Chapter 3
Harry and Ginny came out of the Pensieve and into the study. It took a minute to get their bearings and then they sat back for a minute to talk.
"That was really nice, Harry," Ginny commented with a smile. Harry noticed that her eyes were bright and she seemed genuinely happy. It was something that Harry felt he hadn't seen in awhile.
"I'm glad you liked it," Harry answered her with a smile of his own.
Ginny got up and came over to sit on Harry's lap. He reached up and wrapped his arms around her and she leaned down to rest her head on his shoulder.
"You have three more to go, right?" Ginny asked.
Harry wondered what she was thinking about when she asked that question.
"Did you want to stop?"
"No," Ginny replied, "It's just that I know you have to work tomorrow. If we keep going with these memories like this, we'll be up all night."
"Well I kind of took tomorrow off. I thought I would start our weekend early."
"You did? Why did you do that?"
Harry was a little caught off guard by Ginny's question. "Well, I...I thought we could spend the day together. You know, just us, me you and no one else."
Ginny seemed to think about that for a minute. "Oh," She said, "That's rather nice."
Harry smiled again and Ginny went on; "It's been awhile since you've done anything like that."
"I know, and I wanted to make up for it," Harry said as he fished another vial of memories out of the little pouch. This one had a red stopper.
At that moment there was a soft tapping on the door of the study. Harry and Ginny both turned towards the sound as the door opened and Kreacher entered.
"Master Harry, dinner is ready," He said simply.
Looking up at his wife Harry asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Starved really,"
"Well, this can wait. Let's go eat," Harry stood up, set the vials on his desk, and offered Ginny his hand.
Ginny took his hand and together they followed Kreacher from the study through the kitchen and into the little breakfast area that they preferred to eat at when it was just the two of them.
The table was set with a nice rich onion soup, and a plate with roast beef and potatoes next to creamed squash. There was a small dish of lemon sorbet next to their dinner plates.
"Your dinner, Master. Will Master need anything else?" Kreacher asked.
"No, thank you Kreacher," Harry replied. He was watching Ginny who was peering at the dinner before her with the strangest look on her face. "Are you alright?"
Ginny just shook her head. Suddenly she put her hand over her mouth and ran out of the room. Harry just stared after her for a moment; stunned at what had just happened. Concerned he turned to follow her down the corridor and stopped just outside the loo. The sounds coming from inside made it clear that she wouldn't be eating dinner. At least not tonight anyway.
Knocking on the door Harry asked, "Ginny! Ginny, are you alright?"
"Fine, Harry. Just leave me alone for a bit please," she replied, slightly out of breath.
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure, Harry. Please, just leave me alone for a minute. I'll be out soon,"
Concerned over what had just happened, but not wanting to upset his wife, Harry turned and walked back down the hall. He didn't know what to do. Did she need to go to St. Mungo's? Why was she sick all of a sudden? What was wrong?
Harry was in the large sitting room and happened to glance at the large fireplace. There were glowing embers inside it. Harry absently put a log onto the embers and watched as it started to smoke before bursting into flame. Then the idea hit him. He'd ask Hermione.
Harry reached for the small jar of Floo Powder kept on the mantle and took out a pinch, and then stopped. Today was Ron and Hermione's anniversary too. No doubt they would be celebrating it the way he and Ginny should be right now. Harry stopped and thought for a moment. Who else could he talk to? Finally he decided on Mrs. Weasley. She and Ginny had always been very close with each other. She would probably know what was wrong and what to do about it.
Taking his pinch of Floo Powder, Harry tossed it into the flames and said clearly: "The Burrow!" He stuck his head into the green flames and felt the tickling sensation and the vertigo as his head appeared in the fireplace in the Burrow. The room was empty.
"Hello? Hello!" Harry called.
There was the sound of something falling in the kitchen and then Mr. Weasley came into the room and started at seeing Harry's head in the fire.
"Harry! Harry, what are you doing there?"
"Hi Mr. Weasley, its Ginny..." Harry began.
"Is she alright?" Mr. Weasley asked, his voice calm and seeming only mildly concerned.
"That's just it, I don't know," Harry answered honestly.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Weasley asked with more concern.
"Who is it, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley said as she entered the room drying her hands on the spotted apron she was wearing.
"It's Harry, he says there's something wrong with Ginny," Arthur Weasley explained.
