Chapter Twenty - Vacation Fun
Ginny left work that day, knowing that her Institute was in good hands, and looking forward to spending a whole year travelling and having fun with her husband and best friend. She got home to find a bubble bath, a dozen roses, and a glass of champagne waiting for her to enjoy. What a way to start a vacation!
The first stop on their yearlong adventure was a week at Marauders Paradise. When they walked into the hotel, Gabrielle was at the reception counter waiting for them, and she escorted them to their suite. She professionally waited until the door was closed before unloading a flurry of hugs and kisses on them.
"I'm so glad you're here!" she told them excitedly. "That's the one and only downside of being here in paradise - that you're so far away." Harry laughed.
"I wasn't far enough away the other day when you cleaned my clock at TriWizard Tourney." The girls both laughed. Ginny had her arm around Gabrielle's waist.
"You've got us for a whole week now," she told their friend, "and we're going to have a lot of fun while we're here."
Staying at the resort hotel for the first time, Ginny realized that Gabrielle worked nearly all of the time. Her job was obviously a lot of fun, since it included a lot of socializing with the guests, which meant dancing, playing games, dining with VIP's, and generally making sure everyone was enjoying their vacation. She made sure that Harry and Ginny were no exception, filling their days with non-stop sun and fun, and their nights with song and dance.
They saw the Magic Theatre Troop's rendition of the Muggle stage hit 'The Phantom of the Opera', complete with real phantom. They hit the dance clubs. Ginny even talked him into a repeat command performance of 'her song' in the WizardKaraoke club that once again left the patrons wowed.
On the last day of their week on the island, they spent a quiet evening with Gabrielle at her bungalow. They played a few games on her GameWizard HES, and thankfully Ginny was able to save at least a small scrap of the Potter family honour by managing to pull out a narrow victory in Wizard's Duel, while he, on the other hand, crashed and burned on Broom Race Challenge, and Gabrielle soundly trounced him again in TriWizard Tourney. They talked until late into the night, not really wanting their time together to end. The next afternoon, they said their goodbyes and Harry and Ginny were on their way. Next stop: Rome.
Harry and Ginny were in Italy for another week, and they toured many of the ancient Muggle and Wizarding World tourist sites, did some Christmas shopping, and extensively sampled the local cuisine and night life in each of the places they stayed. They went on to Romania to spend a few days with Charlie, Nathalie, and baby Arthur before they headed home to get ready for Christmas with the family.
The Weasley and Delacour families were going to spend Christmas together again this year, this time on the island. They were all going to meet there Christmas Eve, but Harry and Ginny went a couple of days early to get everything ready. With Kreacher and Winky's help, they decorated all of the houses, and prepared for the large dinner they'd have on Christmas Day. The evening before everyone was coming, Kreacher and Winky approached their young masters.
"Harry Potter," Kreacher began, "Winky and Kreacher have decided that we wish to become mates, and need our master's approval." Harry smiled at his little elven friend.
"Then you have it, with our congratulations," he assured them. Ginny was already hugging Winky.
"Will Harry Potter perform the binding for Kreacher and Winky?" Kreacher asked, and Harry nodded.
"You'll need to tell me what to do. When do you want to do this?"
Kreacher smiled. "Does Harry Potter have anything pressing right now?" he asked, and Harry laughed.
"I think we can make time to do this for two of our dearest friends," he told the two elves. That sent Winky back into Ginny's arms.
"If you would be so kind as to get your wand ready, master, you need only stand by us, and hold you wand over our joined hands while Winky and Kreacher perform the binding ritual."
Harry did as he was asked, and the House Elves, facing each other, held hands together just underneath his wand. They were speaking in the elven language, so Harry and Ginny did not understand what they were saying, but there were pauses in the ritual where a green rope of light would emerge from his wand and wrap around their joined hands. When this happened for the third time, they both glowed softly for a moment, and then the binding was complete.
"Thank-you, master," Kreacher said with a bow.
"You are welcome, Kreacher. Why don't you take your new mate back home, take the night off, and do whatever newly bound House Elves do." Ginny had never seen what happened to House Elves when they blushed, and couldn't stop from laughing in delight as Kreacher and Winky both turned a pale pink colour from the neck up. Harry had seen Dobby blush before, but it was still just as amusing for him to watch the two elves. They each gave both of the elves hugs.
