Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by the brilliant mind that is J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers

Chapter 51

Ky's POV

My back hit wood momentarily before I was thrown backwards onto something soft. Bed? Whose?

I didn't have time to glance around as Harry was on me in moments, and his skilful hands worked the curiosity out of me with each tantalizing touch, I could have been on a volcano for all I cared, as long as he doesn't stop what he was doing with that tongue.

"HARRY?"

"Somebody is-"

He shook his head profusely and captured my mouth, his right hand aiming for my left breast and I laughed into him at the act, recalling what Madam Zanagara had said. I felt a wad of some sort of fabric poking uncomfortable at the small of my back and I wriggled my arm underneath me to get rid of it.

"No bra?" He moaned and I lowered my other hand to his jeans.

"Measured my nipples." I gasped as he moaned in affirmation; he obviously didn't comprehend what I was saying, which begs the question why I was even talking in the first place.

"HARRY!"

"Fuck!" He snapped, ceasing his ministrations...moments ticked by until he straightened off me. "COMING!" He shouted out the window where the voice was coming from.

"Already? Just from making out. I should get a trophy." I smiled as he pulled me to my feet.

"The way you look in that dress love, you should get a whole fucking holiday declared in your name."

I laughed, hiding the blush that his words evoked sounding all the more arousing in the low pitch he used when we were being intimate, "I'm happy it meets your approval Mr Potter."

He pulled me to him crushing my lips against his, "It would meet my approval much better on the floor."

"HARRY!"

"I better leave before Ron has a nervous breakdown."

"It's separation anxiety from his quaffle." I kicked the red ball to him and he picked it up.

"I have separation anxiety from you."

"Godric Harry one more clichéd response and I'm going to-"

"You're going to what?" He pulled me to him roughly and I gasped, "Go on Thornton, you're going to what?"

"HARRY!"

"I'll kill your best friend." I giggled.

"HARRY!"

"At this point, I'll help you." He pecked me on the forehead, "I SAID I'M COMING." He glanced at me one more time before he straddled his broom and jumped out the window.

"Er... Ky?"

I turned around to find Charlie looking curiously at me, breathing heavy from his run up here, "You need something?"

"No." I shrugged. What was Charlie doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be down at the orchard? "Do you need something?"

"Err... yeah... the spare quaffle, we lost one... er... why do you have my underpants in your hand."

I looked down at my left hand and dropped the wad of material with a gasp, now we know whose bed it was... "I...er...I...you smell smoke? I smell smoke? I think something's burning."

"Yeah..." He nodded, running a hand through his red locks as he walked into the room, still frowning in confusion just as I backed my way out of it.

"Let's hope it's not an escaped dragon!" I added lamely and he raised his brows.

"Yeah..."

I turned on my heel and ran down the stairs. Escaped dragon? Now he probably thinks I'm both mentally challenged and some kind of sex fiend. Ugh. I don't care about Ginny's feeling anymore, Harry and I have to become public knowledge. I'd rather be the girl that stole her boyfriend than the girl that stole her brother's underpants!

Ugh! I have to stop thinking that way! Why was I even! I DID NOT steal Harry away from her! He was my boyfriend first until he...memories of his last birthday flashed before my eyes and I shook my head to clear it... in the past. It was in the past. All in the past.

I reached the kitchen and walked straight for the oven I had been using. It had been the smallest of the three working one's at the Burrow, and I used the word working very loosely considering one of the ovens had a broken heating charm and the other couldn't work without smoking.

I pulled out the treacle tart just as it reached a golden brown colour and left it on the counter to cool. I should probably see what was burning, harder to do because the smoke could just be from the smoking oven but its smoke never had a burning smell to it, Mrs Weasley put a spell on it that somehow blocked that smell so she wouldn't be confused when something was actually burning... oh Godric listen to me. I have obviously spent too much time in the kitchen this past week. How? Oh yeah, Mi and her "I want to send Teddy every kind of pie in the world because sugar is a banned substance at my house."

I bent down to the first oven to see what was burning. Why did I have to run out of the fitting, if I didn't I wouldn't feel like I was responsible to find out just what was burning. Then again... I could just leave and pretend that I saw nothing.

"Agnes."