"Ginny? Is she alright?" Mrs. Weasley wanted to know.
"I don't know Mrs. Weasley. I came home from work and she seemed very sad. We were doing an activity for our anniversary and we stopped to go eat dinner. Ginny took one look at her plate and ran for the loo."
A look of understanding came over the faces of both of Ginny's parents. Then they smiled and looked at Harry with both understanding and empathy in their eyes. "You can relax, Harry. Everything is going to be just fine. In fact..."
"Why does everybody keep telling me that?" Harry interrupted them, "Ginny says she's fine, only she doesn't act like it. Hermione knows what's going on but won't tell me what it is either. She just says it's fine and not to worry. Now you are telling me the same thing! What is it that no one wants to tell me?"
The smiles of love and understanding only deepened on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They opened their mouths to answer Harry but he only became more frustrated and withdrew his head from the fire.
Angry now, Harry stood up and stared into the flames as the green was slowly replaced by yellow and orange of a regular, normal fire. Harry stood where he was for several minutes trying to think everything through. What was going on? Why was everyone hiding this from him? Ginny is my wife! He should be allowed to know what was upsetting her so badly!
Harry knew it would do no good to talk to Ginny at the moment. He was too angry and she wouldn't be in a mood to talk anyway, not that she had been in the mood to talk much at all lately. Fed up with things being kept away from him and being the last to know, Harry went back to the coat-room and grabbed his cloak and then left the house. He stood outside and looked around the yard. Then he made up his mind and walked out the gate and down the street.
An hour later Ginny found him in the little cemetery. Harry was sitting with his back up against the headstone of his parents. She approached him quietly and stood there looking down at him. Harry had his head back resting on the stone with his eyes closed. Ginny knew he wasn't sleeping. He was waiting for her to speak first.
"I'm kind of making a mess of things, aren't I?" She asked.
Harry opened his eyes and looked at his wife of five years for a moment. Even though it was dark outside now, the moon was up and he could see her face clearly. Ginny had tears in her eyes.
"No," He said simply. He was in no mood for a fight. Not today. Of all days, he really didn't want to fight today.
"Yes I am," Ginny answered back.
Harry didn't know what to say to that. He had a lot he wanted to say. He had a lot he felt he had a right to say. But it was their anniversary, and he really didn't want the conflict.
Ginny sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Sorry for what?" Harry asked.
"Sorry for everything. I'm sorry for ruining your surprise and for ruining dinner."
"Don't worry about it." Harry answered. He was getting angry.
Sure, she was sorry about the surprise and dinner. What about everything else? Was she sorry about that? He couldn't resist, he had to know.
"What is all this about Ginny?"
"All what, Harry?" Ginny asked carefully.
"You haven't been yourself lately. You won't tell me what's wrong and neither will anyone else! I know that Hermione knows what it is that's going on but she's not saying anything. I tried talking to your parents, but they're not saying anything either. How come I don't get to know?" Harry stood up and started pacing. His hair had gotten longer and he could feel it billowing some in the wind the way his cloak did. "They all say everything is going to be alright. Well if that's the case then why don't I get to know what it is that's so wrong? Why won't you tell me? Is it that bad?"
"What do you want to know, Harry?"
"What the bloody Hell is wrong!" Harry shouted. He immediately regretted it when he noticed a tear running down her cheek.
"I'm sorry," He said, "I really don't want to fight with you. Not tonight. I'm going home."
Harry started walking towards the cemetery gates. He turned to see that Ginny was standing up.
"So I really am making a mess of things." She said.
"I just want to know what this thing is that no one seems to want me to know about." Harry sighed.
Ginny came forward and tentatively took Harry's hand. Harry, not wanting to fight any more or to make her cry more than she already had, let her. "Can we finish the memories?" Ginny asked, "Please?"
Harry looked at his wife. He couldn't place her expression. He sighed again. He was getting very frustrated and it didn't look like that was going to end any time soon. Ginny must have been thinking along the same lines as he was because her next statement seemed to be right in line with his thoughts.
"I know you're not happy with things right now, Harry," she began, "And I will tell you what it is you want to know. I'll tell you everything, all of it. Only I was having fun with those memories of yours and I want to finish that first."
"So does that mean this thing you won't talk about is that bad? Bad enough that you don't want to just come right out and tell me?" he asked.