"Kreacher and Winky will return Christmas morning to make the meal for Harry and Ginny Potter and their guests," Winky promised, and then they both popped back to Grimmauld Place.
Nathalie watched her in-laws pass her son from aunt to uncle, grandma and grandpa with a patient smile. It had been late afternoon when she and Charlie had left for the island, and the time change gave them practically a whole new day. She watched Harry, now gently holding her son as his turn had finally come around, and thought that never in her wildest little girl dreams would she have imagined that some day her little boy would have Harry Potter for an uncle.
Those green eyes of his had looked up and seen her watching them, and she felt that familiar flash of understanding that for some reason flashed between them. He was smiling gently, and returned his attention to little Arthur, who was soon trying to pull his glasses off. They'd talked one night about that insight they seemed to share. When she'd suggested that maybe part of it was because she was a Healer, and he had so much compassion for everyone, that their spirits were just very attuned to each other, he'd agreed that certainly could be part of the reason. Hermione relieved Harry of the baby, and he walked over and sat next to her.
"Deep thoughts for a beautiful sunny day," he told her, smiling brightly at her. There couldn't possibly be a girl alive that could resist when he smiled and those emerald eyes lit up like they were now.
"Sorry," she said with a laugh, "I forgot when you're around, it's like thinking out loud." They sat quietly together for a while, watching their family. Harry stood up, and held his hand out to her.
"They're going to be at that for a while. Why don't you and I go play on the jet-skis until they tire of playing with the baby?" She let him pull her up, and taking his hand, headed down to the lagoon.
Ginny watched as Nathalie and her husband walked hand-in-hand and smiled. There might be some Witches out there who would worry about their significant other going for a walk on the beach with another beautiful woman, but she wasn't one of them. Harry had more than enough love to share with everyone, and Ginny had no problem with sharing him with the people they both loved.
Hermione's necklace was sparkling in the sun, and little Art was trying to grab it and pull it into his mouth. Looking around at her parents, brothers, and their wives and, so far, two children - three with Teddy, she reminded herself just how lucky she was to have them all. She heard the jet-skis start up and take off out into the lagoon. Apparently it wasn't a walk on the beach after all, but playtime. Gabrielle walked over to her from where she'd been visiting with her parents.
"You're not going to let those two have all the fun, are you Ginny?" she asked, and Ginny laughed.
"No way. I think we ought to go out there, join Nathalie, and show him what a little Witch power can do," she told Gabrielle as both girls grinned. The two women ran off down the beach to join in the fun.
Penelope was sitting next to her husband, who had been quietly talking with her about work, which he did a lot. She loved her serious, determined husband, but sometimes wished he'd leave the business at the Ministry office. When she'd seen Harry and Nathalie walk by hand-in-hand, followed by Ginny and Gabrielle, she'd wondered to herself if there would ever be a time that she would feel comfortable enough with Percy's family to be that casual with them.
He'd tried very hard, back when they were at Hogwarts, to distance himself from a family that embarrassed him because of their social and economic standing, and the friends they had. There were nights when he'd tell her how much he wished that his family tried to do something with their lives, and socialize with friends that didn't include werewolves and squibs and unimportant Witches and Wizards.
When the war was over, and he'd understood just how wrong he'd been, Percy had rejoined his family, but there was still a wide divide between himself and the rest of the family - one of his own making. Percy's Mom and Dad certainly weren't poor anymore, and the rest of his family all seemed to live comfortably, if not in big fancy mansions. Harry Potter, the most well-known and important Wizard in the entire world, was his brother-in-law, and yet her husband still didn't approve of, or even seem to understand his own family.
Percy wanted to be important, and thought that working with and for important people at the Ministry of Magic would make that happen. Why, with everything his family had, did they not want to hang out with the Witches and Wizards that were the movers and shakers of the Wizarding World?
Penelope had quietly watched this family, and had come to understand that Percy was completely missing the point. His family loved each other, and surrounded themselves with friends who loved them for who they were. They had fun with everything they did - work, play - everything. They were as interested in making the lives of not just other Wizards and Witches better, but helping all of the magical creatures that shared their world. She suspected that her husband might not have any real idea of just how much power his family actually had, since they never talked about it or flaunted it, and certainly never publicized it.
