Her eyes widened in fear before she masked it and Crouch's lips curved.
"Now, let's have some fun, dearie."
Lucius shut the door to the holding cell at the first gasp of pain, closing his eyes. Crouch would start slow, building on it, before he would really hurt her. He relished in the process as much as the fear. Taking Dashwood had been smart on his part. The Deputy Minister was just as valuable as the Minister of Magic was and he knew that the Dark Lord would be pleased with Crouch's decision.
He turned and almost walked into Bellatrix. "He's started already."
"You never want to stay and watch," Bellatrix said cooly. "You don't know what you're missing. You really need to learn to have fun, Lucius."
"I do have fun, Bella," Lucius spat. "I just like to leave the torturing up to those who appreciate it. I appreciate the results, not the act. In the meantime, I have something else to work on."
Bellatrix sneered at him. "Like getting yourself out of the doghouse? Even your son has surpassed you in capability, Lucius. He's completed the Dark Lord's first task for him. You've done nothing."
"Bite your tongue or I'll remove it from your mouth," Lucius hissed. "We both know that this isn't a task that Draco can do. Dumbledore is a man of great strength and only the Dark Lord rivals him in power."
Bellatrix's eyes gleamed. "There's the man you used to be. Bring him back more often, Lucius."
She turned and stepped into the holding cell as Dashwood screamed and he closed his eyes, marching upstairs to the main house. Once Draco had returned to Hogwarts, the Dark Lord had moved from Wiltshire Manor to the Avery Estate in Ireland. The castle had been built in the twelfth century and Titus' great-great-grandfather had won the castle in a duel two hundred years prior. The Dark Lord felt it suited their needs more appropriately and Lucius was grateful to have them all gone from his home.
Avery Castle boasted an impressive dungeon deep underground, not to mention an elegant throne room that the Dark Lord liked to situate himself in. It was the dungeons that were the biggest turning point, and he knew that at this moment, they were filled with more than just the Deputy Minister, but full of some homeless Muggles that his wife's sister had found and been torturing. Not to mention Muggles tied up and kept as blood bags for the three vampires who had joined them two weeks ago.
Lucius understood the need to want to promote the pureblood status, he understood it and he accepted it as something that could change the world, but the needless violence was something that he couldn't quite stomach.
He left the castle and Apparated back to Wiltshire, finding his wife in the drawing room. He bent his head to kiss her before he sat next to her on the settee.
"Any news?"
Narcissa shook her head. "Nothing. But, I did receive this."
Lucius took the envelope from her curiously. It was short and sweet.
Thank you for the watch. I will treasure it always and hope that as time passes, it will bring us together once more.
PS — Thank you for my father.
"He didn't sign it," Lucius said quietly. "His birthday was over two weeks ago."
Narcissa nodded. "He was probably afraid to sign it let alone even send it, Lu. He must know the difficulties it's caused us since you killed Thaddeus. Draco says that he barely talks to Theo."
"How can he speak to him when he's been tasked with killing him, Cissa?" Lucius let out a frustrated breath. "There has to be something that I can do to convince the Dark Lord to change his mind about this. I won't let Draco kill Theo and… I won't let the Dark Lord kill Draco, not without a fight."
"We should have tried harder to send him to Andromeda."
Lucius' eyes met hers. "You mean I should have tried harder."
She looked down at her lap. "I know I'm to blame just as much. He would have gone if I had gone with him."
Lucius took her hands in his, kissing her fingers. "You cannot blame yourself for loving him or for loving me. It's the best part of my life. Without you and my son… what do I have?"
Narcissa kissed him. "We finally have our home back and I feel like that's a start."
"For now," Lucius warned. "Avery Castle has more dungeons than guest rooms and Rab already mentioned that he plans on marrying here in the garden."
Narcissa frowned. "He's marrying a child."
"Sixteen is the legal age to marry, Cissa. She's not a child."
"He's old enough to be her father," she retorted."
"Thaddeus was thirty-five years older than Aster."
"And look how well that turned out," Narcissa scoffed.
Lucius kissed her forehead tenderly. "We'll do our parts. We'll plan the weddings and organize the suites and in the meantime, I'm going to try to come up with a plan to stop Draco from having to kill Dumbledore. Theo's on the back burner for right now. Father has assured me that it's not something the Dark Lord is stressing at this time. He's more concerned with getting Dumbledore away from Hogwarts and out of the way."
Narcissa nodded. "We can plan the weddings. That's a small step."
"It is," he agreed, kissing her hand.
He knew it was only one step but it gave them something to do. And right now, he was grateful for even that one small step.
~ ASC ~
Between homework, Quidditch practices, and classes, Harry felt like finding time to fill his friends in on his last lesson with Dumbledore just wasn't working. Ginny had the Herald, Ron and Hermione had prefect duties, and Neville and Luna seemed to keep disappearing. His week of servitude to Ginny was even over before he could blink and that had been actually kind of fun.
Ginny hadn't been too hard on him.
The first day she had taken full advantage of it and made him get her everything from serving her food at meals, to passing her the right quill to use for her homework, to massaging her feet. He'd spent a lot of time massaging her feet actually and felt he rather enjoyed that task, especially when he pressed his thumb into the arch of her food and she'd make this little sigh of pleasure.
