Author's Note:
For those of you who celebrate Easter — I wish everyone a very happy holiday weekend!
Reviews and Comments: To briana_t: Yes, the cat is definitely out of the bag now. Harry has a lot to deal with that's for sure. Thank you! To AQuickRead91: LOL, I suppose that was a lot of emotional damage for first thing in the morning (sorry not sorry lol). Harry will need a stiff drink for sure. Well, old lady Black technically, not Malfoy, as she's Narcissa's mother, but yes. Thank you! To MABK_Potter_Fan aka A Huge Fan: It is a lot of feels! Thank you very much for saying it's "really well written." It's fun to write Sirius from this new and old angle. Thank you very much! To corneliastreet_28: Thank you for saying this chapter was everything you wanted and more. Yes, the moment Harry finds Zee's body was bound to be very emotional for all involved. Thank you for claiming I wrote it perfectly. We'll see much more of his reaction in this chapter here. Harry definitely is beyond shocked over Sirius being back and yes, I think a meltdown is in order for our boy. Thank you! To shuweet: You hope Sirius dies again? I understand why you think so. Thank you! To Masonjar191: Thank you very much for saying "the way you have written this world is incredible." That means so much to me! Thank you! To MotherofKatie: Thank you very much for saying the "new edge you've found is amazing." Problem solving mode is definitely going to be a big part of all of this for Harry. Thank you!
To SiriusLover93: Yes, messing with Harry's mind like this will be hard on him. You think Hermione will figure everything out? I'm glad you no longer hate me, but I do understand the anger lol. Thank you! To katelyn453: Yes, Harry was in shock. He didn't know how to react at all. Thank you! To appleblossomovic: Yes, TTTC is definitely a heart hurting kind of story. The Bellas and Crouch definitely deserve to die. Thank you very much! To Mrs_Norway: It was very horrible for Harry! He has a lot to deal with now. Thank you very much! To ThuisOO1: I agree, them showing up did play their hand a bit, but showcasing Sirius being back, that shock factor, they were too eager to see it to care. Harry is shocked and confused and grieving Zee. Thank you! To abhinav_india_17: No, definitely not! It was why I had Sirius refuse, Crouch is disgusting! Thank you for the warm welcome back! To Minerva_Mcgee: An ocean of tears is warranted I think. Thank you! To Endinium: No breaks for Harry just yet. He has a lot coming. Thank you! To Read and Fly: Sorry to have made you cry, but thank you! You think Zee should visit Harry like Sirius did? Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: It was very sad! This chapter is sadder I'm afraid. As to Sirius, we will have to wait and see what happens to his memories. Thank you! To Zarathos Morgenstern: We will see how many of your predictions come true. Thank you! To mike3308: It would be a tragedy if Sirius killed Harry. Thank you! To Dtjordan: Thank you very much! I don't know exactly how long this well be yet, but I think somewhere between 30-40 chapters (50 max). Thank you! To Hanacide: I know, poor Harry is very heartbroken! Thank you!
To Lily luna: He did lose both of his parents! As to Sirius realizing who Harry is, we will have to see. Thank you! To Nightwing2013: I know, the moment Ron got the shovel was hard because we all knew what he would find. Harry will be telling Sorcha, Colt, Flo, and Ginny this chapter. Thank you! To ITHersey: I will take you having no words, thank you! Thank you for saying I do such "a good job of making us feel the anguish, confusion, anger, and grief" that Harry is feeling. Yes, Sirius did say the thing lol. Thank you! To AnonymousHufflepuffWriter: Thank you very much! It's nice to be back and appreciated! To Shivani: Sorry reading the chapter was so painful (this one is definitely very emotional so heads up). Harry definitely needed Ron in that moment and Ron knew it. Ginny is doing great with the Harpies, but of course she's very worried about her boyfriend. As to Sirius, a lot more to come! Thank you! To Sets: The Terrible Trio definitely needs to go! Harry does need to change the wards at Black Cottage. Thank you for the second review! You think Sirius is under the Imperius Curse (or rather is soul is because of the resurrection stone?) How interesting. Yes, Bellatrix definitely didn't give Sirius the whole truth. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To stringnut: I think all writers are a little disturbed lol. Thank you! To darkhk: It always was my intention for the Death Eaters to bring Sirius back, yes. As to killing Zee, that was more recent and something I was convinced to do by a fellow writer (which I fought them for over many months). But I think my final plan turned out even better than I imagined! Thank you!
To Nuno Neves: It was very heartbreaking for Harry to watch Sirius show up after finding Zee inside of Sirius' grave. Ron is such an amazing friend and I love writing him being there for Harry. Writing Harry and the Auror squad has been a lot more fun than I anticipated. We will see Remus' reaction in this chapter. Thank you! To ellyann13: All great questions that we will have to see if they will be answered. Thank you! To tim2604: Draco is an asshole and always will be lol. Yes, Harry froze, and he's hating himself for it even though it was completely natural. No one could have predicted that, but our boy is beating himself over it. He's definitely going to have a lot to deal with. As to them taunting Harry in front of all of the Aurors, they weren't ready to kill him yet, they want Sirius to do it. Yes, the Knights are on Druella's case. Thank you! To Ellieoryan7447: So happy to see your name in reviews again! I'm sorry that Harry's frustration and anxiousness stressed you out lol. I do love them all working together to try to figure things out and yes, Tonks knows that Harry's gut is usually right. He was made to be an Auror. Haha, Bellatrix seemed the like most sane one for 0.001 seconds lol. As to the cat bones, well Crouch is disgusting lol. Seeing Ron and Harry join the Auror world and interact with the MIA has been fun to write. Ginny has a lot to deal with and on top of Harry being stressed to the max, the two of them will be clinging to each other. Harry is stronger than he knows. Thank you so much! To harstonks: Yes, I am back! Seeing the man he considers his father return and wanting to kill him, yeah, a bit stressful lol. Thank you! To saucyswimmer: I love the idea of Harry smelling the scent of Sirius and knowing he was nearby. Every once in a while I swear I can smell my grandpa's cologne and it's just comforting, to know they are watching over us. In Harry's case, the smell turned not so good. Druella definitely knows more than she's let on. Thanks for loving K, D, and J! They are fun to write! We will catch up with Remadora and Theeobas soon! Thelonius Nott is the half-brother of Thaddeus Nott and yes, he was Theo's real father. Thank you!