What she did know for sure, though, was that she didn't want to spend the rest of her life sitting on the sidelines and miss out on being a part of all the love this family had to offer them. This was so much better than the superficial posturing they had to put up with many of the people around the Ministry of Magic just to advance Percy's Ministry career. Making her decision, and ready to take the first step, she stood up.
"Why don't we go out and play with the others on the jet-ski's Percy?" she said, holding her hand out and smiling down at him. He looked up at her, surprised by her unexpected request.
"Take a day off from thinking about work for once, and come out and play with your wife and family," she said. Penelope thought he was quite adorable on the rare occasions he truly smiled, and he was smiling now as he took her hand and stood too.
"You're pretty cute when you smile like that," she told him. "Let's see what we can come up with to have you do it more often." He actually laughed, and her heart soared in delight. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
Molly smiled when she saw Penelope lead her son down to the lagoon. She always hoped that Percy would come around some day, and suspected that if it was going to happen, that his wife would be the velvet-covered club that would knock some sense into him.
Her daughter-in-law worked for the Ministry of Magic, like Percy and Arthur. She'd noticed that Penelope had, during the last few family gatherings, looked like she was finally realizing that she and her husband were missing out on something special by remaining distant from his family. She thought about Harry and Ginny taking a whole year off to travel. Maybe she should hire Penelope away from the Ministry to come work in her division, and then, in a year or two, she and Arthur could go on some long vacations too.
Teddy ran down to the beach when he and his grandma got to the island. He'd heard the jet-skis, and he jumped up and down at the edge of the water to get his Uncle Harry's attention. It was Gabrielle who saw him first, and she came zooming into shore to see him.
"Hi Teddy. Want to go chase Uncle Harry with me for a while?" she asked him. He ran over and climbed up on her lap, and gave her a hug.
"Yes!" he told her excitedly. "We're way better jet-skiers than he is." Gabrielle laughed, sat him on the seat in front of her, and they sped off to chase the others around the lagoon.
Christmas Eve, everyone was at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's beach house, settling in with drinks and snacks to watch what would surely become an annual rebroadcast of A Christmas Carol. Teddy was curled up with Harry and Ginny, and Victoire had been put to bed upstairs. Many of them had taken an afternoon nap so they'd be able to stay up and watch the show together. There were rarely times with this family when the room would be quiet, but they all sat through the movie, and were all again pulled inexorably into the story.
Harry thought about their day, and everything they'd done. The biggest surprise had been seeing Penelope getting Percy out on the lagoon to play with the rest of them. He even seemed to have fun, and she was definitely putting herself out there, silently asking them to let her join in and start truly becoming part of their circle. When they'd gone back in to the beach, Harry had made a point of giving her a big hug, and then shaking Percy's hand.
"Thanks for coming out to play, Percy. I was getting clobbered being outnumbered three to one. My little Godson there switched sides, and you were the only brother-in-law brave enough to come to my defence."
Percy had seemed a little surprised, and Penelope had given him a warm, thankful smile. When the ghost of Christmas yet to come came on screen, he had both Teddy and Ginny clinging to him, which he had to admit was pretty darn nice feeling. They all cheered through the ending, and then with everyone exhausted, they headed back to their own places and the warm beds waiting for them there.
Gabrielle woke Christmas morning to the smell of coffee and breakfast cooking in the kitchen. She got up and got ready, then headed to the kitchen, where her Mom and Dad welcomed her and wished her a Merry Christmas. They had a quiet breakfast together, and then went over to Molly and Arthur's house where they'd be included in the annual gift exchange, that in their large family was an extended event. She had negotiated with her staff to split up the Christmas and New Year holidays, and she got to be here today, but would be working on New Year's Eve and day.
When everyone had gathered in the large sitting room, Ginny had recruited Penelope to help her hand out presents. Gabrielle smiled, remembering Penelope's first real step toward trying to truly become friends with her husband's family. Ginny was obviously making sure that she helped her sister-in-law to do that. There were all manner of gifts given and received, and it was wonderful watching the smiling, happy faces all around her. Gabrielle laughed, delighted, when Harry got the 'World's Worst GameWizard' hat from her, and cried with Ginny when she hugged her in thanks for the picture Gabrielle had given her - a painting by a very talented artist on the island, of Harry and Ginny sitting on the beach, watching a sunset.