He carried her books. He carried her broomstick. After classes, he carried her piggyback style around the school (as long as a teacher wasn't around that is). When Wednesday came around, she ordered him to touch her and well… they'd quite forgotten that she was in charge after he'd used his mouth on her.
He brought her chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream at two in the morning when she came to wake him up in the middle of the night. He didn't even protest when she dragged him down to the kitchens. He hadn't expected to find Theo down there, looking pale. Ginny had immediately hugged him tightly and told him that Harry would make them an ice cream bar.
Harry watched the way Theo and Ginny bantered and the way she did her best to comfort him. When she asked him to tell her about his nightmares, he snuck a look at Harry who immediately made himself scarce at the other end of the large kitchen to leave them to talk. He looked up when the kitchen door opened and his eyes met Blaise Zabini.
"Zabini," he said in surprise.
Blaise looked momentarily surprised to see him as well before he caught himself, eyes roaming the kitchen. He looked relieved to see Theo talking with Ginny before he marched over to sit on Theo's other side.
"I thought we agreed that you'd wake me," Blaise said.
Theo shrugged. "You need to sleep sometimes."
"Nah, I always look sexy. Same or new?"
Theo shrugged again. "Does it matter?"
Ginny smiled at Harry when he came to join them at the table. Ginny asked Harry to bring them all ice cream and then made Theo smile by telling him all the things she'd made Harry do all week as her personal servant.
"You're much too nice, Ginny. I'd be asking him to do all manner of naughty things. Like for example, me. Potter can do me anytime he wants."
Harry choked on his ice cream and Ginny laughed. "Sorry, Theo, my servant, not yours."
"Too bad," Theo said as Harry flushed.
When the four of them finally left the kitchens it was half past four. Harry held Ginny close under the invisibility cloak as they snuck back to Gryffindor and made themselves comfortable in the common room. Ginny snuggled into Harry's side on the large sofa.
"So, what kinds of things are you going to have me do on my last day as your personal servant?" Harry asked, kissing her temple.
Ginny smiled as his fingers played with the ends of her hair where his arm wrapped around her. "Well, it's Sunday and the last day is usually reserved for homework, so making you do all of my notes seems sufficient."
Harry grimaced. "Cruel."
"No, I'll do my own homework, but I demand a foot rub while I'm suffering."
"Any time," he said. "I like rubbing your feet."
Ginny smiled up at him. "Don't say that to a girl, Harry, she may take advantage of you."
Harry tilted her chin up and snuck a kiss. "I like when you take advantage of me."
Ginny blushed. "Oh, well then."
They sat their companionably wrapped in each other's arms before Harry spoke. "There's something that I've been wanting to tell you, about my lessons with Dumbledore. I want to tell everyone at once, but coordinating the six of us has been extra difficult this week."
"It has," Ginny agreed. "You can tell them later and tell me now."
"Oh, is that the way this works?" he teased.
Ginny took his hand in hers and kissed his fingers. "Yes. You obviously want to talk about it."
He shrugged and let out a slow breath. "The thing is… Dumbledore has had me reading Riddle's diary."
He felt her tense up in his arms and he pulled her up into his lap, to hold her closer.
"He'd enchanted it to be written in, even years after he'd left the place where his diary was. Dumbledore believes that he enchanted it while he was trying to create the diary Horcrux. This was just a diary, Ginny."
Her fingers had clutched his shirt and at his last words, they slowly loosened their grip. "Just a diary?"
Harry nodded. "It started in 1934 and it recorded his thoughts all the way until the night he killed my parents."
Ginny's eyes widened. "That's… wow."
"It was disturbing to read and interesting at the same time," he admitted. "He had all of these plots and ideas for how he wanted to take over the wizarding world and Dumbledore thinks that some of them may still be relevant to his plans today. He wanted me to read it all the way through so that we could discuss it and he could hear my thoughts. Ginny, in… could you read his diary?"
Ginny gave him a sharp look. "You want me to read it?"
"No," he said quickly. "I… before when you… could you read his diary?"
Ginny bit her bottom lip. "Some of it. He… he would let me see things, clips of it or parts of something that he wanted me to draw attention to. But it wasn't… I wrote in it and he wrote back, it wasn't his diary for me to read."
"That's what I thought, but you still know things about him, don't you? Like about his childhood?"
"A little. Only what he told me and well… I don't know how much of what he shared was real," she admitted. "What do you want to know?"
"I just wondered what he might have said to you about his childhood because some of the stuff he wrote… I think he had a natural ability to push into people's minds, Gin. He was… the way he could make people do things, control them even as a child was kind of horrifying. Dumbledore said that people are born with certain affinities or abilities and they're just better at them, but he controlled people with his mind. He made the woman who ran the orphanage let him get away with things, he killed animals and abused the other kids."
Ginny nodded. "He liked control. He used to talk to me about how letting someone control you was the ultimate sign of weakness. He said that… he said that my brothers didn't really love me, they just wanted to control me and to…"
Harry wrapped his arms tighter around her when she buried her face in his neck. "You can tell me, Ginny."