"Please Harry; let me do this my way. I'm asking you and I know it's difficult. I'll tell you everything, I promise. I'll tell you tonight. But please, can we finish the memories first?"
Harry just looked at her and noted the fervent look in her eyes. It wasn't an expression he was used to seeing and it bothered him a little that his wife was asking him to do this in the way she was. It was like she was almost desperate to keep him from knowing just that much longer. Then a thought struck him.
"Are you sick Ginny? Like really sick? Is that it?"
Ginny smiled a little and answered, "No, my love. I'm not sick. Not really. I promise everything will be made clear. I just really want to do these memories first."
"But Ginny..." Harry started to say but she interrupted him,
"Please Harry?"
Harry watched her closely for a minute and then said, "Fine. We'll finish the memories. Let's go,"
Ginny snuggled up to him as they walked back home and a confused and worried Harry put his arm around her.
They got into the house again and Kreacher met them. "Is Master and Misses ready to eat?"
"Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Maybe the lemon dessert," She answered tentatively.
Kreacher bowed to them, his bat like ears quivering and his nose just missing the floor. "Yes, Misses."
They removed their cloaks and went back into the study. Harry and Ginny sat down in the chairs next to the Pensieve. Kreacher came back in with two fresh bowls of Lemon Sorbet and they took a few minutes to enjoy it in companionable silence. Then when they were finished they set the bowls to one side and Harry picked up the vial with the red stopper again.
"Are you ready?" He asked his wife.
"Yes," Ginny replied with a shy smile. Harry knew she was trying to make things up to him and he let her. He just hoped that whatever it was that she wasn't telling him was worth all of this headache.
The stopper was removed from the vial and its contents poured into the Pensieve. After stirring it around a bit they plunged their faces in, and entered the next memory.
This time it was somewhere vastly different than their home or wedding. It was a large Quidditch pitch and there were hundreds of fans everywhere. The colors of the robes and cloaks present would span across the rainbow many times over. The yelling and cheering of the fans was loud. Harry saw himself down in the front row of a reserved stand. The particular stand he was in was the one reserved by the Hollyhead Harpies for their guests and families.
Like the other fans Harry was on his feet cheering loudly. In the air above the fans was the team, all on their brooms. It was what would be the final part of a long and hard played match. The last match of the season, and the one that named the championship team.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, "What is this?"
"Do you recognize it?" Harry asked with a smile.
The two went down to sit in the seats just behind the one Harry was using in the memory.
"Yes! It was the final match in my second season with the Harpies." Ginny said happily. They settled down to watch the match together.
The family box that Harry had been sitting in was one of the few in the stadium that wasn't completely packed with cheering fans. The couple managed to sit down and watch the five-years-younger-Harry and the match both together.
It was towards the end of the match. The Harpies were down by one-hundred and fifty points against the Venezuelan Vampires. The Vampires had the Quaffle and were hurtling straight down the middle of the pitch at breakneck speed. Their lead Chaser was flanked closely by the Beaters. Both Bludgers had been hit towards the speeding trio only to be effortlessly batted away. It was a clear shot towards the goals.
That was when one of the Harpies came in a sudden dive out of the sky and knocked the Quaffle from the hands of the Vampire chaser, scattering the trio. It was Ginny. With lightning reflexes she caught the Quaffle and then ducked low over her broom, a Firebolt II, and made a quick and blindingly fast beeline for the Vampire's goal. With a hard feint to the right, Ginny through the Quaffle straight through the left most hoop, scoring ten points. The roar of the crowd was deafening.
Ginny spiraled up higher into the air and did a couple loops to let off her excitement.
"That was ten points to the Harpies, scored by Ginny Potter!" came the elated announcement from the game-caller.
"Well done!" The memory Harry was yelling, his voice horse.
Ginny leaned in close to her husband as they observed the memory unfolding in front of them, "Your poor voice. You shouted and yelled so much that you couldn't speak for three days."
"I remember, especially after..."
And at that moment the roar of the crowd increased ten fold. The Harpies Seeker had just caught the Golden Snitch. The game was over. The Harpies had won; four-hundred and fifty to four-hundred and forty points. The crowd in the stands erupted in excited and gleeful chaos. It was some time before any thing but the loudest yells could be heard when one person was speaking to another, such was the noise.