Seeing the painting again got her thinking about the young Wizard who had so perfectly captured her friends. Kevin was a quiet young man who smiled a lot. He loved the island as much as she did, and enjoyed all of the fun and excitement it had to offer. Smiling to herself, she made a note to herself to ask him out on a date - maybe he'd go with her to the New Year's Eve parties. She saw Harry smiling at her when she came out of her reverie.
"What's his name?" he asked her. How did he do that? Smiling back at him, she politely told him it was none of his business.
After the gift exchange, they had another play day at the lagoon, and had Christmas dinner there too. There were a few smaller groups that got together for visits at different homes in the evening, but most of the family made it an early night after having a very long day on Christmas Eve, and tired out from the nearly two days of sun and fun.
The next day, while some of the family would be staying on the island longer, many of them left for homes and work. Harry and Ginny saw them off, including Gabrielle, who laughed when she saw that Harry actually planned to wear that stupid hat she'd given him as a joke gift, at least on the island. They promised to keep in touch while they were travelling, and find time for some regular GameWizard matches.
Harry and Ginny were the last to leave. Andromeda, Teddy, the Delacours, and The elder Weasleys saw them off. Teddy didn't want them to go, and was very upset as he hugged them goodbye.
"We'll send you presents from the different places we go," Ginny promised him, "and write you letters, and send pictures." Harry gave him another hug.
"We'll be stopping in for visits too, and be home for your birthday," he added. "In June we'll pick you up and take you with us for the trip to Mexico and South America, so you can go exploring with us." Teddy hugged him tightly, and then they were off to the next stop on their trip: Athens.
How many times, Ginny thought to herself, did she think that there couldn't possibly be anything better in her life? The day after the war, when the Wizard she'd loved since the first time she'd seen him told her he loved her? The day they were married? The joy she felt from seeing her company become so successful? The list went on and on, and yet it seemed that every day there was a new wonder for her to marvel at.
They'd spent two amazing weeks in Greece, seeing all the wonders that beautiful country had to offer, then journeyed through the ancient lands of the countries of the Middle East. They wondered at the Pyramids of Egypt, which all the Wizarding World new were created by the ancient Egyptian Wizards and Witches, not by Muggle slaves as they contended in their amusing history books.
From there, they travelled all over Africa. They traversed deserts, explored jungles, and went on sightseeing safaris to photograph lions and elephants, and so much more. There were lazy days wandering through markets, or lying carefree on an ocean beach. They spent Valentine's Day in South Africa, where the local cuisine was incredible, and the diamond necklace Harry gave her had been stunning.
They popped back home for Victoire's fourth birthday, bearing gifts of diamond earrings and a furry giraffe. From there, they went to Saudi Arabia, travelling through the Arabian peninsula. With the Muggle conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, they bypassed those countries. They interrupted this part of the trip to make it to Teddy's sixth birthday, and then went on to discover the wonders of India and Pakistan.
They visited Korea, and Japan, and then came back through China. Winter was finally ending when they made the stop at Mount Everest. They were both in awe of its majestic immensity. They had read the Muggle travel guide about climbing Everest, and were sure that it was indeed a most difficult endeavour that provided Muggles with an great sense of accomplishment. Harry and Ginny weren't really interested in the climb though, so they apparated to the summit, spent a freezing cold few minutes admiring the view, and then apparated back to the comfort of their hotel room, a cozy fire, and a nice bottle of wine.
This part of their journey wrapped up with a few stops in Russia, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland before stopping at home for a few days. There were a few things they wanted to get done around home, and then they picked up Teddy for the few weeks they'd be spending with him, and headed for Mexico.
Teddy was holding Aunt Ginny's hand. He really liked to do that, he thought to himself. Maybe when he grew up, he'd marry her, just like Uncle Harry.
That reminded him - "When will Uncle Harry catch up with us, Aunt Ginny?" She smiled at him. He really loved that smile too.
"He's going to meet us for lunch, sweetie. He had a little bit of work to do this morning." Harry had received an Owl Post with a stack of parchment that needed his attention. Fortunately those Owls were rare so far during their travels. "Why don't you and I spend the morning looking for buried treasure here in this market," she suggested, and Teddy looked at her suspiciously.
"That's just a way to make me believe it isn't shopping," he accused her. Ginny scooped him up for a hug and kiss.
"You caught me," she admitted with a laugh, tickling him. He looked at her happily, his eyes bright and smiling.
"I really love you a lot, Aunt Ginny." That earned him another hug.