She let out a slow breath, but she kept her face buried in his neck as Harry ran his hands up and down her back. "He said that they just wanted to control me and that as a girl, I would be brought up to do their bidding. To cook and clean and take care of them, however they see fit. He… he said that once I'd bled, they'd stick their cocks into me because that was why one had little girls."
"That sick fuck," Harry muttered.
Ginny nodded and he felt wetness against his neck.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it all up like that and… please, don't cry. I don't know what to do when people cry."
"I'm not," she said, wiping at her eyes furiously. "I won't cry. I hate to cry."
Harry buried his face in her neck. Ginny rarely ever cried so seeing her tears made his heart hurt more than he could put into words. "I'm sorry."
They sat there a moment, holding each other close before Ginny finally moved away. Her eyes dry he noted, but her cheeks damp and he offered her a small smile.
"I love you."
Ginny cupped his cheeks and kissed him.
Harry carefully stretched out across the chesterfield, tugging Ginny on top of him. She rested her cheek over his heart and snuggled into his side as they lay there, Harry's hands in her hair.
"Are you going to tell everyone else about the diary?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he replied. "I think that they should know at least what some of Voldemort's plans are. He wants to almost be like a king of the wizarding world, to take over the Ministry of Magic and to eradicate it of all the things he doesn't like. No Muggleborns, no magical creatures, just purebloods and half-bloods presumably. He talked a lot about Dumbledore too. He hates him and wants him dead almost as much as me, if not more. He thinks that killing Dumbledore will help eradicate hope."
"Dumbledore does represent hope," Ginny said. "Without Dumbledore… no one else has ever been able to stand up to Voldemort, he's too powerful. But Dumbledore has fought him and won. I mean, you have too, but…"
"It's not the same," Harry agreed. "I've been lucky. The kinds of spells that Dumbledore knows, the way he wields his wand… I don't have that kind of power."
Ginny shook her head, her eyes on his. "No, you do have that kind of power, Harry, it's the spells you have to learn. Dumbledore will be teaching them to you, yes?"
He nodded. "I think so. I'm hoping that's what our next meeting will be about."
"Did he give you a date yet for the meeting?"
Harry shook his head. "No. This week was just to discuss my final thoughts on the diary and to see if I'd shared it with anyone yet and with the attack on the Ministry earlier in the week, he's been spending a lot of time there."
"Percy said that he's fine," Ginny told him. "But I'm still worried and I know Mum was beside herself that he was caught up in it. Dad had been home for almost an hour, but Percy stays later to get things done in the office."
"There's still been no news on Dashwood, eh?"
Ginny shook her head. "Nothing that I've heard, no. I mean, kidnapping the Deputy Minister is pretty bold."
"I agree," Harry said. "I don't know what to think about it, but it does show that Dumbledore's right. Voldemort is keeping some of his original plans into place. He wanted to install a fake Minister into the Ministry, I assume through an Imperius or through Polyjuice, but… I don't know what his plans are now."
"Unfortunately, we wait," she said.
Harry kissed her forehead. "We wait."
~ ASC ~
Remus moaned sleepily as the charm went off telling him that he had to wake up. It was Friday, which meant that he had a full day of teaching and at the moment, he didn't want to get out of bed. Sunday was the first night of the moon and in the days leading up to it, he always felt extra groggy, extra randy, and extra sore. As usual, Tonks slept through their morning alarm charm. He shut it off, turning on his side to look at his wife.
She was sprawled out in the big bed, lightly snoring. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, one curl hanging over her eye. One arm was stretched over her head, the other over her stomach. The sheet was covering her except for one dark pink nipple that was exposed to the air and her left knee was turned and poking out of the blankets. She let out a small snort and he grinned.
He loved her more than he could say.
He glanced at the clock before he tugged the sheet down, exposing her to him. She wore blue cotton knickers and nothing else and he took his fill of looking at her, not for the first time relishing in the thought that she chose him. Remus bent his head to kiss her cheek, her neck, her collarbone. He'd just pressed his lips to her nipple when she let out a sleepy moan.
"Good morning, Nymphadora," he said, kissing her breast again.
"Mmmm, not morning," she said, using her arm to cover her eyes.
Remus continued to kiss her breast before his lips trailed down her stomach. Tonks' fingers found his hair as he reached her belly button and then he was pressing his lips to the cotton.
"Mmmm, yes…"
He chuckled against her, kissing the cotton knickers. "Do I have your attention now?"
Tonks' fingers stroked his hair lovingly. "Less talking, Professor."
Remus smirked, but returned to his task, kissing and licking her until she was moaning and then he pulled her knickers off. When his tongue slid into her, she cried out his name, her fingers tightening on his hair as he worked her. The purring sound she made as she climaxed made him smile in satisfaction. He loved the sounds she made.
He kissed his way up her body, nibbling on her breast as she sighed in contentment.
"Don't go into work today."
Remus' eyebrows rose as he looked up at her, his chin resting on her breasts. "Oh?"
"Both of us… doesn't skiving sound good?" she said, trailing her fingers over his cheeks, tracing the light scars with a soft smile on her face. "We can stay in bed all day and shag."