I straightened up and turned, probably not my best decision considering I was currently wearing towering heels. I grabbed the oven handle on my right to steady myself but that was again not my smartest decision as I wasn't wearing oven mitts and I remember Mrs Weasley saying that the oven with the heating charm problem should always be handled with oven mitts.

"Ahh." I yelped, pulling my hand away from the fires of Hell itself and shaking it profusely.

Too occupied with the piercing pain in my palm I didn't realise that some force had directed me to the opened tap and I blinked, letting the tears that sprung up involuntarily roll down my cheeks which cleared my previously blurred vision. Long fingers held my open palm under the water, a pale index finger prodding the wound slowly and I pulled my hand to me protectively at the pain it induced.

"Cease this infantile behaviour; I need to check how deep the burn spreads. Hand."

I glared at his hooked nose, annoyed at the truth he spoke and let him have my hand back. I bit my lip as he continued prodding the charred skin. His onyx eyes looked away from my palm. "You'd live."

I wrenched my hand back, the happiness at his presence disappearing with the embarrassment at my reaction and annoyance at his mocking tone. His dark orbs melted slightly at my expression and he turned to the tap, closing it.

"I don't know what you expect wearing shoes so abysmally unpractical."

I flexed my right palm which I had been holding tenderly in my left hand, the feeling somewhat soothing as he begun rummaging through Mrs Weasley's cupboards. I knew he was upset with me, after the stunt I pulled trapping Jack Corner, apparently angry enough to not say goodbye when I left for Easter Break.

He turned back to me, a few bottles in his hand, with a mortar and pestle floating behind him. He laid them all down on the counter, working silently at making the concoction. I looked at the ingredients and frowned, walking towards him, "You're not using dittany?"

He glanced backwards, taking in my expression and then turned back to his brewing, "Crushed leaves are necessary if the wound is severe, contrary to your dramatic reaction," My nose flared and I watched the corners of his lips twitch, "You don't need such a concentrated amount." He picked up a small vial, light green in colour, "Essence of dittany. Very dilute." I watched as he added it to the mortar and begun crushing it into a paste. I turned around, leaning against the counter for support.

We stood in silence for moments, I felt my hair tickle my cheek as it danced in the open window's breeze, and I glanced out of it, at the little dots in the distance that were Harry, Ron and the rest of the boys. I could still hear voices floating down from upstairs, some louder than others.

"Something is burning." I straightened up at his voice. Yes... something was burning, wasn't it?

I crossed over to where the ovens were, flexing my palm the whole time and leaned down to look into the first one again, it was Mrs Weasley's roast lamb in the smoking oven... I batted some of the smoke away and went closer to the oven door; it didn't look like it was burning.

I looked to the second one slightly scowling as this had been the oven that attacked me, which held Agnes' chicken, which was practically pink at the top so it couldn't be that. But wait, this was giving off smoke? Was this the one that gave of smoke and the other the heating problem? But that doesn't make sense because I grabbed this one... or was it that one?

"Hand." I straightened up and held my hand out to the side still deep in thought, my skin tickled at the cool paste and I watched as he applied it cautiously, "It's the chicken."

"No, it's definitely not the chicken. The chicken isn't even cooked." He cocked a brow up and walked to the counter. He left the bowl of paste down and grabbed the oven mitts. Whatever annoyance I had at his behaviour left me at the image of Sev with oven mitts but I didn't dare laugh as he crossed the oven and opened it with one swoop, clouds of black billowed out.

I crouched down as he flicked his wand and the smoke disappeared, with a second flick the hovering chicken turned over, the underneath was sizzling and completely black. "But... the other side doesn't even look cooked."

He sighed, flicking his wand again as the chicken floated out of the oven, "Tray."

I crossed to the cupboard and got one and watched as the half burned half uncooked chicken lowered into the tray. Sev stared into the oven for a second, then began casting spells. Most I haven't even heard of before. He straightened up and closed the oven door, gesturing for me to place the chicken down.

"The heating charms at the top half of the stove were waning, the bottom ones were still compliant but set at a much too high temperature, hence it burned at the bottom. Knife."

I grabbed the knife from its holder and passed it to him, surprised that he worked so well in the kitchen. Mrs Weasley had been asking the guys to look at the oven the whole week and nobody knew how to fix it, he turned around to face me fully, his brows high on his forehead.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"This is a bread knife."

I looked at the knife I handed him and shrugged, "And?"

