Author's Note:
Thank you! This story now has over 9000 reviews! That is amazing to me! You guys are incredible and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
You get this chapter a few days early because the rest of my week is quite busy!
Reviews and Comments: To LifeonEarth: Welcome back to being the first review! And I know, poor Theo, he does miss Draco and Blaise and he's just floundering. Seriously Sam let me use her Apricity Lane in Manchester and she said that it was by the statue of Queen Victoria so, I asked if I could make it fun, sneaking under her skirts haha. I like the idea of Bill being everyone's big brother. And yes, exactly how you're thinking about Theo, when he's himself, he will apologize. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! I liked the idea of Zee being Rolf's idol. And hey, I had to make Snape's memories a bit more interesting. To ANewRanger: Thanks, I think? As to replying to reviews, I love doing it! I appreciate each and every review from every person who takes the time to drop me a sentence. The least I can do, is respond in kind. To Seriously Sam: I always take it as the biggest compliment when a review results in random letters and numbers LOL. Haha, a who rescued who bumper sticker!
To elin2002: Thank you! That's how I saw Theo, too, he's reaching out blindly and desperately, trying to find his footing. To ValGrey02: More Hinny is coming soon and maybe I will introduce Newt in some way, we'll see. As to Snape, he is such a grey character and I find him difficult to write because of that grey. To DetroitNate: Thanks for reading again! Ron and Hermione are heartfelt and wonderful! To Mikhail: I don't know what you mean by there aren't enough gay people in this story? I write where I see the characters and most of them aren't gay in my mind. The Booknerds: Thank you! I'm glad that you caught up! To TheLadyGagaSimp: Thank you very much! I think we do need D-Bag Snape to balance out all the positive people in the characters' lives, well said!
To Ponneeswaran: Sorry, you feel my story has turned into a soap opera. I disagree. It is moving in the direction that I want it to go and sometimes I want to add lots of fluff to make up for the darkness that is coming. To pix25: Planted intentionally for Harry to find? I don't think so. To speedsONEandONLY: I won't use it as a checklist haha (unless of course they are already on my list then that's sheer coincidence lol). Harry drank with him before the thing with Colin. No, Remus did not, but he will. To alix33: I agree, schedules are comforting at times. To Lara: Thank you! I plan to keep going. To Steelcode: Theo will be all right, he just needs his friends. To Wolf's scream: Don't mess with Hermione LOL. To Chris: His friends will help him. I agree, Ron is a great friend! I think he is very underrated by fans, but he's one of the best! To Nightwing2013: Glad I surprised so many people with RNS not being evil LOL. To Bumlewis: Zee leaving the babies for the first time was fun to write. To nothatchhavi: I agree, I think Ron's scars had potential to be addressed in HBP and they weren't.
To Dianne: Thank you! I hope you enjoy my Jily story, I wrote it eons ago. To midnitewanderer: I guess I just made you cry in a different way this chapter LOL. To Digipalll: Thank you for reviewing! To Guest: Interesting… we will see him again soon so funny you brought him up. But no, Lockhart never got to Theo. To darkhk: Head of House isn't going to alter the dorms because two people are dating in them. And I'm so happy you finally caught up again! To Tiegdalewills15: Yes. I totally believe Lily was a badass and you do not mess with her! Thanks for the review!
To carleys123: Thank you very much for saying it's "one of the most elaborate, well written fanfics… it makes me laugh, cry, gasp" — much appreciated! To coloredwords: I love sassy, Harry! To tim2604: Theo is sinking, but I promise he will get help! I'm glad you enjoyed it! To smcleo11: Wow! Thank you! "This is hands down one of the most remarkable pieces of literature ever." I'm blushing! To SkiGirl121: Theo does deserve to be happy an I promise he will be. To DexterRomano: Thank you! And I'm updating every two week-ish now, but still working!
To Leapyearbaby29: Yes, Harry knows now and he definitely needs to watch out for Bellatrix. To AQuickReady91: We're over halfway down sixth year. To Herakles: Yes, finally revealed Snape was the HBP and more Hinny moments coming. To GryffindorHealer: Thank you! To briana_t: Theo, looking out for his friends, even if only offering tips lol. To Cat: Thank you! The dream with Ron was fun to write and I just hope people like where I go with it. To Millie: Yes, and no. We've met Rolf, but unfortunately Luna will not for quite a while yet. To Hannah: Thank you for saying you sometimes forget this isn't canon! To Hang_OnA_Moment: Thanks for reading it a second time! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Thank you! I want to hug Theo all the time LOL. To PurpleLotus: They are all doing what they can for Theo, each in their own way. Everyone is worried about him.
My posting schedule: Bi-weekly.
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 SIXTY-FOUR:
Harry woke up with his heart pounding, feeling a bit clammy. It took him a moment to remember where he was. Hogwarts. Gryffindor Tower. His bed. He breathed a sigh of relief, the sound of Voldemort shouting still ringing in his ears. It had been a wonderful while since his subconscious had drudged up the graveyard or the Ministry and tonight it had been a mix of watching him return, the panic, Sirius covered in blood, choking on his words... Harry shivered.
He could hear Ron and Seamus snoring, Neville's quiet breathing, and Dean's soft snorts, but it didn't reassure him. After the fiasco with Snape, he'd spent the rest of his evening lying on the couch in Remus' suite trying to think about what he'd seen, to make sense of it. It had been after midnight by the time he'd returned to his dorm, still not sure how he felt about any of it. The fact that Snape was the so called Half-Blood Prince was alarming enough on its own, but it was the conversation that he'd seen between Snape and his mother that had struck a chord with him the most.
He wanted to know more about the spell that he'd invented and the words that his mum had said about Snape aiming for someone else. Had the curse been used on his own father? Wasn't that what Snape had said? Had Remus known? What had happened? The thoughts had plagued him before he'd been able to fall asleep and when he finally did fall, he'd dreamed of Hogsmeade. He'd watched the blood stain the snow as Bellatrix hit the ground before his dream had changed and he'd been back in the graveyard, tied to the headstone with thorns piercing through his skin. Bellatrix was cackling and Sirius… Merlin, he wished he could get those images out of his head.
He lay there a moment, still feeling off before he grabbed his mirror. His first instinct as always was to call Sirius and then that pain came back full swing. He started to say Remus' name but stopped. He didn't need to wake up Remus either. He was at home. He didn't want to disturb Zee as he knew how little sleep she was getting with the twins. And then it came to him.
Ginny had a mirror now!
He rolled over, reaching blindly on his nightstand for the mirror and ignoring his glasses. He didn't need them to lay here and talk into the mirror. She answered quickly and it amazed him how much calmer he felt just at the sight of her; how beautiful she was. She looked adorably half asleep when she appeared in the mirror. Her red hair was a mess around her face, her eyes sleepy, her lips parted.
"Harry? You okay?"
"Had a bad dream," he said. "I wanted to see you."
Ginny's eyes widened a bit, blinking owlishly. "One minute."
The mirror went blank and he frowned at his own reflection. One minute for what?
