Chapter 25: Hangovers & Headaches

Harry was aware that he was lying on a very comfortable bed with a pretty bad headache. The last thing he remembered was seeing Vernon trying to assault him.

'Where in the hell am I' Harry then felt the familiar feeling of Ginny on his arms. He shifted a little and immediately felt Ginny wake up instantly.

"Harry! You're awake!" She hugged him tightly not willing to let go. Harry knew something bad happened and reopened the link with Ginny so that he could figure out what happened. Suddenly Harry understood what had happened to make Ginny so worried about him. Ginny began to cry not for what she had experienced, but for what Harry had experienced as a little boy. It was her sobbing that alerted the others who were staying in the penthouse.

As they young couple continued to hold each other, the door to the master suite opened and Andi Tonks and Severus Snape walked in. Harry looked up and saw the two of them and motioned for them to be quiet. Severus removed a small box from his pocket and enlarged his portable potions lab. He immediately grabbed what looked like pepper up potion and a calming draught and handed them to Harry to give to his wife. Severus also gave Harry a headache potion. After they took their potions Andy scanned both of them.

"Harry, it looks like you are fine; your headache is mainly because you haven't eaten in almost 24 hours. Ginny is a little stressed out, but she should be fine." While she was talking, a house elf walked into the room. He looked like a proud elf who took little shit from no one.

"Lord Gryffindor sir, my name is Max. I am the house elf in charge of the Potter Penthouse. I have laid out your father and grandfather's normal breakfast. I have also cleaned everyone's clothes." After thanking the elf, Harry and Ginny asked to be excused and made their way to the in suite bathroom to freshen up and change. Harry noticed that both he and Ginny had been wearing silk pajamas in Gryffindor Red but now his wife was almost naked and stepping into the shower. With a shrug to himself, Harry stripped down and hopped into the shower with his wife.

After a long hot shower, that didn't last log enough as far as Harry was concerned, Ginny and him walked into the dining/conference room for breakfast wearing their freshly cleaned clothes from yesterday. As Harry sat down and looked around the room. "Max, you said this place was called Potter Penthouse, correct?"

Max, who was cooking Severus an omelet right in front of him, smiled. "Yes it is. Your grandfather, Charles, used this location to conduct business meetings. My family has served the Gryffindor Family since Godric himself hired us to care for Hogwarts."

Severus, who looked more like Ron the way he was eating spoke up with a full mouth, "Max, this is delicious. It is the best omelet I have ever had." Everyone laughed at this and continued to eat.

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Ron Weasley opened his eyes and saw bushy brown hair. He opened his mouth but found hair there too. He took a deep breath and smelled chocolate, parchment and a perfume called white shoulders, Hermione's favorite. He flexed his arms and felt Hermione there.

'Aw, I could really get used to this.' Ron smiled and tried to move himself away from Hermione, only to find out that there was at least one other body around him. Then it hit him. The Dursley's trial…Vernon Dursley trying to attack Harry…all of them cursing him…then a portkey…then ten bottles of firewhiskey…strip poker with Hermione, Neville, and Luna…then making out with Hermione and passing out.

'Shit, it must Fred and George on the bed with us. Damn it. Ok, concentrate on your goal. You must make it to the loo. Here we go.'

Ron extracted his arms from around Hermione and scooted down the bed. When he got up, he saw Neville and Luna curled up together on the bed behind where Ron was. They were wrapped so closely together it was hard to tell where one person stopped and the other person began.

'At least we are all still wearing most of our clothes.'

With a shake of his head, Ron headed to the loo. As soon as he left the room, his fiancée got up and made her way over to the little potions station she had setup in her room and pulled out the hangover the potion. She took a swig, and then wrote a note for Neville and Luna to drink some. With her head clear, she grabbed change of clothes for her and Ron, a second bottle of the hangover potion, and made her way to the loo, for playtime with her man in a hot shower.

