Author's Note:
For my fellow Canucks — Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I am posting a few hours early due to family gatherings and work, but here is chapter 299! For everyone else, enjoy your weekend and for those in Canada, celebrating — Happy Turkey Weekend!
Reviews and Comments: To briana_t: Thank you and yes, it did make Harry uncomfortable which is why McGonagall kept it kind of on the down-low, but you know if she sees or hears anyone, she will come down upon them. Goyle is such a sweet dad and thanks for loving my Neville and Hannah. To TatiRena: Always go Theo lol. To AQuickRead91: Thank you. Ah right, I was thinking you were talking about a new potion. Thanks, I had fun writing the film noir bit. To CorbanD17: Thank you! Theo is the king and yes, there will be more Hinny. To shuweet: You're very welcome! To marauders_mowopapr: Thank you and yes, Theo was definitely speaking for all of us! To Hellpony: That's exactly what I'm doing and what a lot of DH was. To AnaGPotter: Thanks for dropping a review! Thanks for loving my Greg and Pansy. Remus and Tonks are always being naughty.
To Fanfis01: Thank you and more Hinny to come. To edwards_zoe_32: You think Pansy and Greg are going to ruin Sirius' hard work? King is definitely completely honest! And yes, Kane was watching what you thought lol. Thank you so much! Close-ish to the final battle lol, but not close enough. To GryffindorHealer: Ginny has not seen nor heard about Harry's tattoo… but very soon ;) Haha, K is definitely a soap opera fan. To Seriously Sam: It is so nice to see them together again. The boys are so excited — they don't even deny it! Greg is such a good dad and yes, he and Grayson are adorable. LOL, Theo was counting down the days and hours. Theo could definitely help! To PurpleLotus: Thank you so much! It's so nice to hear some words from you again!
To BadWolfKris: K loves Hidden Passions and Tonks caught him. Pansy and Greg aren't thinking about helping others, but they are getting more and more worried for themselves. To katelyn453: Hi, Katelyn, thank you so much! I wrote the Beginning Series so long ago now, before DH was even published so it means so much to me that you still enjoyed it! I don't know how long ASC will go on for. We will have to see. To Steel: Haha, yes, Hinny is back in town! As to Hannah, we'll see. Neville and Theo are still getting a foothold in the Wizengamot but they are suspicious.
To the Mandalorian Terminator: Thank you! I do enjoy hooking a good mystery! As to McGonagall, she definitely doesn't want to call Harry out because she knows it will make him uncomfortable, but she wants to address the seriousness of it. To potatocheese1: Thank you! To Dianne: Hinny is definitely the president of the Hinny ship club lol, but they are still insomniacs, Theo more so than Ginny. Nope, Theo was not dragging Ginny away to talk about Kane. He's dating Stephen. Yes, it is like the way they were holding trials in DH, some of it is starting to unfold. Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you! I missed some Remadora smut as well and Pansy and Greg are an amazing couple, aren't they? Tonks and Kane are becoming friendlier and Hannah and Neville are getting closer. Yes, Theo represents all Hinny shippers lol. To Wolf's scream: Thank you. Harry and Ginny both have that ability and it's part of why they are both so comfortable talking to each other. To shivani: Thank you! I had fun with the lover's kiss bit and showing a bit more about Kane. I love that everyone is calling Harry a cabbage now, thanks Seriously Sam!
To MinnieRocks: Thank you! I usually post late Saturday night or after midnight on Sunday and yes, I'm from Canada. Um as to the ships, I'm not interested in any of those. To Yusraa Ifthikar: Thank you! There is lots more Hinny to come, I promise. And we'll see some Romione as well and some Harry and Remus. Be patient my friends. To ITHersey: I love Kane secretly being into soap operas. He has a few more surprises I hope people will like. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! Draco can be soft and tender sometimes. To LilyBlack18: Thank you! Draco will meet Astoria soon. To GodMisha: Aw, I love that Misha is your favourite! Yes, we will see him again over the holiday and he has an announcement to make. I don't like Lord of the Rings (I know, blasphemous). I read the Hobbit, never had a desire to read the rest of the series and I saw the first Lord of the Rings movie in theatres and actually fell asleep. So definitely HP for me. As to Ginny's OWL results, I never mentioned them directly, but she did well. To ANewRanger: Happy Belated Birthday! To Bluerain22: Theo is just the best and I love writing him. I think Pansy and Greg might surprise you.
To yunkol76: Thank you! Darker and lighter, but there is darkness coming. To scrappy8: Thank you and I love Theo too! To Cristina: You're welcome for my double update. I'm glad you enjoyed Pansy's pre-birth and birth scene and ha, sorry if I scared you, but mothers always say it's worth it! Greg is too sweet to ever abandon her. Ha, Crouch definitely still has the gold medal for insanity, I agree. Thank you so much! To alix33: I'm glad it's creeping you out, it should. Thank you. To JamesTKent: Thanks, I think. To Chris: Will someone intercept Voldemort's plans? Hmm, guess we'll have to wait and see. To notthatchhavi: Snogging for several hours is more than what they deserved. Theo is all about giving personalized tips lol. Blaise is such a cocky ass and I love writing him as such, ninety-nine indeed. It is similar to the Nazis as DH was quite a lot as well. Thank you! To Derpdude32: Thank you! How do I feel about being one chapter away from posting 300? Amazed and astounded. I have up to chapter 311 done and it sometimes blows my mind that I am still writing this story. To pix25: Daphne is in a predicament.
To saucyswimmer: You're welcome! We can't miss out on important Hinny moments. Thank you for saying I've woven real life themes into ASC to make them realistic and multidimensional, that means a lot. No, Remus and McGonagall asked Mary Raffigan to teach Life in the Magical World along with History of Magic. I'm so glad I've made you attached to Pansy and Greg. Thank you so much! To Laura: No. I would think those who watch over us are kind enough not to intrude on such times. Thank you very much and sorry, still a while before it will be complete I believe. To Nightwing2013: Ha, definitely cheer for Pansy lol. Draco and Astoria will meet soon, but I don't think they will be getting together soon. I love that your re-reading again! Thank you! To JohnDouglas4274: You think the Greengrasses will pair off Draco and Blaise? We'll see. Hermione won't be the only one to make that connection. To tim2604: Funny you should mention a fruit basket… wink, wink. Theo is such a devoted friend. Remadora are very naughty and Kane and Tonks learning more about Belladonna is definitely important.
To gemini614: Thank you, I think. To Mackie919: We'll find out Zee's reaction soon. I love that you're rooting for Greg and Pansy to appear in new chapters. To Ellieoryan7447: They are it for each other and they are so cute! I'm not trying to kill you with hinny love and cuteness. Theo is perfect! Theo can never resist bringing up Harry's cock and it may happen this chapter… wink, wink. It is bothering him more than he's let on, but McGonagall will definitely be cracking the whip! Blaise is just Blaise. Randy Tonks is definitely hilarious and Remus definitely loves it. I'm glad Kane is growing on you more and more. Haha, lover's kiss makes her extra, you're not wrong. I hope I don't disappoint with Astoria. To WinkingSkeever: Soon. To dragon-mll: That's so sweet, thank you! To ellyann13: Greg is definitely smarter than he looks and hmm, you think Corban is K's spy, interesting. Belladonna does have the fealty and no, Voldemort doesn't know. Thanks for starting over, that's so sweet!
My posting schedule: 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 NINETY-NINE:
The One Where Theo Offers to Show Harry His Sword
Theo sighed into Stephen as they kissed in the courtyard. The temperature had dropped quite a bit, but despite Theo's shivering, Stephen shared no notice of wanting to go inside. Theo kissed him, enjoying the simplicity of the kiss, but hating that there wasn't enough there. He really felt like he could be snogging anyone at the moment and have the same reaction.
Stephen's mouth moved down his neck and Theo very carefully pushed him away. "That's good, Stephen. It's freezing out here."
Stephen nodded. "Okay, let's go find a broom cupboard then."
Theo hesitated as Stephen pulled him out of the cold. It wasn't that he didn't want to snog him because he did, but he also didn't. It was complicated.