He shook his head, "I need a knife to cut chicken." He shook his head again and crossed to the knife rack, "Dress like that all you want and you'll get a husband but fail to cook and you will never keep one."

I half laughed and half gasped, seriously? That came from his mouth. He walked back with a much smaller knife in his hand, "This, young lady is a boning knife, a wide one to be specific. You might have seen one at school sometime; it's that thing you use to pick your teeth."

I rolled my eyes, it happened once, would he and Mi just let it go.

"Pay attention, I'm going to teach you something and Salazar knows you need the lesson." He cut a slit above the right wing and pulled up the skin, pulling it off like a fatty blanket. "Luckily only the skin burned and just a bit of the back," The knife slid around the bird fluidly and soon he was done. I could see where it burned and he quickly removed the flesh from there. He then began chopping the bird up.

"What are you doing?" I looked behind me in fear but it seemed everyone was still preoccupied with the French Revolution up there. Another thing I learned was women were very possessive about their food, nothing should be tampered with! Some best friends don't speak to you for hours if you MISTAKELY pass them salt instead of sugar when they're baking pies for their boyfriend. HOURS.

He stopped cutting for a moment to give me an exasperated look, "You can hardly serve a whole chicken with a gaping hole in the back. Honey."

I stepped back in shock and cocked my head to the side in confusion. Honey?

He turned to me, "Honey. I need honey."

"Oh." I laughed to myself and twirled around opening up random cupboards until I found the right one. By the time I got back he was done with his cutting. He poured some lemon juice into the bowl, nodding for me to do the same with the honey, I tentatively followed, afraid to be heavy handed with the mixture.

He mixed it together, poured it over the chicken, added black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and popped it into the oven and turned back to me, "What?"

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"Your face is saying something Bane. Do elaborate."

"Well... it's just... weird to see you cooking."

"Because I'm a man."

"No, because you're you." I laughed, "It's like me..." My eyebrows crinkled in thought.

"Making a right decision." I scowled at him and his lips twitched, "Being mature. Constructively contributing to a conversation. Thinking rationally and acting respon-"

"Haha you're hilarious." I growled, swatting him with the dish towel.

"Did you... you just sting me?" I shrugged, grabbing the bowls with my left hand and leaving it in the sink. I gasped, letting the dishes fall into the sink with a clatter when I felt a light sting on my left arm.

"You just stung me?" My eyes popped open in surprise.

"Yes Bane. I did. And if you would look carefully," He re-enacted the stinging with the dish towel and let it hit my arm again, "This is the correct way to sting a person. Not whatever you did back there. It's like I have to teach you absolutely everything."

"Well I'm sorry, I wasn't raised to attack people with kitchen accessories."

"Bane, you weren't raised to even know what kitchen accessories even are."

I scoffed, "I happen to know a lot about the kitchen."

He laughed and my scoff turned into a smile, "I will give a hundred points to Gryffindor if you can label ten chosen things in this kitchen appropriately."

"You are so on!"

He laughed, grabbing something from the rack nearest him. "This should be easy. Name it."

I gulped looking at the thingy you flip eggs with. He laughed throwing it into the sink, "Hundred points to Slytherin."

"Nobody said anything about Slytherin getting points!"

"How does one go all their life not knowing what a spatula is?" He laughed, tossing the dish towel on his shoulder as he set the dishes to wash.

"That sounds like some kind of wart under a troll's foot. That thing is not called a spatula. I want a second opinion."

"Why? It isn't like you'd listen to it anyway." The laughter died at his offhand response, I gulped and stepped back, his face transformed into its usual sombre cage with ease and I turned to the sink. With that little remark he managed to switch from mischievous to morose.

"The chicken should be done in thirty minutes."

I turned, watching his cloak swish as he walked to the door, "I'm sorry OK? I made a mistake. I was just trying to-"

"I KNOW what you WERE JUST trying to do Bane! You think your grandfather makes those calls to be a bad person. You think it didn't hurt him making those kinds of decision." That was fast, he was probably biting that back the whole time.

I stepped forward, "I just wanted-"

"ENOUGH with what you wanted. THIS is not about what you WANT. OR what I WANT. OR what anybody WANTS. You NEED to start listening. You NEED to stop acting like a dumb little Gryffindor and act like the smart young lady that you were raised to be. You NEED to realise that your life is not collateral damage. It is NOT to be put at risk and least of all in situation that was both IMMATURE and UNNECESSARY."