He didn't have to wait long. The door to his dorm opened and she shuffled inside. Despite the dark, the light from the moon reflected on her hair when she entered. She was wearing cotton sleep pants and a long sleeved Harpies tee. He blinked at her blurred figure, only making out the Harpies logo when she climbed into bed with him. He opened the blankets so that she would come under.
"Brr, it's cold. I was halfway here before I realized that I'd forgotten my dressing gown."
Harry snuggled her close. "I'll keep you warm."
She yawned against his chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really," he admitted. "This is perfect."
Ginny smiled, her cheek on his shoulder. "I'm a good listener."
"The best," he assured her. He didn't really want to talk about his dream, but he did want to talk about what had happened with Snape. He just wasn't sure what he wanted to say. "My detentions are done."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "I thought that you still had two more weeks?"
"Nope. Not anymore. Snape said that they're over."
Ginny frowned. "Well, that's good, but also a very un-Snape-like thing to do. What happened?"
"Things change."
Ginny stared at him. "What kind of things?"
He opened his mouth to tell her, but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say? Suddenly he didn't want to tell her what happened. He didn't want to admit that he'd viewed someone's private memories without permission; didn't want to tell her that Bellatrix was still alive, that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince, or that Snape had been in love with Lily Evans.
It all just seemed too much.
He rolled her under him, peppering soft kisses on her neck. "This is better."
Ginny sighed under him, her hands slipping under his shirt. "Are you sure that you don't want to talk?"
He nodded, kissing her. "I'm sure. Having you here, I feel better already."
Ginny's hands slid over his back. "Happy to hear that. I was having a rather nice dream when you woke me."
"Oh yeah? Was I in it?"
"Nope. Don't recall you at all."
He pinched her hip and she squealed. "Shh, I have dorm mates."
Ginny grinned and kissed him. "Maybe you should have used a charm or something."
"I didn't expect you to come up here and seduce me," he teased, his lips against her neck.
Ginny's hands slid beneath his tee and over his naked back. "Should have."
Harry's eyes darkened as he kissed her. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, cupping her cheek as he kissed her.
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "Now I can really see how blind you are without your glasses. Not only is my hair a mess, but I have sleepy eye goop."
"Sexy sleepy eye goop," Harry said, using his thumb to brush it away.
"No, I thought we had more time," she whispered. At his frown, she shook her head, her eyes sad. "Almost seventeen and you've already lost your mind. It's quite tragic."
"Minx," he said, a laugh in his voice.
She smiled when he snuggled into her breasts. "You do have a perfectly comfy pillow, you know?"
"The one that you're using? I know, but trust me, this one is much, much better." He rubbed his face into her breasts and she giggled.
"You're ridiculous!"
Harry rested his chin under her breasts. "And I love you."
Ginny reached out, her hand brushing through his hair. "You know, the first time you said those words to me, we were in a similar position."
His smile came slowly. "I remember. It was the first time you came for me."
Her cheeks flushed. "It was an accident."
"One I will never forget," he assured her. "The sounds you made... fuck, Gin... it fuelled my fantasies for months."
If possible, her face flushed redder.
He kissed her breasts through her sleep shirt before he slowly inched it up. He kissed her stomach, her ribs, the underside of her breasts. His hands flattened over each breast as if to grip them firmly before he kissed beneath them, between them, the tops of them. His mouth found her nipple and she gasped.
"It started like this, didn't it?"
"You weren't so bold then," she reminded him. "My shirt was still on."
Harry folded her shirt back down and wrapped his mouth around her nipple through the cotton.
"Mmm," she moaned.
Harry reached for his wand, silencing his bed. He tugged the curtains closed properly as Ron let out a loud snore. He smiled down at her. "Now, where was I?"
Ginny's hands fisted in his hair as he kissed her. Her whole body was tingling in anticipation. When he'd woken her, this hadn't been what she'd been expecting. His body covered hers and she could feel the hardness pressing against her thigh. She pushed him over, her lips still meeting his as she straddled him in his bed. She bit her bottom lip, pressing herself down over his erection.
The feel of him, hard beneath her, was exhilarating. She could feel his cock straining against his pjs, touching her wet heat through her own pjs and knickers. It was dangerous and she knew that, but when she pressed against him… Godric, it felt incredible. Not for the first time, she wondered what it would be like to have him inside of her. With every rock against him, he pressed more and more to her centre, making her gasp.
Harry's hands cupped her breasts through her shirt, rubbing and teasing them. Then his hand slid into her pjs, a finger rubbing, and she began to rub herself against him faster. It felt so good to feel him pressing against her, it felt naughty and delicious. Harry's breath was getting faster now as his finger rubbed.
"Mmm, yes," she murmured, her head falling back.
Harry rolled her under him, pressing himself closer, grinding into her. His mouth moved to her throat, sucking the pulse point as he ground himself into her in a delicious friction. Ginny gasped. It felt good, it felt so good, it felt naughty, it felt… wrong.
The last word sent a wave of anxiety through her.
Suddenly she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. Her heart raced and she choked on her breath. The feel of his hard cock pressed against her was alarming and she pushed him off, gasping for breath.
"Harry, no! Stop! Please, stop!"
Harry's eyes were glazed as he looked down at her. He caught his breath, but stopped grinding. "Huh?"
Ginny pushed him off of her completely, anxiety running through her as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn't feel the warmth of him anymore. All she felt was the cold. Phantom pain pushed between her legs and she fought the urge to sob.
Harry's hand slid up over her back. "Gin?"
She caught her breath, breathing slowly as she pulled her knees up to her chin. She closed her eyes, counting her breaths to try to slow her breathing as she began to rock back and forth. His hand rubbed up and down her back soothingly.
"No! Tom, stop! Don't touch me!" Ginny cried.
Harry froze, his hand pulling back as though she had burned him. "Gin?"
It took her a moment to calm herself, trying to catch her breath as she continued to rock back and forth.
"Ginny?" Harry said again and this time, her heart skipped a beat.
"Harry?" she whispered, her eyes meeting his only a moment before she flung herself into his arms, burying her nose in his neck. Harry's arms came around her, holding her close as she clung to him. His hands ran up and down her back in reassurance as she kept her face buried in his neck.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. It was too much. I pushed you."
Ginny shook her head. "No, it's me. I'm stupid. I know you won't hurt me."
Harry pressed his lips to her forehead. "Never. And you're far from stupid, Ginny. I don't want to hear you say that again."
She cuddled closer, her hands fisting in his tee shirt. Merlin, he was so good to her. She wasn't sure how she was so lucky to have a boyfriend who was so understanding sometimes. Harry shifted them more under the covers, snuggling her to his side. Ginny's head rested over his chest, eyes on the impressive tent in his pjs.
"You're hard."
"Ginny, when I'm with you, I'm always hard."
She slid her hand over his stomach. "I'm not ready to have sex."
Harry kissed the top of her head. "I know."
"I'm sorry. I started this and then I... I just freaked out."
"Ginny, it's fine. You don't need to apologize," Harry assured her.