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Albus Dumbledore was one of the only people in the entire castle to be awake. This was because Albus had not slept. He had failed Harry. He made the decision to leave Harry with those animals. When Albus had returned from Potter's Penthouse last night, he locked himself in his office with a very old bottle of Ogden's Best as his only company except for Fawkes. Albus had not gotten drunk since him and his brother Aberforth had played drinking wizard's chess. However this time he was attempting to drown away his sorrows. Minerva had tried to talk to her husband through the door, but she couldn't get thru to him. Fawkes had tried to sooth his familiar's conscience but that didn't work out either.

'What had I done wrong? Do I truly believe that there is good in all people? Do I place too much faith in people? I knew Petunia hated Lily, but surely not to the level that she allowed her husband to actively abuse Harry.

These thoughts continued to run thru Albus' head as the only ghost that he could not control floated into Albus' office. The ghost, Godric Gryffindor, decided it was time to end this example of someone wallowing in self pity.

"Albus, you have blamed yourself enough for this. Its time to let it go of the 'what ifs'. Harry has turned into a fine young man and that is, in part, due to you."

Albus turned towards the founder and gave him a long look and then turned back to the fireplace, deep in thought. Godric knew Albus was moping; he had done it enough in this very same office.

Godric also knew he needed some help to deal with this stubborn old man, and the only person who could help was Harry. Godric turned to Fawkes and mind spoke to the phoenix. Fawkes, I need you to find Harry and bring him back here, quickly. With a soft trill, Fawkes disappeared into flames. _________________________________________________________________________________

Fawkes decided that Dobby might be able to locate Harry faster then he would be able too. So the phoenix flamed to Dobby and Winky's suite where a very surprised Dobby was working on reading and writing at his desk. Like most House Elves, Dobby never learned to read and write and was doing his best to learn.

Dobby immediately recognized the phoenix as Fawkes, "Hello Fawkes, what is Dobby able to do for you?" The phoenix always liked the little elf and was very happy that Harry had freed him.

'Dobby, Albus is very sick. I need you to locate Harry and bring me too him.' Dobby looked horrified, then without even a word, he closed his eyes, grabbed the phoenix, and disappeared with a pop.

A moment later, Dobby and Fawkes appeared right next Harry in the conference room of Potter's Penthouse. Fawkes wasted no time in explaining to Harry why had had apparated with a house elf

'Harry, Albus is very sick. I need you and your mate to return to Hogwarts and help him. He has sealed his office and not even Minerva can get in. Godric and I think you are the only person to help him.'

Harry looked very worried, and then turned back to the others. "Albus is sick; Andi, Severus can you flame back with Fawkes? Ginny, you and I will flame back ourselves."

With quick nods all the way around, Harry and Ginny turned into their Phoenix forms and disappeared. While Andi and Severus were gathering their things, Fawkes turned to Dobby, 'Now I know why phoenixes do not apparate, flame travel is much better'

When the humans returned, they grabbed Dobby and the phoenix and flamed back to Hogwarts.

The Potters reappeared in Albus' office and transformed back into their human forms. Albus was sitting in the same chair he had been sitting in all night; the bottle of Firewhiskey was long since gone.

'Gin, flame out and find Minerva for me please' with a nod, Ginny transformed and flamed away leaving Harry to deal with Albus. Harry crossed the room and sat down in the other chair by the fireplace and conjured another bottle of firewhiskey and another glass. After filling both glasses, Harry handed one to Albus and drank the other one in one gulp. He poured himself a second glass and tossed it back too and then poured him a third glass.

"Come on Albus, I know you've been drinking all night, but you can at least you can have a drink with me."

After a moment Harry raised his glass to Albus, "To justice!" Then he slammed that drink down too.

"No Harry. Justice was not completely served. Harry, I must resign and turn myself over to the Ministry. I am just as guilty for your abuse as your relatives." Harry suddenly understood why Albus was moping around. He blamed himself for the abuse that Harry had endured. While it was true Albus was somewhat to blame, unless he told Vernon and Petunia and Dudley to beat him, starve him, and make him fell like killing himself, Albus was off the hook.