I looked down at my palms, one smeared with the orange paste and the other sitting dull next to it, "I'm sorry."

"I don't want you sorry Bane. I want you alive. And breathing. Why do your actions always contest that! I want you to listen when your grandfather, Linus, Minerva, I or Len speak."

I nodded, keeping my head down and walking towards the exit. I was tired of his expectations. I don't think I can ever meet them so why did I even try? There was no justification in their eyes. It was fine for them to go out there, risk their lives everyday whilst I was holed up in the castle contributing in no way whatsoever.

"Wait."

"I'm going to get Nessie, weren't you here to see her."

"That can wait." I turned, when did Order business ever take the back seat?

"What could possibly be important enough to deter Order business? This War is ever so important it leaves people with the inability to pen a letter and waltzing off to-"

"Don't be bitter Bane."

"OFCOURSE I AM BITTER!" I shouted stepping forward with my arms spread, "It's nice for everyone else who gets to leave, but I'm the one that's CONSTANTLY left behind. EVERYTHING has been horrible this year."

My lower lip trembled and I broke contact with his onyx eyes and looked out the window, embarrassed by the admittance. I felt more alone in these past few months than I had before I even came to Hogwarts. Linus, Len, Nonno, Sev, Vez were constantly away on Order business. Harry, Mi and Ron were busy with Ginny, Teddy and Bobby and there were even parts that I felt like they were avoiding me...

I ducked my head into the palm of my hands as my shoulders trembled. Fuck. This was why I needed Harry, why I could forgive him for cheating, for lying. It was too hard to hold all of this plus that anger in and I just wanted to not feel alone. Not feel like everyone was just disappearing. Like I could actually hold onto one thing I love.

I felt fingers on my shoulder and I turned away from him, my sobs stifled by my hand. Through all of that... there was Silvain. Silvain who saw my unhappiness, who made an effort to curb my loneliness, who would take on shifts just so he could visit. Silvain who was dead. Gone.

"Bane..."

I wiped my face coarsely, realising only afterwards that I had the burn paste on my palm and somehow the ludicrousness of me rubbing orange paste all over my face just made me cry harder.

I felt fingers by my elbow and before I could even think of shrugging it off he pulled me to his chest, patting my head into his black cotton shirt as I felt his chest sink as he inhaled deeply. We were silent, his customary choice of noise and my tears stemmed quickly.

"You and Potter are together again."

I pulled away from him shocked and he let me go. He glanced at the treacle tart cooling on the counter and I licked my lips. Why say that? What did that have to do with the nervous breakdown I was currently engaged in?

"If being with him makes you feel like this, I want you to-"

"This isn't about Harry!" I snapped. Was he not listening? "This is about-"

"No, this is NOT about that." He stepped forward, holding out a hankie for me, "I know you Bane. Better than you think. Yes, you obviously worry about your family, it is expected. But you are not a petty, bitter child. You're angry at this war, everyone is angry at this war. But you know the importance of your family's participation. You are a Dumbledore and I know and I am TERRIFIED at the day that you will join this fight because I fear that it gets closer and closer and I know, Salazar I know there is no way to prevent that. So I know you understand why your brothers, why I, your grandfather, why we all do what we do because YOU would do the exact same-"

"It frightens me-"

"This is not what frightens you Bane. You are afraid, yes, I do see that. Yet, your fear is not for this War. You fear Potter-"

"I DO NOT FEAR HARRY!" I gasped, preposterous.

"Not him as person but the hold he has on you. I can see it in your eyes right now Bane. I don't know what that little bastard did to you but he broke you at the beginning of this year and he waltzed around with the Weasley girl not weeks ago and after all that rubbish you take him BACK!"

He banged his hand on the counter next to him, "You're frightened because his corrupted your mind and made you doubt yourself and turn on your decisions and you're frightened because you don't want to feel like THAT again and he will do that. He will HURT you again. It's what HE does. He is not the kind of- don't walk away from me Bane!"

I pushed his hand off me, I wasn't going to stand here and have Harry's character torn asunder. Sev didn't understand.

He cheated on you.

That was a mistake.

And Ginny?

"Bane?"