"You're so much bigger than…" she whispered. "I'm worried that you won't fit and that it will hurt because when he… Harry, it hurt so much."
Harry tilted her head up to look into her eyes. "Ginny, I'm not pushing. I will never push you. I love you."
She nodded, unshed tears in her eyes. "I love you, Harry."
His lips met hers for a tender kiss that warmed her completely, pushing away those horrible memories she wished that she could forget entirely. Ginny snuggled back into his arms. The tips of his fingers ran up and down her arms in a gentle soothing pattern. She wasn't sure how long she laid there, his arms around her, but at some point, she woke up snuggled against him. It was still dark so she didn't think she'd been asleep for long, but the gentle sensation of his fingers dancing up and down her arms was calming.
She felt safe.
She felt loved.
She felt protected.
Ginny rubbed her cheek against his chest, eyes on the tent in the blanket before her. She slowly slid her hand over his stomach and down under the blankets and into his pjs, gripping him firmly.
Harry let out a slow breath. "You don't have to..."
Ginny stroked him before she turned to look into his eyes. "Show me."
Harry frowned. "What?"
Ginny rolled onto her back, pulling her shirt over her head, her naked breasts bouncing as she did. Harry hesitantly leaned over her. She ran her hands over his back before she urged him to straddle her again. She arched her hips up to him, rubbing herself against him and his eyes crossed.
"Ginny..."
She shook her head. "No. I may not be ready, but I will be damned if he makes me think of anything but you right now. I want to see you. All of you. Show me."
Harry made to protest, but her mouth covered his and he surrendered to her. It wasn't long before he had his erection pressed against her centre through his pyjamas.
"Merlin, Harry, that feels so good."
"Yeah?"
He kept his eyes on hers as he pressed closer. Her breath hitched and when her eyes met his, she saw the pleasure there. Her hands slid down to cup his behind through his pjs. She squeezed tightly and he groaned. He began to rub himself faster against her. The rocking motion was enough to drive her mad and she slipped her hands under the cotton, her finger sliding along his bum, teasing the edge of him.
This was Harry, her Harry. He was beautiful and sweet and she knew what he felt like in her hand, what he tasted like when he came. She wasn't going to let an old memory ruin that for her. Harry buried his face between her naked breasts and rocked again. The motion sent a shock of pleasure through her.
It was only a moment later before Harry knelt over her, pushing his pjs down and gripping himself firmly. Her eyes met his.
"Show me," she whispered. "Touch yourself."
Harry kept his eyes on hers as he murmured a lubrication charm and began to pump himself in his fist. With a few more powerful pumps, he came in a long grunt, covering his hand along with her stomach and breasts, surprising both of them.
"I didn't mean..." he trailed off, catching his breath, his eyes looking down at her. "Maybe I did."
Ginny trailed a finger over her nipple, touching Harry's seed as Harry reached for his wand.
"That was stupid," he said as he pulled his cotton pyjamas back up. "That was so stupid! I'm such a bloody prat, Ginny, I'm so sorry! After you had a flashback about… and I just came all over you like a bloody stupid selfish git!"
Ginny took his wand from his hand, tugging his face down to kiss him deeply. "No. I'm glad you did."
Harry frowned. "What?"
Ginny looked down at her glistening chest. "I'm glad you did. Harry, watching you come is so beautiful. Watching you surrender to me, how you lose yourself just for me. It's not the same. It's never the same."
He stared at her for a long moment before he let his eyes travel down her breasts and stomach where he had finished on her. "Are you sure that you're okay?"
Ginny tugged his face down to hers for a long kiss. "Yes. Never better."
Harry kept his eyes on hers a moment longer before he bent his head to kiss her breast. He could taste himself on her and it was oddly erotic in a way that he hadn't expected. His lips wrapped around her nipple while his other hand played with the other one, tweaking and stroking it. His mouth sucked enthusiastically, glorying in the pebbled peak on his tongue as she moaned under him. He let go, kissing her breast tenderly before he took his wand back from her hand, cleaning his mess. Then he dropped the wand next to her head and kissed her again.
Ginny sighed against his lips, murmuring his name as his mouth returned to her breasts. His mouth covered her nipple just as she slipped her hand into her pjs and into her knickers. Her fingers found her clit and she whimpered.
Harry's hand covered hers, his eyes wide in amazement as she touched herself. "Come for me."
Ginny shook her head. "Touch me, please."
Harry's hand moved lower, finding her wet and wanting. "What do you want, Ginny? How do you want me to touch you?"
"Use your mouth," she begged.
Harry's eyes darkened, but he didn't need to be told twice. He carefully pushed her pjs down, tugging them off before he slowly removed her knickers, leaving her gloriously naked in his bed. He licked his lips and pushed her knees up to her stomach. He kissed her thighs tenderly and then he moved his mouth over her and he began to lick.
Ginny writhed under him, panting and gasping. She felt his tongue flatten, licking in tiny nips designed to drive her mad and she whimpered. When he hit the right side, sucking there in just the right way, she came apart beneath him. Harry kissed his way up her stomach, kissing each breast tenderly before he rested his chin just under them.
"I'll never tire of that."
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she smiled up at him. "I hope you don't."
Harry's lips curved. "Never."
And as if to prove a point, he lowered his head to kiss her there once more and Ginny's eyes crossed. Merlin, she hoped he never did.
~ ASC ~
It was the first day of Potions class since Harry had viewed Snape's memories. He'd spent weeks cleaning and scrubbing things that he'd rather not think about. Then to have it all end on that bombshell of a memory. It had been a few days now and Harry still wasn't sure what to make of it, nor had he mentioned it to anyone, not even Ginny.
Ginny knew something was bothering him and he'd carefully evaded her. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, it was just that he felt like he needed to better understand the situation himself before he could speak to her about it. He wanted to talk to Remus as well, to get a better understanding of what he saw. Not to mention that he knew Ginny was still beating herself up for the other night.
Harry had done what he could to reassure her. He sent her breakfast in bed Monday morning and spent one entire hour snogging her brainless in the alcove overlooking the Quidditch pitch on the second floor. He gave her one of his jumpers to wear when they were studying in the library and when he went to visit her in the Herald, he brought tea and biscuits. He kept the kisses long and passionate, making an effort to do nothing more than soft petting. The last thing he wanted was for Ginny to feel like he was pushing her. He wanted her to know how much he loved her and to show her how much she meant to him.
Therefore telling her about the whole Snape fiasco before he had worked it out himself wasn't something that he wanted to burden her with. He knew that Ginny would never consider it a burden. He knew that once he told her, he would immediately feel better, but he was determined to work it out himself.
At least for now.
As for Snape, he seemed to be treating him with even more distain than usual. Harry merely kept his head down in class, using the potions textbook to brew Felix Felicis as instructed.
Harry had been spending a lot of his time going over Fleamont's journals as well as the potions book. Knowing some of the additions belonged to Snape only made him more determined to brew his potions better than ever. The potions book had taught him how to make this potion perfect and with some notes from his grandfather's journal that hinted at a dash of cayenne to make the potion the perfect shade of gold. For once, he felt incredibly confident in his work.