To ThomasJAvery: I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad week. I did think the catch-up with Dragomir was needed. It has been fun to show Kreacher's growth over the years, thanks for noticing. Tonks is a great dynamic and I love writing her. Yes, I did put in all 3 titles right there! We'll catch up more with Sebastian and Theo soon. McGonagall is very awesome and deserves all of the credit for being so. Thank you very much for that wonderful review! I can't wait to see your thoughts on where the story goes next! Thank you! To ascfan: It does all loop back to Harry being left alone after the death of James and Lily, but no, the twins will not be left with the Dursleys lol. Thanks for loving Sirius mentioning the title. I loved putting all three titles right there in that scene. It gave me immense satisfaction! Thank you! To rozmeen: Thank you! It will be emotional for sure! To Bellmel: Yes, Maddox King! It made me smile to create his character. Ginny is definitely stretching herself a little thin right now. Unfortunately progress doesn't happen overnight and it is annoying to watch it unfold slowly. Ron being there for Harry was so important and then Harry finding out Ron had been the one to dig up Sirius' body, very intense. Thank you very much! To Belle: I'm sorry it's doing things to your heart, but also, you're welcome! Thank you so much! To marauders_mowopapr: I know, poor Harry. He's been through so much! Thank you!
To Vikator: I'm glad I have you on the edge of your seat! Thank you very much! To Cristina: Of course Tonks is by Harry's side. She is not only the big sister to him, but also a mentor and partner at his work. Thank you! The dynamic between Sirius and Bellatrix is interesting and I do they think they have similar temperaments in some way, both beautiful and both quick to anger, but yes, Bellatrix is also quite mad in my mind. Crouch is horrible. Ginny is definitely doing a lot, but she's on top of things! Thank you! To EnigmaticEmperor: Yes, Sirius really isn't taking orders from these three. He's agreed to kill Harry, but in the meantime, he has his own plan. Harry and Ron will of course still be working together, just alongside with Baxter and Higgins and other Aurors. Yes, teaming up with the KofA! We'll see more of them soon. No, not the next chapter, but Ginny's first match is coming up! So many emotions! Thank you very much! To Gigi87: Yes, it is quite the gamble for Ron and Harry to start their careers on; definitely not what they were expecting! Sirius definitely has common sense and is not interested in Crouch (promise). Wanting to punch Sirius and hug him seems to the common consensus's lol. You think they will kidnap Ginny or the twins to lure Harry out? Interesting. Druella isn't really the motherly type but also she is. We'll see more of her soon. Draco is an ass and I like to write him as such. If he can make Harry's life miserable, he's pretty much going to lol. The Aurors are aware of the Secret Intelligence Unit within the Magical Intelligence Agency which is where K, D, and J work, however, the secret KofA unit within the SIS is top secret for a reason. Yes, Baxter is loving being a superior lol. Thank you! The graveyard scene was very hard to write, to showcase all of those emotions at play. Harry was very overwhelmed with anger, grief, and shock all at once. Thank you very much!
To SupaTheDupa: Thank you! I am happy to be uploading weekly chapters once more. Losing Zee is definitely a lot for Harry to deal with. We will have to see about Mina and Leo. Thank you! To MissKnowItAll: Sorry to make you cry! I'm honoured that I've left you speechless! Thank you! To HarryGinnyLove88: Thank you! Yes, I did say it would be coming in March and that's when I started posting! Yes, Sirius Black. I'm glad I managed to shock you with that surprise! Harry has lost a lot already and yes, Zee was a shock to the system. You will have to wait and see what happens. Thank you so much for loving The First Time Around as well and saying it's in your top five favourite Jily stories! Thank you! To Guest: Thank you!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER THREE:
The One With the Magnolia Blossom
Hermione loved working for the Ministry of Magic. She loved the new department that she was an intern in. She loved the vibe from her fellow co-workers and how everything fit together. She loved going into a place each day knowing that she was making a difference. It made her feel like she was in the right place at the right time.
Lou Bannerman, the Head of the Department for the Reconstruction and Cooperation With Magical Creatures, was pleased with the direction that the new Office of Communication and Cooperation was taking. When he'd personally called her into his office that morning to tell her the job was hers as of the first of January, she couldn't keep the grin off of her face.
"We're very thankful to have you here, Miss Granger. You're incredibly insightful and intelligent and your ideas are helping bring us into the twenty-first century. It's that kind of creativity and ingenuity that I like to see," Bannerman exclaimed, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands on his rather round belly. "The internship was to see how you fit in and how this department was going to work and quite frankly, the Office of C&C is doing great so far. I love the direction it's taking and according to Aidan Cross, a lot of it is coming from you."
"Aidan's too kind, Sir," Hermione said, blushing. "We all work really well as a team."
Bannerman smiled. "It's that kind of teamwork that I like to see. Your internship ends as of January first so, if you're still interested, I would like to hire you to fill the role of the open position in the Office of C&C. You would be doing essentially the same as you're doing now, but with a significant pay increase. Are you still interested?"
"Very much, Sir," Hermione replied. "I love working in the new office. I love seeing the beginning of such positive changes."
"Excellent!" Bannerman exclaimed. "Well, then the job is yours, Miss Granger. I'll have my secretary send the contracts down there by the end of the week for you to sign. Or should I say, Agent Granger."
Hermione beamed at him. She thanked him for his time and hurried back to the tiny Office of Communication and Cooperation with a big smile still plastered on her face.
"Well?" Julia Monroe asked when she spotted her. "What did Bannerman say?"
"The job's mine."
"Whoo!" Barnaby Lee exclaimed, slapping his large hands together. The wizard was tall and had to weigh close to twenty stone in solid muscle. "That's brilliant! We have to go out and celebrate tonight! Who's up for a drink after work?"
Aidan Cross, the fourth member of their team and the fiancé of Julia, grinned. "I'm in. Let's hit that pub across the street, The Honest Lawyer. One drink to celebrate and welcome Agent Granger to the fold."
Hermione beamed at them. "I really love working here. You three have been so nice and thank you for whatever it was that you said to Bannerman."
Aidan adjusted his thick black squared glasses. He had thick blond hair worn long enough to pull back in a low plait at his neck and rather soulful grey eyes. "All of it was true," he said. "We love working with you, Hermione."
"We do," Julia agreed, reaching over to squeeze Aidan's hand.