"I love you a lot too," she assured him. "Now how about that treasure hunt?"
Teddy didn't really mind shopping, since they almost always picked up something neat for him. Sometimes he wished he had a little money of his own, though, so he could buy something sometimes for his favourite aunt and uncle, or for his grandmother. Maybe when he grew up he'd be able to do that.
He spent the next few weeks getting to see Aztec and Inca ruins, go camping in the rain forests, and go on a boat ride down the biggest river he'd ever seen in his whole life. He was shown many of the wonderful cities of the continent too. Teddy loved getting to see all the amazing things on the trip, but for him the best part was getting to do all of it with the two people he loved most, besides his grandma. When it was time to go back to Hogwarts, he was glad to be back, but knew he would miss Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny while they were on their big long vacation.
Harry had really loved their time with Teddy, but he was also happy to get back to just the two of them. Their friends and family were taking care of business, and he was glad that very little had needed his, or Ginny's personal attention. When they dropped Teddy off with Andromeda, they took a couple of days to check in with everyone, and take care of the little bit of business that had been kept waiting for them. Hermione and Ron had them over one night to catch up, and belatedly celebrate the Cannon's three-peat League Championship.
In July and August, they travelled from one end of Canada to the other, took a Muggle cruise up to Alaska, and then, just for fun, rented a car in California, and drove back to the east coast, where they spent the last couple of weeks of their summer hopping their way from Florida to New York.
After another quick trip to home, and a round of visits, they next went to Australia. They went on an outback adventure, visited the different cities, and dove the barrier reef. They made a trip to Tasmania, and took a side trip to the Antarctic. Ginny was sitting on the sofa in their hotel suite, curled up next to Harry. They'd spent the day shopping, and had a wonderful dinner. They'd both decided to just have a quiet evening together and rest up, since they'd be moving on tomorrow.
Ginny leaned over and kissed him. "Just in case I didn't tell you yet today, I love you." Her heart skipped a beat as he turned those incredible green eyes to look at her, and saw his smile.
"I love you too, honey," he told her quietly. She stood up and stretched luxuriously in front of him, making sure she had his undivided attention, since she was wearing a very short pair of shorts, and a nicely form-fitting blouse.
"Why don't we go to bed early," she said suggestively, her bright brown eyes dancing. He stood up, swept her off her feet, and carried her into the bedroom, and she proceeded to show him that there was a world of difference between going to bed, and going to sleep.
Ginny woke up to the sound of her WiComm chiming frantically. It was the middle of the night, and she fumbled for it in the dark. It felt like they'd just gotten to sleep. She opened it up to see Gabrielle's face looking intensely at her.
"What's up, Gabrielle? Is there a problem?" There hadn't yet been any major problems while she and Harry had been gone.
"I've got a really big problem Ginny," she answered. "How soon can you guys get here?" Gabrielle was in control, but obviously worried.
"We're in Australia, Gabrielle, and it would take us a while to get there." Ginny nudged Harry awake, and he looked over her shoulder.
"Hey Gabrielle. It's a little late - or early to be calling for a rematch. I won fair and square last time." He saw her smile faintly.
"I wish that was all it was. We have a major hurricane coming at the island, Harry. It was forecast to miss us, but just took a turn and it looks like it's going to be a direct hit. We'll start seeing the leading edge of the storm in about two hours. Harry, if you can't get here to help, we'll probably lose everything, and we're also filled to capacity and can't evacuate everyone – we just don't have the time or enough portkeys."
Harry jumped out of bed, and started pulling clothes on. "Ginny, can you pack up and start making your way back home?" he asked, and Ginny nodded. "Gabrielle, I'll be there in a few minutes. Meet me in the hotel lobby."
"How will you do that?" she asked him.
"It's a secret," he answered mysteriously. "I'll tell you some other time." He saw her nod, and Ginny ended the call.
"You're going to try to apparate half way around the world?" she asked, a ball of fear in her stomach. Harry sat on the side of the bed and put his arms around her.
"Don't worry. I can do it without any problem, and I have to do it. I'm not going to let anything happen to our girl or her island, or all of the people that work for us."
Ginny hugged him. "Be careful. I love you." Harry smiled.
"I love you too," he said and kissed her. He stood up, and was suddenly gone.
Gabrielle hugged Harry when she saw him suddenly walk into the lobby. He got right down to business. "Tell me everything you have on the storm."