Or he had, until Snape sneered down at it.
"Did I tell you to add something different, Potter?"
"No, Sir."
"You are to follow the instructions precisely as I give them."
Harry stared at him as class ended and people began to move away to head out. "I added cayenne pepper because my grandfather claimed it makes the potion the proper shade of gold and adds the bit of spice needed to ensure maximum luck to the drinker."
Snape leaned in to inspect the potion more closely, inhaling the sweet smell enough that his hooked nose twitched. He nodded. "Cayenne's a good addition, but not what I asked you to brew."
He vanished the potion with a wave of his wand.
"You can't keep doing this!" Harry exclaimed. "I completed my potion which means you have to give me a grade!"
"I am the professor, not you, and if I think that your potion doesn't follow my standards, I will grade you accordingly!"
"I'm sorry about the other night," Harry told him. "It was wrong of me, but you can't hold it against me forever."
Snape sneered at him. "I assure you, Potter, your potion has nothing to do with your detention, but if you bring it up again, I will take a hundred points from Gryffindor, do you understand?"
"Is there a problem in here, Severus?" Slughorn asked from the doorway.
Snape's eyes narrowed at Harry before he turned to look at Slughorn as he spoke. "Potter thinks that he deserves a better mark is all, Slughorn. He's quite arrogant and lets his fame get to his head."
Slughorn chuckled. "Mr Potter seems to shy away from the limelight from what I've seen. Now, Harry, what makes you think that you deserve a better mark?"
"I added a dash of cayenne pepper to make the colour more pronounced and to ensure maximum luck to the drinker," Harry explained.
"To Felix Felicis? Ingenious! Wish I'd thought of it myself! Can I see the potion?"
Snape looked murderous as he made Harry's potion reappear.
Slughorn approached carefully, his eyes gleaming. He bent over the cauldron to inhale the smell, using his wand to stir it. "My boy, this potion is top notch! Why, I don't think I could find a better quality Felix in Apricity Lane!"
Snape scowled. "That's an extreme exaggeration. You're not the potions professor, Horace. I am."
Slughorn leaned back on the balls of his feet. "Actually, Severus, Albus has just informed me that I am now your co-professor. We'll be sharing classes from now on, isn't that wonderful? And as your co professor, I think that Mr Potter here deserves top marks for his creativity."
Snape looked positively murderous at this statement. He blinked once and then turned in his bat-like way and stormed out of the classroom.
Harry's gaze met Slughorn's. "Co-professor, Sir?"
Slughorn nodded. "Albus knows that I've been itching to teach again and I suggested how well Severus and I were getting along. I might have fibbed a little on the latter. He was a slow learner with potions in school, but then he blossomed towards the end of fifth year. He started making his own inventions and adding things to try something new. He was quite the little potion maker. What made you decide to add cayenne?"
Harry shrugged. "I read it in one of my grandfather's journals."
"Journals? That genius kept journals?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"Could I... I mean, of course I wouldn't want to impose, but could I perhaps read them?"
"They're rather private, Sir."
Slughorn nodded. "Of course! Of course!"
Harry flipped open the copy of Advanced Potion Making. "He did edit this textbook quite extensively, though. He was friendly with Borage."
Slughorn's eyes widened in glee as he read the page of edits that Harry had opened for him to see. He flipped through in interest before stopping. "Fleamont Potter… I always wanted him to guest lecture or to come to one of my parties, but he was a very busy man. He had a way of evading my invitations."
"I wish I would have known him, Sir."
Slughorn nodded, his eyes sad. "He is someone to aspire too. Now, I better let you go or you'll be late for your next class! I need to speak with Severus about teaching."
Harry gathered up his things as he heard Slughorn call out to Snape in his office down the hall and he couldn't help but smile. Having Slughorn as Snape's co-professor was definitely going to make things interesting.
~ ASC ~
Crouch was grinning like the cat who ate the canary when he came down to the meeting that evening. He bowed before Voldemort, his face almost kissing the ground before he spoke.
"They're both pregnant, my Lord. My wives. They're going to make me a father."
"Bart, that is indeed a reason to celebrate. I will find a healer to examine them as soon as possible. Rabastan tells me that his wife is expecting as well," Voldemort said, lifting his wine glass to a toast.
Crouch took his seat at the table, grabbing a glass to join in. "We will all be fathers soon."
"Many of us have been blessed," Woodrow Selwyn said. "New purebloods are arriving, my Lord."
"How many of them are pregnant?" Voldemort asked.
Rabastan leaned back in his chair. "All but Isabella, my Lord."
"And she will be," Rodolphous declared. "I haven't been bedding her as long." He turned to reach for Bellatrix's hand. "Bella has been helping me groom her."
Rodolphous kissed Bellatrix's hand as she smiled at him and Crouch tried not to snicker. He imagined Bellatrix was definitely doing anything but grooming her, but that was for the two of them to deal with.
"All of them?" Voldemort said in surprise. "That is good news. Twenty new purebloods will be born this year. We can rejoice in that. As to the pregnant women, they will be moved from the suites. None of you are to touch them while they're pregnant. I don't want to see any complications with the pregnancies because one of you couldn't control your cocks."
"With Kata, my Lord?" Selwyn asked, eagerly. "Will you put them with her? She is also with child, which means twenty-one."
"Perhaps," Voldemort said. "We'll find a place to keep them until they've given birth."
"And after?" Crouch asked, eagerly. "Can I play, my Lord? I have such plans for those little bitches!"
"Of course, Bart. As long as you stay in my good graces, of course."
"Always, my Lord."
"But we can still have sex with them, right?" Rabastan asked. "I mean, they are our wives after all. It's their duty to pleasure us."
Voldemort's lips curved. "Yes, Rabastan. You can still have lots of sex with them. Just remember that they are pregnant."
Crouch looked positively gleeful. "I do enjoy forcing them to pleasure me. The sounds of their cries is delightful!"
"Are all of the bitches pregnant then?" Bellatrix exclaimed, her eyes alight in anger. "Was it all so easy for them?"
"Bella," Rodolphous said, reaching for his wife's hand. "You were made for better and greater things."
Bellatrix hardly looked convinced by his words.
Voldemort placed his hands on the table in front of him. "Onto other news, I need to speak with Dante Dragomir."
Woodrow shook his head. "He's vanished, my Lord. He disappeared after Amycus and I spoke with him."
"As you said, but he can't have vanished. He has classes to teach and surely Durmstrang will be aware that he's left their castle?"
Selwyn shook his head again. "The headmaster swears that he has no idea where he's vanished to. He claimed that Dragomir said he needed to take a sabbatical for health reasons and left that same night. There's been no trace of him, my Lord."
Voldemort pursed his thin lips. "He's running. Good. That only makes me more interested in what he might know. Woodrow, you and Amycus find him. Find out who his friends are, if he has family. He went somewhere and someone knows where. Take Corban with you."
