A/N: Warning! Major fluff alert. I promise, the action and espionage will start soon, but I had to give Harry and Ginny a little satisfaction first. Thanks to all of the reviewers. I should hit a hundred soon! That is incredible. Thank you all so much for your support. As always, thanks to my betas The Keymaker and dolphingirl79. Without them, this story would be one big pile of crap! Anyway, on with the show.
Chapter 5- Bliss
When Harry regained his wits, he realized that he was lying on the floor in the den of 12 Grimmauld Place. His head was resting in Ginny's lap. She placed his glasses back on his face, and began running her fingers through his hair. His face was covered in sweat, and there was a dull ache in his scar. The white of his eyes burning with fever, he looked at Ginny as she spoke softly to him.
"Harry," she said as she brushed her fingers along his cheek. "Harry, it's Ginny."
Ginny. His love. But how could she love him after all this time. She had told him earlier that she did, but Harry couldn't comprehend how. He knew that he still loved her, but that was different. He spent everyday of the past four years either thinking about her or trying not to think about her. Either way, he was still thinking about her. Ginny, on the other hand, had been free to live and love as she pleased. Why she would have wasted that time waiting for him was unimaginable. Just then, the beauty in question stirred Harry from his rambling muse.
"Stay with me Harry. Are you okay?" she asked.
'Why am I on the floor?' Harry asked himself.
"Wh-what happened?" he managed to ask aloud.
Ginny's face became quite serious. "You had an attack."
"My scar," Harry said.
"Yes," Ginny replied.
It was then that Harry noticed all the others gathered around him. His cheeks blushed slightly from shame as he slowly stood and began to pace the room. Everyone in the room had a deep respect for the young wizard (even Snape, though he would never admit it). So they all sat together quietly while Harry gathered his thoughts.
After a few moments of pacing, Harry shook his head in frustration. "I can't remember anything specific. All I know is that someone out there is happy about something, and it's definitely not a good thing."
"You said something about an heir," Remus said.
"What exactly did I say?" Harry asked him firmly.
"'The heir.' That's all you said," replied the werewolf.
Harry began to pace again, drawing back into his thoughts. 'The heir? What does that mean?'
Then the answer hit him so suddenly that its obviousness almost made him flinch. Only Voldemort could cause him to suffer visions like he just had. Also, the scar pain was identical to the pain that he felt when he would suffer similar attacks brought on by the former Dark Lord. Plus, there was that distinct feeling he always had in his gut that told him that it was more than just a dream.
"Professor Snape," Harry said, garnering the attention of the Hogwarts Potions master. "What exactly do you know about curse scars?"
"Not much more than you already know, Potter," Snape sneered.
"Aren't we passed all of the old pleasantries between us?" Harry asked. "If we are going to triumph over this evil with a minimal loss, you and I need to bury this hatchet."
Snape smirked at the younger man. "Not bloody likely, Potter, but I'll keep that in mind."
Harry just shook his head and with an aggravated smile continued questioning the greasy wizard. "Do you know if it's possible for the connection to a curse scar to pass from one wizard to another? To their offspring maybe?"
"So little is known about curse scars as they relate to the original individuals involved," Snape said.
It was Aberforth Dumbledore who spoke up next. "In all that I have read, I have never come across anything that referred to curse scars or their psychological link as hereditary. However, I believe my brother would say that anything in this world is possible. In my experience, the things that seem the least believable are the ones that are usually more likely."
Harry processed this information for a moment before he turned his attention back to Snape. "Where you at anytime aware of a child?"
"What exactly do you mean, Potter?" asked Snape, his voice laden with disdain.
"I mean," Harry mocked the tone Snape had taken, "did Voldemort have a child?" he asked bluntly.
Snape looked at Harry like he had three heads. "Are you bloody mad? I think the Dark Lord had more important things to worry about."
Harry laughed. "I guess you weren't as thick in the fold as you had us all fooled to believe." Harry began to pace again, this time voicing his thoughts audibly. "So Voldemort has an heir. Who could it be?"
Tonks gasped. "Voldemort has a…? You didn't see who it was?" she asked.
Harry shook his head and responded, "It was too dark. The only reason I believe that it is an heir of Voldemort is because I got the same painful feeling that I had when Voldemort would possess me."
"Did he know you were there?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I don't know for sure, but I honestly doubt it."
"So, this new Dark Lord is Voldemort's heir?" asked Kingsley.
"It's just a theory," Harry began, "but I'm fairly certain that yes, it is Voldemort's heir."
