Author's Note:

Wow! Thank you for over 300 reviews on fanfiction and over 200 reviews on Ao3! It really means the world to me. Thank you! ❤️ ❤️

This chapter is definitely smutty (especially on the Theobas side). 😉

Reviews and Comments: To akshutalankar: I am a little bit evil (but isn't everyone?) We will see more of Ron and Hermione here. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you for enjoying the chat between Ron and Molly! Thank you! To alix33: It was so fun to give Molly a job and working with Hannah seemed perfect! Neville is definitely onto something with Dean and Sebastian covering their boyfriends mouths on a regular basis lol. Thank you! To A Huge Fan: Nope, haven't caught those dastardly bastards yet! It would be too easy lol. I'm glad the suspense is killing you! I'm having fun writing it! Ron and Hermione do have a lot to work through and communication is a big thing, including Hermione's PTSD. We will see more of them. Thank you very much! To Nightwing2013: Yes, Harry met the Weasleys when he six and as to separation drama, it was three days lol. Yes, the did miss Sirius. Seamus is such a menace — he and Theo both — and I love to write them as such. Yes, that's what he said indeed lol. Thank you! To the frozen flame: Welcome back! As to what the hell happened, well, I like to keep people on their toes. Ron and Hermione are having some issues. I think Molly going to work for Hannah is fun, thank you. You think Blaise is going to get with Yeona, eh? Interesting. You think the Fletcher Fleming stuff is going to matter more down the line? We shall see. Thank you! To anjagpotter: Ha, a bottle of wine does sound good! Ha, no Seriously Sam had zero decision in my choice of breaking up Ron and Hermione (that was all me! I don't think she's reading this story so you're safe, all madness and evil plots are mine alone 😉). Ron and Hermione are one of my favourites too! Thank you!

To darkhk: LOL, thank you. To Read and Fly: Hermione did run off, we will see more as to why soon. Harry and Ginny are so domestic and so ready to move in with each other permanently. Thanks for loving Bas and Theo and the game. I think Molly is dealing well with her grief, she misses Arthur obviously, but she's living her life and enjoying her family. Thank you! To ILoveRaspberries36: Thank you! Ha, Hinny does love running, but yes, sex as cardio is definitely something they would consider as well lol. Molly would have been an amazing healer and I don't know, I just loved the idea of her having this dream and then when she's able to achieve it, she realizes she has a new dream. Every couple has hardships and it's silly to think a couple with seven kids had bliss all of the time. Couples fight. The good ones know how to make up. I am a bit of a hopeless romantic, it's true, but I will probably be a spinster LOL (no, honestly, I rather loving being single). Rossi and Bellarosa is kind of a fun storyline and I'm happy so many people are enjoying it. Ha, Dean is just so well loved lol. Yes, Ron and Hermione have broken up (for now). Thank you! To charmshield7: I know, Ron and Hermione suffering is a bit sad. Thank you loving Molly and Ron's chat. I always believed Molly was an amazing mum. Thank you! To ITHersey: Yes, Harry solved his case (as we knew he would). Ha, Harry should have said he would shag Theo just so Theo could brag lol. No one flirts quite like Theo does with Harry lol. Thank you!

To The cat with blue eyes: Dean definitely has the right to be offended, but also, there's one in every friend group lol. Ron and Hermione definitely have their issues, but they do love each other very much. Thank you! To camazoz: Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you for enjoying my addition to Molly and Arthur's story. Ron definitely needed to hear that relationships are not always perfect. We will find out more about Ron and Hermione soon. Thanks for enjoying Ron and Harry's Auror cases, they've been fun to write tidbits about and to just generally write them as Aurors. Thank you! To MissKnowItAll: Yes, Harry already has his first big case under his belt (a few little ones already of course). Yes, poor Dean lol. Bas and Dean definitely have their hands full with their boyfriends (and they love it). I know, poor Romione. It's nice to see so much Romione love! Thank you! To Anon: I'm happy you're enjoying the investigations. You're perfectly entitled to your opinion on the sex scenes, I understand. They do lighten the mood and sometimes I just like to write about our couples being happy and mushy in love. Thank you very much! To Matt9917: It sounds like your grandparents were extremely rare individuals. I have never in my entire life not met a single couple who didn't argue about something at least once or walk away because of a fight. I disagree that taking a break or wanting space means you don't love someone or want to be with them. I think sometimes that's exactly what a relationship needs to flourish and thrive, but sometimes it's also a sign that the relationship is over. Thank you!