"Actually, I have a lot of homework to do. Can I take a rain-check?"
Stephen nodded and kissed him chastely. "Absolutely. I'll walk you to your dorm."
They kissed again at the entrance and Theo watched him walk away with a sigh. He wished the man could ignite something more passionate in him. Was it too much to ask for passion? Maybe he'd used all of his passion up with Finn? Maybe there really was only one true love out there for each of them and Theo had already experienced his. It made him sad to think about.
He stopped in the common room to chat with Ciara and her friends before heading to his room. He really wasn't in the mood to do homework. Instead he he opened his trunk and began to go through the massive amounts of lingerie he'd purchased for Ginny and Luna over the last two months. They were getting very large Christmas presents this year. Despite his best efforts and the large amount of money he'd been spending, Pansy had yet to tell him anything.
He wondered if Pansy would be open to listening to his suggestions of setting up a male lingerie section. It really wasn't fair that all of the lovely pieces were just for women. He could always use a new sexy robe or something.
The knock on his door had him frowning at the sight of Daphne.
"Greengrass, are you lost?"
"No," she said stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "I heard that you can help me."
Theo's eyebrow rose. "Well now, I'm intrigued… what do you think that I can help you with? Getting a man? Learning how to suck cock?"
"I knew that this was a waste of time," she said turning to go.
"Daphne, wait!" Theo said. "I'm sorry. What can I help you with?"
Daphne let out a slow breath. "Pansy told me to come to you."
Theo's eyes widened before he gestured for her to come sit on his bed. "Pansy? Why would she say that?"
"I have to get married," she whispered. "Which is fine, I'll do it, but it's Tori."
"Tori?"
She nodded. "My sister. She just started her OWL year and I wont let her… she's so bright and so kind, Theo. She's unlike anyone else."
"So… what is it that you think I can do?"
Daphne's eyes narrowed. "I don't know! Pansy told me to talk to you. She said that she thought you could help, but if that's a lie than I won't waste your time!"
"Daphne," Theo said, reaching for her arm. "I know someone who can help, but she would have to disappear."
"What do you mean disappear?"
"I mean, she would have to disappear. No more Hogwarts. She would have to go away."
Daphne frowned. "Go away where?"
"With people who could protect her."
"And she would be safe?"
"Yes," he assured her. "They could keep her safe."
Daphne looked unsure. She bit her bottom lip, playing with her fingers before she nodded. "I'll let you know."
Theo watched her walk away and wondered what it was that he had said to Pansy that made her send her best friend to him looking for help. He could and would keep Astoria Greengrass safe if that's what the girl wanted. Draco had more than enough room at Wiltshire Manor and Theo knew that the last thing Daphne wanted was for her sister to be married off the way her best friend and classmates had been.
It looked like things were turning around a little at a time. He would talk to Harry about it and see what he thought about adding another witch to the mix. He whistled as he found his textbook, wondering if Astoria Greengrass was as strong willed as her sister.
~ ASC ~
The last thing that Harry wanted was to push his girlfriend into doing anything that she wasn't ready for. But the last two weeks of snogging and talking only reminded him of the things they had gotten up to before the potion. His dreams as of late had been nothing but sexual and he woke every day with a massive hard on that he had to deal with. Not to mention the wank he often needed to do around lunch time just to stay sane.
He dreamed of getting his hands and mouth on his girlfriend again. Watching her at Quidditch practice made him want to peel her out of her kit and lick every inch of her until she was screaming his name. His showers had become even longer than usual and thankfully none of his friends had commented on it. To be fair, Harry had noticed Neville spent just as long in the shower and Seamus and Dean as of late were too preoccupied with each other to notice.
Last night's dream had been no exception, he remembered as he reached down to give himself a rub. Ginny had been flying and she'd landed in front of him, dropping her broom to the ground that sexy blazing look in her eye. Then she'd been kissing him senseless, her hands undoing his belt. They'd fallen to the cool grass of the pitch, tearing at each other's clothes. Then she'd straddled him and he'd watched as she took him inside of her right there on the pitch.
"Take me, Harry," she whispered.
He'd woken just before he could help her with that demand and now his hand was the only satisfaction he was going to get. He buried his head in his pillow as he finished before lying there to catch his breath. She was driving him mad and she didn't even know it.
Harry quickly grabbed his wand to clean himself up before he headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. It wasn't just Ginny driving him mad. It was everything else.
Having Ginny back was the only thing he really cared about and yet there was so much other stuff going on that he didn't know what to do about. The new demand for blood registration had been on the front page of the Daily Prophet and Neville and Theo had told him about the idea behind it. Harry agreed with Neville that something about it just didn't seem right.
Then there was the rest of it.
More deaths and chaos. Two Ministry workers had vanished on a routine welfare check. A Muggle shop had been broken into and the couple who owned it killed, a Death Eater mask left behind as proof that it hadn't been for nothing. Two Muggleborn first years had their families attacked and the violence just kept escalating and now people were turning to him for answers. Every day the paper and magazines had a new headline demanding him to do something.
Where is the Chosen One?
Two Dead in Manchester — Why Isn't the Chosen One Stopping it?
Potter Not Doing What He Claimed — When Will You Know Who Be Stopped?
Potter Back With Girlfriend and Doesn't Care About the Rest of the World!
Each title made his shoulders feel heavier than the last. He needed to do something, but he honestly didn't know what he was supposed to be doing. He'd called an Order meeting for this evening and found himself anxious to see everyone before him and wondered just what the men and women of the group were going to ask of him.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what choices he had to make. All he wanted was to lock himself in a room with Ginny and kiss her everywhere for the rest of his life, was that too much to ask?
Since he knew that wasn't something he would be doing with his near future, he instead focused on the meeting for that evening. Ron, Hermione, and Neville would be joining in, but Ginny opted to stay back to work on the Herald as she was a little behind in her Compass column and Harry would fill her in on everything anyway. Theo had also been invited. After everything Theo had done to help bring Draco and Blaise back to England, Harry thought he deserved to be more informed. When Harry had asked him to join the Order, Theo's brown eyes had lit up.
"You… really? I always thought the Order of the Phoenix was a myth?"
"Nah, it's real," Harry told him. "Dumbledore started it in the first war."
"I know," Theo said. "My father always said they were nothing but trouble."
"We're certainly trying," Harry said. "With Dumbledore gone, I've taken over and… I don't entirely know what my plans are, but I know that we could use you, Theo. I'd really love it if you'd join."
Theo's face had brightened. "I'm in. Tell me what I have to do."
Harry had let the others know of their new member soon after. Tonight would be Theo's first meeting. Harry spent his day trying to pay attention to his classes, but his mind was already on the upcoming Order meeting as he wondered just what it was that he could even contribute. Being the one to lead the Order suddenly seemed like more responsibility than he knew what to do with. They needed to get to Nagini, but to do that they needed to get close to Voldemort and Harry was starting to feel like that would never happen.
By the time he finished dinner, he was feeling even more anxious as he and his friends used the Floo in McGonagall's office to go to Grimmauld Place. When he stepped out of the fireplace and into Number Twelve first, the sight of Zee sitting at the kitchen table made him feel lighter. She stood up when she saw him, hugging him tightly. He immediately looked around for the twins and when he didn't seem them, he frowned.
"Kreacher insisted they stay with him," Zee said before Harry could ask. "In case I'm out past their bedtime, but I want to be home in time to get them to bed. I love our bedtime routine."
Harry smiled and drew her close for a hug again. "I miss you and them."
Zee kissed his cheek, running her hand over his stubble. "When did you grow up on me? You almost have a real beard here."
He grinned and dragged his hand over the thick hair on his face. It really was filling in nicely. "I know. I kind of like it."
"Everyone comments on it," Ron said, taking a seat at the table. "I heard two fifth year girls the other day calling it Sexy Somerset Stubble."
Harry blushed as Theo's hip bumped his. "Celebrities, right?"