Tonks and Remus gave each other a meaningful look. Kingsley was cursing under his breath. McGonagall and Snape were muttering to each other. Aberforth Dumbledore was sitting in his chair, sucking on a lemon drop. Ginny was watching Harry intently. All of them were slowly processing the theory.
It was Dumbledore who finally stood from his chair. He clapped his hands together before speaking. "Well, if that is all for now, I'll be off." He shook Remus's hand and thanked him and Tonks for their hospitality before nodding to the rest and leaving.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was next. He nodded to Remus, Tonks, and Ginny before shaking hands with Harry and leaving. Snape and McGonagall left immediately after the tall auror. McGonagall gave Harry a small smile and said, "It's good to see you again. Welcome back, Harry."
Snape gave the inhabitants of number 12 Grimmauld Place a curt nod before leaving.
"Well, Snape is as pleasant as ever," said Tonks.
"Actually, I think I'm growing quite fond of the greasy old wanker," Harry smiled.
"Fond? Of Snivellus? What do you mean, Harry?" Remus asked incredulously.
"Did you see him go off on Hermione? That was bloody brilliant."
"Yeah, that was quite a good show," Ginny said.
"I can't believe your mom's being such a bleedin' berk," Harry said pointedly, causing the others to flinch at his foul language. "What?" he responded, "she is and you know it. Has she been that way ever since I left?"
"Pretty much," said Ginny. "She sort of kicked me out of the Burrow."
"She did what?" Harry asked.
"Well, she didn't kick me out, but she basically said that as long as I was living with her, I couldn't have any contact with Remus or Tonks. While I was living there, she would search my owls to make sure I wasn't receiving any post from you. She's really turned into another Umbridge."
"I don't understand exactly what happened to cause all of this with your family," Harry pondered out loud.
"It's because she's afraid. She doesn't understand that Voldemort couldn't be defeated by conventional means. The power you had to use to destroy him is inconceivable to her. Plus, you had to use a highly dark process to get the job done. All of this combined adds up to one very confused Molly Weasley. Of course, it also doesn't help that Ron claims you cursed him." Ginny frowned as she spoke of her family and its faults.
"WHAT!" Harry almost yelled.
"Yep," Ginny nodded.
"What exactly did the prick say?" Harry asked. Tonks and Remus both leaned forward to hear.
"He told Mum and Dad that after you killed Voldemort, you turned on him and cast the Cruciatus Curse."
"He said that? That bloody git! And Hermione, it's not like her to blindly follow anyone, even her own husband. She has always made up her own mind, so I can't believe she's going along with this. She was conscious when it happened…well sort of."
"I don't get it either, Harry. God, why is Ron such a tosser?"
This time it was Harry's turn to gawk at Ginny. "What?" she asked innocently. "I can swear if you can," she told Harry matter-of-factly.
Harry just smiled. "Of course you can," he said.
Remus stretched and looked at Tonks significantly. "We are going to get Lily ready for bed and then do the same ourselves. I trust you two can take care of yourselves for now," he said as he and Tonks made their way back toward the staircase. Harry and Ginny nodded their affirmation. Remus turned back before heading upstairs. He gave Harry a waning smile. "It's good to have you back, Harry. Goodnight," he said as he slowly ascended beyond sight.
The first few minutes that Harry and Ginny were alone again seemed saturated with awkward silence. It wasn't that the two were uncomfortable with each other. They just needed to reacquaint themselves. Harry caught Ginny's eyes, and they both started laughing hysterically.
"Why is this so weird?" Ginny asked.
Harry gracefully moved to her side. Running the back of his hand gently down her cheek, he responded, "It's not." He placed his other hand on her other cheek and drew her face close to his. He inhaled her scent deeply before pressing his lips to hers with an urgency like he had before the Order had arrived.
He instantly felt his knees threaten to buckle. The passion began to take control and soon, Harry was no longer coherent to the world. All that existed was himself and the petite witch that was currently wrapped in his arms. Her warmth pressed into him and seemed to melt the icy walls he had built around his heart over the past four years.
Minutes or hours passed, whichever it was Harry couldn't tell. Time seemed to stand still for the two of them. Slowly, they both began to regain their composure. Ginny pulled her head back and gave Harry a genuine smile of happiness. He returned the smile with one of his own.
"So, Mr. Potter. What other skills have you picked up during your time abroad? Is painting the only thing you did?" Ginny asked in true curiosity.
"No, painting isn't all I did. I worked out to stay in shape. I also practiced magic so I wouldn't get rusty. I also learned to play a few musical instruments," Harry said as he reddened with embarrassment.
Ginny's eyes went wide with this revelation. "What did you learn to play?" she eagerly asked.
"I learned to play the guitar, the bass, the piano, and the cello."