Remus kissed her fingers. "I have a full day on Fridays. Second years in the mornings and fifth years in the afternoon, back to back."
"You can teach me, Professor. We'll put that Lupin stamina to the test and see how many times I can suck your cock, ride your cock."
His eyes darkened in desire. "You have a full day at the Ministry, you tease."
"Kingsley would understand," she said. "He thinks that I need to take some time off sometimes. I've already maxed out my overtime for the week. You wouldn't want to go off to work knowing that you've left your poor wife all naked and alone in this big bed, do you? If you're not here, I'll have to just lie here and play with myself."
Remus swallowed. "You woke up rather randy."
"Mmhm," she said, tugging him up to kiss his lips. "So, did you. Let's skive. Stay here and do naughty things to each other."
"I can't just…"
Tonks bit her lip as she slid her hands up his back and down over his backside. "I think I've been naughty already, Professor. You have to stay home and spank me."
Her fingertips were trailing along the edge of his arse now and he kissed her. "Nymphadora, we are responsible adults who have jobs. We have an obligation to go to those jobs. I'll spank you tonight when I get home."
He made to get up, but she tackled him, pinning him to the bed. "Responsible adults can't be responsible all the time," she said, her mouth moving down his chest, over his ribs. When her mouth pressed against his cock for a soft kiss, he groaned. Tonks merely smiled up at him from under her lashes. "Be irresponsible with me."
"Nymphadora," he began. "We're not going to skive off our jobs."
"Mmm, I love it when you use your professor voice."
Then her mouth wrapped around the tip of him and he grunted her name. "You're going to make me late for… oh, Merlin!"
Tonks smiled as she let him go, to kiss his long shaft. "Late would be pleasant, but if you stayed here…"
Her mouth wrapped around him again, her hands holding him as she sucked on his tip.
Remus groaned. "No, absolutely not… we can't…"
But her lips were wrapped around him snugly and he knew that he was definitely going to be late for work.
Very, very late.
~ ASC ~
Ginny looked up when McGonagall approached their table that morning at breakfast.
"Second years and fifth years," she said briskly, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Professor Lupin will not be coming in today. You are to report to study hall during your allotted lesson with him where he has assigned work for you to complete for the next class."
Ginny looked over at Harry. "I thought that the first night of the moon wasn't until Sunday?"
Harry shrugged. "Sometimes he feels under the weather a little early and needs extra rest. I'm sure that he's fine or he would have sent word to me."
"That makes sense," Ginny said, stretching her arms over her head. "Guess I'm study hall bound after Charms."
"I have a full day of Transfiguration," Harry told her. "Not to mention how much homework I have to do."
Ginny kissed his cheek. "You and me both. Hey, isn't that Persephone?"
Harry looked over to where Ginny was pointing and saw Persephone flying overhead. Zee rarely wrote to him he thought, his brow furrowed. He took the letter, stroking the wing of Sirius' owl before he opened it.
Harry,
I was going to write directly to Hermione, but I thought that I'd write it to you instead. Goldwin and I are having a formal meeting about the house elf legislation with the other departmental heads today. Hermione is invited to attend and she can bring one guest with her if she wishes. I've already spoken to Minerva and Albus about it as she will miss her afternoon classes today.
Please let her know that an Agent Barnaby Lee will be waiting for her in the atrium of the Ministry. Albus will send her through his Floo at quarter to one.
It's harder for me to move around these days so once I make it down into the menagerie, I stay there! Lee's a great agent. He actually attended Hogwarts with Tonks and Charlie.
Can't wait for you to come home in three weeks.
Can't wait for these babies to come!
Love,
Zee
Harry smiled as he read the letter before he looked across the table at his friend. She was half picking at her bowl of fruit, half-reading her notes from last week's Transfiguration lecture.
"Hermione, looks like you won't need to go over those notes today."
Hermione frowned. "Harry, I get it, I overstudy, haha. I still need to go over my notes before class. I like to have fresh perspective on things."
"I know, but today you're going to skip class and go to the Ministry of Magic."
Hermione's eyebrow rose. "Why would I do that?"
Harry looked down at the letter as he spoke. "Well, because an Agent Barnaby Lee will be taking you to a departmental meeting with the DRCMC to discuss your house elf legislation."
Hermione's jaw dropped open and Ron leaned in to kiss her cheek. "To discuss my —" She let out a loud squeal that Harry was positive only dogs could have heard. "What time? Are they passing it? How am I getting there? Do I get to speak? Am I just listening in? Do they want to know my thoughts? Will Zee be there? Is Agent Lee any good? What if I miss something important in Transfiguration? Harry, you must take pristine notes! Don't miss anything! Oh dear, what if they're going to tell me the legislation is stupid? What if — mmpfh!"
Harry smirked at his girlfriend when Ron simply covered Hermione's lips with his.
"Breathe, 'Mione," Ron said softly.
"I'll take notes," Harry assured her. "Good ones. Zee says that you can bring a guest with you."
Her eyes turned to Ron and he grinned. "I'm in."
"You'll only miss the afternoon class," Harry continued. "She said that Dumbledore already approved it and you'll be using his Floo."