She gave him a brief summary of the information - A category five storm on the measurement scale the Muggles used. There were winds of one hundred and seventy miles per hour at the centre. The storm was over five hundred miles across, moving at fourteen miles per hour. Tropical storm force winds would begin within the next two hours, and at fourteen miles per hour, it would take nearly two days to pass over the island. When she was finished with the grim report, he asked what was being done with the guests.
"The guests in the bungalows have been evacuated here to the hotel, and we'll keep everyone here, since it's the safest building on the island," she told him, and Harry nodded his approval.
"You're doing a great job. Take care of everyone here, Gabrielle. I'm going to the south beach, and will try to protect us." She stared at him, now showing that she was truly afraid for the first time. His smile was grim. "Don't let anybody outside of this building, no matter what happens. It may look okay out there, but if my defense falters, anyone who isn't safe in here could be hurt." He went to go out the entrance, but Gabrielle pulled him into a fierce hug first before leaving him to take care of her hotel and guests.
Harry got to the southernmost beach on the island, and looked out at the waves that were crashing on the beach, already much higher than he'd ever seen them here. The wind was picking up, whipping the palm trees violently, and a hard, steady rain began. Harry cleared his mind completely, and imagined in his mind the shield that he wanted to create, a dome that covered not only the island, but an area of the waters around the island. When he was ready, he sat down on the beach, pulled out his wand, and shouted - "Protego!"
The shield quickly spread out from his wand tip, expanding in an arc in front of him, and above his head. Within a few minutes, the dome he had constructed in his mind shimmered a brilliant blue, covering the entire island, and extending into the ocean nearly half a mile in all directions. There was no longer any wind or rain under the dome, and the water was again calm. He looked at his shield for a moment, scanning it for any weakness, and then he closed his eyes and focused on the job at hand. Could he hold this shield in place for two days? He was about to find out.
Gabrielle was in the atrium with many of the guests when they all saw Harry's shield go into place. They watched in astonishment and awe as the entire island was enclosed. Gabrielle got her staff to round up all of the guests so that she could let them all know what was going on, and keep them from panicking. When she was told that everyone was in the atrium, she stood on a platform where they could all see her.
"I know that many of you are worried right now, with good reason," she told them. "We all know that we're about to be hit by a dangerous hurricane, but I want to assure you that everything possible is being done to protect all of us here." She looked around the room, noting the fear some of the children were showing, and the frequent looks up by nearly everyone.
"About an hour ago, I called the Executive Administrator of Marauders Institute, Ginny Potter, and asked her husband Harry to come and aid us." There was a low murmur around the room. Gabrielle pointed at the shimmering blue above them. "Harry has placed this shield around the island." There wasn't a single Witch or Wizard now that didn't understand what was going on.
"He has asked me to have you all remain within the hotel for your safety," she continued, not needing to state the obvious reason why that was necessary - saying it aloud would only serve to frighten the children more.
"The storm will take nearly two days to pass, so all of the dining and entertainment amenities of our hotel are open to everyone, and will be complimentary." Gabrielle stepped down from the platform and worked her way around the room, keeping a bright smile on her face, and doing everything she could to calm everyone down, and distract them with entertainment suggestions. When she had a moment, she went to her office for a short cry. How would even Harry be able to protect this whole island for two days?
The hurricane raged on all around the island. Harry had no idea how long he'd been fighting to keep his shield in place, but he knew he was tired. He was able to sense the storm pounding against his magic, trying with all the force that nature can bring to bear to tear the shield down. Suddenly he felt the storm ease up. He could feel the sun beaming off the dome he was holding in place. He extended his senses outward to see what was happening. No, it wasn't over - they were just in the eye of the hurricane.
There was his answer - about halfway, so one day down, one to go. He groaned silently, and a ripple rolled through his shield as it weakened slightly. He thought about Ginny, waiting for him to come home safely to her, and about Gabrielle and all of her guests and workers that were depending on him. Taking a deep breath, he stabilized the shield again, and he fed it with all of his love and strength.
In the Atrium, the sky brightened, and the Wizards and Witches scattered around looked up to watch. They knew that this must be the eye of the storm. They saw the shield rippling, and felt afraid for a few moments, but then it once again thickened into an even deeper, shimmering blue. Gabrielle had seen the shield's momentary weakening, and had feared for her friend. When he restored it, she let out a shaky breath, not even realizing that she'd been holding it in. A hand touching her arm lightly startled her.