"Wow," was the only response she could muster in her amazement. Harry's blush grew even more at her amazement. "Play something for me."
"What do you want to hear?" he questioned.
"What is your favorite instrument?" she responded.
Harry thought for a second before answering. "The guitar," he answered.
"Then play me something on the guitar."
Harry summoned his trunk from across the room. Opening it, he reached in and pulled out a bulky black case. He laid the case on the sofa and unfastened the clasps along the side. He pulled out a beautiful satin finish acoustic guitar. Ginny could make out "CF Martin & Co." on the head of the instrument. Harry snapped his fingers, and the black guitar case closed itself and flew back into his trunk, which shut itself. He sat on the sofa and patted the spot to his right, silently inviting Ginny to join him.
As she sat down, he began to explain. "This song is one that I heard about eight months after I left. It was the first song I learned to play because it really sums up…well it sums up just about everything."
Having said that, Harry began to strum a series of chords. It was a beautiful sound that bordered on melancholy. After a minute of strumming, Harry began to sing in a haunting voice that Ginny never knew he possessed.
"We chase misprinted lies,
We face the path of time,
And yet I fight,
And yet I fight,
This battle all alone,
No one to cry to,
No place to call home,
Oooh… Oooh… Oooh… Oooh…
My gift of self is raped,
My privacy is raked,
And yet I find,
And yet I find,
Repeating in my head,
If I can't be my own,
I'd feel better dead,
Oooh… Oooh… Oooh… Oooh…"
It was at once the most disturbing and yet the most beautiful music she had ever heard in her life. Ginny noticed that Harry didn't open his eyes once during the entire song. That coupled with his haunting voice drove the reality home to her. She began to cry softly for this man before her. She loved him more than life itself, yet she had no idea exactly how he has suffered.
"Don't," Harry said.
"Don't what?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"Don't pity me. I don't need pity."
"It's not pity," Ginny muttered.
"Then what is it?" asked Harry.
"I don't know." Ginny thought about it for a moment before settling on…"I think its sorrow."
"Sorrow?"
"We've missed so much together, Harry. We could be married by now. We could have children. Instead, we've been apart for years and now we have to get to know each other all over again."
Harry began to speak, but Ginny placed her hand over his to quiet him while she continued softly. "I know you've been in hell, Harry, but I've suffered too. Don't think that a minute passed me by that I wasn't thinking about you. It has been pure agony. Not knowing where you were or if you were safe. You could have been killed and I would have never known. Harry, while you were gone, I was in limbo myself."
Harry had never once thought that Ginny would be going through a similar fate as he had been. "I'm sorry, Gin. I never looked at things from any other point of view but my own." Harry waved a hand and his guitar disappeared.
Ginny smiled at him. "It's okay, Harry. We're together now, and that's what's important," she said as she gathered herself into his lap. She sat facing him, her legs straddling his abdomen and wrapping around behind his back. She snaked her arms around his head and began playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "When are you leaving to find the new Dark Lord?"
"What?" Harry asked as his brow furrowed.
"The Dark Lord. You know, the whole spy thing. When are you leaving for that?"
"I don't know. I would guess tomorrow. The sooner I get in the better, huh?"
Ginny continued to play with Harry's hair. Each movement sent shivers of pleasure and joy all the way down his back, causing him to quiver occasionally. "I don't want you to leave again," she whispered as she laid her head down onto his chest.
Harry ran his hands up and down her arms. "I don't want to go either, but someone has to."
"But why you? You've been through so much and have already saved the wizarding world once. Why do you have to do it again?" she asked, raising her head and pleadingly looking into his eyes.
"Because, Ginny. I have to protect you. If this is the best way to do it, then it's what I'm going to do."
Ginny sighed before she leaned in and kissed Harry gently on the cheek. She traced a line from just under his left eye to his lips. "If you're leaving tomorrow, I don't want to miss a moment with you tonight," she whispered against his lips.
The husky tone to her voice caused stirrings in Harry that he hadn't felt in a long time. Heat was rising up his collar. His lips and hands were trembling almost uncontrollably. He was sure that with the way she was seated on him, Ginny could feel his arousal down below. She grinned wickedly while kissing him, and Harry couldn't help but smile back. He inhaled her scent deeply again, this time memorizing it. Allowing it to swirl around and fill his lungs to capacity. Harry swore he could feel her soul permeating his body, binding them together. His head began to swim in the passion flowing between the two of them.
"I want you, Harry," she rasped as she broke their connection.
"Here?" Harry asked sincerely.
Ginny giggled lightly. "No silly, my bedroom. You remember where I used to sleep when we'd stay during summer holiday?"