He shook his head at his friends' antics as Ron and Hermione sat together. Neville greeted Zee with a smile before sitting on the other side of Hermione with Theo next to him. Zee squeezed Harry's hand and urged him to sit with her as the door opened and Moody strolled in.
"Hello, Alastar."
"Zee," he said curtly before barking out, "where's my scotch?"
Harry called for Dobby and the elf immediately began to get everything organized for drinks and snacks. Moody's magical eye fixed on Harry.
"You wouldn't be sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself because the paper's publishing shit, now would you, Potter?"
Harry made to protest, but Moody snorted.
"Damn paper's always spewing word vomit about shit they don't fucking understand. If it was so bloody easy to find and murder the old bastard, one of us would have done it years ago."
Harry nodded, feeling a little relieved by Moody's speech.
It wasn't long before the room began to fill up with Order members. Tonks and Kingsley were the last to arrive and Harry smirked when Tonks tripped over the last step down into the kitchen as Kingsley grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling over. The way he had done it so quickly made Harry think it had come second nature to him.
Emmeline Vance picked up her wine glass, eyes on Harry. "So, what's on the agenda tonight?"
"The blood registry," Kingsley said, taking a seat. "Harry, have you been kept up to date on that?"
"Yes," Harry said. "Neville and Theo have kept me appraised of the Wizengamot and they told me about their concerns. I have to agree, the premise sounds good in theory, looking to protect the innocent, but I can already see how this isn't going to be used for good."
"It's more than just the Ministry," Hestia Jones said. "There are shops all over England doing the same thing. Asking for names and blood status before allowing payment. The Apothecary in Apricity Lane charges triple the price for anyone who isn't a pureblood and the Apothecary in Diagon Alley won't even sell to anyone who is considered to be less than human."
"Meaning werewolf and fae for starters," Remus said.
"Yes," Hestia replied. "That new lingerie shop in Manchester, the proprietor is doing the same, but charging double and triple the cost for anyone without pure blood."
"She doesn't have a choice," Theo said, making everyone turn to look at him. "Erm, sorry to interrupt, it's just… I keep stopping by to chat and to see if I can get any info from her. She's scared. I don't know what she's scared of exactly, but I can tell she doesn't have a choice."
"I'm sure she doesn't," Hestia said. "But it's still causing ripples. Sophistication by Pansy is not the only place doing it. And I heard a rumour that someone from the Minister's office is offering monetary incentive to all of the shops who do this."
"They are," Fred said, his arms folded across his chest. "George and I received a visit last week. The wizard said that if we took customer names and recorded blood status, we would earn a monthly stipend of five hundred Galleons."
"And every name we record would be sent to the Ministry for verification on blood status and anyone they deemed to be unsafe would then be contacted for protection," George said. "They wanted us to hold them in the store to keep them safe until DMLE officials arrived to verify."
"And?" Harry asked. "Are they worried that they'll be attacked right there in your shop?"
"It's bloody ridiculous is what it is," Fred said. "George and I told them to piss off, but I think that we can expect them back again. The wizard wasn't too happy with our response."
Kingsley frowned. "It's not the first that I'm hearing of this. Two of my Aurors are investigating it, but so far the Minister denies knowing anything about it and without proof tying him to it, we're stuck. But the blood registry is a real thing and Himmler has already requested officers for protection detail for those who need it and from what I can see, they are protecting Muggleborns."
"Did you think they wouldn't?" Harry asked, frowning.
Kingsley's tongue sat on his bottom lip as he looked pensive. "No, I knew my officers would do their job, I think I just expected something to happen and nothing has."
Tonks nodded. "K thinks the same. He's been digging deeper into Belladonna Brambilla and if he's right, which I think he is, we can tie her to over twenty-five murdered men in the last sixteen years. K thinks there's more and so do I. We have a string of false identities telling us that she's even more batshit than we thought. As to the registry, I won't be able to hide my pregnancy for much longer."
Remus reached for her hand. "So, what we're saying is that we don't know who exactly is working for Himmler and Norton, but we do know that they are the ones pulling the strings?"
"No," Vance said. "Someone else is pulling their strings or feeding them information that we don't have. There's more people behind this and right now there are spies in the Ministry that we can't quite weed out. As to your pregnancy, fuck them, Lupin. You're going to have a total badass kid with a fucking Auror as a mother and the sexiest damn professor I've ever seen as the father."
Remus blushed. "Emmeline, that's not the point —"
"— No, the point is that no one gives a damn about you being a werewolf so shut up, Remus," Vance said.
Tonks grinned. "I like you."
"Thanks, I'm pretty likeable," Vance said. "But really, that's the shit that they are trying to find out? Why? You're a half-blood and you're telling me that someone is going to bullshit that into meaning something? The only threat that you are is the fact that you're damn good at your job."
"Thanks," Tonks said. "It's the baby Remus and I are worried about. We're both half-bloods and he's a werewolf and I'm a Metamorphmagus and we all remember the trouble Umbitch tried to stir up a few years ago for people like us."
"Umbitch?" Hestia Jones asked.
"Family nickname," Zee supplied. "And I'm not the only one thinking that this is connected to that disgusting bill that she tried to pass a few years ago, then?"
"There are similarities," Kingsley admitted. "But they're being careful about wording them. They haven't made any laws like before with marriage and jobs, but I still don't think it's anyone's business if you had a grandmother who was a mermaid or an uncle who was a half-giant… the only one I support is for Muggleborns because I do believe they are in danger."
Harry frowned. "We can do something about that, can't we? Uncle Remus, you and Auntie Minnie know who the students are at school with Muggle parents. Can we not send protection to them? Discreetly, of course. Have people keeping an eye on them? Why not Order members?"
Zee looked intrigued. "That's an idea. It would help us keep an eye on those who are supposedly in jeopardy as well and see if the Ministry really is doing what they say they are."
"The loss of Amelia is really felt here," Kingsley said. "She was a fine Minister and her ideas were progressing into real promise and real change. Now I feel that's all at a standstill. Marchbanks has her suspicions about Himmler and Norton as well, but until we have proof, we are stuck."
"Can't you impeach them like you did Fudge?" Harry asked.
Tonks shook her head. "Not without tangible proof and right now we only have suspicions. Fudge publicly declared his thoughts and everyone knew that he wasn't willing to change. Impeachment made sense. Right now we only have theories and suspicions and it's not enough."
Harry leaned back in his seat. "What about the students that Andy and Ted have?"
"They've all moved into Wiltshire Manor now," Tonks told him. "You and Theo did good bringing Malfoy and Zabini back. I feel that they are safe there."
"And the babies?" Vance asked.
Andromeda smiled. "Precious little angels. Two of the girls are unsure about becoming mothers and I've told them that if they aren't ready, they do have options. I think one of them is seriously considering giving her baby up. She's spoken to me about keeping the baby's name the same and I explained that it would be up to the adoptive parents."
Vance frowned. "Poor girls. I couldn't imagine."
"It's a lot for them," Ted agreed. "But they are handling themselves well and so are the young wizards. Having schoolwork to occupy their minds has helped immensely. Draco and Blaise are quite intelligent and have been tutoring the younger ones. From what Draco has said, they kept up on their studies while they were in hiding and I believe they are both more than capable of writing their NEWTs this year if they so desired."
"There's another student from Hogwarts who we might have to bring to them," Theo said. "Astoria Greengrass. Her sister Daphne came to me asking if I knew how to protect her. I don't know when or for sure yet, but it seems their father is looking to impose marriage on them."
Andromeda frowned. "That's just disgusting. Let me know when you know, Theo. Those girls deserve a safe place to go."
"I will," Theo assured her.
"As to the babies," Vance said. "My wife and I have been talking about adoption. We'll speak to the witches and see how they feel about it."
"That would be wonderful," Andromeda said. "I think knowing someone is willing to raise their children would help them decide."
"What about the Ministry explosion?" Hestia interrupted. "Has anything happened on that?"
"Not that I've heard," Harry said.
"It's still an open investigation," Kingsley replied. "But the MIA is helping. Auror K ran up a great team and we managed to interview all of those who were setting off the potions. Of the ones we stopped, only one of them actually saw the witch who used an unforgivable on them and no one can identify her. We believe that she was Polyjuiced to look like a Muggle. It was a well thought out plan."