Aidan and Julia were planning to get married in February and had been dating for the last five years. He was an anthropologist and loved to spend his time learning about cultural differences among magical creatures and magical communities. Julia was a magizoologist. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes and was always smiling. She had this happy charisma about her that made it hard not to smile back.
Barnaby had been a bit of a surprise, if Hermione was honest. He looked like he could break someone in half with his bare hands, but despite the big muscles, the man was a gentle giant. He reminded her of Hagrid with his affection for animals and magical creatures. It made complete sense that he went into magizoology and he'd gone to Hogwarts with Charlie and Tonks and always had fun stories to share about them that made her smile.
Julia passed Hermione the file in her hand. "You and Barnaby can go over this. We need to set up some community events for house elves."
"Really? You liked my idea?" Hermione asked.
Barnaby grinned. "I love it. I think it's a brilliant idea to have a community event for house elves so that they can all come together and mix and mingle."
"It would be for us too," Hermione added. "It would give us the chance to defend our case and explain why we want to promote fair wages and welfare."
"I'll let you two discuss it in more detail," Julia said. "I need Aidan's help with a broken contract between a Merman and a shopkeeper in Wales."
Hermione left Julia and Aidan to it and settled herself down in the chair next to Barnaby. Working here was definitely everything that she'd ever dreamed of.
The whole point of the new office was to stop discrimination as much as possible among the magical community. They interviewed Merpeople, Centaurs, Vampires, Werewolves, House elves, and other magical creatures to learn more about their cultures, their communities, and their beliefs. It was all about communication and cooperation and trying to figure out what they could do to help stop discrimination and to give each and every British magical citizen fair wages, fair treatment, and a fair lifestyle.
The house elves had been the biggest challenge.
Hermione's original bill had helped and she was pleased to say that sixty percent of known house elves in Britain had come forward to sign their names, but not all of them were on board despite registering. The point was to register themselves as eligible workers who would then sign contracts (like any other employee in a workplace) with their "family." This was to stop families from taking advantage of house elves, to stop passing them down like property, and to make sure that they were given proper wages (which was a huge challenge) and treated with equality and respect.
When it came to the debate over wages, house elves were still incredibly wary on the subject. A few of them had been intrigued and were excited to suddenly be making money, but most of them were horrified by the concept. Despite the law on them collecting fair wages, house elves were still being drastically underpaid, but in terms of getting house elves to accept the changes, it was going to require baby steps.
But changes were being made and it warmed Hermione from the inside out to know that she was helping make it happen, even if it wasn't as quickly as she would have hoped.
She looked over the list of ideas that Barnaby passed her for some planned events and they got down to business, making the day fly by. When they finally broke for lunch at half past one, she made her way to her desk to get her sandwich just as Ron stepped through the doors of her office. The sight of him made desire sweep through her.
Seeing Ron dressed in his full Auror robes was downright sinful. The way his shoulders filled out that sexy red robe, the tight trousers that made his already delectable arse look fantastic, and the way those tall boots hugged his calves; Hermione wasn't afraid to admit that he made her drool. His bright red hair looked windswept as his blue eyes found hers and he marched across the room with long, purposeful strides. He bent down to peck her lips and she beamed at him.
"Hi."
"Hi," she replied. "What's going on?"
"Can you take a break with me?" he asked, his voice more somber than usual.
"Yes. I actually was just about to break for lunch."
Ron put his hand on the small of her back when she stood. He watched her grab her things as he said a polite hello to her coworkers before he took her hand and led her out of the small office.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, trying to keep up with his long stride. "Are you all right?"
Ron shook his head and didn't say anything until they were outside of the Ministry of Magic. They walked around St Paul's Cathedral and took a seat on a bench. Hermione shivered in the November air and Ron put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. A warming charm washed over her and she gave him a grateful look. Ron was always sweet about stuff like that.
"Are you all right?" she repeated, turning her head to look into his eyes.
"No," he whispered. "Hermione… we found Zee."
The look in his eyes told her everything he didn't say.
"Oh. Oh, no," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. "Ron, I'm so sorry. What happened? How's Harry?"
Ron let out a slow breath, his hands holding her small waist. "She's been dead since they took her," he admitted. "She had her heart ripped out twelve hours later and they buried her inside of Sirius' grave."
Hermione pulled back to cup his face in her hands. "Excuse me?"
"You said to turn over every stone and we did," Ron told her. "Baxter's the one who said that we needed to look closer into Sirius' grave and we went behind Harry's back to check out the graveyard again. There was this black smudge, like scorch marks on Sirius' headstone. I saw it before and didn't think anything of it, but this time, Baxter thought it was worth examining. We got a warrant to exhume the body," Ron explained as he paused to let out a slow breath, his bottom lip trembling. "Only thing was that we didn't find Sirius' body, it was Zee buried there with her heart cut out of her chest."
"Oh, Godric," Hermione whispered, her eyes widening in horror as she gripped her boyfriend's hand in hers. "Does Harry know?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah. We called him there right away and the look of betrayal on his face… fuck! I knew that I should have told him, but he would have tried to bloody stop us and bloody hell, Hermione, finding her in there like that? All beat up and missing her heart? It was the last thing that we bleeding expected."
"And Sirius?" Hermione asked.
Ron shook his head, his tongue touching his bottom lip. "That's the weird part, his body wasn't there."
"What do you mean his body wasn't there?"
"I mean, there was no one else in that coffin except for Zee and then… Sirius showed up at the graveyard."
Hermione lifted an eyebrow. "Like someone left his body there and you stumbled across it?"
"No," Ron said, carefully. "I mean, he showed up, Hermione: Standing, talking — fucking alive! He taunted Harry and tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on him before he, Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla took off."
Hermione stared at him for a full minute and when she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out.
Ron dragged the heels of his hands over his tired eyes. "And now you're where I am."
"Ron, what you're saying isn't possible," Hermione said slowly.
"I know."
"No," she insisted. "People don't come back from the dead, Ron. That's the golden rule of magic, even Muggles know that. Fairy tale stories about genies and wishes all say the same thing, that people can't wish for love and that they can't wish for people to be brought back from the dead. Even magic can't fix that! Look at the story of The Three Brothers! When the second brother wanted to bring back the woman he loved even Death couldn't grant him his request. She was nothing more than an illusion, a ghost to haunt him. Voldemort brought himself back because he made Horcruxes and never really died, but Sirius really died, Ron. He never made a Horcrux. He was dead and buried."
"I know," Ron said again.
"Then what… how?"