"You don't understand!" I snapped, shutting him and the nagging voice in my head up. "I LOVE HIM!"

"PLEASE don't." My eyes grew wide as his words choked and we both stood motionless at the painful sound. His face was contorted with sadness and my heart groaned...

"Why do you hate him...?" I shook my head, "Why must you hate him! He isn't his father-"

"THIS is not about James Potter. Yes, I disliked the boy unfairly based on the prat that was his father but I cannot forgive him. He is doing the ONE thing that is absolutely unacceptable, he hurt you-"

"He MADE a MISTAKE-"

"NO! Whatever he did it was NOT a mistake. He did it because he knows you will forgive him! YOU will forgive him anything-"

"I'm not an idiot!" I screeched.

"BUT YOU ARE IN LOVE!" He shouted back, "YOU LOVE THAT DAMNED BOY AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOU WILL FOLLOW HIM!" I stepped back as Sev's presence pushed me against the door, "You will sacrifice and hurt and follow him wherever he goes and I DON'T want you to. I DON'T want you to feel-"

He stopped as if silenced by magic... he took a deep breath that wafted over my face and slowly he straightened up.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, his lips pressed tight together as he turned on his heel.

"I love her."

I felt his presence before I heard the door click shut behind him, his shirt was drenched with sweat and from the noise in the living room the boys just got back, he still had his broom on his shoulder. He stepped forward as Sev slowly turned back. "Whatever happened before... Sna... Professor Snape, I WILL never hurt Ky. She may follow me in what may come but I will be following her just as much because I will never be able to do this without her. None of it. You have such a high opinion of genetics, of inheritance, you've always held me by the same light you held my father and whatever that light maybe I don't care to discuss it right now but on the same accord... never forget that I am not just Jame's Potter's son. I am Lily Potter's son too." Sev's eyes dilated, angry at being spoken to but he needed to listen. "I didn't know my mother... I didn't have the privilege but I know one thing. She wasn't afraid to die protecting the people she loved." He glanced at me and then back at Sev, "I'm the same way."

His hands found mine and my heart calmed at his touch, Sev looked down at the motion and his eyes flicked up again. He reached into his pocket and I felt Harry tense but he drew out a small bottle and something that twinkled in the sunlight. He laid them both down on the counter and without another word he turned to fireplace.

"Sev..." I ran forward but in a blink and a flash of green flames he was gone.

Harry's fingers found my shoulders and he pulled me to his chest, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, the notion jostling my hair and massaging my head in a pleasant way after the headache that was these last few minutes, "It's OK." I suddenly felt exhausted and I let myself fall deeper into Harry's hold.

"Ky?" I slowly turned, Nessie hovered at the door, "Madam Zangara is leaving, she needs the dress back just to sort out a few things." She walked out quickly and I nodded slowly, walking after her. I felt Harry's fingers around my wrist stopping me.

He was holding the twinkling object in his palm, when I looked down I noticed it immediately. It was a tiny locket, with two crossed swords in the front with French engravings around it. Selina. He held it out for me as I took it, he picked up the bottle and I recognised that it was replenished stock of the tonic I took for my visions. I had been running low.

"I don't hate him." Harry looked down at the bottle and sighed, "It's hard to hate someone when you mutually love someone to the extent that we do." He sighed again, "I'm sorry."

"What for."

His eyes held mine, "Everything." He pulled me to him and pecked the side of my forehead, "I meant every word though."

"Me too."

I walked out of the kitchen and I didn't have to look behind to know that Harry followed me. I knew Sev was just worried; even Linus and Len were not entirely comfortable with me dating the 'Chosen One.' But he was right about one thing. I was frightened. I had just jumped in and Harry and I were so blinded by happiness at being together that we both didn't want to bring it up. To spoil the honeymoon phase just yet.

I felt him unzip me and my hair stood up as his lips met the side of my neck, his nose nuzzled it and he wrapped his arms around me. How could this ever be wrong? This feeling.

I loved Harry.

And he loved me.

Sev just didn't understand and wasn't prepared to force feed the notion down his throat right now. I gazed forward through Ron's window as the sunset, bathing in its lasts glows that were that much warmer with the emotions that enveloped me as Harry held me, and I felt all the honesty in his words shiver over my skin...and rid me of all the doubt and fears...

Reviews? Please?

Kalina