However with Albus claming that he was responsible, well that just pissed Harry off; he decided to put an end to this situation right now. Using his elemental magic, Harry made the glass of firewhiskey in Albus' hand turn to sand. He then used all of his available magic and ripped a hole in Albus' mental shields. Harry then forced ever single image from his life at the Dursley's through the hole, and then he pushed through the conclusions Harry had made regarding why he was never seriously hurt or why his wounds seemed to be fixed like it was done by magic. Yes it was partially Harry's own magic, but it was mainly because of the Wards Albus created; not just the blood wards, but the safety wards that no one at the Ministry of Magic monitored. It was not Albus' fault that no one ever bothered to check them out. After it was over, Harry pulled out of Albus' mind and spoke in a clear demanding voice.

"Albus, if I ever hear you talking like this again I swear on Merlin's grave I'll make this headache you are experiencing now seem like a cake walk! Now, I'm sorry to do this to you but you have left me very little choice… STUPEFY!"

Harry launched a wandless stunner and knocked Albus out cold. He then shifted into his phoenix form and flamed them both to the hospital wing. Moments later, Fawkes, Severus, Andi Tonks, Minerva and Ginny, who was still in her phoenix form, were all in the hospital wing. The three phoenixes began to sing a bright song. Apollo flamed in a moment later and joined them. Everyone saw Albus visibly relax and drift from unconsciousness into a deep, peaceful sleep. Once he was asleep, Fawkes and Apollo landed on his headboard and continued to sing as Harry and Ginny both transformed back and fell into chairs exhausted. _________________________________________________________________________________

It was nearly dinner time when Albus Dumbledore opened his eyes. His vision was bleary and he was not sure exactly where he was, but he knew he was safe. He heard the gentle snores of two phoenixes above his head. He began to sit up and then felt a set of hands holding him in place, both of which were female.

"Albus dear, just relax and lie still. Here are your glasses; I know how you get if you can't see." Albus took the glasses and put them on, his vision cleared and he saw that Apollo and Fawkes were asleep on the headboard. As he looked around his surroundings, he saw that his wife and Ginny were both standing next to his bed, with a very angry Madam Pomfrey waiting to examine him waiting at the foot of the bed. He looked up at Minerva and saw that she did not look very happy with him at all. He knew he deserved that the ass chewing that he was about to receive.

"Albus, I hope Harry knocked some sense into you; because if he didn't, you will wish that Aberforth had made that goat transfiguration permanent. Do you understand me?" Albus could only nod; he understood that his lovely wife was very, very pissed off at him. He turned to Ginny and saw the same upset look on her face too.

"Albus, I'm glad that you care for Harry, I am really am. I would like to remind you that Harry considers you to be almost like his grandfather. Since his parents are gone, you and Minerva are all that he has left in regards to family. That said, you know in your heart that you did everything you could to protect Harry. It wasn't your fault Fudge never had anyone checking the wards."

She then hugged the aged Headmaster tightly, tears running down their faces. "I'm so sorry for what I did, all of it. It was not fair to wallow in pity and hurt those people I love. I will say that if I had known what they did to Harry, I would have made sure Min and I raised—"

"It's in the past old man. Just do me a favor…I want a wizard's oath from you saying that when Ginny and I have kids, you and Min will baby sit at least once a week for 50 years." Harry walked in with Ron and Neville as he laid down the terms to the man he considered family; his eyes were twinkling just like Albus' did when he was excited or happy. Everyone in the room laughed, especially Minerva and Ginny.

"Harry, I give you my word, that Minerva and I will baby sit our Great Grandchildren for at least the next 50 years." After one last lecture from Poppy Pomfrey, Albus was released from the hospital wing and made his way down to dinner with his entourage in tow. Along the way he made himself an oath, 'I will never ever drink an entire bottle firewhiskey again.' Albus heard seven quiet chuckles in his head as he walked along the corridors; he knew that his family heard him thru their bonds with their phoenixes.