"Which means that we're back to diddly squat," Moody barked.
"On the fighting front," Fred spoke up. "The defence squads are more than ready if there's another full scale attack. The fae especially are raring to get into the thick of things."
"Losing Prince Finley has been hard on the royal family," Elphias Doge said. "They want revenge just as much, and I don't know if that's always a good way to jump into the fight."
"Speaking of the fight, one of my team has been working in Canada and discussed organizing an army of Canadian geese to help," Zee said. "I know that you're all laughing at the thought, but Rolf is a very bright young man and I think that he's onto something with this idea. He's returning in a few weeks with two Canadian magizoologists and their two dozen geese. It could be interesting."
Tonks laughed. "That sounds more than interesting. What is he hoping to do with them?"
"From what Rolf's said, he wants the Canadians to work with the Wing Guard. He has some great theories. I think it will definitely help us," Zee said.
"He did seem pretty confident," Harry agreed. "We'll have to see what he came up with in Canada."
Ron snorted. "He called them Cobra Chickens."
Zee chuckled. "Well, as I said, he has some ideas. We'll have to see where it leads to. In the meantime, I like Harry's idea of having Order members protecting Muggleborn families of Hogwarts students."
"Me too," Kingsley said. "Remus, can you and Minerva get us a list?"
"Yes," Remus said.
"That won't be a problem," McGonagall agreed.
A few more things were discussed before Harry called the meeting to a close. He turned when Moody called his name.
"Sir."
"Don't listen to the bloody papers, Potter," Moody said. "I know that they get under your skin, but you being the Chosen One means you get to bloody well choose what to do, doesn't it?"
Harry smirked. "I don't think that's quite what it means, Sir."
"You make it mean whatever you want it to mean. Don't let them pressure you. We're going to take that bastard down. I know it and you're doing a hell of a job so far. It's not about jumping in wands cursing, it's about using your brain. You'll make a hell of an Auror."
"Thank you, Sir," Harry said, feeling a bit better.
Moody nodded before he stood up, downing the rest of his scotch. "Let me know who I'm guarding first."
Then he left and Harry turned when Zee touched his arm.
"I want to get back for bedtime," she said, kissing his cheek. "I'll talk to you later?"
"Yeah, of course," he said, hugging her before she left.
Tonks slid her arm in his. "You okay?"
"Yeah, you okay?"
"Great," she said. "Look, I have tits now."
"Ew, I don't want to think about my sister's tits, thanks."
"Pregnancy gave them to me," she continued. "And look!" She grabbed his hand and placed it over her stomach. "I have a bump!"
Harry grinned now, her joy infectious. "You really have a baby in there."
"Your godson."
The words made his smile widen. "That's just… wow."
Tonks beamed. "Isn't it? How are you and Ginny doing?"
"Good," he said. "We're… moving slow and getting to know each other again. It kind of feels like we were apart longer than we were."
"You'll get there," she assured him. "You two always manage to find your way back to each other."
He nodded, hugging her. "And you feel good? Still nauseous?"
"In the afternoon sometimes, but that's about it. Mostly I'm really randy."
Harry wrinkled his nose. "Ew."
She kissed his cheek. "Embarrassing you is still fun. Go on back to school and we'll chat later."
Harry said goodbye and met his friends by the Floo to head back. They walked companionably as they left McGonagall's office and Hermione linked her arm through his.
"Stop moping. Moody was right. You can't listen to the papers, Harry."
"I know," he told her. "But aren't they right? What am I doing? Hiding out in the school?"
"No," Ron said. "You're doing what you're supposed to be doing and hiding is not one of them. Let them print what they want. You don't need them. We're all doing what we can to end this."
Harry knew his friends were right, but it still didn't feel like enough.
~ ASC ~
Theo left the Astronomy Tower where his boyfriend had been snogging him only moments before with a frown. Why did Stephen have to complicate things? Now he was heading down alone, not sure what had just happened between them.
"Why do you always stop?" Stephen asked.
"What?"
"You always stop," Stephen insisted. "Once the snogging gets too intense, you pull back. You told me you weren't ready to have sex… I'm not going to bugger you against the wall, Theo."
Theo's face flushed. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?" Stephen demanded.
Theo didn't have an answer for him. "I just… I have a lot to do. We can talk later, yeah?"
Stephen sighed and ruffled his sandy blond hair. "Sure, yeah. Later."
As Theo hurried off, he knew that Stephen was more than just annoyed with him. His boyfriend had a point, lately it was like whenever Theo was with him, he wanted to be somewhere else. The problem was, he didn't really know why. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, still so lost in his thoughts that he almost walked straight into Harry. He would have if the other man hadn't called out "whoa" and gripped his arms.
"Sorry," Theo said quickly. "I wasn't paying attention."
"To anything," Harry said. "A few more feet and you would have tumbled down the stairs."
"Nah, I was looking at the ground," he said, his lips twitching.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Where are you coming from?"
"Astronomy Tower," Theo admitted. "I told Stephen I had to study."
Harry nodded and Theo could feel those brilliant green eyes on him. "Want to have a drink instead?"
Theo's head shot up in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes, really," Harry said. "I was just heading back to the common room. Ginny's busy with Herald stuff. Ron and Hermione are patrolling. Neville's with Hannah. Dean and Seamus are snogging in our dorm. You got something better going on?"
Theo grinned. "No."
Harry gestured for him to follow him and they went upstairs to the Room of Requirement. Harry called for Dobby who brought them a bottle of whisky from the Potter distillery and Harry opened the Jacobite Uisge Beathe, pouring them each a glass.
"Alone time with the Chosen One and really good whisky. What did I do to earn this honour?"
Harry snorted. "We're friends, Theo. You don't have to earn anything."
"And you missed me after our weekend getaway. Admit it."
"Maybe a little," Harry said, clinking his glass with Theo's.
Theo took a long sip of the whisky, enjoying the delicious taste of it. Potter had excellent taste, he thought. He snuck a look over at him and licked his bottom lip.
"So, how's Ginny? She suck that beautiful big cock of yours yet?"
Harry choked on his whisky, coughing at the burn. "Bloody hell, Theo!"
"What? I gave her some new advice on how to handle that masterpiece in your trousers now that I've seen it with my own eyes. I wanted to know if she took me up on it."
Harry's eyes were watering from coughing up the whiskey. "I'm going back to Gryffindor."
Theo grinned. "Nah, you love me."
Harry took another slow drink of his whisky, rolling his eyes. "Can we not talk about my cock?"
"Aww, why?"
"Because there's other things that we could be talking about. Like Stephen for example."
Theo scrunched up his nose. "Why do you want to talk about him?"
"I don't know," Harry said. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he? How come you always seem to be finding excuses to not hang out with him?"
Theo took another sip of his whisky. "What happened to thick Harry? When did you get all insightful?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm not that thick and it's not hard to notice the way you are constantly leaving Cornfoot to talk to me or Ginny or Colin or Luna. I don't know, makes me think something happened between you. Did he break your heart? Do I need to beat him up for your or something?"
"Aww, my hero," Theo said. "Would you really beat someone up for me?"
Harry tapped his fingers against his glass. "I just look out for my friends."
The warmth of that statement made Theo feel better in ways that he hadn't expected. He leaned back on the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table that had appeared. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with Stephen, because he did, he liked him. It was just…
Theo sighed. "I like Stephen. He's nice. He makes me smile and snogging him is lovely."
"Lovely's nice," Harry reasoned. "I don't know about you, but I don't want nice as a term for snogging."
Theo sipped his whisky again. "Stephen's the first bloke I've really been with since Finn and… I don't want to mess it up. I mean, I snogged other blokes and hell, I sucked a lot of cock after Finn died. I just needed… I needed to feel something, but Stephen's the first… he's nice to me, Harry."
"But you have to be happy," Harry said. "I mean, it doesn't matter how nice he is, if he's not the bloke for you then he's not the bloke for you."