"I don't know," Ron said, shaking his head. "I don't bloody know. But you should have seen the look on Harry's face. Bloody hell, Hermione, bringing him back in any capacity is going to seriously fuck with Harry's mind. We don't know what the hell happened. If he's an imposter or some weird controlled form of an Inferius or just straight up back. But he was there and he looked exactly the same as he did when he died. He wasn't a corpse, Hermione. He was alive and well and talking and he said that he wanted Harry dead."
Hermione paled, staring at her boyfriend. "I can't… poor Harry. How is he?"
"About as good as you'd expect," Ron said, looking down at his watch. "Shit, I have to get back. I have to meet Baxter down in the coroner's office. I just needed…"
Hermione cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. It was meant to be a light kiss, but his mouth captured hers like he was dying of thirst. She kissed him back just as fervently, basking in the warm taste of him and the feel of those whiskers against her face.
Ron rested his forehead against hers when he broke the kiss. "Thank you. I might be late tonight."
She nodded and kissed him once more. "I'll see you when you get home."
Ron kissed her forehead as he stood and marched off back towards the Ministry. Hermione took a moment to sit there, looking around at the people around her and wondered what exactly the escaped Death Eaters had attempted to do.
Bringing someone back from the dead was impossible. All attempts at doing so only showed that it wasn't possible. Whatever they brought back wouldn't be real, it wouldn't be the person they loved. If Sirius was trying to kill Harry it only proved her point. The real Sirius Black would never hurt the boy he'd raised, the son he loved. No, whatever they'd done to Sirius, it wasn't the real him.
He was dead.
She only hoped that Harry and Ron were able to figure it out before this Sirius imposter hurt someone or worse. She pulled out of her mirror and called Ginny. Ginny's smiling face appeared a moment later and Hermione recognized the Great Hall in the background.
"Hi, Hermione," Ginny greeted. "I hope this is a good news call?"
"It's not," Hermione said. "Ginny, they found Zee."
Ginny's eyes darkened. "Where is he?"
"I don't know," Hermione told her. "I think he's with Ron, but he's going to need you more than ever."
Ginny nodded. "I'll be there."
When Hermione closed the mirror, she stood up, the warming charm wearing off as she headed back to the Ministry. She knew that Ginny would be able to comfort Harry, but she only hoped that they came up with some answers on what was going on and fast. She couldn't imagine what seeing Sirius again had done to her friend, but she knew that he was going to need all of the support that he could get.
~ TTTC ~
By the time evening came, Harry was still in shock and denial over what had happened in the graveyard of Godric's Hollow. Despite the fact that the evidence kept piling up to prove that it had been Sirius in the graveyard, Harry refused to believe it.
It didn't make sense.
It shouldn't even be possible and yet… he was alive.
But it wasn't the Sirius that he knew. The Sirius that he knew would never use an Unforgivable Curse on him and that… terrified him.
Harry knew that he needed to go home to Black Cottage, to break the news to his grandparents about Zee, but he wasn't ready for that yet. He couldn't quiet his mind enough to deal with that when he was still so focused on the fact that he'd just seen Sirius with his own eyes. It was why he Apparated to Wrexham when he left the Ministry instead and let himself into Remus and Tonks' cottage.
Tonks was napping on the sofa, her mouth open as she snored quietly. She'd had the day off after working late into the night and Harry knew she would need to be updated on their find. He found Remus in the kitchen, carrying Teddy in his arms as he made himself a cup of tea. He turned to smile warmly at Harry.
"Harry, what a nice surprise."
Harry moved to sit on the stool at the kitchen island, his hands resting in his hair as his elbows sat on the counter. "Uncle Rem…"
Remus frowned and moved to sit in the chair across from him. "Harry, are you all right? What's happened? Did you find Zee?"
Tears blurred his vision, but he refused to let them fall as he spoke. "I… she's dead."
Remus let out a slow breath. "Fuck. I'm so sorry, Harry."
His hand squeezed Harry's shoulder and Harry leaned into him. "Uncle Rem, she's dead and they…"
"And they what?" Remus asked, his hand still holding onto Harry's shoulder.
Harry finally lifted his head, turning to meet Remus' golden eyes and finding nothing but comfort and understanding there. "Uncle Siri… he's…"
Remus lifted an eyebrow. "Sirius… what, Harry?"
"He's back," Harry whispered. "They brought him back."
Remus' eyes widened to saucers. "What? No. No, they can't have. Harry, that's… that's bloody impossible! He's been dead for almost three years."
"I saw him," Harry whispered. "He… he smelt the same, Uncle Moony, and he looked the same, but he… he wants to kill me."
Remus shook his head. "It's not Sirius, Harry."
"But—"
"It's not Sirius!" Remus repeated a little louder. "We buried him. He's dead and gone and whatever they brought back, however they did it — it's not him! It's not the man we knew. What's dead should stay dead."
Harry's bottom lip trembled. "I know. I know that, Uncle Rem, but he…"
"His body is decomposing, that's not him," Remus insisted.
Harry bit his lip as he remembered the coffin in the ground, Ron standing around it with Zee's body inside. "No… it's gone."
"What?"
"Ron he… he and Baxter had this hunch and this morning they dug up Uncle Siri's grave. It wasn't him inside the coffin, Uncle Moony. It's… it's where we found Zee. They cut her heart out and buried her inside of…"
The last word came out on a choked sob and Harry couldn't hold it back anymore. Remus leaned towards his son, Teddy still on his shoulder as he moved in to wrap his arms around Harry, holding him tightly against him. Harry could feel Teddy's body, turning, trying to look at Harry, his little hands grabbing his hair, but he couldn't stop crying. He soaked Remus' shirt with his tears as Remus kissed his forehead, his hands running up and down his back. When Harry finally caught his breath, he wiped at his tears with the back of his hand, pushing his foggy glasses back into place before he took Teddy into his arms. He snuggled the baby close, feeling comforted by his warmth and sweet baby smell.
Remus stared at him for a long moment before he spoke. "What can you tell me?"
Harry held Teddy closer, not speaking for almost a full minute before he began to talk and he told Remus everything.
He explained how the coffin had revealed a fist sized hole coming from inside of it and how Zee's body had been thrown into it, the lid closed. He explained how Sirius had his original wand, the one that they buried with him, and how the imposter had used it to send the Cruciatus Curse at him. He explained how they'd taken Zee's body back to the DMLE and how at first look, it appeared her heart was removed just after midnight on the third of November, less than twelve hours after she'd disappeared. She'd been beaten and tortured and then her heart had been cut from her chest while she'd still been alive. The coroner was going to give them a final report when they had it.