To CrazyWithABook: Glad I can still surprise you with some Romione. Thank you! To Nan001: Yes, the broke up. We will see more later. Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the Hinny moment — they are quite happy and in love. Ron and Molly's dialogue was important to me as I think Molly is such a great mum and for her to show that not everything was hunky dory with her marriage really shows how strong their relationship was. The fact they overcame it all really shows how much they loved and supported each other. Thank you for enjoying Ron and Harry's jobs and the game night. Thank you! To MrsHJSnape: Sorry about Ron and Hermione, but yes, they broke up. Thanks for enjoying the chat with Molly and Ron. Don't worry, Dean was happy they didn't play 'Would You Rather?' either lol. Thank you! To saucyswimmer: We will get a Romione update soon! I just liked the name Leland lol. He was a character I liked on ER and thought it was a fun name to choose. K, D, and J are a fun crew! Sorry for the cliffhanger (kind of). Thank you! To EnigmaticEmeperor: It's definitely a great cardio plan lol. It's true, getting advice from Molly was a wise decision for Ron. No, I never mentioned this as it would have happened before Harry ever met Ginny. Rossi and Bellarosa are definitely going to be staying together! Don't worry as you will see, Theo is most definitely a good icebreaker lol. Molly working with Hannah just fit in my mind, so thank you! Ha, it did make sense to choose Dean, I agree. Theo would definitely have been outraged if Harry chose Ron lol. Thank you! To MinervaMcGee: Thank you very much!

To AQuickRead91: Not quite happily ever after just yet lol. Thanks for loving Molly getting a job with Hannah. I have wanted to write my own book, but whether or not I ever finish it is another story lol. Thank you! To CheeeePuffQueen: I always dislike fan fictions where Harry doesn't do the work. He has to start as an A1 like everyone else (which includes grunt work). We will see more of Slughorn and Borage. Thank you! To GABRIELAGPGP1988: Thank you very much! To Poppy_Wild: Sorry to make you sob over Ron and Hermione, they are a force of nature! Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Thank you very much! To PhoenixorFlame: Aw, thanks for loving my character of Borage! I don't know, I just have fun writing him. Molly is definitely a legend and I don't understand why so many people hate her. She does deserve the chance to do something great and her working with Hannah will be lovely. We will see more of Ron and Hermione soon along with the undesirables. The Harry and Ginny happy and loving and smutty scenes are great, I'm happy to know they're what you live for! Thank you! I kind of like that Bellarosa is a hard character to get a read on, I think it adds to her mystery. Thank you very much! To CorbanD17: I don't know why people hate Molly either. She's a loving mum who worries about her family. As to Ron and Hermione, no, Ron is not reading into something. They broke up. I like writing the fluffy moments and smutty moments with couples and friends, thanks for loving them. Thank you!

To neumann: I can leave it there! I did leave it there. LOL! Hermione is in flight or fight mode and she needs a minute. Interesting thought on Harry's Animagus and yes, he does use it almost exclusively to help Remus, though we do see him in his dog form soon. Thank you! To katelyn453: Thank you! You hope everything will be fine for Ron and Hermione? We shall see. Thank you! To c_thru_the_looking_glass: Sorry about Romione. Thank you! To SiriusLover93: I accept the anger about Ron and Hermione. I also agree that they're perfect for each other (trust me on this). Thank you! Who would be my choices for the game? I would Slay Dean😉, Shag Bas, and Snog and Hitch myself to Theo (I just think we would have the most fun). I do want to pick Harry because he's you know wonderful, but the thought of him with anyone other than Ginny hurts me so no lol. Thank you! To kyciona: Thanks for catching up and welcome back! Harry is really in his element as an Auror, agreed. Theo is always cute and funny in my opinion, but yes, drunk Theo even more so. I'm sorry you never liked Ron and Hermione as a couple, I love them as a couple, but I think this break is something they both need. Thank you! To briana_t: I mean, Ron and Hermione just broke up lol. Yes, I do believe Molly and Arthur had their struggles like any marriage does. Molly and Ron's talk was even more important because of it. Thank you! To TatiRena: Ron and Hermione definitely need to start talking lol. And yes, they are both idiots. Thank you!