"Did you feel that way with Mandy?"
Harry hesitated. "I liked Mandy. She made me happy and she was nice, but yes. Something was always missing and I could never really place what it was until Ginny. We just… connect. We always have and that connection means so much in so many different ways. I've never felt like that with anyone else."
"I had that with Finn," Theo whispered. "He was just incredible and I could see myself spending my whole future with him. It didn't even matter to me that I would grow old and he would age slower. I didn't care. I just wanted him forever and now he's gone and I guess I'm afraid that I won't ever find that again."
"I don't think you will," Harry admitted. "What you had with Finn was special and a love you'll always remember, but it doesn't mean that you won't ever love again. It just might be different than how it was with Finn. I don't think that you'd want it to be the same."
"Not the same," Theo corrected. "I found my big love already, that's what I'm saying."
Harry shrugged. "No, I just mean different, not never again. Look at Hermione, she loved Viktor. He meant more to her than I think she was even willing to admit and when he died in the tournament she was completely lost. Now she loves Ron and I don't think that means how she felt about Viktor changes or that she loves Ron any less. I just think it's different and she knows that Ron was who she was always meant to be with, not Viktor."
Theo stared down into his whisky contemplating Harry's words. He made a good point. Loving Finn had been intense and incredible and magical. The fae warrior coming to save the damsel in distress, to rescue him and then to fall madly in love with him. It had been like an old story, a dream… too good to be true. Everything Finn had done for him had just been unbelievable and looking back, Theo realized that they'd never even fought over anything. It had just been pure bliss.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I do like Stephen."
"But he's not who you want to spend time with."
"But I don't want to be alone," Theo admitted. "Everyone is coupled up and I just… I want someone and why can't Stephen be that someone? But then he wants to go further and as much as I enjoy a great shag, I can't bring myself to let him fuck me. I just… I don't know what I think."
Harry gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm not saying he can't be, Theo. I just think you deserve someone to make you truly happy and I don't think Stephen does that for you. That's all."
Theo shrugged. "I appreciate your pep talk. Now, let's get back to you and Ginny."
"I'm not talking about my cock, Theo."
"Party pooper."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I actually was hoping to talk to you about your sword."
Theo winked. "Well, it's not nearly as large as yours, but if you want to see it…"
Harry laughed. "Merlin, you're incorrigible."
Theo grinned. "What about my sword then?"
"You use it almost entirely when you're fighting," Harry continued. "I've watched you in Defence Club and your wand stays in your holster ninety percent of the time."
"I don't need it," Theo admitted. "Finn made sure the sword has the same core as my wand. My magic is in me and whether I use the wand or my sword, it's the same conduit of energy. According to the fae, wands are just conduits we use to project the magic we already have. It gives us a tool to focus it on and to help us gain control of it. It's why most people can do simple things wandlessly, but have trouble duelling or performing major spells."
"I remember Rhiannon saying that last year in class."
Theo nodded. "Finn taught me how to use the sword as my wand. We practiced the dance of sword-fighting and while I control the sword, I can also use it to send spells. It's actually easier for me and gives me more strength in a fight as I'm not as quick to draw as you are. Not to mention wielding the sword helps keep my strength up. How else do you think I got such toned arms?"
"I think it's brilliant," Harry said. "I've been thinking about it for a while, how you use the sword instead of your wand and it got me thinking about whether or not we should increase the archery and sword fighting in the defence club, but your sword was made specially for you."
"Entirely," Theo said. "And you could increase it if you think it's necessary. Archery for example… that could be something to teach the younger members. They can keep their distance in case of an attack and still contribute."
Harry made a sound of agreement and Theo wondered what he was thinking. He brought his whisky to his lips again, eyes on Harry.
"What are you thinking about over there?"
"Too many thoughts and not enough thoughts," Harry said. His mirror vibrated and he pulled it out his pocket, his smile widening. "Hi, Gin."
"Hi. I finished early and was looking for you. Where are you hiding?" Ginny asked as Theo leaned over to look at her face in the mirror. "Hi, Theo."
"Room of Requirement with Theo. We're having a drink," Harry said. "You done writing?"
"Yes. I was trying to find you, but now I know why I couldn't. Can you meet me in the common room?"
"Yeah, see you in a few."
Harry tucked his mirror back into his pocket as Theo finished his whisky.
"That's my cue to go. I'll let you two lovebirds spend some time together. I actually do have a paper to work on."
"Sure," Harry said. "You can come with me if you want?"
"Appreciate that, but you and Ginny need some alone time. Maybe she'll suck your big beautiful cock."
Harry made a rude hand gesture that made Theo chuckle.
"Go. Spend time with your girlfriend. You both need it. And take off your shirt."
"What? Why?" Harry asked in bewilderment.
Theo winked. "So very many reasons, but I meant with Ginny. Our girl still doesn't know you got that tattoo, does she?"
Harry blushed. "I guess I just… I wanted her to see it on her own."
"Show her tonight," Theo said. "Tell her that I said hi and maybe you can tell her about that naughty fantasy you told me about."
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Harry rolled his eyes. Theo left Harry sitting in the Room of Requirement and made his way back to Slytherin, thinking about Harry's words. Maybe Harry was right and he did have a lot to think about when it came to himself and to Stephen. He would take some time to do that, but first, he really did have to write this damn paper.
~ ASC ~
Harry found Ginny in the Gryffindor common room talking to Colin and he made his way over, his eyes on no one but her. Ginny immediately stood up to kiss him and he held her close, stealing her seat and snuggling her down into his lap.
"Hi, Colin."
"Hey," Colin said, grinning at them. "We'll talk more later about the paper, Ginny."
Ginny nodded and waved goodbye to her friend, her eyes still on Harry. "Hi."
"Hi," he said, his arms holding her close in his lap. "Theo says hi."
"Hi back," she said. "What were you two doing?"
"Having a drink and chatting. I bumped into him on my way back here. How'd the writing go?"
She wrinkled her nose. "I finished the first drafts of my next column, but Colin wants to address the Chosen One issue in the paper and I told him to leave it alone."
Harry frowned. "I don't know whether to leave it alone or not."
"We can write something about it if you want that," Ginny said. "Do you want the paper to say something else? I just thought maybe addressing it might create more negative press if someone outside of Hogwarts catches wind."
He sighed, burying his face in her neck. "No. I don't know what I want other than you."
Her lips brushed his temple. "Let's go to the tower room and talk."
Harry nodded and led her lead him away. Once they were in the tower room, Ginny snuggled herself back into his arms.
"What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked, feeling unsure.
Ever since he and Ginny had gotten back together he wasn't sure he entirely knew how to act around her. He was trying his best to move slow, to take things at her pace, but he always felt like he was doing something wrong. Ginny's hand rested on his stomach as she snuggled into his side.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Ginny…"
"I know the press has been bothering you."
Harry sighed. Bother wasn't the right word. "Annoy is more accurate. Moody told me to ignore them and said something about how if Voldemort was so easy to kill, it would have been done already. Bones had all these ideas, you know? She wanted to ease into promoting me as the face of the Ministry, to make a stand about it and then she died and now…"
"Now they're just persecuting you," Ginny finished. "Maybe Colin and I should write something. We can write a piece about how you're a hero and how many times you've overcome Voldemort."
Harry shook his head, his cheeks flushing. "Merlin no, the last thing I want is more press. I can deal with it."
She smiled, sitting up, her brown eyes twinkling at him. "Okay. Tell me about Theo then."
Harry shrugged. "Not much to say. He almost walked into me so I asked him if he wanted a drink. I think he's confused over Cornfoot."
"Me too," Ginny admitted. "He likes him and I know that he makes him smile, but I don't think Theo really has any other feelings on the matter."
"Me neither," Harry agreed. "We talked a little about Finn and he… he admitted he's afraid that he'll never find love again."
"It's his birthday in a few days. We should do something special for him. Throw him a party or something. Maybe we can even find a way for him to see Draco and Blaise, that would cheer him up?"
Harry bent his head to kiss her. "I'm in."