"Sorry, Gabrielle." It was her assistant. "You're needed in the theatre. Apparently the Phantom doesn't want to go on tonight because the blue light is interfering with his aura."
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Let's go talk with him. I thought every actor knew that no matter what, the show must go on!" Silently to herself, she thought - 'come on, Harry, you're halfway there'.
Harry was sitting on the beach. He'd lost all track of time, and was lost in a seemingly endless battle with the elements. He wasn't sure when he first sensed the change, but eventually he became aware that the end of the storm was passing the southern side of his shield. It was almost over! Holding the shield strong, he opened his eyes, and watched as the sky brighten to the south. Smiling, he closed his eyes again. 'Almost there', he told himself.
While he waited for the last of the storm to pass, he thought about what he was going to do when he got back to the hotel. Hug Gabrielle, have a shower, eat some food, and sleep for the rest of the week - not necessarily in that order. He thought about Ginny. Maybe she'd be able to get here by the time he woke up. Then they could get back to their trip. A short time later, he felt the end of the storm pass the north side of his magic barrier, and with enormous relief, he let the spell dissipate. Standing up, he turned his back on the beautiful view, and walked to the hotel.
There was a loud cheer in the Atrium when the shield thinned and was suddenly gone, replaced by a glorious sunny day. Gabrielle was just reaching the lobby when Harry walked in, a tired smile on his face.
"Good timing," he told her, putting his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly. "If you can find room at the inn, I'd like to grab a hot shower, have a little food, and then get a couple of days of sleep." She put her head on his shoulder for a moment, not being able to keep the tears in, and hugged him back.
"I think we can manage to handle that," she told him. He stepped back, and gently wiped away her tears.
"So, what did you think of my little light display?" he joked, and Gabrielle laughed at the enormity of his understatement.
"I'd say that the legend of Harry Potter is about to grow a little more," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the suite she'd already set aside for him. Room service had delivered food by the time he was finished his shower, and she waited with him while he ate. When he finally went to bed, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
He was dozing, warm and comfortable under the covers, his arm wrapped around Ginny, her body moulded to his. Opening his eyes, it suddenly dawned on him that when he'd gone to sleep, he was alone, and Ginny had been thousands of miles away from him. When his eyes told him that she really was there and it wasn't a dream, he hugged her tightly, and she turned to look into his eyes.
"You made it," he said happily. "I've really missed you."
Ginny reached out her hand, cupping his face. "I was so afraid," she whispered. "What you did here - it's beyond anything I've ever heard of before." He could look into those eyes forever.
"I'm fine, Ginny, and everyone here is safe. That's all that really matters." She put her arm around him, leaning her head against his chest.
"You throw off doing the impossible like it was nothing," she said into his chest. "You could have died just in the attempt to apparate here, let alone shielding an entire island for two whole days - in fact it should have killed you. You've been asleep nearly two days." She was crying softly now. Harry was surprised at how long he'd been asleep. He gently pushed her back so she could see his face.
"Ginny, I've never talked about this with anyone, and I don't expect to ever talk about it again," he said, and waited until she nodded her understanding.
"What happened to me at the end of the war, when Voldemort hit me with the Avada Kedavra curse, changed me." Ginny waited for him to continue, not sure where this was going, and a little scared.
"There no longer seems to be any limit to my magic, Ginny," he said quietly.
She stared at him. "None?"
Harry shook his head. "I can get tired, but there hasn't been anything I've tried to do with magic that I couldn't do." He wrapped his arms around her again, and pulled her close. "I still wouldn't have told you now, but you need to know that you don't have too worry if something like this happens again." Ginny tried to take all of that in while they held each other close. She decided silently that despite his assurance that she didn't need to do it, she'd worry about him anyway.
There were two months left before Harry and Ginny would be getting back to the real world, but they decided to change their travel plans. They stayed with Gabrielle for two weeks, letting Harry fully recover, and getting to know a young artist of her acquaintance named Kevin Whitby.
Ginny had hugged him, again with tears, when she'd found out he had been the one who'd painted her Christmas present. They'd thought he looked familiar, and found out he'd been a few years behind them at Hogwarts, in Hufflepuff House. Kevin and Harry immediately got along great. Kevin introduced him to beach volleyball, and they made several trips to play LaserBroom. They'd all go out in the evenings for dinner and dancing.