To guest111: I'm sorry for Ron and Hermione. Thank you for saying Molly working with Hannah is the sweetest thing ever! I'm inclined to agree! I love that you're so proud of Harry for closing his first big case! Sorry for the cliffhanger (kind of). Thank you very much! To marauders_mowopapr: The game was interesting and ha, you think if you played that in your friend group it would be a bad idea? LOL. Yes, relationships aren't perfect as we see with Romione's struggles. Thank you! To The_Daemon_Master: Yes, they're serious. Thanks for enjoying the get together with with the gang and yes, everyone was quite surprised by Ron's announcement. Thank you! To Bellmel: It was fun to write Harry doing boring old regular Auror work and having Higgins support him. Thanks for loving the Ron and Molly chat. I agree, Molly and Arthur clearly had a strong relationship, but even the strongest of relationships have their ups and downs. Thank you for saying it really added "a wonderful layer of maturity and honesty." Thank you! Of course her silly pipe dream was anything but and knowing her children would support her if she decided to take that route is all she really needs. However, I just love the idea of her helping Hannah. I do think it's the perfect job for her. Molly would have made an amazing healer, but this is the perfect job for her now. I'm so happy that Rossi gives you so many feels. He is great at his job, but he's willing to walk away for love and I think that says a lot about who he is. We just have to see if Bellarosa is as serious as he is. Poor Dean indeed lol. Yes, I loved having Bas choose Neville just because he would blush a lot — such a tease! Those were two of my favourite quotes as well so thank you! Thank you very much! To regina phalange: Thank you!

To ellyann13: Ha, nope the prank wore off. You still don't trust Dean's dad and think he's connected to Leland Hauser? Interesting. We'll find out more about Ron and Hermione soon. Bellarosa and Blaise have a tumultuous relationship and she wants her son to know that she's doing good or trying too. Thank you! To George Raison: Thank you! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but thank you for saying my writing makes you see the characters in your mind; that means I'm doing something right! 😉 Thank you very much! To Gigi87: I quite agree that Hinny smut is always what we need and yes, Harry does rather love to use Ginny's boobs as his pillow whenever possible lol. I don't think Harry was intentionally trying to be seductive while putting on his boots because he's too innocent to notice lol. Yes, there's something about a man in uniform. Thank you for loving my interpretation of Robards, I agree! He always seems to gruff when I read about him and I wanted him to be more of a mentor to Harry, not a Snape. You think Fleming supplied the ingredients to the Death Eaters for the potions? Interesting. Ron and Hermione were definitely not dealing well with their problems. Thank you for loving my Ron and Molly chat. No one thinks that Molly and Arthur were so young when they had kids and that's a lot on a person, it makes sense that they had hurdles along the way. Ginny definitely gets her sass from her mother LOL. Yes, Molly's parents were killed in the war. Rossi is very smitten with Bellarosa, but Bellarosa is rather smitten with him right back. Ha, you think Durant and Soraya should hook up just to spite Bas? He would deserve it lol. You think Soraya is dating Blaise? Interesting. Harry is making his mark as an Auror. As to Sirius being alive, but not able to be present at his children's birthday, I know very sad. Molly would definitely have something say to Hannah's mum lol. She and Hannah are going to get on famously. Thanks for loving Bas' decision to choose Neville because he blushes lol. Sebastian is very confident when he's with Theo, but he's way too shy to talk about his sex class with that group lol. Thank you very much!