"My Lord, surely there is someone else who we could speak to? What Dragomir wrote is ancient history and it has to be published elsewhere," Yaxley suggested.
"Possibly," Voldemort said. "But it's Dragomir who studied it modernly and I need to know more about this spell. Find him, Corban."
Yaxley looked like he wanted to protest, but he knew better and instead stared down at the table as he responded. "Yes, my Lord."
"Severus, what news do you bring me?"
Snape folded his hands on the table. "Dumbledore has been meeting secretly with Potter. I don't know what about."
Voldemort pursed his lips. "Does he really think that boy will be my downfall? I'm invincible and it's about time that Dumbledore realizes that."
"The boy will be seventeen in a few months time," Snape told him. "He's not a boy anymore."
"The young man will still be wet behind his ears. Potter will get what's coming to him, I can assure you of that. How's Mr Nott?"
"Crushed. Devastated. Likes the drink," Snape responded.
Voldemort sneered. "I wanted him dead for what he did, but Abraxas was smart. Killing the fae, the young man he loved, was oddly satisfying. It should keep him out of our hair for the time being. A crushed soul is hardly a concern."
"And the fae, my Lord?" Yaxley asked.
"What about the fae, Yaxley? Disgusting, mischievous creatures who think they're better than us? A bit of iron wipes them out like a bug to my boot!"
Yaxley nodded. "Yes, my Lord, but they do have power. Taking out their youngest prince was a strike against you. Word from the Wizengamot is that King Talisen is calling for your blood."
"An angry fae is not my concern."
"Not just one angry fae, my Lord. If King Talisen calls his kingdom to arms, that means over a hundred fae will be ready to fight. Not to mention that the Court of Tara hold power over the Leprechauns, the nymphs, the sprites, the brownies... if he calls forth his army… angering him wasn't wise, my Lord," Yaxley declared.
Voldemort flicked his wand. Yaxley rose up from his chair, gasping in pain.
"You do not question me!" Voldemort spat. "The fae are worthless scum and the sooner that we rid the world of them the sooner that we can control Tara ourselves and the power it wields."
Yaxley spit blood from his mouth as he cried out. Voldemort held his wand a moment longer before Yaxley crashed to the ground, coughing and gasping. His wife reached for him, stopping herself when Voldemort's eyes met hers.
Yaxley pat his wife's arm gently in reassurance as he took a seat. "Y-y-yes, my Lord."
"Now," Voldemort said, his eyes on the Death Eaters around him. "Our next task is getting control of the VCE. Rumblings have told me that many are not happy with the leadership of Adam Patrick and being ordered around by someone who is still considered a toddler in the eternal life world. I think that we can have some sway there. Caleb, are you still able to get a team into the castle?"
"Easily, my Lord," Caleb Rowle said. "Noon is the best as most will be in deep sleep and we can slip in and make our move. I've been speaking to Montague and he gave us some tips to assist us."
Voldemort nodded. "Excellent. It's about time that we start taking our alliances back. Greyback, how are your new wolves?"
"Eager to please you, my Lord," Greyback said, reverently, bowing his head. "I've given them a taste for the fresh blood that they crave."
Selwyn snorted. "He has them caged in the dungeons. He keeps them feral like dogs."
"Woodrow, the best way to break a dog is to starve them and a wolf is no different. If I'm going to teach them that they don't need the moon to feed, I must do it delicately."
Selwyn merely stared. "You know best, Fenrir, I'm sure."
"He does," Voldemort declared. "Woodrow, Amycus, Corban, I want you heading back to Bulgaria. Question everyone you can about where Dragomir might have gone and follow his trail. Quella, my dear, you can stay here with the others now that you're with child again. I'm sure that Corban wouldn't mind if you stay and keep me company."
"Yes, my Lord. I'd be honoured," Quella Yaxley said, quietly.
"I'd trust no one else with her, my Lord," Yaxley assured him.
Voldemort's lips twisted before his gaze found Snape's across the table. "Severus, what news of Horace?"
"Dumbledore has promoted him to be my co-professor," Snape said. "It's absolutely degrading, like he doesn't believe that I can do my own damn job!"
"Oh, poor little Severus! Dumbledore's given me a personal helper," Bellatrix cried out. "Your life is so hard and full of purpose!"
"Bella!"
Bellatrix cowered under Voldemort's gaze.
"I'm sorry, my Lord."
Voldemort turned back to Snape. "Have you taken control of him yet? As I've told you, I need to speak with him. I do not like to be kept waiting, Severus."
"Dumbledore is keeping a very close eye on him, my Lord. He offered Slughorn protection."
"I've seen you Imperius people, Severus. I know that you're more than capable of keeping him cursed right under Dumbledore's nose. We cannot move with the plan if you do not do what I ask. I do not like to be kept waiting," he repeated.
Snape nodded. "Yes, my Lord."
"It's important that you bring him to me, Severus," Voldemort stated. "I need to speak with him personally about a few vital things. He has information that I need."
"Yes, my Lord. Perhaps I could persuade the information out of him for you?"
Voldemort's red eyes glinted dangerously. "No. It has to be me."
"Yes, my Lord," Snape answered quickly.
Voldemort turned his attention back to the table. "We need to start moving swiftly to infiltrate the Ministry successfully. It won't happen overnight and we need to start planting those seeds of doubt as soon as possible. Has there been any news on the young Malfoy or Zabini?"
"Nothing, my Lord," Marcus Belby said. "They were last seen entering an alley in Hogsmeade before they vanished. Someone claimed that Malfoy looked injured."
"I want their bodies discovered," Voldemort exclaimed. "Their marks have gone dormant so someone knows where they died. I want to know where. I want them found and brought to me as soon as possible. With Lucius being held in prison, I think his son knew more than he let on."
"Maybe the fae killed him," Crouch suggested. "The snow was covered in blood that day. It wasn't all Bella's."
"Maybe," Voldemort said. "But that doesn't explain Zabini."
"You're sure that they're dead, my Lord?" Snape asked.
Voldemort's eyes met Snape's across the table. "I cannot feel the mark on them any longer. There is no other explanation."
Snape nodded solemnly as did those around him.
"Now, those of you assigned tasks, get to work. Bellarosa, I want you and Cassia to get space ready below for our impregnated women. We'll keep them very safe and secure while they grow new life inside of them. I think it's about time the rest of them are gifted with my Mark as well, don't you?"
Bellarosa bowed her head. "Of course, my Lord. I have an idea with the cellar. I'll prepare them and the rooms for the ceremony."
Voldemort held up his hand to stop her. "Whatever you decide will suffice. And your friend?"
"She's only waiting for my word, my Lord."
Voldemort looked pleased with this. "Good. Tell her she will know her task soon. You know your missions, get to work."
Snape stood up when Voldemort dismissed them and moved to stand by Bellarosa. "I'm sorry about your son."
"Thank you. He is greatly missed. I wish that I could have convinced him to move to Tuscany with me, but he wanted to stay with Draco," she said, tears glimmering in her eyes. "He was the light of my life."
"And Emilio?"
Her lips curved. "He's fun. He makes me smile."