"It was Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla," Harry told him. "They used the Resurrection Stone and runes and who knows what else, but they killed her and they brought Uncle Sirius back."
"No," Remus said again. "Whatever they brought back, Harry, it may be in his body. It may even look and talk like him, but it's not him. It's impossible. Sirius would never try to hurt you."
"I know," he whispered.
He did know that. He knew that Sirius would never try to hurt him, but he couldn't explain it either. There was something about that smile and the way that he'd looked at him… it wasn't an imposter and yet… Harry had no idea what that meant.
Harry pressed his lips to Teddy's cheek. "I don't know what it means yet, Uncle Remus," he admitted. "But I know that I have to go to Black Cottage and tell Grandmama, Grandpa, and Grandma that Zee's dead. I don't… Mina and Leo are orphans."
Remus pulled Harry into his arms again. "They're not. I'm sure Sorcha will take full responsibility for them, but Dora and I will be there to help every step of the way and so will you. They will be loved, Harry. They're going to grow up knowing how much their parents love them, okay?"
He nodded, tears in his eyes again.
Remus kissed his forehead. "Do you want me to come with you to tell them?"
He almost said yes, but he shook his head. "No… no, I have to do this, Uncle Rem."
Remus nodded and hugged him close again. "All right. If you change your mind, I'm here."
Harry gave him a grateful look before he passed him back Teddy and let out a slow breath. "Thank you."
Then he headed to Black Cottage to break his grandmother's heart all over again.
~ TTTC ~
Remus put Teddy down for the night before he moved to wake up his wife. Tonks had the day off from work today, but she'd still needed a nap before dinner. Zee had been missing for ten days and within those ten days, his wife had been working all hours, trying to help Harry and her team follow up the evidence of her kidnapping. It was why when she'd fallen asleep on the sofa, he'd left her there to sleep.
The full moon had been on Sirius' birthday this year and Harry had apologized profusely for having to work. With both Tonks and Harry busy trying to find Zee, Teddy had stayed with Sorcha and the twins and Remus had done his best to try to get some rest but the ten days since then had been stressful on all of them. Having answers about Zee, finally discovering what had actually happened to her; it was both a blessing and a curse.
Remus kissed his wife's forehead, giving her a little shake. Tonks gave him a groggy smile as she sat up, yawning so hard that her jaw cracked.
"Is Teddy already asleep?"
Remus nodded. "Yes. I just put him down. We need to talk, Dora."
Tonks frowned, sitting up on the sofa and yawning again. "Is something wrong with Teddy?"
"No, Dora, Teddy's fine. It's Harry." At her look, he let out a slow breath. "They found Zee this morning."
"Shit," Tonks said, rubbing her palms over her eyes. "She's dead, isn't she?"
By the time Remus finished explaining everything that Harry had told him, Tonks was pacing back and forth in front of the sofa.
"Sirius is back?"
"It can't be him," Remus insisted. "Whatever they brought back, it's not really him. Necromancy doesn't work like that. You can't bring people back from the dead. Not without serious consequences and the fact that he wants to kill Harry is a pretty fucking huge serious consequence."
Tonks frowned. "Well, yes, but… we don't know what the spell was, exactly and it…"
"No," Remus replied. "What's dead should stay dead and whatever the fuck is wearing my best friend's face is not going to keep doing so. He has to be put down."
"Harry isn't going to be strong enough to do that," Tonks whispered. "We can't leave it up to him."
"No," Remus agreed. "I'll do it if necessary, but whatever is inside of Sirius' body, it has to be killed. And now, Nymphadora."
Tonks chewed on her bottom lip. "Why?"
"What?"
"Rem, we don't even know what they brought back. Until we know, we can't just go around and bloody kill him."
"Yes, we can," Remus insisted. "Fuck, Dora, it could be anyone wearing his body! There's no way that they actually brought Sirius back. Why would they even do that? How would they even do that? What would bringing him back accomplish? They wanted to bring Voldemort back, didn't they? Why Sirius and not him?"
"Because Voldemort can't come back," Tonks whispered. "He's beyond gone, Remus. Not only did Harry destroy every Horcrux that he ever made, but the tiny sliver of soul that man had left was so dark and broken that it probably disintegrated inside of him when he died. His body was cremated. His ashes were thrown to the wind. He's gone. There's no way that he's coming back in any capacity. They must have figured that out and decided to…"
"To what?" Remus demanded when she trailed off. "They just decided to change tactics? To Sirius? Why the fuck would they do that?"
Tonks was quiet for a long moment before she let out a slow breath. "Because Harry's the one who took Voldemort away from them, Remus."
Remus' golden eyes met hers and they darkened. "And using Sirius as a tool to kill him is the ultimate weapon because it's emotionally damaging as well as horrifying to him. If Harry comes face to face with him and has to kill him… fuck, Dora, he won't come back from that. He's been through too fucking much already."
"Exactly," Tonks whispered. "I don't know how they did it, but I do know that if Sirius is back, there's more to it than we understand. Sirius loved Harry and he… there's something here that doesn't make sense. How are they controlling him? How are they making him want to hurt Harry? I think that we have to figure out just what they brought back first because if it is him, it's not the him that we know."
Remus paled, shaking his head. "What's dead should stay dead, Dora. It's not Sirius. There's no way."
"I hope to Merlin you're right," Tonks said. "But until we know for sure, we need to be on our guard." She leaned in to kiss his lips. "I have to go to work and see what's going on. Baxter should have notified me when they exhumed Sirius' body. There's a lot here that doesn't make sense."
Remus grabbed her hand, pulling her back into his arms for a long hug. "Be safe, Nymphadora."
"I will," she said, kissing him once more. "See you later."
He watched her go before he leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Sirius wasn't back. He couldn't be.
Remus was just too afraid to figure out what exactly it was that was wearing his best mate's body.
Nothing good ever came from bringing back the dead.
Nothing at all.
~ TTTC ~
Harry stood on the front stoop of Black Cottage breathing in the cold November air. He needed to take a minute because Merlin knew he was terrified to walk into this cottage. Telling Sorcha the news was going to crush her heart and a little part of him, the part that he tried to pretend still wasn't insecure, wondered if she would still be his family without Zee in the picture and he hated himself for the guilty feeling that swam in his gut. He knew his grandmother loved him and he knew that she wasn't going to blame him for this, but he blamed himself and he couldn't shake it.