She grinned and let out a slow breath making Harry laugh and then she jumped to her feet, throwing her arms around him and hugging him so tightly that he thought she was going to crack a rib. When she let go, she kissed his cheek and then scurried off to the head table as Ron merely trailed after her.
"She is not going to be able to sit still at all during this morning's lessons," Ginny told him. "You should have waited and thrown it at her during lunch."
Harry snorted. "Have you met Hermione, Gin? She would have killed me! 'Harry, you gave me no time to prepare! What do you mean you've known since this morning?' No thanks," he said.
Ginny stole a piece of bacon from his plate. "Coward."
Harry ignored her and took the bacon back. "Insulting me means I don't share."
She elbowed him and he grinned, looking up when Neville plopped into the seat next to him.
"Hey, Nev, I was beginning to think that you were going to miss breakfast entirely."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
Harry's eyebrow rose. "We did."
"Ten more minutes," Seamus said from across the table. "Ten more minutes."
"Followed by, little slaps and burying your head under the pillow," Dean replied. "Ron suggested that we just take all of your blankets, but we voted you must have needed it."
Neville frowned. "I don't even remember this."
"You came in late last night," Harry said. "You've been coming in late a lot lately."
The back of Neville's neck flushed. "I was er… in the greenhouses working on my project."
Harry gave him a skeptical look, but he nodded. "If you say so."
Neville helped himself to a piece of toast with jam. "Speaking of, I have to go check on my plants. See you lot later."
They watched him go and Seamus wiggled his eyebrows. "That boy's got a secret."
Dean shushed him.
Harry turned to Ginny. "Neville's been acting so strange lately," he said under his breath. "Coming in late, being secretive. Seamus says that he found a bird, but… I feel he would tell me, right?"
Ginny giggled under her breath. "Neville with a girl? He's so shy! We all know that he fancies Hannah so much. I can't imagine there would be another girl who would catch his eye enough to —" a small gasp escaped her lips and her brown eyes widened.
"What?"
"Nothing," she said quickly as she jumped up from the bench and made to dash off. "Love you, bye!"
Harry's Seeker reflexes pulled her back before she could dash off.
"I have to get to Herbology!"
"Uh-huh," Harry said. "What do you know?
Ginny's eyes were full of mischief. "Nothing."
She wiggled out of his grasp and hurried off as Harry looked after his girlfriend suspiciously. Nothing was definitely not the right answer.
"What's up with, Ginny?" Dean asked.
Harry stared at his friend. "I don't know. She knows something. I'll get it out of her later." He looked over at Seamus and stood up. "Ready to head to class?"
Seamus finished his orange juice and kissed Dean before heading off with Harry. "I'm telling you, Harry, Neville's got himself a bird."
Harry shook his head. "Why wouldn't he tell us though?"
Seamus shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I think he does. At the party two weeks ago, he made mention of not knowing what to do when someone says they want to have sex with him. I think our boy is getting his broom ridden."
Harry's eyes widened. "Neville… having sex?"
Seamus' eyes twinkled. "Our boy's growing up!"
Harry wasn't sure how to take that information so he only nodded and followed Seamus into Transfiguration. If Neville was having sex he was happy for him. It meant that he'd finally taken his advice and was doing what he could to get over Hannah. Now that Hannah and Kevin had broken up, Harry thought maybe Neville would make a move on her, but he hadn't. In fact, he seemed to be staying even further away from her.
Ginny told him that it was too soon and that Neville didn't deserve to be the rebound bloke. Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but Ginny assured him that it wasn't the right time; that Hannah would figure it out when it was time. But that didn't help him understand the situation with Neville any better. He pulled out his books just as Ron and Hermione came into the classroom. Hermione was grinning from ear to ear and Ron only mouthed the word 'mental' to him, making him grin.
At least some things made sense, he thought. But he couldn't help but wonder who Neville was secretly seeing.
~ ASC ~
Ginny was anxious all through Herbology, her foot wouldn't stop tapping. It wasn't until Colin put his hand on her leg to stop it that she even noticed.
"What is with you?" he hissed.
She shook her head and when the class ended, she practically ran out of the greenhouse. She found her friend heading towards the Great Hall and grabbed her hand, pulling her into an empty classroom.
"Hello, Ginny," Luna said. "Did you have a nice time in Herbology this morning?"
Ginny watched Luna put her wand behind her ear before she spoke. "You and Neville."
It wasn't a question.
Luna's smile was slow. "Yes."
"I knew it!" Ginny shrieked, a huge smile on her face. "When Harry was going on about how Neville's been staying out late and sneaking around it just… tell me everything!"
"You seem so surprised. I told you, I wanted to get some more experience. I trust Neville."
Ginny merely raised her eyebrow. "And Neville…"
"He's very detailed," Luna said, her eyes wide. "He wants to make me happy. He was more than sufficient with his fingers, better with his tongue. He makes rather lovely noises when I take him in my mouth."
"Luna Pandora Lovegood, you have become an absolute vixen!"
Luna's eyes were full of mischief as she shrugged. "The first time hurt a bit, but now we have a good rhythm about it. I quite enjoyed it. We decided to have one more night, this Saturday, and then we're going back to just being friends. We only wanted to get experience, after all. Make us both more confident. Like the erumpents, we don't want to combust before we're supposed to."