To Ellieoryan7447: LMAO! What a fascinating episode! I do love these, so very, very much! Harry and Ginny are very strange and actually like running, but yes, sex was definitely a better choice for them. I loved them getting all fuzzy over kissing each other goodbye before they went off to work — those two can't wait until Ginny's done school. Harry does love his job, but yes it is stressful (the Sirius part) and he's lucky he has Higgins and Robards to keep an eye on him along with others. Thank you for liking the Molly and Ron moment. Hurdles happen in relationships and part of the test of time is seeing how you deal with them. He needed to hear his mother's words. Thanks for finding the relationship of Rossi and Bellarosa fascinating — I do too! "Man who spends his life hunting criminals is in love with a criminal is always an interesting storyline." Thank you! They did catch Fleming! Still work to do, but it's a start and Harry's hard work helped them finally pin down some important parts of the case that had been overlooked. I definitely agree that Ginny intimidates Neville more than Hermione lol. Harry literally only had Hannah to choose from for sure unless he chose Theo or Ron (and we all know he wasn't going to open that gate lol). Poor Dean. As for Ron and Hermione, we'll see more of them soon. Thank you very much! To ThomasJAvery: Thanks for always finding Hinny moments so amazing to read. I wanted Robards to be stern, but understanding. I hate when I read stories and he's all gruff and kind of an asshole like Snape. Higgins definitely wasn't going to leave Harry hanging out to dry and wants to help explain the madness that they don't understand lol. Thanks for liking the Fleming case. Molly is such an amazing mum and she really doesn't get enough credit! I'm glad you enjoyed the backstory of Molly and Arthur. Glad her telling Muriel to piss off made you laugh lol. Durant is a fun character and writing him and Sebastian at work is fun. No, Bellarosa was never really one of the bad ones. I know, poor Ron and Hermione. Thank you very much!

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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 ELEVEN:
The One With the Arcanums

The sound of Harry saying her name seemed to drag her out of her mind haze. She was only half listening to her friends joking, her mind on something else entirely. The whole week had left her feeling off, like something was missing from her life that she couldn't quite grasp. She'd spent the last week burying herself in work and trying to make sense of her decision to push Ron away while at the same time, crying herself to sleep over a baby that had never even been there.

It didn't make sense to her so how could she even begin to explain it to Ron. Her eyes met Ron's across the room and the moment those blue eyes hit hers, her heart pounded in her chest.

"Hermione?" Harry prompted.

She looked away from Ron's intense gaze and took a sip of her wine. "I would shag… Sebastian," she said, her cheeks heating slightly at her admission, but really, Theo's Auror was gorgeous. Harry was too, but she couldn't ever think of him as anything other than her brother and just ew. "I would slay… Dean," she said, deciding that he was probably the one she'd miss the least from the group, "and I would snog and hitch myself to…" Her eyes roamed the room before they connected with Ron's stare once more and she swallowed. "Ron."

The look on his face made her heart pound even louder. She put her wine glass down and jumped to her feet, barely mumbling that she had to go before she bolted out of the living room. She hurried into the main hall, determined to find her shoes and the sound of Ron calling after her made tears blur her vision.

"Hermione! Hermione, wait!"

Hermione shook her head, stumbling into her shoes as she ripped open the front door and hurried out into the front path.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, slamming the door behind him. "Stop running from me, bloody hell!"

She turned in time to see him slip on some ice and it was only then that she noticed he was only in his socks as he caught himself from tumbling over. "Put on your shoes, Ron! You'll catch a chill!"

"I didn't have time," he muttered, grabbing her hands to steady himself. When she made to let go, he squeezed tighter. "Stop, please."

Her bottom lip trembled and one tear slid down her cheek. "I have to go."

"Where? Why?"

She swallowed. "I'm moving back in with my parents, Ron."

Ron blanched. "Just like that? We're not going to talk about it?"