Harry simply nodded. Ginny stood and reached her hand out for his. Harry eagerly grabbed her hand and pulled her into another tight hug. As he released the embrace, he bent his knees and picked Ginny up. With one arm beneath her back and one beneath her knees, Harry glided up the stairs carrying Ginny before him.
He walked through the door to Ginny's bedroom, and gently placed her on the medium sized canopy bed that resided in the room. The room was just as Harry remembered it. The only difference was that instead of two beds there was only the one. Ginny sat up and slowly unbuttoned the blouse that she was wearing. It slipped to the bed and then fell to the floor, and her creamy white skin was revealed to Harry. He marveled at the contrast of her skin to the red of her hair. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Ginny blushed under Harry's gaze. She knew she wasn't beautiful. If she were perfectly honest, the notion of exposing herself fully to Harry was a terrifying thought. What if he didn't like what he saw? Would he turn and run the other way? These questions and others poured through her mind as Harry stared at her in her bra.
"Uh…Harry?" she tentatively asked.
"Wh…what…Oh, sorry," he said as his own blush crept up his face. "It's just that…you're so beautiful."
Ginny reddened even more. "Thank you," she muttered as she lowered her gaze away from him. Harry sat on the bed and placed a finger under her chin, pulling her eyes back to him.
"I mean it. You are beautiful." Harry got that same look on his face that he would get when he was about to go on a new adventure; it was a look that Ginny was all too familiar with. "I want to ask you something important before we go any further."
"What is it?" she asked anxiously.
"Ginny, we've been through so much. We've suffered so much. When I saw you for the first time tonight, I knew that I would do anything to stay by your side forever. The moment I knew that there was a new dark threat and I knew that I'd have to face it, I told myself that I'd marry you as soon as that threat was neutralized."
"Harry, I…" Ginny began before Harry cut her off.
"Please, let me finish." He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve before continuing. "Ginny, I don't want to leave here and go into the lion's den before making you my wife. There is a small chance that I could die, and I don't want to die having never known the satisfaction of being married to you. I don't have a ring yet, but I can take care of that tomorrow…" Harry trailed off when he realized Ginny was in tears. "Ginny…are you alright?"
"A-are you a-asking m-m-me t-t-to marry y-you?" she asked as she looked at him tearfully.
Harry began to panic. He thought she'd be excited, not upset like this. "Well, if you don't want."
"YES!" she screamed. "Yes, I'll marry you, you silly prat." She broke out into the most beautiful smile Harry had ever seen.
They kissed again. Harry traced his fingers along the bottom of Ginny's bra until he reached the clasp in the back. He fidgeted with it for a few minutes, making absolutely no progress. Ginny began to giggle at Harry's plight. Realizing that he wouldn't beat the damned contraption conventionally, he resorted to magic.
Harry snapped his fingers and Ginny's bra was no longer wrapped around her breasts. Harry's eyes drifted downward to see what no other wizard had ever seen before. His hands instinctually went to touch these new discoveries. He lightly brushed his fingers over Ginny's taut nipples, causing a hitch in the young witch's throat.
"Ginny, I…I've never done anything like this before," Harry said nervously.
Ginny's nervousness melted away. Of course, she figured this was the case, but hearing it from Harry himself made her feel better. "Neither have I," she responded.
Harry pulled his shirt over his shoulders, revealing his chiseled chest and stomach to her. They both stood and removed the remainder of each other's clothing before climbing under the covers.
Harry positioned himself on top of Ginny, looking deep into her cinnamon eyes. She returned his loving gaze with her own, almost losing herself in his deep green orbs.
"I give myself to you, Harry," she said softly. "I am your gift. I am yours and yours alone to love." She bit her lip and a small cry escaped her mouth as Harry entered her. It was more painful than she had imagined, yet it was blissful and invigorating at the same time. Harry had claimed her; she was his completely.
Harry placed a lingering kiss on her lips. "I am yours as well," he said in a raspy voice.
"Go slowly," Ginny whispered.
"Okay," Harry whispered back.
The two began to move. It was awkward at first, but after a while they began to move together fluidly. It was as if they weren't two but one.
When they were both spent, Ginny lay with her arm draped across Harry's chest. The rhythmic motion of his chest told her that he was in a deep and peaceful sleep. The aching between her legs reminded her that this was more than just a dream. Harry was really here, in her bed. He had asked her to marry him, and of course she said yes. Ginny contemplated these and other things happily until sleep finally took over her body. That night's dreams were the sweetest she'd ever had.
A/N 2: The song Harry played is "Nutshell" by Alice in Chains. A great song by a great band.