"I heard that he spent almost five thousand Galleons on a new wardrobe for you."
Bellarosa tapped her long red fingernails on his arm. "Unlike you, Severus, some of us like to look our best."
Snape nodded, his eyes on her as she walked away. She was a great actress; he'd always thought so, but watching her now, he did wonder what she knew. He'd known her for a long time and every time he thought he understood why she chose to follow Voldemort, he was proven wrong. And now... he had a sneaking suspicion that Bellarosa Zabini Beauchamp Barkley Sanders Stanford Mantegna knew more about her son's disappearance than she had let on.
The question was whether or not she knew that he was still alive.
He grabbed his cloak and headed down the hall and into the front entrance. It was decorated in medieval armour, dead house elf heads were mounted on the walls along with the heads of centaurs, hippogriffs, and even a dragon. It was lit by two flickering candles, but he found his way to the doorway easily enough. It was the soft whisper that stopped him.
He looked around carefully and his eyes narrowed when he saw the young woman waving him forward. Snape moved quickly, sneaking into the servants wing behind the wall panel and using a silencing charm. His eyes took in his former student and he thought she looked like she'd seen better days.
Millicent Bulstrode Crouch had lost weight. Her nose was broken and improperly healed. She had a scratch on her face and down the side of her neck and she was wearing a hastily tied robe over a skimpy nightie that fit her boxy figure rather nicely.
He knew that there were wolves stationed on guard outside; he could feel then practically breathing on him as he had walked up the drive. They would be waiting for him to make an exit so he needed to make this brief.
"Mistress Crouch."
"Professor," she whispered. "You have to help me. Help us."
He didn't let any emotion show as he spoke. "You can't address me where someone might see you."
Her bottom lip trembled. "I had hoped... Lady Malfoy was going to help us. She promised, but then... please, I'm with child. So are Hestia and Ophelia."
He frowned. "You've done your duty then. You will be kept safe and protected now. It's the children they want."
"But then what happens to me once I've given him his heir?" she whispered. "He rapes me over and over, Professor. Sometimes he lets others watch. He makes me... he makes me take other pricks in my mouth while he rapes me. Professor, please!" Her hands clutched his desperately. "You're the only one who we can turn to!"
Snape closed his eyes. "I can't promise anything, Mistress Crouch. Keep your head down. Now that you're with child, he will stop hurting you. In the meantime, I will see what I can do."
"Thank you," she whispered.
He nodded curtly before he checked to make sure that he could sneak out without being seen. He moved outside with his cloak up, ignoring the eyes of the wolves watching as he walked down the drive and Disapparated from the castle, thinking of the desperation in the girl's voice. They were all pregnant now, wasn't that what Selwyn had said? His former students, girls who had trusted him… He closed his eyes.
It wasn't his problem.
He had more important things to deal with at the moment like staying alive long enough to figure out what to do about Slughorn.
The young women would be safe for now.
~ ASC ~
Harry spent the next few days lost in thought about the memories he'd seen in Snape's Pensieve and Snape's reaction to them. He had so many questions about his mum, about what that memory went. And he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that the thought of Bellatrix Lestrange still being alive didn't both relieve and terrify him at the same time. She was a dangerous woman and he knew that.
She was not to be underestimated.
But it was the memory of his mum that had stuck a chord with him.
It took him almost the whole week before he made it to Remus' classroom. He told him that he would be in his suite when he finished and Remus just frowned. It was another ten minutes before Remus came in and found Harry lying on his sofa.
"You all right, Harry?"
"Mmhm, this is the perfect napping sofa."
Remus chuckled. "I agree with you there. Is that why you and Ginny have used it?"
"How did you know?" Harry asked, sitting up as he studied his father carefully.
"I didn't until now," he said, taking a seat across from him.
"Damn," Harry said. "Guess I walked into that one."
"Guess you did," Remus agreed. "So, what's on your mind?"
Harry sighed and flopped back down. "I may have accidentally viewed some of Snape's memories without his permission."
Remus' eyebrow rose. "And how does one 'accidentally' do that?"
"Well, I saw that he had a Pensieve sitting there and I was curious."
"Which means that you deliberately chose to view them."
Harry snuck a look over at his father. "It's bloody Snape, Uncle Rem, would you have turned away?"
Remus pursed his lips. "What did you see, Harry?"
"Bellatrix is alive."
Remus nodded. "Well, we suspected as much, but that's good that it's been confirmed."
"Snape healed her."
Remus frowned. "And as Voldemort's spy he would have to do things like that if it was asked of him."
Harry knew that was true, but he still found the information surprising. "And there was another one, a memory that is, with my mum."
"Ah," Remus said, crossing his legs as he leaned back in his seat. "What happened in that one?"
"Snape's the Half-Blood Prince."
"What?"
Harry sighed. "It was in the memory, Uncle Remus. Mum said that it was a nickname that he'd given himself, something about using his mum's maiden name as a play on words. She accused him of trying to give himself a suave name as if he thought he could be like Voldemort instead of simply being a Death Eater."
"Lily was… she and Snape were close once. They were really great friends and when he chose the Dark Arts over her, she never quite got over it. She held a grudge against him up until she died, Harry."
"How could she not? He called her a Mudblood and he said… he said he loved her. If he truly loved her, how could he say something so awful like that?"
Remus let out a slow breath. "Sometimes we all do things we might regret when we're angry or scared. I'm not condoning Snape, but he knows what choices he's made and he's been living with them for almost twenty years now. He knows where he went wrong and he's trying to make amends now."
"Sometimes I don't think that he is," Harry admitted.
"Harry, Snape and James they… they never got along. You saw the first memory of how they met and how they immediately seemed to dislike each other, much in the way of you and Draco Malfoy."
"Well, Draco's a prat, but I mean, we didn't go around hexing each other. Much."
Remus chuckled. "Thank you for that, but I just mean it's a similar situation. They never clicked and the more they butted heads, the more tension grew between them until it was almost as if one of them had to needle the other the moment they came into the room. I'd like to tell you that Snape always made the move first, but more often than not it was James. He picked on him and he bullied him and he wasn't proud of that. I never did anything to stop it either and what's worse is that I laughed. That made me part of the problem and part of the reason why Snape still dislikes me to this day. Not that I think we would ever have been best mates, but he and Lily, they were friends. They were friends before Hogwarts and they kept up that close friendship."
"The memory of the first day of class when Snape was talking about blood… they were still friends after that?" Harry asked.
"They were," Remus told him. "They studied together and walked to class together. The first Hogsmeade trip, they were together. He scowled at her first boyfriend and she shared a lot with him. When he started hanging out more and more with the boys in his dorm, he started to adopt some of their ideas and they teased him for hanging out with a Muggleborn. It made Lily angry, they fought. He always swore that he didn't think like them and maybe he didn't, but over the years, he leaned more towards them than her. By the end of fourth year, they weren't speaking much. They studied together occasionally, but nothing more than that. In fifth year, we were both prefects and when we patrolled together, she told me that she was afraid she was losing him to the Dark Arts."