They had gone after Zee to punish him for killing Voldemort and there was nothing he could say or do to make that any better. It was his fault that she was dead. It was his fault that they'd chosen her.
Harry let out a slow breath before he pushed open the door to the cottage. He was greeted by an excited Padfoot before Colt raised a hand at him from the living room sofa.
"Harry! Good to see you! I wanted to have chat about the horses," Colt's voice boomed. "Flo and I were there this morning to take them for a ride in the snow. They seem happy."
"I think they are, Grandpa," Harry told him, hanging up his cloak and shucking his boots. "Are Grandma and Grandmama here?"
"In the kitchen, Harry!" Sorcha called out.
Harry slumped his shoulders and headed into the kitchen. He found his grandmother and great-grandmother working companionably, cooking up a storm. He kissed them each on the cheek before turning to greet Mina and Leo who were playing on the floor of the kitchen.
"Harry, you look exhausted," Flo said, kindly. "When's the last time that you had a decent night's sleep? Zee wouldn't want you to be working yourself to the bone like this."
He leaned back against the counter before he let out a slow breath. "We have to talk."
Sorcha turned to look at him, wiping her hands on her apron. "Do you have news?"
He nodded, licking his dry lips as he opened his mouth to tell her, but instead of words, he felt tears prickle his eyes. He cleared his throat and tried again, but there were no words.
"I…"
"No," Sorcha whispered, paling as she stared at him. "No."
Harry tried to tell her once more, but this time one tear escaped down his cheek.
"No," she repeated, shaking her head. "Harry, no, no, no…"
He swallowed. "Grandmama, I…"
"No!" Sorcha insisted, her voice a little louder now, causing Mina and Leo to look over at her.
"Ron and Baxter found her," Harry said quickly, finally forcing the words out. "They killed her the day that she went missing."
"No!" Sorcha cried out, shaking her head. "No, she's not dead. My daughter is not dead!"
"Grandmama —"
"NO!"
Harry froze with his hand outstretched towards her and the loud sob that came from behind him made his bottom lip tremble. He turned in time to see his great-grandfather grab the doorway for support as his whole body shook in a sudden onslaught of uncontrollable sobs.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, please I… I tried to find her, but I was too late. Zee's dead."
Sorcha collapsed to her knees, tears raining down her cheeks. "I can't lose both of them. First Misha and now… my beautiful Zahira… I won't believe it. She's not gone. You're wrong!"
"Sorcha," Flo whispered, slowing kneeling down to her. Flo wrapped her arms around Sorcha, tears on her face. "I know you loved her like she was your blood. She loved you, too, honey."
Tears slid down Harry's cheeks as he stayed standing at the counter, his fingers gripping the ledge behind him as tightly as he could.
"There's more," he began.
"What do you mean there's more?" Colt demanded, his voice gruff and ragged. "My granddaughter is dead! What more could you possibly have to tell us?"
Harry swallowed, his heart thumping in his throat. "It's about how we found her, Grandpa. She was… she was buried inside of… Uncle Siri's coffin."
Colt's eyes widened to saucers. "What in holy hell does that mean?"
Harry spoke quickly, trying to get the words out as he explained how the coffin had only contained Zee and how someone who looked and spoke exactly like Sirius had been in the graveyard. By the time he finished, the three of them were staring at him like he was mad. Mina and Leo were both crying, trying to make sense of why everyone around them were so upset and Harry reached for them, pulling them both into his arms to hold them close and soothe them, kissing their cheeks. He needed the comfort of them as much as they needed him to hold them.
Sorcha shook her head. "No. No, this can't be happening. It's impossible for him to be back and for Zahira to be… no!"
"I don't want to believe it either, Grandmama," Harry whispered. "But I'm going to find them, the people who did this. I'll find them, I promise."
Leo's little hands touched the tears on his face and he turned to nuzzle the little boy, trying to find comfort in him. It was only when his tear-stained face turned to kiss Mina that Flo moved to pull him into her arms.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I can't imagine how hard this is on you and to find her like that. She was your mama, just like Sorcha was hers," Flo said, taking Mina out of his arms so that she could lean in to kiss his cheek. "It's not your fault, honey."
Her words didn't offer him much comfort, but he nodded all the same. He told them about how Zee was being taken to the Ministry for evidence and how they would be able to see her soon. Sorcha excused herself to go clean up and Colt took a seat at the kitchen table, his face in his hands. Flo kissed Harry's cheek and then ran off after Sorcha, her own tears raining down her cheeks.
Harry moved to situate the twins back on the floor with their toys, relieved that they had calmed down before he took a seat in the chair next to his great-grandfather.
"Grandpa, are you going to be okay?" Harry asked.
Colt looked up at him through tear filled eyes. "I'm an old man, Harry. I've lived a damn good life and I've been blessed with a happy marriage to a good woman for fifty-seven years, but the rest… I buried my only child, Harry. I buried my precious Magnolia when she was only twenty-nine years old. She left her husband with a daughter almost too young to remember her. I wanted to hate Misha, but… God, how he loved her, Harry. He loved my little girl like no one else and I saw his grief. I felt it. It took him so long to wrap his head around losing her… he was out for blood and he found it."
Harry's bottom lip trembled as he watched Colt try to compose himself before he spoke again.
"Then Misha met Sorcha and I wanted to hate her, son. I wanted to hate this woman who he was bringing around to replace my daughter; to replace the wife that he'd lost, but I couldn't. I'd never met a kinder soul than Sorcha Brown and good God, the way she loved our Zahira. That woman was meant to be her mother. She was a damn good one and Misha and Zahira were so damn lucky to have found her. I'd be a damn fool not to see it," Colt said. "I grew to love her and Sorcha's become like a second daughter to me. I know that my sweet Magnolia Blossom would have loved her. That's what I called my baby girl, my sweet little Magnolia Blossom."
Colt wiped at the tears under his eyes again before he continued.
"Then Zee brought us you and Sirius and it was like my family expanded. You were a blessing, my boy. I've never been so thankful and now I've got little Mina and Leo, too, but then this damned war took Misha and I grieved the only son that I've ever had. And now… losing my only little granddaughter at the age of thirty-four… life's a kick in the pants, Harry. It's a damned kick in the pants and I don't like it."