Ginny's hands wound their way around his neck, kissing him again. "Will you tell me now why you're so hesitant with me, Harry? Is it me? Did I mess us up?"
Harry stared into her beautiful chocolate eyes. "What? No! You definitely didn't mess us up."
"So, why are you holding back?" she whispered.
Harry lifted her onto his lap, moving her legs so that she was straddling him before he slid his hands up her back. "I guess I am a little. I don't want to push you into doing something that you're not ready for."
Ginny's fingers played with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "It's funny because as confused as I was about everything, the one thing that I knew with absolute certainty and told Na'eemah over and over again, was that I knew you would never hurt me and that you would never pressure me into doing anything that I wasn't ready for. And you know what she asked me?"
"What?" Harry asked.
"She asked me that if I knew that, then what was I so afraid of? And I realized that I'm afraid I'm pressuring you."
Harry blinked. "That makes no sense, Ginny. What are you pressuring me with?"
"No, it does," she insisted. "I told her that in my fears and insecurities that I was worried I wasn't letting you have what you wanted and needed and basically manipulating you into thinking that you don't want sex just because I'm not ready."
Harry's lips twitched. "You think that I don't want sex?"
"I think I've manipulated you into thinking — mmph!"
Harry pressed his lips against hers to silence her in a long kiss that left her breathless before he rested his forehead against hers. "I want sex, Ginny. I'm seventeen. I want sex about fifty times a day. Hell, I think about sex at breakfast, in class, while taking a piss… trust me, I want sex. I want to make love with you. I want to fuck you. I want to do things to you that I've only ever dreamed about. I want to use my tongue on you for days and watch you fall apart in ecstasy. I want it all, Ginny. But what I don't want is to do any of those things with anyone but you and I don't want to do any of those things unless we both want it equally. Okay?"
She nodded, her fingers clutching the hairs at his neck. "Okay."
"Did I scare you with that?"
"No," she whispered.
"I want it all," he repeated. "But only with you and not a moment before you're ready, okay? Promise me that?"
"I promise," she said.
They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, neither of them willing to break the connection. Then Ginny's hand reached around to grab his and his eyes widened when she placed it over her breast. His fingers immediately kneaded it and he let out a soft sigh.
Her lips twitched. "Did you miss my tits?"
"I missed all of you," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her neck. "But yes, I missed your incredible tits."
Ginny laughed and slid her hand under his shirt to touch the muscles there and he trembled, grabbing her hands in his.
"There's something that I didn't tell you. About my summer."
"Well, that sounds rather ominous," Ginny said, arching an eyebrow. "What didn't you tell me?"
Harry bit his lip, unsure how to broach it. "Ginny, remember when you told me that some girl in Defence Club asked if I had a Hippogriff tattooed across my chest?"
Ginny snorted. "Yes, I do! I told her that you had a Hungarian Horntail remember, and that Ron had a Pygmy Puff."
Harry grinned, chuckling at the memory. "Right, forgot about that part. On his arse if anyone asks." When she giggled, he kissed her fingers.
"What's going on, Harry?"
He chewed his bottom lip for a minute. "Remember I told you that I was thinking about getting a tattoo one day?"
"A Hungarian Horntail or a Hippogriff?"
He smirked. "A Pygmy Puff actually." When she snorted again, he grinned wider. "No, remember I thought maybe on my back, but you said you thought —"
"—Here would be sexier," she said, her eyes darkening as her hand rested over his right side and ribs. "You said that you were thinking of doing something for your parents?"
Harry nodded, nuzzling into her neck and kissing the skin there. "I should have talked to you first."
"What?" she exclaimed in surprise, her eyes went wide as she pushed him away. "You already got it?"
"I know, I should have told you," he said carefully.
"What?" she repeated, her chocolate eyes staring at him. "Why? It's your body, Harry and my claim to it does not include telling you whether you can or cannot get a tattoo! Let me see!" she insisted, grinning at him.
Harry chuckled, lifting his shirt up to reveal the tattoo and Ginny let out a slow breath. Her fingers reached out to trace the antlers with the flowers, down across the stag's face, and over the black dog. Her eyes stayed on it, tracing every line and word in slow, careful detail.
"Well?"
"Harry, it's beautiful," she whispered. "What a lovely tribute to your parents. And the yellow lilies on the antlers are just so perfect! Did you know that yellow lilies symbolize happiness and cheer while also being a symbol of remembrance? You couldn't have picked a more perfect colour to represent your mother."
He blushed as her fingertips outlined the petals and her other hand sat flat across his stomach muscles. "I did know that, yeah. Dean designed it for me."
"It's beautiful," she said. "'Love is all you need.' But why should you have told me first?"
"I don't know," he whispered. "I guess I just thought you deserved to know before I inked my body especially if you're going to claim it as yours."
Ginny let her fingertips trail across his abdomen and the firm muscles, over the strong ridges of his stomach. "I do have a claim to it, don't I?"
"All the claims," he murmured as her fingers stroked over his skin.
"Good," Ginny said, her eyes twinkling. When she pulled his shirt over his head completely, he swallowed. "Kiss me."
Harry didn't need to be told twice. He lowered her back to the sofa, one hand on her hip, the other slipping under her shirt to fondle her breast as he did just that. Losing himself in the softness of her lips, in the taste of her, the feel of her beneath him. Her small hands slid over his naked back as they kissed. Feeling bolder, Harry moved his mouth down her throat, unbuttoning her shirt as he did and when he pressed his mouth against her breast through her bra, she made a small moan.
Harry kissed the skin above the lace, his eyes on hers. "I want to take it off."
She nodded, her cheeks flushing as Harry unhooked her bra and watched in joy as her breasts bounced free. When he bent his head to suckle them, her hips arched, nails gently sliding down his back. She made a mmm sound that only spurred him on as he kissed and teased her breasts, dragging his tongue over the taut nipple until she trembled before moving to the other one.
His fingers kneaded and rubbed, tickling the nipple that his mouth wasn't working on, and she arched her head back, murmuring his name in a soft mantra that made his cock strain against his trousers.
Harry let his lips trail lower, taking his time to kiss each freckle as he did so. Soft kisses along her abdomen, over her navel, over her hips bones while his thumbs massaged her nipples in a slow circular motion. He kissed her above the waistline of her skirt before moving his lips back up towards her breasts.
"Harry…" she breathed.
He smiled, his green eyes meeting hers. "I'm just reacquainting myself with your gorgeous tits."
And reacquaint was what he did. He forgot how great it felt to enjoy the simplicity of just kissing her breasts, sucking on them, making her pant. It had been a long time since he'd spent time on just her breasts, always looking to move faster, to make her come with his mouth and fingers. But this… there was such bliss about this that he'd truly forgotten how much he enjoyed the teasing.
Harry ignored his own aching cock and focused instead on the sounds his girlfriend was making as he stroked her thighs with one hand and continued to knead a breast with the other. When he finally brought his mouth back to hers, her hands clutched his hair in a way that made him grin.
He let one hand rub her thigh as they kissed, fingers inching under her skirt and over the garter clips, making him groan. He loved seeing her in the garter belt. Ginny's leg draped over his, locking around his hip and he moaned against her mouth.
The charm sounded, signifying that curfew was up and Harry's mouth brushed hers once more.
Ginny's brown eyes were wide in desire, but she pushed him up. "We should go."
Harry nodded, carefully shifting himself as she found her bra and shirt to put them back on. He pulled his own shirt back over his head and tried to think of something to hide the obvious erection in his trousers.
Ginny leaned in and kissed him. "Harry?"
"I just need a minute," he said, trying to think of something that had nothing to do with how utterly snoggable his girlfriend currently looked with her dishevelled hair and swollen lips.
"Let's stay," she said before she fell to her knees before him.
His eyes widened when her hand unzipped him. "Ginny…"
"No," she said, her eyes wide. "I want to."
And then his trousers were sliding down his legs, followed by his boxers before his girlfriend's beautiful mouth pressed against his shaft and Harry tried not to come on the spot. Merlin, it had been so long since she'd… he was pretty sure he was going to be a mess.