"Uh-huh," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at the comparison. "Luna, that's so… scandalous!"
Luna shrugged, examining her fingernails as if she were talking about her homework. "I don't think so. We're friends. We trust each other. I like Neville. He's sweet and adorable, but he's really much too shy for me. He feels the same about me. We would never work as anything other than friends, but yet, I'm glad that we're sharing this together."
Ginny still looked skeptical. "I don't know what to say… I mean… are you happy?"
"Yes," Luna said. "So, when I do find someone I like, someone who fancies me for me, I won't feel so shy and nervous. I'll know what to do."
Ginny stared at her. "I can't believe the two of you have kept it a secret all this time! How long has this been going on?"
"Since the All Hallow's Eve party," Luna told her. "But we only just shagged five days ago. The first time was quite awkward, but he was very sweet about it. I rather like being on all fours when he takes me, he really gets his cock in deep that way. You and Harry will have to try it."
"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed, blushing furiously.
"Well, not right away," Luna said, matter of factly. "We tried it that way the fourth time and I really like it. He seems to as well. Just keep that in mind."
Ginny's face was beet red now. "I'm not ready for that yet."
Luna brushed her hair behind her ear and wrinkled her nose. "Nothing wrong with that, Ginny. You and Harry can take as long as you want. Besides, now that you've sucked his prick, you have other fun things to do."
Ginny blushed. "I can't believe that you and Neville have been… for weeks now and you didn't say anything! Even when I pulled you and Theo aside and…"
"It's only a bit of shagging," Luna said simply. "And after Saturday, we go back to being friends like nothing ever happened."
"I don't know if I could do something like that," Ginny admitted. "Are you sure you and Neville don't want to try to date a little first?"
Luna shook her head. "Oh no! I love Neville, but I'm not in love with Neville and that's a big difference. I won't risk our friendship on something that I don't see working out. I want to travel the world. I want to learn about plants and animals in every country and he just wants to putter in his garden. Our friendship is what's important, Ginny. We've talked about it."
She nodded. "I love you both and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Luna smiled. "And I adore you for that, but honestly, we're fine." She linked her arm through Ginny's. "Now, shall we head to lunch?"
~ ASC ~
Hermione was grinning so much that she thought her face might break, but she couldn't stop. She was nervously fidgeting the entire walk up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Ron took her hand in his and she glanced over at him.
"I can't stop, I'm sorry."
Ron took her other hand as they stood outside of Dumbledore's door. "You have no reason to be nervous. If they weren't interested in making your legislation into a reality, they wouldn't be inviting you to attend in the first place. Zee's been working on it since January and she's not going let you down. You're a bright witch and the DRCMC wants to meet with you."
When her hands continued to tremble in his, he bent his head and kissed her, nipping at her bottom lip before he pulled away.
"Don't let anyone stand in your way."
He squeezed her hands in his before he turned and knocked on the door. It opened a moment later and Dumbledore smiled at them from behind his desk.
"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, right on time!" Dumbledore said pleasantly, gesturing to the fireplace. "There's Floo powder in the blue porcelain jar on the right. I look forward to hearing how the meeting goes. Good luck."
Ron reached for the jar and handed it to Hermione. She took a deep breath as she took a pinch of Floo powder and disappeared into the flames a moment later. Ron stepped out behind her and they saw a tall muscled man waving at them. He had wavy brown hair and biceps the size of Hermione's head. He was smiling kindly at them in a huge grin.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic! I'm Agent Lee! You must be Miss Granger!"
"Yes," Hermione said, accepting his hand. "This is my friend-boyfriend," she corrected, smiling back at Ron. "Ron Weasley."
"Charlie's little brother? I went to Hogwarts with Charlie! Great bloke! Brilliant when it comes to dragons!"
He gestured for them to follow as he took them to the security desk where they signed in and handed over their wands to be checked. They pinned the visitor badges to their robes and followed Lee to the lifts. Lee continued to talk their ear off about his time at Hogwarts with Charlie. He spoke about how much he'd loved Professor Silvanus' class and how it made him want to work with animals and magical creatures. They took the lift down to the lowest level and then Lee led them to the stairs.
He explained how Zacarias had asked for the meeting to be held down in the menagerie since their new conference room was bigger. He led them past the different little realms full of animals as they both looked around in amazement until they came across Zee who was sitting in the conference room. She had one hand over her large stomach and the other was writing notes in front of her. Hermione thought that she looked like she was well past nine months pregnant now.
"Hermione, Ron!" Zee said, when she spotted them. She attempted to stand and then thought better of it, letting them come to her. "Welcome to the Magical Menagerie!"
"It's kind of brilliant down here," Ron admitted. "Now I get why Charlie's been talking it up so much. It's made Mum think he might move home."
Zee laughed. "I tried to suggest it, but he's happy in Romania and he's doing a lot of great work for us at the reserve there. Have a seat."
They both sat down in the comfortable high back chairs. Zee urged them to help themselves to tea.