Harry and Ginny sat next to each other reliving the moment with Harry and the rest of the people in the reserved box. Then the memory Harry stood up and started to leave the stands. He was followed by the two observing him as he made his way down the steps and over to the Harpies dressing room where he sat down quietly on a bench outside and waited.
When the team came in from the pitch to get dressed, a very excited and happy Ginny ran forward and jumped into Harry's waiting arms. She kissed him long and hard full of exuberance and passion. There were some whistles from some of the team, which made the Ginny who was reliving the memory blush. She blushed even more when she saw Harry watching her.
"Well," Ginny said with a grin, "I was excited, what did you expect?"
Harry grinned back, "I'm not complaining,"
The ladies went into the tent to change. Outside, Harry was joined by other family members and guests who were waiting for the team to exit. There would be a quick interview with reporters and then the team would be dismissed for the night.
Later, after the interview and on their way out to the field where the players and fans could disapparate to their various destinations, Harry and Ginny were walking hand in hand. They were greeted in the field by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina, Percy and Penelope, and lastly Charlie.
"SURPRISE!" They all shouted together.
Ginny stood in stunned silence. Then she turned to Harry, "Did you know about this?"
Harry only shrugged, his voice gone.
The older Ginny turned to her husband who was standing there observing with her and asked again, "Did you know about that? You never told me."
"Yeah, I knew they would be there. Everyone except Charlie. His showing up surprised me."
"Where were Bill and Fleur anyway?"
"I believe they were on vacation in the Orient somewhere. In China I think," Harry said trying to remember, "That jade dragon Fleur brought us was something else,"
"I know you really liked it, since it's in the study," Ginny replied coyly.
"Well, I thought it was really neat. I've never seen a statue that changes position in correlation with the mood of the one closest to it. I've never even heard of something like that,"
Harry and Ginny continued to watch their younger selves and family as they all gathered together and spent a few minutes talking.
"Ginny, you didn't think we would miss your last match did you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"That was some move stealing the Quaffle like that!" Enthused Ron.
"Bloody brilliant!" Charlie agreed enthusiastically.
The group all apparated to the Leaky Cauldron where they ate a late dinner. The older Ginny gave a start when she entered the Cauldron again and saw Draco Malfoy sitting alone in a dark corner.
"I don't remember Malfoy being there!" Ginny exclaimed.
"It surprised me too," Harry said as they watched Draco stand up and quietly make his exit. He nodded at the younger Harry, who nodded back.
"That was right after the trail wasn't it?"
Harry sighed, "Yes, it was. I did what I said I would, I stood and gave testimony about the Malfoy's in front of the Wizengamot. It wasn't pleasant but I did what I could. It still wasn't enough to safe old Lucius from Azkaban."
"It got him a reduced sentence and that was more than he deserved!" Ginny said furiously.
"I didn't know you were that upset about it," Harry observed.
"Those Death Eaters should go rot, all of them!"
Harry knew why Ginny felt the way he did. He didn't blame her, not after everything that she'd been through. She still had nightmares from her time as a captive of Atticus Lestrange and his group of Death Eaters. He decided to change the subject.
"It was nice of everyone to come out and surprise you like that," Harry remarked casually.
"Yes, it was. I know that Ron and Dad were working late at that time. I'm glad they made it." Ginny seemed thoughtful for a moment; then said, "You weren't late coming home, but Hermione said he had been getting home quite late some evenings. I wonder what was going on..."
"He was helping George in the joke shop. I guess business has really been picking up. Ron likes it there. I think it helps him relax to be there."
"Well, we can't all have gardens to work on." Ginny said.
"True, Ron doesn't like working in the garden much."
"But you seem to enjoy it," Ginny observed.
"It's peaceful out there, and I like that."
They sat together hand in hand and watched the party go on long into the night. Harry, whose voice was entirely lost, kept drinking hot tea and cold butterbeer respectively. Ron ate enough to feed three people, much to Hermione's disdain. George told a lot of jokes and had the entire floor laughing and cheering.
There was a sense of family, a sense of joy. It was a pleasant, happy night. Then, as all good times do, it was time for it to end. One by one people stood up and made their way out. Everyone called out some form of congratulations or wishes for a nice break. Finally it was just Harry and Ginny sitting next to the fire and staring into each other's eyes. That was when the memory ended and the older Harry and Ginny returned to the study in Godric's Hollow.