Kevin, Gabrielle, and Ginny had all gotten a little ahead of him. They were wandering through the little shopping village on one of Gabrielle's rare afternoons off. She was holding Kevin's hand as they walked. They looked good together, and Harry knew from talking to his newest friend that he was completely and totally in love with her.
Ginny had laughed when Gabrielle told them that she'd asked him on a date first. 'Way to go!' she'd told her friend proudly. Their first date had been on New Year's Eve, and yes, he had been the 'none of your business' boy that she'd been thinking about at Christmas when Harry had asked her. He saw Kevin lean over to whisper something to her, and watched as those blue eyes of hers came alive. Yep, she was in love too. Ginny would be very happy - another wedding definitely meant extra shopping!
Gabrielle and Ginny were doing the spa treatment on the last day before they were leaving the island, so Kevin had agreed to meet Harry for a last blast on jet-skis, and lunch at one of the beachfront cafés. When they were eating their meal, Harry asked him if he'd be interested in a commissioned painting that he'd like to give Ginny for Christmas. 'Sure' Kevin had told him.
"I'd like you to do another island scene portrait - this time of Gabrielle and Ginny together. I'm sure you've got lots of memories now to pull from." Kevin nodded. "Why don't we also do two just of Gabrielle, and I'll give them to her parents and sister. Could you have three paintings done by Christmas?"
"I'll push some other things off to the side," Kevin promised. "You don't actually think that she'd let me say no to you, do you?"
Harry laughed, and handed an envelope over to him. "I thought you might see it that way," he admitted. Pointing at the envelope, he added - "I've had that transferred to your account, and will make another transfer in the same amount when the paintings are delivered, if you agree with the amount." He was pretty sure that he would never get tired of getting to see the joy in other people when he got to do something like this.
"This is way too much, Harry," Kevin had said quietly.
"It's not even close to as much as your paintings are worth to me, my friend," Harry answered. "I couldn't possibly give you enough to thank-you for making Gabrielle happy either. She loves you too, you know."
Kevin smiled. "Yes I do," he agreed. "I was going to ask her to marry me at Christmas, but I suddenly received a new commission complete with a generous advance, and her two best friends in the whole world are here." He paused for a moment. "Think we could put it together in just a few more hours?" Harry stood up, grinning at Kevin.
"If we hurry. Do you want to go all out - tuxes, flowers, the whole thing? A restaurant full of crying women is always a lot of fun." Kevin laughed.
"Let's start with finding a ring, and see how much we can get done after that," he suggested.
The girls got back to Ginny and Harry's suite to find the two men drinking wine, having a quiet conversation, and dressed to the hilt in tuxes.
"You boys have been busy," Gabrielle told them, walking over and giving them each a kiss.
"How would you ladies like to dress up and go out for an evening of dining and dance for our last night here?" Harry asked them, smiling. Ginny gave him a kiss too.
"We'd love to," she told him. "Come on Gabrielle, let's go play dress-up." The girls were about an hour getting ready. They were both stunning, and once the flowers had been delivered, the two couples went out to the restaurant where Harry had managed to get last minute reservations.
They'd had a wonderful meal, and they were relaxing with glasses of wine. Every chair in the restaurant was filled. While the girls were talking together about something that had happened at the spa, Kevin caught Harry's eye, and saw the slight nod of agreement in response to his unspoken question. He got out of his chair, and walked around the table next to Gabrielle. Taking her hand, he got down on one knee.
"Gabrielle, when we'd met last year, I had thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life. You are beautiful, and I was dazzled when you first looked at me with those incredible blue eyes. I fell in love with you when I got to know the warm and loving spirit that is in all ways my soul's one and only match." He pulled the ring box from a pocket. "Marry me, Gabrielle Delacour, and we can share our love and spend our lives in this paradise where we both belong." Gabrielle put her arms around Kevin and kissed him.
"I hoped that someday I would find someone to love me like my best friends love each other," she said, looking over and smiling at Ginny for a moment. "I knew I'd found that in you right from the beginning," she told Kevin with a bright smile. "I love you too Kevin. Yes, I'll marry you!"
When he put the ring on her finger, there was applause from the nearby tables, and quite a few Witches with tears in their eyes. 'Fifty points to Hufflepuff' Harry thought to himself whimsically.