"What's there left to say, Ron?" Hermione demanded. "This week has been —"

"—Hell," Ron interrupted. "Absolute fucking hell! I bloody miss you!"

"Don't swear."

He scowled. "Hermione… don't, don't do this. Please."

"I-I-I just think that we need some time apart," she stammered. "We need to process things and… we jumped too fast into this."

"Into what?"

"I'm only nineteen," she whispered. "I… I'm not ready to settle down and have kids and all of that."

"Me neither," Ron told her. "Some day, yeah, but… it was negative, Mione."

"It was," she assured him. "But it was also a wakeup call. I just need some time, Ron, and I think that you do too."

"Don't tell me what I need!" he bellowed. "Hermione, I love you."

Hermione stared at him. "I love you, too, but can you honestly tell me that we can go back to Clevedon Court and move on from this without any fallout?"

Ron swallowed and when he didn't say anything, she nodded.

"We need a break, Ron. I'm moving back in with my parents. Just… I need some time. Happy New Year."

She pecked his cheek and then turned and hurried off to Disapparate, not daring to turn around and to look at him for fear that she might run back and jump into his arms. No, they needed a break to figure things out. The false pregnancy scare had done more than terrify her, it had made her realize that as happy as she was with Ron and as much as she loved him, things were moving incredibly fast.

Hermione didn't know how to deal with it all and by the lack of answer from Ron when she'd asked him, she knew that he was on the same page. They just needed a break and then… then she would think about the future and what it meant.

For both of them.

~ TTTC ~

Theo closed the door behind Harry and Ginny before he turned to lean back against it. Tonight had been fun, despite the end with Ron and Hermione. Within half an hour of Hermione leaving, the party had pretty much ended. They'd watched the clock strike midnight and then said their goodbyes. He brushed a piece of hair away from his face, making a mental reminder to get a haircut soon. He made to move off of the front door but Sebastian stepped in front of him, flattening his palms on the door on either side of his head.

"You all right?"

"Brilliant," Theo said. "I just hope that Ron and Hermione work things out. Harry looked worried about them and those two have been together a while."

"Relationships can be tricky," Sebastian said.

Theo nodded and looked up at his boyfriend. "We're doing pretty well."

Sebastian grinned. "I don't have any complaints."

Theo stood on his toes and pressed his lips to his boyfriend's. "Me neither."

Sebastian's tongue trailed over his bottom lip. "But I do think you need to get on your knees right now."

Theo cocked his head. "Oh? Do I?"

Lips pressed against the side of Theo's throat. "Yes, you do. You've been bloody teasing me all night."

"Only a little."

Sebastian growled. "A lot."

Theo licked his lips and keeping his eyes on his boyfriend, slowly knelt down. "Now that I'm down here, what did you have in mind?"

Sebastian's fingers slid through his hair. "You were the one telling the room how much you wanted to suck me off tonight. You tell me what I want."

Theo's fingers were unzipping his boyfriend's jeans in record time and shoving them down his hips. His boxers followed before he was face to face with what he wanted most. He nuzzled him, rubbing his cheek along the hard shaft and smiled.

"Mine," he whispered.

Then he licked along the tip and Sebastian's hands left his hair to lay flat on the front doors in front of him, trapping Theo between the wall and himself. His heart jumped into his throat for a half second at being blocked in before he let out a slow breath. Sebastian never trapped him. He was safe here with his man and most importantly despite Sebastian's demands, it wasn't his boyfriend who was in charge and they both knew it. For some reason, the fact that they were in the middle of the entrance way of their manor made this seem hotter than it already did. Theo kissed his way over his boyfriend's thick cock, nuzzling his balls, sucking and licking just enough to drive him mad.

"Theo…"

Theo's tongue caught the drop leaking out of his tip and he lapped at him eagerly. "All mine," he teased.

Sebastian emitted another low growl and Theo opened his mouth and sucked him down with a loud moan. The heavy, fullness of him in his mouth, the musky scent of his lust… it was exactly what Theo wanted. His own cock was hardening at the taste of him, the feel of him as he worked himself in and out of Theo's mouth. Theo changed the angle and sucked him harder and Sebastian tossed his head back.