"Ginny… I'm not going to last long. It's been… I'm not going to last long," he warned.
Ginny smiled up at him, two fingers gently stroking his balls and making him see stars. "That's okay."
Then she was pushing him back onto the sofa as she leaned in and wrapped her mouth around him and he was unable to stop the guttural moan from slipping from his throat when she sucked. She kissed his length in slow hot kisses, dragging her tongue along the edge of his skin, exposing more and more of the mushroom tip as she moved her lips over the tip in slow motion. She held him with one hand, one thumb slowly stroking the underside of his length from tip to base. It was driving him mad.
"Ginny…"
His hands fisted in her hair, wanting to pull her closer, but instead only holding on as she pleasured him. Her tongue danced in featherlight strokes, long hard licks, and sweet movements. When her thumb continued to rhythmically stroke up and down on the underside of his cock as she lowered her mouth to suck on his balls, he groaned.
Ginny wrapped her mouth around him again and sucked. He tried to give her a warning, but it came upon him too fast as he tossed his head back and finished with a loud grunt in her mouth. Ginny held on, her thumb still stroking him in the same slow rhythm and milking out his climax until he finally shuddered and relaxed. Ginny's thumb never faltered her movements before she kissed his length and his balls, licking her lips as she did.
"Better?"
"Mmhmm," he murmured.
Ginny sat on the sofa next to him and kissed him. "Better than your hand?"
"Cheeky witch," he muttered, making her laugh. He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "You didn't have to do that. I could have waited until you were more ready to…"
"To what?" she asked.
Harry kissed her fingers again. "Do you know how often I dream of tasting you?"
Ginny blushed. "Tonight was about you. Now come on. We have to get back to Gryffindor before the Head Boy and Girl find us out after curfew."
He groaned when she stood and tugged on his hand. "A nap would be better, wouldn't it?"
"Up," she insisted, tugging him to his feet.
Harry bent to pull up his trousers and boxers with a groan. "Are you sure that we can't stay here just a little bit longer?"
"No," she said, checking the buttons on her shirt.
Harry draped an arm over her shoulders as they headed back to Gryffindor. "Okay, but you need to tell me something."
Ginny arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"That thing you were doing with your thumb, that was new. Did Theo tell you to do that?"
"If I say yes, are you going to send him another fruit basket?"
His lips curved. "No, but I guess I better get him one hell of a birthday gift."
She laughed as they walked hand in hand back to Gryffindor and for the first time since everything had happened in June, Harry finally felt like he and Ginny were back.
~ ASC ~
Ginny felt the same.
Being back with Harry again was what she'd been missing. The part of her life that she knew wasn't quite complete, felt right again. Using her mouth on him had been perfect and reminded her of how much she loved pleasuring him. The look in his eyes when her mouth was wrapped around him, the love that swamped her when he looked at her like that…
She'd missed him so much more than she realized. The fact that he'd been trying not to pressure her into doing anything more than snog only showed how sweet and caring he was. But it also reminded her of his words. Do you know how often I dream of tasting you? His words had sent instant desire through her and her damp knickers reminded her exactly how much Harry liked to taste her. But slow was good, for both of them. She knew that.
Today was Theo's eighteenth birthday and Harry had definitely gotten him a gift. Keeping to the basket fashion, he'd sent a large basket to the Slytherin table at breakfast with birthday supplies. Theo's eyes had widened to saucers when he'd saw it land in front of him.
The basket was full of gourmet chocolates, sugar quills, and candies with a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries, three bottles of red wine and three white from the Potter wineries, one bottle of Jacobite Uisge Beathe whisky from the Potter distillery, and an entire assortment of spa-related amenities. Mud masks, lip masks, face scrubs, and a handful of soaps and shampoos that Ginny had chosen from the new stuff she and her mum had made that summer. Then there was a gift certificate to a full day at the Witch Spa in London to be had on the second Saturday of November including a full body massage.
Harry had put a birthday card in the top, saying it was from both Harry and Ginny but then he'd added a little post scriptum that read: It's basically a fruit basket.
Theo's laugh had echoed across the Great Hall.
When he'd come over to thank them, Harry had shrugged. "Happy Birthday."
Theo hugged him tightly from behind. "I think you're trying to make me fat. Do you know how much chocolate is that in basket? I could eat it three times a day as meals for the next month!"
"Guess you'll have to push yourself harder in Defence Club," Harry said.
Theo grinned. "I won't be eating all that chocolate. It will go straight to my arse."
Harry shrugged. "Then we'll have to work on more squats."
"Only way I'm doing more squats is if you do yours in front of me. If you're going to give me chocolate and then expect me to work harder, the least you can do is give me a show. Maybe you can wear that bathing suit I bought you and you can show me in slow motion how to work out every muscle. What do you think, chick?"
Ginny's lips twitched. "I think you'll learn better if he's not only in the swimsuit, but you rest your hand on his arse as he bends, really get a feel for how the muscle stretches."
"I hate both of you," Harry muttered.
"Considering the enormity of this gift, I think you love me and we both know you love Ginny," Theo said. He leaned in and kissed Harry noisily on the cheek, ignoring Harry who tried to shove him off before whispering low near his ear. "And since you put the fruit basket mention in there, I'm guessing you love what I suggested Ginny do to your cock."
The back of Harry's neck heated as he swatted Theo away, making him laugh.
Ginny rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want Theo to feel you up for inspiration?"
"I don't know how I ended up here, but I don't know how to get out safely," Harry said.
Seamus cackled from across the table. "I say let us all have a feel, Harry. It will really boost morale during Defence Club. Feel up the Chosen One, top prize."
Ron rolled his eyes. "You can all feel my arse if you want to see some real muscle. I have glutes of steel!"
Hermione snorted into her orange juice.
Harry slapped her on the back and she gave him a grateful look. "What? Don't agree, Hermione?"
"No," Hermione said. "I don't know how I feel about other people getting their hands on his arse."
Ron wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before he stood up, turning to show his arse to the table. "Want it all for yourself, do you? Go on, give it a slap and tell me this isn't prime?"
Theo reached around Harry and slapped Ron's arse. "I don't know, Bill's might be better."
"Oi!"
Harry met Ginny's amused gaze. "I hope you're happy with what you've unleashed here."
Ginny kissed him. "A little and don't worry, I'll protect your arse from wandering hands. Unless they're mine."
He kissed her again. "You can touch my arse any time you want."
When the charm went off signalling that breakfast had come to an end, Theo grabbed Ginny's hand. "You, me, Luna, and Colin tonight? Chocolate, wine, and facials?"
"I'm in," Ginny told him, kissing his cheek.
After dinner that night, she'd found Colin and Luna in the newsroom and moved over to sit on the edge of Colin's desk. Colin's face was bright red and Ginny frowned, wondering if something had happened.
"Something big going on?"
"No," Luna said. "I was just telling Colin about a dream I had."
"Did it embarrass Colin?" Ginny asked, watching her friend drag his fingers through his curls.
"It doesn't need to be repeated," Colin insisted.
Luna shrugged. "I don't know why it should embarrass you."
"Well, now I'm too intrigued," Ginny said. "Tell me more."
"Look, I think that we've done all we can today and didn't you say that we were having a thing for Theo?"
"Yes," Ginny said. "He wants to use some of his birthday gift from Harry and I. He asked us to meet him outside of the Slytherin dormitory in twenty minutes. You should go change into something more comfortable."
"Like?" Colin asked.
"Pj pants," Luna said. "We'll want to be comfortable. I'll go change as well. See you in a bit."
Ginny slid her arm through Colin's. "Tell me about this dream that has you all flustered. Was it naughty?"
Colin gave her a look. "Luna is just… sometimes the things she says. She has no filter."
"Luna doesn't believe in filters. She says what she wants whenever she wants. It's what I love about her. She's not afraid to speak her mind or for anyone to think badly about her."
Colin sighed. "I know. But sometimes…"
"Sometimes what?"
"Okay fine," he said as they headed up the stairs to Gryffindor. "Luna told me that she had a dream about me. A sex dream."
Ginny grinned. "Oooh, do tell!"