"This looked like it was in seventh year."
Remus nodded. "By seventh year, Lily wanted nothing to do with him. She knew that he knew I was a werewolf and when he threatened to expose me, she let him have it. At the end of fifth, he called her a Mudblood in front of the whole school and Lily walked away. Nothing he ever said could make her forgive him for that. He didn't stop his friends from saying inappropriate things about her and he didn't do anything to stop his friends from bullying or hurting other Muggleborns in the school. She claimed he'd chosen a side and she wanted no part of it."
"And my dad?"
"Once Lily chose James… Snape seemed even angrier. I think your dad knew that Snape was in love with your mum. He knew that the fact that Lily had chosen him only exacerbated Snape's anger towards him, but James was completely head over heels for her."
Harry frowned. "In the Pensieve, my mum said something else about Snape using that curse… the one I used that was… she told him how to heal it and she… she said he used it on my dad."
Remus nodded, clearing his throat. "It was a week before our NEWTs. Snape hated Sirius, even more so than James. After the whole thing where James saved his life, saved him from me hurting him in the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, Snape seemed determined to make Sirius pay. It was little things at first, little snipes and jabs, hexes under his breath. It was Snape and Evan Rosier who recruited Regulus to join Voldemort and when Sirius found that out, he went berserk. It continued into seventh year. But then one day we were out on the grounds, me, James, Sirius, and Peter. I don't remember where your mum was at the time, but it was just the four of us. We were talking about the legacy we were leaving behind at the school, the map we'd made and lost to the caretaker. I think James was planning a grand heist to get it back, if I remember correctly, when Snape showed up. He used that curse."
"Just out of nowhere?" Harry asked.
Remus nodded. "Yes and no. Snape had been dating a girl named Greta Catchlove; loosely dating, they'd been on two dates. Sirius was… well, as I so often called him, a man-whore, and he and Greta had some history. Sirius found out that she was dating Snape and more or less seduced her away from him just because he could. Snape was livid. I think it was the final nail in the coffin that was the hatred between the two of them. Snape came towards us, his wand pointed and he called Sirius a string of curse words that don't bear repeating. Sirius yelled back, called him a greasy cunt and claimed something along the lines of Greta needing a proper cock to shag her and Snape having, well, I'm sure you understand the rest. James tried to play peacekeeper. At this point, he'd matured enough to realize that hexing Snape wasn't going to do him any favours, not to mention that he knew how Lily would react. He was Head Boy and he didn't want to get in the middle of it. He stood between them trying to calm them both down. Peter and I stood back trying to do the same. Peter tried to reason with Snape and we thought maybe he had. We thought we'd calmed him down when he suddenly turned his wand on Sirius and said: 'Fuck you, Black.' The curse… James had heard Snape mention it in sixth year, but we never did figure out more than the first part of it. What we didn't know at the time was that Snape had invented it."
"And he cursed my dad?"
"No, he cursed Sirius, but James jumped in front of him."
Harry's mouth opened. "He what?"
"Mmm, yes. James always was too damn noble for his own bloody good, just like his son," Remus added, his whisky-coloured eyes on Harry. "The spell hit James head on and Snape ran. It's a sight that I will never quite forget. Sirius was doing his best to hold onto James, to stop the bleeding and Peter ran to get help. Madam Pomfrey eventually came out, but it was Lily who found us first. She was coming to meet us and saw Snape running. James was a bloody mess and Lily figured out how to heal him. She was a brilliant witch. Madam Pomfrey told her that she'd saved James' life. The curse left scars on his arms and chest, jagged cuts to show where he'd been sliced open, but Lily saved him."
Harry stared at Remus as he shook his head. "And what about Snape? Didn't you report it? He tried to kill someone!"
Remus folded his hands in his lap. "James wouldn't let us. Lily told us that he'd spoken to Snape and they'd come to an understanding. I never did get more details than that."
"An understanding?" Harry asked, his brow furrowing. "What kind of understanding? He tried to bloody murder Uncle Sirius and nearly killed my dad! Dad just let him… go?"
"I don't know," Remus admitted. "But Jamie made Sirius swear that he wouldn't retaliate. We wrote our NEWTs and we left Hogwarts. Snape showed up at their wedding, stood in the back, and snuck out the door when the ceremony was over. I never saw him again until he started brewing the Wolfsbane for me. There was never any word that he was a Death Eater; no official sign that he followed Voldemort other than the way he spoke of him. He was interested in the Dark Arts and Lily always claimed that he was friends with many Death Eaters. She told me that she thought he had the Mark, but she'd never known for sure and like I said, there was never any evidence to prove otherwise."
"And Dumbledore trusts him."
Remus leaned forward in his seat. "So do I. People change, Harry. I truly believe that people are inherently good and Snape is trying to make amends for the things he's done, the choices he's made. Being a spy is not an easy feat. I did it myself during the first war, trying to get information on Greyback's pack. I did things then I'm not proud of. I let people get hurt to try to get information and that's something that I have to live with. I can't imagine what kinds of things Snape has to do when Voldemort can read his mind."
Harry sighed. He did understand that and he knew how terrifying Voldemort could be and he knew from experience that lying to him was nearly impossible. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he spoke.
"So, you knew what the curse was then? When I asked you about it?"
Remus shook his head. "No, I didn't. I never heard the curse that Snape used. James and Sirius were yelling and when it hit him, I never heard the words leave Snape's mouth. I told you that the curse meant something with cutting, but I can assure you, I did not realize it was the same one."
"He invented it," Harry said. "He invented a curse that could do something like that to another human being."
Remus nodded. "He did. And he has to live with that."
Harry didn't think that was enough of an answer. "He still stole Dad's book though and made it his own."
Remus chuckled. "If stealing a textbook edited by Monty is what made him into the talented Potioneer he is today, I say good for him. Trust me, Harry, Snape had the talent before he found the book."
"And the Half-Blood Prince bit?"
"A nickname he gave himself," Remus said. "Not unlike my friends calling me Moony."
Harry knew that Remus was right, but it didn't mean that he had to like it. He was quiet as he contemplated his father's words. Snape had done some bad things, it was true, but he had also done some good. Good works were still possible even if he was a complete git. Malfoy was an example of that. He remembered the day in the dungeons when Snape had apologized to him, the day that Snape had apologized to Remus… the man was trying.
It just didn't mean that he had to like him.
~ ASC ~
Neville looked around at the newly finished greenhouse Saturday morning with a huge smile on his face. It was the second week in March and he was getting anxious for spring to come. The completion of the greenhouse made it seem that much closer. The greenhouse had turned out much better than he had expected. Tall wooden columns outlined the house and glass arched over in a dome shape. The greenhouse was long and wide and the size of three regular greenhouses on the Hogwarts grounds. Neville was incredibly proud of it.
Hagrid left him to get started and Professor Sprout came in to go over some of his ideas. Seeing that her student had it well underway, she told him to let her know if he needed anything and let him get to work. Neville wanted to plant the trees directly in the soil. Hagrid had helped him levitate and move the bags of soil into the greenhouse and now it was his job to place it. He knew that he could wave his wand and open the bags to spread the soil out, but there were some things magic just couldn't do the way his hands could.