"Fuck!"

Theo's eyes twinkled up at him. He loved watching his man lose control. He loved watching him fall apart for him. Sebastian's hands slammed against the front doors as he came, crying out Theo's name as Theo continued to work him. Sebastian cupped his cheek when he finished, urging Theo to let go.

Theo's eyes were watery, his mouth swollen as he deliberately liked his lips. "Yum."

Sebastian yanked him to his feet and pinned him back against the front door. "You're going to be the bloody death of me with that gorgeous mouth."

Theo grinned, using his thumb to wipe his chin before he sucked on his thumb. "You love it."

"Yes, yes I do," he said, capturing his mouth for a kiss.

Then Theo's jeans were being tugged down and Sebastian's large hand was wrapped around him for some teasing strokes before they stumbled away from the front door. They made it to the large staircase on the other side and up to the first landing between the next set of stairs before they fell to the floor.

"Where are you going? Our bedroom's on the other side of the house," Theo murmured, his lips pressed against Sebastian's throat.

"Don't care," Sebastian said, pulling Theo's shirt off. "I'm going to take you right here."

Theo started to say something about that but his boyfriend's tongue swiped over his nipple before he trailed a wet path down his flat stomach and that hot mouth wrapped around his cock; Theo's hips arched up desperately. It took no time at all for him to finish down his boyfriend's throat with a cry echoing in the entrance hall of the manor. He was thankful the house elves were settled into their cottages for the night and unable to witness his undoing at Sebastian's hands. Sebastian gave him a smug grin before he kissed his way over Theo's thighs and Theo groaned when he felt his boyfriend's hard cock rub against him.

"Mmm, was my mouth not enough, Auror Arsehole?"

Sebastian chuckled, kissing Theo's hips, his stomach, his ribs, before he licked a nipple deliberately slowly. "You drive me mad, baby. Roll over."

Theo rolled onto his stomach before he shifted onto his hands and knees, sending a naughty look over his shoulder and wiggled his arse. "Happy New Year, Bas."

Sebastian's eyes softened before he pressed a kiss against Theo's bottom and used his fingers to spread him. "Happy New Year, Theo."

Two fingers slid into Theo's mouth and he sucked on them eagerly before Sebastian reached back to play with his arse and Theo whimpered. It was definitely going to be the best year ever, he thought. Then when Sebastian finally slid deeply into him, Theo threw his head back as he groaned, rocking his arse back to meet his boyfriend eagerly.

This was definitely the perfect start to the new year.

~ TTTC ~

Harry and Ginny left Norfolk Manor with Ron after ringing in the new year an hour after Hermione's departure. When they arrived back in Somerset, Ginny moved to hug her brother and Ron didn't say a word, he just put his arms around her and stared at Harry. Harry simply moved forward and wrapped his arms around both of them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.

"No," Ron mumbled.

"Will you tell us what happened?"

Ron only squeezed her tighter in response.

"Okay," she whispered. "When you're ready, Harry and I are here."

They hugged him a moment longer before they let him go. Ron started to move towards the staircase before he shook his head.

"I… I think I need to go to the Burrow."

Harry reached for Ron's hand. "Come on, mate. This is your home now."

Ron looked unsure so Ginny took his other hand and the three of them walked up the stairs, a little awkwardly, with Ginny in the lead as they all held onto each other. They walked him right to his bedroom door and Ron nodded.

"Goodnight."

When the door clicked shut behind him, Ginny leaned back against Harry. They went to the master bedroom, closing the door before she spoke.

"What on earth happened?"

Harry shook his head. "I have no idea. Ron hasn't said anything."

"And now they've broken up?" Ginny demanded.

Harry shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea, Gin. I didn't think they were arguing any more than usual."

"But you've had a lot going on," she finished, moving into his arms.

Harry put his arms around her, sighing when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Have I been a bad friend?"