"No," he grumbled.
Ginny smiled. "We'll get it out of you later."
Colin made a face at her and she laughed.
Twenty minutes later, Ginny, Luna, and Colin were walking through the Slytherin common room, following Theo down the stairs to the seventh year boys dormitory.
"I feel scandalous," Colin whispered. "Walking through the snake pit."
"I take offence to that," Theo said as he led them into his room.
Luna closed the door behind them and made herself comfortable on Theo's bed. Colin moved over to look at the glass that provided a view beneath the lake. Ginny hopped onto the bed with Luna as Theo began to go through the massive gift basket he'd gotten for his birthday.
"This one is good for pores, I could use that," Theo said, opening the jar. "I have so many black heads on my nose, it's mortifying."
Ginny took the jar from him and ordered him to wash his face. When he came back a moment later, she urged him to sit next to her as she applied the mask.
"So, Luna, tell us about your sex dream," Ginny asked as she rubbed the mask into Theo's face.
"Oooh, a sex dream! Those are the best. Sorry," he added when Ginny made a face at him for moving.
Luna smiled dreamily as she applied the mud to Colin's face. "It was rather lovely. Colin was in it."
"Luna…" Colin said.
"He's embarrassed and it's sweet," Luna said. "But in my dream, I was watching him snog Blaise Zabini. It got me all hot and bothered and then Colin was using his mouth on Blaise and the thought of watching them together was rather… delicious."
Theo's smile widened. "You naughty thing."
"It was an interesting dream," Luna said. "I felt much better after I touched myself."
Ginny blushed and Theo grinned.
"Aww, not one to masturbate, chick? I suppose there's no need when you have a gorgeous man to pleasure you with his mouth. Speaking of… you and Harry ever talk fantasies?"
"Fantasies?" Ginny asked as Theo moved to put the mud mask on her.
"Yes, fantasies. That's what Luna's dream, wasn't it? Watching two blokes."
Luna shrugged. "It was only a dream."
"I for one, love a good fantasy," Theo continued. "Nothing better than getting comfortable in your bed, closing your eyes and imagining something naughty. What would your ultimate fantasy be, Ginny?"
Ginny bit her bottom lip. "I don't know."
Theo grinned. "Harry and I spoke about fantasies on our dinner date."
"You went on a date with Harry?" Colin asked.
"Yes. A lovely candlelight dinner. I might have to fight Ginny for him."
Ginny smirked. "I think I'd win."
"Oh, chick, you'd definitely win. He told me that I couldn't tell you the details, but his fantasy… chick, your man is too pure for this world."
"What does that even mean?" Ginny asked.
"I told him my fantasy was to be shagged hard somewhere where there's a possibility of being caught. I like the thrill of it, of someone wanting me so badly that they can't wait to have me. Harry's was just… ugh, I can't say it."
"No, you have to!" Ginny insisted. "Harry's was what?"
Theo moved to open a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and poured each of them a glass. "All I can say is that in Harry's fantasy, chick, it's all about you."
Ginny gave Theo an intrigued look when he claimed that and wondered just what it was that her boyfriend had admitted to Theo.
Luna leaned back on the bed, her shirt riding up a little. "I think fantasies are lovely. It lets you explore all sorts of interesting thoughts and scenarios. Things you might never even want to really do and others you want to try."
Colin ran a hand through his unruly curls. "I never said that I didn't like fantasies, Luna. I'm just not used to being the centre of them."
Luna smiled. "You should be. You're very good looking."
Colin gave her a sheepish grin and Theo slapped his hands together.
"You two should date!"
Luna and Colin both exchanged amused looks before laughing.
"No," Luna said. "I think Colin agrees we're much better off as friends."
"I do," Colin said. "But she does have lovely tits."
Luna patted his hand affectionately and reached for piece of chocolate. "Very true. Now, Ginny, how are you and Harry? Have you jumped back into being together?"
"I think so," she admitted. "We moved slowly to begin with and Harry told me he was letting me set the pace, which I love him for. It's been a lot of snogging and some heavy petting. We're taking our time. We're not in a rush."
Luna nodded. "Good. He really was a mess without you, you know."
Ginny couldn't help but smile at her friend's words and thought she'd been quite the mess without him as well.
"So you didn't let him reciprocate after you went down on him?" Theo asked.
Ginny shook her head. "It's silly but… I don't know if I'm ready yet. I know it doesn't make sense because it's not like I haven't let him before it just… not yet."
Luna tilted her head as she stared at her friend intently. "You think your sense of pleasure is tied to the potion?"
"No," Ginny said. "Not tied to it. I just… I don't know. I just want to take things slow."
"I can understand that," Luna replied. "But you really should just let him eat you out. I think you'd both be happier."
"Here, here!" Theo said, clinking his wine glass with Colin's.
"Can I take this off now? It feels weird."
"No!" Theo exclaimed. "Do you want it to work its magic on your pores or not, Colin? How are you going to get softer unblemished skin if you take the mask off before the designated time?"
"Mostly I just came for the chocolate," he said, making Ginny laugh.
Theo rolled his eyes. "Let us beautify you!"
Colin made a sound of exasperation and reached for more chocolate. "Fine. I have something to share anyway. I may have asked Freya Sloan to go to Hogsmeade with me next week."
"Freya? Really?" Ginny asked in surprise.
Colin shrugged. "She's pretty and she's nice. Even you've said she's one of the nicest girls in your dorm."
"She is," Ginny admitted. "What made you decide to ask her out?"
"She came to talk to Edie at the Herald and I don't know, I just wanted to spend more time with her," Colin said. "I asked her out and she said yes. We're having our first date on Saturday and I'm taking her to The Three Broomsticks."
"I like Freya," Luna said. "She and Francesca have always been nice to me."
"Francesca, Freya, and Edie have been best friends since first year. I've always found them to be very nice," Ginny replied. "Good for you, Colin."
Theo grinned. "Let us know how the snogging is."
Colin chuckled. "I have to get through the date first, Theo."
Theo wiggled his eyebrows as he sipped his wine. "Maybe, maybe not."
Colin shook his head in amusement and reached for more chocolate. "Luna tell you she has a date for Hogsmeade as well?"
"Who?" Theo demanded.
"Channing White," Luna said. "He asked me last night in the common room."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Isn't White the bloke who used to steal your shoes?"
Luna examined her nails as she spoke. "Yes. But he hasn't done that since Harry set people straight years ago."
Ginny still didn't look convinced.
"He was perfectly lovely about it and he has a nice smile," Luna said. "I've agreed to meet him for a drink and nothing more."
Ginny pursed her lips. "Well, he better treat you nicely."
Luna smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. What about you, Theo? How are things going with Stephen?"
Theo shrugged. "Good. He's nice."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Just nice?"
Colin bit into a chocolate covered strawberry. "He hasn't had sex with him yet."
"That has nothing to do with it " Theo insisted, carefully selecting a chocolate. "We're taking it slow."
"You never go slow," Colin said. "That's why it's unusual. How many cocks did you suck last year?"
"I was going through something and that's not the… I like Stephen!" Theo exclaimed.
"But not enough to shag him," Colin reasoned..
Theo threw a pillow at him. Colin caught it before it smacked him in the face, laughing.
Ginny's eyes met Theo's. "Colin is right. It is unlike you."
"Am I such a slag? I've only ever had sex with three blokes and the first two were at the brothel my father took me to, so I can't say it even really counted!"
Colin gave him a sympathetic look. "So Finn was really it?"
"Yes!" Theo exclaimed. "And… I don't know if I'm ready for that. To trust someone like that again. No matter how nice and lovely Stephen is… I don't know if I'm ready to let someone… have me like that."
Ginny squeezed Theo's hand in hers. "No one says Stephen has to be that bloke if you're not ready for him to be."
He nodded, squeezing her hand in turn. He knew that, but hearing Ginny say it made him feel better about it.
Colin wrinkled his nose. "Glad we're all taking things slowly and all that, but how much longer do I have to leave this on my face for?"
"Shut it, Colin," they all said, making Colin grin.