He'd changed into worn blue jeans with a long-sleeved Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirt underneath his brown leather apron. He had gardening gloves when he started, but as usual, lost them somewhere along the way. He liked having his hands in the dirt though, so gloves weren't a priority to him. His worn work boots moved across the ground as he carried bag after bag of soil around the greenhouse.
By the time he reached his tenth bag, lifting it up over his shoulder and spreading the dirt over the ground, he was starting to sweat. It was heavy and soothing at the same time, he thought, as he used his hands and a rake to get it where he wanted it. It took him four hours to spread the soil throughout the greenhouse just the right away. He guzzled back water and wiped sweat off his brow when he finished, eyeing the room carefully to make sure that it was evenly placed.
He decided to skip lunch to keep working. He found more soil in one of the gardening sheds and brought it inside, determined to lay out a good foundation. Then he started to set up the charms inside. A good greenhouse needed to be the right temperature and the charms had to be set up just right to keep everything thriving. Once he was done, he took out the trays of saplings from the other greenhouses that he wanted to start planting.
Neville's goal was for the greenhouse to be a forest of sorts. He wanted one to be able to walk amongst the trees like it was it's own little paradise. He planned to plant all of the trees in a star pattern to make it look less uniform than simple straight lines. Four trees with a fifth one in the middle. He spent almost an hour measuring and outlining every spot where he planned to plant a tree, marking it with a red X with his wand. He carefully divided the saplings up, trying to decide where to start first. Feeling bold, he started with a Weeping Willow.
Neville grabbed a shovel and got to work digging, working hard to dig through the soil and using a charm to help soften the frozen ground underneath. Once he'd charmed the ground enough to be the temperature he needed, a bit cooler than the air around them, he continued to dig. He was working on his third tree, this one a Japanese Cherry Blossom, when Hannah stepped inside.
"Hi, I heard the music," she said, eyeing him.
He was blaring Mozart from the speakers, hoping it would inspire the saplings to take root and had forgotten how loud it was.
"Right, sorry to disturb you," Neville said, grabbing the water nearby to drink.
"You didn't," Hannah told him. "You're planting trees in here?"
He nodded. "Yes. I want this greenhouse to be just trees, kind of like a hidden forest when I'm done with it."
"I've never planted a tree before," Hannah said, looking at the current hole he'd just finished digging with interest. "How deep does the hole have to be?"
Neville picked up the sapling from the pot and held it up to her. "See the rootball? You want to make sure you give the tree the right amount of space to grow both in height and in width. The roots need room to take hold. So, when you're digging a hole, you need to look at the rootball and you want the hole to be about three times as wide as the rootball, but not much deeper. The width will help the roots spread."
Hannah moved to touch the sapling in interest. "Then you just cover it with dirt?"
"More or less," Neville said with a smile. "I have burlap wrapped around it from where it was planted in the pot in greenhouse two. Peel the burlap back away from the main stem, yes like that," he encouraged as Hannah's hands did as he instructed. "See the original soil line is lined up with the hole showing us that we have the right amount of depth for this tree. I'll take the clippers here and just prune some of the roots and drop it into place."
Hannah put the the small tree into the dirt after he pruned it. "Now what?"
"Now we're going to fill the hole," Neville explained. "But just a bit. We want to keep the soil firm as it goes down, fill and firm like this, moving towards the base, but leaving a little shallow moat around the edge of the hole."
Hannah added her hands to the dirt. "Like this?"
"Yeah," he said, his lips curving. "I think I have some extra work gloves around so you don't get dirty."
"I don't mind," Hannah told him. "I like the way the dirt feels under my hands."
Neville smiled. "I know what you mean. It's soothing, isn't it?"
At Hannah's nod, he continued to knead his hands into the dirt, working with her to fill the hole around the tree. Their fingers brushed in the dirt and Neville's breath hitched. He cleared his throat as her fingers danced along his in the dirt, making no effort to move them away.
"Then we, erm, cut the burlap here and pour water into the little moat, fill it right up to the rim around the mound," he instructed. He moved to grab his wand and shot water into the moat as Hannah watched. "And that's how you plant a tree."
"What kind of tree is this one?" Hannah asked him.
"A Japanese Cherry Blossom," he told her. "It has lovely pink blooms on it once it's grown and its fragrance is quite popular. It's often used for soaps and perfumes and things along with its sheer beauty, of course."
"Of course," Hannah said. She leaned into him a bit and wiped her hands on the bottom of his apron.
Neville swallowed nervously. "Of course, many trees are used for all sorts of things from fragrances to medicine. Trees are actually the longest living organisms on Earth and they can never die of something simple like old age."
Hannah continued to wipe her hands on his apron as he spoke and Neville found himself speaking faster.
"Some of the trees in the Forbidden Forest for example are over two thousand years old. But of course, they need water to survive. That's why it's so important to build a little moat for them to keep them hydrated. And, and did you know that different parts of the tree grow at different times throughout the year? It's really very fascinating." Hannah's hands slid up over his apron, up to his shoulders. "And did you know that a tree can defend itself? Not just the Whomping Willow, but trees actually build defence mechanisms from —"
Neville trailed off as her lips met his, stopping him from speaking. He froze, unsure what to do as those soft lips brushed his in a slow, sweet kiss. She pulled back, her tongue touching her lips and those impossibly blue eyes on his.
"I like you, Neville."
Neville blinked, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, not entirely sure this wasn't a dream. "You… really?"
Hannah bit her bottom lip. "What else can you tell me about trees?"
"Cherry blossoms symbolize good fortune and luck," he told her. "And because they only bloom once a year it's a reminder that life is short and people should live life to its fullest."
Then his hands cupped her face and his lips met hers.
Hannah's lips parted under his with a soft sigh and Neville deepened the kiss. He was kissing Hannah. Her lips were even softer than they looked, he thought as they met his. He kept the kiss light, a gentle dance and brush that left them both wanting more. Hannah moved closer to him and his hands dropped to her hips as she deepened the kiss. When his tongue brushed hers, she pulled away, biting her bottom lip.
"Sorry," Neville said, quickly. "I didn't mean..."
Hannah smiled. "No! I liked it. I just... I came out here with the intention of asking you to go out with me, not to snog you."
Neville's lips curved. "Really? Well, I rather liked the snog if that makes you feel better."
"I'm glad," she said.
Neville's hands were still sprawled across her hips as he spoke. "Hannah, w-would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"
She nodded. "Yes, please."
He pressed his lips against her forehead. "Yeah?" She nodded again and he grinned. "So... can I kiss you again?"
Instead of answering, Hannah stood on her toes and brought her lips to his. Neville thought it was the best day of his life.
End Author's Notes:
That scene with Harry and Ginny, I have been wanting to write it for some time and I really struggled to get it just right. I felt it was important for both of them and for Ginny to help her get over what happened to her.
Thanks for reading and please review!