Harry reached across the table to touch Colt's arm. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. I should have found her sooner. I should have… I don't bloody know, but I should have done something to find her sooner. She'd been missing for hours before we even knew and…" he trailed off, his bottom lip trembling. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her, Grandpa."
Colt squeezed Harry's hand in his. "You'll be just fine, Harry. You've got a good strong family around you and I may be old as dirt, but I'm not going anywhere any time soon. Your great-grandmother and I will be here to help however we can with Mina and Leo. It's what Zahira would have wanted."
Harry nodded, relief coursing through him at those words. When he looked up at the sound in the doorway, it was to see Sorcha standing there, tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, mo ghràdh," Sorcha whispered. "I'm so sorry for not… she was your mama as much as she was my daughter." She moved towards him and pulled him into her arms, Harry's face buried in her chest as he stayed seated in the chair. "I don't blame you, mo ghràdh, not for a second. You did everything you could to find her. I know that."
Harry didn't realize how much he'd needed to hear those words until Sorcha said them. His fingers dug into her hips. "I'm sorry, Grandmama. I'm so sorry."
Sorcha kissed the top of his head. "You'll find them. I know you will. And together, you and I will work out a schedule for Mina and Leo, okay? I don't want you to think that this is another responsibility on your shoulders. I know that Remus and Tonks will help out and together this family will make sure those babies are raised right."
Harry pulled back to look into her eyes. "It's a lot of work, Grandmama. Mina and Leo are going to be two next month and—"
"And we can handle it," Sorcha assured him. "Zee would want you to live your life, Harry. Mina and Leo are not your responsibility. You're their big brother and they love you. I have Colt and Flo, Remus and Tonks, and Molly to help me and if needed, I'll pull on some of my cousins. We'll handle this, all right, mo ghille làidir?"
Relief coursed through him as he nodded. "All right."
She pressed her lips to his forehead. "Now, you'll sit here and eat a good meal and then you're going to go home and get a good night's rest. I won't have you working yourself into the ground, understood?"
"Yes, Grandmama."
She kissed his forehead once more, gently brushing his hair back. "Zee loved you so much. You were her pride and joy, never forget that. I love you, mo ghràdh."
Harry hugged her tightly a moment longer and when she moved back to continue working on dinner, he felt a little lighter. But he knew that until he figured out what the hell was going on with this Sirius imposter and until he captured Bellatrix, Crouch, and Brambilla, he wasn't going to rest.
Not for a moment.
~ TTTC ~
When Harry returned to Clevedon Court that evening, he was bone tired. He was shuffling his feet as he walked and it took all of his energy just to get his boots off. He found Ron and Hermione in the living room and to his surprise, Ginny. She stood up as soon as she saw him and pulled him into her arms.
The warmth of her embrace and the floral scent of her shampoo was everything he needed. Neither of them said anything as she held him and he just let himself breathe. When she let go, she took his hand in hers.
"Come on, let's get you to bed."
He only nodded and barely looked at his friends as he let Ginny lead him upstairs to the master bedroom. She closed the door behind them and then shucked his robe off. Her fingers began to loosen his tie as she unhooked his suspenders and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. For the time first time ever, he didn't even react.
Harry felt like he was in a daze as she undressed him, helping him step out of his trousers and then his boxer briefs until he was naked before her. Ginny took his hand in hers again and led him into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and urged him inside, taking his glasses off. Harry stepped into the shower, letting the hot water and jets hit him from every direction, the water massaging his aching body. He stood there for he didn't even know how long before he was jolted out of a daze by a small hand touching his back.
He turned to look at Ginny who had crept into the shower behind him and all he could do was stare at her. Her hair was in a messy bun as she avoided putting her head under the spray. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Ginny reached around him to grab his shampoo bottle and carefully pumped the liquid into her palm; he lowered his head automatically for her to reach. Neither of them spoke as she washed and rinsed his hair and it was only then that he finally reached for his soap began to wash up.
Ginny shut the water off when he was done and wrapped a towel around herself before passing him a towel. He dried off, wrapped it around his waist, and stepped out into the steamed bathroom before he took a seat on the closed toilet. He buried his face in his hands. He didn't know what to say. He didn't really know what he was feeling at this point. He just knew that everything was numb and he felt… lost.
Ginny opened his container of moisturizer and his eyes met hers as she lifted his chin and carefully applied it to his face, rubbing it into the stubble beard that had grown in a little thicker. It looked like he had five days worth of stubble on his face and he thought it was the perfect length. The moisturizer kept it soft which Ginny loved and he only closed his eyes as he let her work the cream into his skin. When she finished, she pressed her lips to his forehead.
"Put these on."
He took the pyjama pants from her and pulled them on under his towel before he hung the towel on the bathroom door and let her lead him back into the bedroom. It was only when she crawled into bed next to him that he realized that at some point she had changed into one of his old tee shirts and her knickers.
"Ginny…"
"You don't have to talk," she told him, snuggling him into her arms. "Ron and Hermione filled me in on the day and I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. But I'm here, all right? We're just going to lie here and you're going to close your eyes and get some sleep."
"I don't think I can sleep," he admitted.
Ginny kissed the top of his head, her fingers in his hair as his face was pressed between her breasts. "You're so exhausted, Harry. It's okay. I'm here. Close your eyes for me."
He did, listening to the steady rhythm of her heart as her fingers brushed through his hair. He wanted to turn his mind off, to not think about the fact that Zee was dead and that Sirius was… but the image of Sirius sending an Unforgivable at him and the sight of Zee with a hole in her chest kept flashing before his mind.
Ginny's fingers were soothing. She whispered soft words to him that he barely heard and when he finally went under, sleep consumed him, and he slept like the dead.
He woke to bright sunlight streaming through the windows. He blinked and snuggled his face more securely into the soft pillow that half a second later he realized was actually his girlfriend's tits. He palmed one of them, his eyes still half closed and Ginny's soft chuckle made his eyes meet hers.
"Good morning, Harry."
Harry lifted his head, a hand on each breast now as he leaned down to kiss her. "I love you. I love you so much."
Ginny's lips curved as she kissed him again. "I love you, too. Did you sleep all right?"
"Yeah," he said, surprised to find that he did.
Finally finding Zee had given him the closure he hadn't realized he needed and his exhausted body had caught up with him.
"How long did I sleep?"
Ginny looked over at the clock on the bedside table. "Almost twelve hours."
His thumb brushed her hardened nipple. "Don't you have class?"
