Hello! I am alive! I've been on a small vacation, and am back!
Here's chapter 49 - only one more to go hehehe
Enjoy it :D
49 May 15 and 16 1998
Sunday morning found Harry sleepily hanging in the living room with Draco. They were playing chess put not really putting any effort into the game.
Yesterday had been hell; there had been an attack on five wizard families, the Order had gone out to help, ten people had been killed by Death eaters and Voldemort, several Order members had been severely injured and Harry had a feeling that the grand finale was around the corner and it scared him senseless.
So, he had taken Draco for some chill out time, but it really didn't work out that well since neither of them felt at ease.
"How do they do it?" asked the blonde and moved a chess piece.
"Who?"
"Well, everyone else, really… how do they stay happy?"
Harry had no answer so he shrugged.
"I mean, look at our godfather and Jennie", Draco went on and waved a hand in the air.
"I don't think they count; they are totally weird", grinned Harry and Draco cackled.
"I heard that Ginny walked in on them in the kitchen this morning."
"What?! That so not-"
"True, thank you very much!" said Jennie as she jumped inside the room with a tray of juice and scones with Sirius behind her. The two adults looked amused.
"So, you did not… well... do it in the kitchen?" drawled Draco and Jennie snorted.
"Of course not! We may have started in the kitchen, though", giggled the blonde woman and Sirius grinned sheepishly and stole a glass of juice.
"Either way, the secret is knowing that no matter how fucked up the world is, you always have something that's lighting the day up", he said and downed the entire glass in one gulp. "Ah darling this was vanishing delicious, can I have more?"
"Help yourself, I'm not your maid", replied Jennie and pointed at the pitcher on the table.
"Y'know, I could fix that; by you a nice black and white outfit and a feather-duster", the grey eyed wizard went on as he helped himself to more juice.
Draco snorted, and Jennie growled.
"Don't count on it; I'm not into role-play when I can have the real you silly."
"You're so sweet."
"Nah, I'm sexy as hell! But, I think we're embarrassing the kids", laughed Jennie.
Harry grinned at Draco.
"This is what I mean when I say weird!"
"Hey! Unfair!" howled the adults in chorus.
Draco grinned.
"I see your point. Hey, can you show me that small brick like thing again? The once you can call and write with?"
"Oh my cell? Sure, but it's in my room…" said Harry and blushed a little at the thought of having Draco in his room alone.
"Don't mind us, kids, we'll just stay here", giggled Jennie and busied herself with eating scones while Sirius pinched her side and grinned.
"Now, don't embarrass them, you go on guys, have fun."
"Bye godfather", said Draco and waved.
"Bye mini blonde. Harry, dinner at six okay?"
"Okay Sirius, bye Jennie."
Harry waited until the where outside the room before he took Draco's hand – he still felt a little embarrassed about public affection – and took him upstairs to his room.
####
Jennie swallowed the last drops of juice and grinned at the wizard who sat at the other end of the couch and amused himself by massaging her bare feet.
"You know, I honestly think they are a little… how to put it… too cute", she said and Sirius chuckled while pressing down just right above her right toe.
"Hm, I get your point, but then again, haven't we all been like that?"
"True", she mused and crawled over to hug him. "I like what you said about having something that lights life up", she went on and kissed his cheek before placing her head on his chest.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked and wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't know… I want things to be normal. Well, as normal as they can be; I want the kids to be able to be truly happy without having to watch their backs", she mumbled and nuzzled into him.
"Soon, soon things will be normal and happy", he mumbled and kissed her hair while his hands traveled up and down her back.
They stayed on the couch for an hour, not talking, simply being, before they slipped down to the kitchen and argued about what to make for dinner. It felt good to jokingly snap about trivial things.
"You're weird! I refuse to eats peas witch lemons!" laughed Jennie and put the bag of peas back in the freezer.
"But I like lemon!"
"I'll make you some cold lemon sauce then, but no peas!"
"Oh alright! But then I want a kiss!"
"You're so silly!"
####
Monday called for a meeting; Jennie whirled around and tried to fix seats for everyone, Sirius went around the kitchen making small appetizers, Narcissa set the table and Lucius had come out from his fool mood and was actually talking with them.
Harry watched the small chaos with amusement.
"Jennie, you know that everyone can just conjure a chair from thin air?" he called her from his place in the corner with Draco.
"I know that! I have to do something though, and it's easier if everything can begin as soon as possible!" replied his blonde guardian happily and flashed him a smile as she whirled around some more.
"Harry darling, tell me quick; are you in love or just fooling around?" she said seconds later and grinned at them.
"Jennie!"
"What?" she laughed and blew him a kiss and Harry grinned sheepishly at Draco.
"Ignore her…." He muttered and the blonde smirked.
Harry actually didn't know the answer to Jennie's question; if only knew that h had always observed the blonde boy, and the week when Draco and his parents had joined them had been a whirlwind of weirdness.
He saw Draco coming from the shared showers with a towel wrapped around his waist… He heard Draco laugh and talk about clothes and shoes with Ginny… He watched the blonde help his mother with her hairdo and noticed how nimble Draco's fingers were… He bumped into the other boy in the kitchen and Draco caught him from falling and the blonde had very soft hands and kind eyes… They met in the living room one night and confessed being scared… They shared a smile as Ron and Hermione bickered over something silly… Their hands touched when they helped making dinner, and Harry's skin stung… They shared a kiss in the darkness one night when they yet again were unable to sleep…
Harry was sure of one thing, however: the blonde attracted him physically, and he was kind minded. But still, he wasn't in love, he just liked Draco for being Draco.
####
Jennie snorted as she listened to Albus who, for the fifth time in ten minutes, talked about what they absolutely could and could not do when the great battle happened.
"… not be alone, Harry… always have love… people around you… better know when everyone knows… shared responsibility… not alone…"
"Excuse me Albus, but I think we get it by now", she said softly when she felt Sirius sink even lower on his chair in pure boredom.
Sure, battle was serious, and no one took it lightly, but it was a tad bit annoying to hear the same things over and over again; it wasn't as it they hadn't already talked about this several other times.
The white haired wizard smiled at her.
"My apologies… I simply wish for everyone to know."
"Albus, everyone do know already; you've done a great job in talking", Jennie said kindly.
She suspected that Albus had been dragged into an emotional whirlwind, and she also thought that he had no idea how to stop it. He was, after all, pretty old.
"I have a suggestion", said Harry softly and blushed when everyone turned to him – the boy still wasn't used to attention and Jennie found it adorable.
"We could make a diversion; lure snake face and the snake babies away from as many people as possible, so that we are the only ones that get blown up… sort of, and if we split up beforehand we can make it seem like there are few of us and give the dark guys a false sense of security."
Jennie whooped happily.
"I'm in!"
"Me too", said Sirius and winked at Harry, Jennie rolled her eyes at her oversized baby dog and he simply grinner wider.
"What? It's a damn good idea!"
"And you had nothing to do with it?" she drawled out.
"I'm hurt love, hurt! How can you think that?"
"It's easy", she grinned and Sirius scoffed and pinched her thigh under the table, she growled at him and swatted the annoying hand away.
"Okay, a diversion it is! Who's up?" called Sirius and grinned madly.
In the end it was decided that Jennie and Remus would lead the diversion group. Now, the remaining hours of peace where a thing to treasure.