"Everyone else should be arriving in the next fifteen minutes or so, I just wanted to speak to you first," she explained. "As you know, I presented the legislation at a meeting last January. Some people were on board with it and others not so much, but now that Minister Bones has been helping us reshape and rebuild the Ministry, it's come back up again. Our alliances with magical creatures is a big part of that and now that we've been making better decisions in terms of our alliances, we're looking to integrate as many magical creatures directly into the Ministry of Magic as we can. We want them to help run and work in our departments to help make it more equal. It won't happen overnight, but we're off to a great start so far."
Hermione looked at the board Zee pointed to.
"So far we have ten werewolves who have joined Werewolf Support Services, two Goblins that have expressed an interest in helping us with the Goblin Liaison Office, three Vampires to help us with the Vampire Liaison Office, two Merpeople to assist in the Being Division, and one house elf who has expressed an interest in equal rights — Dobby."
"What does that mean exactly?" Ron asked.
Zee smiled. "It means, it's very slow going, but it's a start. Ah, here comes Lou Bannerman. He's anxious to meet you."
Hermione gave Ron a grateful look when he squeezed her hand under the table and thought that this was one of the most exciting days of her life.
~ ASC ~
Remus woke up to the evening sun coming in through their bedroom window. His wife was sprawled out on her stomach, arms curled under her head. The blankets were in a heap at the end of the bed and she was gloriously naked. He smiled. He rolled onto his side, gently tracing the length of her spine with the tip of his finger.
He'd never skived off work before today in his life.
Yet he wouldn't trade today for anything.
They'd spent the entire morning making love. At eleven she'd dragged him into the kitchen and they'd made thickly sliced turkey sandwiches with fruit and vegetables. They'd added chocolate chip biscuits with milk when they were done before his wife made him play the piano. She'd sat next to him on the bench, watching his fingers run across the keys in fascination. When he started playing "Baby, I Love You," she'd loudly sung the lyrics along with him. Then they were both singing mostly off key and laughing. It wasn't long after that before she'd straddled him on the piano bench and snogged him senseless.
They'd made love on the living room floor and then he'd bent her over the piano. Tonks had put on the wireless after that, blaring a mix of Billy Idol, the Weird Sisters, Bryan Adams, and Madonna and forced him to dance with her. He'd felt foolish, dancing around his living room completely starkers, unable to stop himself from admiring his wife's slim hips and round bottom. But then she'd fallen to her knees and he'd felt something else entirely.
They made love again in the shower before he'd carried her to bed and buried his face between her thighs. They'd fallen asleep again at some point, he didn't know when, but now as he traced her spine and the curve of her behind, he couldn't help but just stare at her. She stirred and rolled over to face him, but continued to snore lightly.
Her hair, forever a bright bubblegum pink with dark pink highlights. Her slender neck that he always wanted to press his lips to. Her lean, toned body that she kept strong in the DMLE workout centre. He loved her small breasts, dark pink nipples; the half-moon shaped scar he'd given her under her breast, his mark for her. He automatically reached down to touch the same mark she'd given him on his thigh… it was the only scar on his body that he treasured. He loved her pert little nose, her dark brows, those lovely lips that he longed to kiss. He danced his fingers over her shoulder, down her ribs and around to cup her arse before he trailed them up over her thighs. He fiddled with the wolf pendant she wore in her belly button piercing, traced the light scars from the Horcrux hunt, and then danced his fingers up between her breasts.
She made a soft mmm sound and he leaned in and kissed her lips.
"I'm starving," she murmured.
Remus chuckled against her mouth. "Are you now?"
"Famished," she admitted, letting her eyes flutter open. Tonks reached out and slid her hand down his chest between his legs to grip him in her hand. "My husband's all raring to go again already."
"Thank you." At her raised brow, he kissed her lips again. "I needed today. More than I think I realized, but I needed today."
Tonks moved closer to him, fondling his cock as she did. "You work hard and I know how much the moon drains you. You try to pretend like it doesn't, but it does. The days leading up to it… you need extra rest, extra care, extra… orgasms."
Remus chuckled. "Well, need and want are very different, Nymphadora."
She stroked him and his eyes crossed. "As your wife, it is my duty to make sure you have that little extra love, isn't it?"
Her hand was working him faster now and he could only nod. "Yes."
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "And it's your job to make sure that I am well fed and well satisfied, Professor Lupin."
"Yes," he agreed and then she was moving down and taking him in her mouth and he moaned her name.
His fingers fisted in her short hair and when those lips began to glide up and down as much of his shaft as she could, he grunted. Tonks let him go, kissing her way up his chest before she stretched out on the bed next to him, leaning back until she was on all fours. Her eyes met his over her shoulder, twinkling and he moved up behind her and spanked her.
"I don't think that I properly punished you for skiving off today, Mrs Lupin," he said, his fingers finding her.
He kissed her shoulders, her back, her arse, as his fingers worked her and then he lightly spanked her clit with his fingers and she cried out his name.
"Mrs Lupin, you wouldn't be enjoying this punishment now, would you?" he demanded, sliding his teeth over her arse.
"No," she gasped. "Absolutely not, Professor."