"McGonagall's given me personal time."
"Ginny…" he began, but the look in her eyes made him fall silent.
"There's a lot going on here, Harry. You need me and I need to be here for you. I know that you're worried about me doing too much and trying to be in too many places at once, but there's nowhere else that I'm going to be right now, all right?"
Harry nodded and bent his head to kiss her again before he snuggled her up against his chest. "Did Ron tell you everything?"
"Yes."
He closed his eyes. "They brought him back, Gin."
Ginny's head rested over his heart as she trailed her nails over his chest, tracing the letters of Teddy's name tattooed on his ribs. "You'll find out how and why, Harry. It shouldn't be possible. It can't really be him."
"I know," he whispered, "but it was him. Ginny, it was him. I smelt that woodsy cologne and leather and I was transported back to my childhood in an instant. He looks the same."
"Harry… Sirius is dead. Whoever or whatever that was… it can't really be him."
"I know," he repeated. "Merlin, I know that, but what if it is? Ginny, we don't understand what they found with those runes and who knows what they could have figured out. Maybe they really did bring him back somehow."
"Harry, if was really Sirius, he would never hurt you."
"Maybe he's confused," Harry began. "It was Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla who brought him back and maybe they brainwashed him or something?"
"Or maybe, it's only his body," Ginny whispered.
Harry closed his eyes. He knew that she was right.
Merlin, everyone was right.
There was no way to bring back the dead.
There was no way to bring someone back so whole after they'd been dead for years.
Voldemort had done it, but he'd used Horcruxes and broken up his soul and Harry knew that Sirius would never have done that in a million years. If he had, Harry would have known about it. No, this was something or someone using Sirius' body to do their bidding.
"Hermione has a theory," Ginny said, turning her head to look at him. "She thinks that they've used a powerful necromancy spell. It means that it really is his body and him in some way, but a powerful necromancer is controlling his every move and breath. He's not really back, but a pawn being used to mess with you."
"Well, if they wanted to mess with me, they've figured out how to do it," he grumbled. "Finding Zee like that and then seeing him…"
Ginny's fingers brushed away his tears. "How did Grandmama take it?"
"Like you'd imagine," he murmured. "I told her, Grandma, and Grandpa together and… we're going to work something out for Mina and Leo. Grandmama is going to move into Black Cottage, officially, while we figure this out. Grandma and Grandpa will help and so will Uncle Remus and Tonks… they've lost both of their parents, Gin. It's not fair."
"No, it's not," Ginny agreed. "But they have you and they have family who love them. They won't want for love, Harry."
He nodded and snuggled her closer as his stomach rumbled.
Ginny pressed a kiss to his chest. "Come on, let's go get you some breakfast."
"I don't think that I can stomach anything," he said.
"You're hungry," Ginny insisted. "Let's go downstairs and make something to eat. Mum's coming over in a bit. Grandmama is going to drop the twins off at nursery school and meet her here. I know it's not ideal, but you have a funeral to plan."
Tears welled up in Harry's eyes again and he blinked them back. "All right."
Ginny kissed his cheek. "I'm so sorry about Zee, Harry. She was an amazing woman. She loved you very much."
Harry pulled her tighter against him. "I loved her, too."
Ginny held him close, not saying anything else and that was what finally pushed him over the edge. A sob tore through him, startling him and Ginny's lips pressed against his hair.
"It all right, love. It's all right, I'm here."
His heart clenched in his chest and the sobs came so quickly and so sharply that he couldn't breathe. His fingers dug into her sides as he tasted his tears, gasping for breath as he felt like his body was going to break apart from the pain. He couldn't stop shaking as sobs wracked his body and Ginny just kept holding him, not saying a word as her small hands stroked his back and her lips pressed against his forehead.
He sobbed over and over again until he felt like his body had nothing left to give. When he finally stopped, he hurt all over and his eyes were red and sore. Ginny pressed her lips to his scar and held him closer.
"Why me?" he whispered.
"What?"
"Why me?" he repeated. "What did I do, Gin? Was I a bad person in a past life or just born under an unlucky fucking star? My parents were happy and in love and they were murdered because some arsehole wanted to kill me. My godfather went to prison and I was abandoned and left with…"
"I know they hurt you," she whispered.
Harry closed his eyes. "Then that bitch took him away from me, Ginny. She fucking killed him right in bloody front of me and losing him… losing him was the hardest thing I've ever gone through. He saved me and he was my dad and my home and my… world. She killed him and then they tried to kill Zee too and Ron saved her, he brought her back and now she… it's not fair. It's not bloody fair! How come everyone I love dies?"
Sobs tore through him again and Ginny held him, cupping his cheek with one hand while her other ran up and down his back.
"Ginny…"
"No, Harry," she said sternly. "We're not going to discuss this again."
"But —"
"No," she insisted, her lips pressing against his forehead. "I love you."
"That's the problem," Harry began.
"No," she repeated. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere. You are my past, present, and future, Harry Potter and I refuse to live my life without you. Understand?"
"I love you so fucking much," he said, tears clogging his voice. "So much. I don't…"
Ginny cupped his cheeks in both of her hands. "You'll never have to find out."
He stared into her brown eyes for a long moment and the love and determination he saw staring back at him made him nod. He was just grateful that Ginny was here. He was thankful to have her in his life. He kissed the top of her head before he finally shuffled out of bed and grabbed his glasses, glancing at the clock.
"Shit, I have to go."
Ginny frowned. "Harry, you're not going into work today. Get your arse back into this bed and rest."
"No," he replied. "I mean, I am, but not to work. I… I told Ron I can't be at the official autopsy. I just… can't handle…that, but I'm supposed to meet Auden McCraight at eleven."
Ginny's eyes softened. "You should go to him."
"I know," he said, shifting on his feet. "I… I never know what to say when I'm there, but then I'm just talking and… Robards has probably already filled him in."
Ginny knelt on the bed so that she could kiss him. "Go, talk to Auden. I think a mind healer is exactly what you need right now."
Harry nodded. She was right and for the first time since he'd begun his weekly sessions with Auden, he was looking forward to it. He really needed to talk.
About everything.
End Author's Notes:
(Gaelic) mo ghràdh = my love
(Gaelic) mo ghille làidir = my stubborn boy
PS — I know the chapters have been a bit shorter than my usual, but it's only the first couple than I get back to my usual length. Thank you!
Thanks for reading and please review!