He spanked her clit again with his fingers, rubbing it teasingly and then he bit her arse just enough to tease and spanked her clit. Tonks was panting now. He continued to pump his fingers in and out of her before he slid them around and into her arse.
"Rem… yes…"
He watched his fingers for a moment, disappearing in and out of her before he gripped her hips and slid into that liquid warmth. The sound of satisfaction she made only made him shag her harder. Then he was pulling out, sitting on the bed and pulling her backwards into his lap to ride him. Her head fell back onto his shoulder as she groaned.
"I love you," she gasped.
Remus captured her lips in his and pressed his thumb over her clit and she moaned into his mouth as she fell apart. He followed her a moment later. Remus kept his arms around her, both of them breathing heavy as they lay like the dead in the middle of their bed. It was almost ten minutes later before Tonks spoke again.
"I'm still hungry."
He laughed and kissed her. "Give me a minute and I'll make us some food."
Tonks snuggled a moment longer before she stood up and stretched to use the loo and he tugged on his pyjama pants. He made his way into the kitchen to figure out something to eat. A glance at the clock told him that it was already half past seven. He found steaks in the ice box and immediately set to prepping them. He was cutting up potatoes when Tonks emerged, stretching her arms up over her head. She was wearing one of his jumpers that almost reached her knees.
"Need help?"
"You can pour the wine."
She pouted. "I can do other things."
Remus smiled. "Okay. Peel and chop the carrots."
Tonks immediately headed to the counter to do as he asked. She cut one carrot perfectly and then nicked her finger on the second. "Ouch!"
Remus reached out to suck the tip into his mouth before he healed it with his wand. "Careful."
When she moved to put the carrots into the pot and stubbed her toe, he smirked at her.
"Stop it!"
"I didn't say anything."
"I can feel your judgement."
He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. "I love you, Nymphadora. Every single adorable clumsy part of you."
Tonks smiled, placing her hands over his. "Good."
They worked companionably in the kitchen and soon vegetables were boiling and steaks grilling. Tonks blared the Weird Sisters and he only smiled in amusement. He took his steak off the grill quickly and let hers go a bit longer before he mashed the potatoes and added brown sugar and butter to the carrots. Then they were sitting at the table and eating.
Remus turned the music down as they ate and Tonks grinned at him.
"So, should we do Christmas early or late this year?"
He shook his head. "We can keep it as normal."
"Rem," she said quietly. "You need to rest."
"This is Harry's first Christmas without Sirius, Nymphadora, I won't abandon him on it."
"You need to rest," she repeated.
He cut his steak, eating as she watched him. "My seventh year, it fell on Christmas Day. I refused to go home and ruin my parents' holiday. My friends all stayed at school with me despite my protests. When I came up from the hospital wing on Christmas Day… they were all in the common room with Fee and Monty. Fee fussed over me and we opened gifts and had a big holiday breakfast and I slept on the sofa, with my head in Fee's lap. I woke up hours later and she was singing me a lullaby. James and Lily were talking in the corner. Sirius and Monty were chatting and I just… they did all that for me and I didn't know why."
Tonks reached across the table to take his hand. "Because they loved you, you silly man. And if you want to keep it the same, we will. I can read Dickens this year to you and Harry."
"You know how I feel about you being in that room."
"And you know that you're being a stubborn, unreasonable git."
They stared at each other for a moment before he nodded. "Fine."
Tonks smiled. "I'll talk to Zee about going to Black Cottage for breakfast. We'll open gifts there and then you can sleep in my lap, hmm?"
"We go to your parents for dinner every year."
"Yes, and you can sleep on their couch as well."
Remus kissed her fingers. "I love you, Nymphadora."
She stood up and plopped herself into his lap to kiss him. "We take care of each other, Remus. Always."
He kissed her temple. "Will you be here Sunday night?"
"Yes," she said.
"I know it… you've actually listened to me the last few moons and made yourself scarce… is it because of Bael?"
Tonks closed her eyes, nuzzling into his neck. "I'm not afraid of you."
"That's not what I asked," he said quietly.
Tonks wrapped her arms around him, pleased when he hugged her close. "Sometimes when I close my eyes, I see him transforming in front of me, becoming this wolf that wanted to hurt me. I can smell his horrible breath and feel his fingers on my throat and… the fact that you turn into a wolf every month is…"
"Disturbing," he whispered.
"No," she said sternly. "When you turn, there's so much anger and pain and shame in your eyes. I want nothing more than to go to you and hold you and tell you that everything will be all right. When Bael turned… he relished in it. I knew that he was going to kill me and that he would enjoy it. Seeing the difference between you… watching you change just seemed more painful."
He kissed her forehead. "I hate having you there, yet when you're not… you'll tell me the next time you have a bad dream?"
Tonks framed his face in her hands and kissed him. "I always do."
He raised an eyebrow at that.
"Almost always," she corrected, making him grin.
She moved back into her own chair to finish her meal. Her eyes looked out the back door and widened.
"It's snowing!"
"Well, it is the end of November," Remus said. "It was bound to show up at some point."
"After dinner, let's go build a snowman!"
He couldn't help but smile at the delight in her eyes and knew that he'd give her anything she wanted. "Okay. A snowman it is."