Ginny lifted an eyebrow and gave him a cool look. "Do I need to hex you? With everything that you've had going on the last two months and you think this is somehow your fault?"

"All right, not my fault exactly, but if I'd paid more attention maybe I — ow!" he exclaimed when Ginny pinched the side of his neck.

"Everything and everyone is not your responsibility, Harry Potter!"

Harry opened his mouth before he promptly closed it again.

"That's right, there is no commentary needed," Ginny said, her dark eyes meeting his. "Ron and Hermione are adults and whatever it is that's going on with them, it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"All right, but — ow! Stop bloody pinching me!"

"Stop being a noble git."

His lips curved slightly before he caught himself. "Is there anything I can say right now that won't result in you pinching me?"

Ginny stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his for a quick peck. "Ron and Hermione will work it out, Harry."

"So, that's a no, then," he replied. "Ow!"

Ginny smirked as her fingers pinched his hip. "If you keep trying to take on their problems, I'm going to pinch something else entirely."

He lifted an eyebrow before he let his hands cup her bottom and pushed her up to her toes to kiss her. "You're a menace."

She smiled and pushed him down on the bed. "Someone needs to keep you in line."

Harry grinned as she straddled him, her hands moving to the bottom of her shirt and lifting it over her head. "I love you so much."

Ginny leaned over him, taking his mouth with hers again and Harry knew that there was no where else in the world that he would rather be.

They took their time, sharing long, deep kisses as they tugged at each other's clothes. When they were both finally naked, Harry flipped her beneath him, pressing kisses everywhere. He ticked off each freckle, licking and kissing every one as he worked his way over her shoulders, down her arms, over her ribs, her hips, her thighs. He kissed every inch of her as she writhed beneath him.

"Harry…"

When he finally buried his tongue between her legs, she arched up, crying out his name in a desperate chant that reminded him of how hard he was. But it was the taste of her that truly brought him to the edge. The feel of the woman he loved coming apart under him that had him reaching down to stroke himself.

"I need you," she whispered breathlessly. "Harry, I need you inside of me."

He gave her one more sensuous lick before he kissed his way over her toned stomach, lingering on her breasts before he finally lined himself up with her. He dragged his heavy cock against her, teasing them both and Ginny shook her head. She locked her legs around his waist and took him deep inside of her.

They both groaned.

And then everything felt right.

Harry took his time. As much as his body wanted him to slam inside of her, he wanted to make it last. He held her hand in his, linked against the duvet as his other held her hip. His eyes stared into hers, watching every fleck of desire and pleasure shoot through those beautiful brown eyes and he never wanted to look anywhere else.

When he met her gaze in moments like this, he saw everything. He never doubted that she loved him, but looking deep into those chocolate orbs with his cock buried so deep inside of her that he didn't know where he ended and she began — he knew it. He knew it with every fibre of his being. He knew that when he pulled out, her pupils dilated and when he slid back into that amazing wet heat, her eyes darkened with unbridled lust. He knew that when he rolled his hips it wasn't just desire in her eyes and he knew that it could never be like this with anyone else.

When she let go, a second orgasm tearing through her, he stared deep into her eyes, neither of them looking away, and when his own crashed over him moments later, her eyes were glassy.

"I love you, Harry," she whispered, kissing him as they held onto each other, making sure they took every last bit of their pleasure.

Harry collapsed next to her, turning to open his arms so that she could snuggle close, and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Ginny."

When he closed his eyes he knew that as long as she was by his side and in his corner, things would be all right. Everything else he could handle as long as he had her.

~ TTTC ~

They were going to be late if they didn't stop and Theo couldn't care less.

Not when he was lying on his back, holding his knees up to his chest while Sebastian's tongue did the most delicious things to his arse. Merlin, the way that tongue was flicking and licking, twirling and zagging inside of him was enough to make his cock ache. Sebastian was full on French kissing his hole and he was pretty sure that he was going to implode from the sheer pleasure of it. He desperately wanted to touch himself, but every time he moved his hand, Sebastian slapped it away.

"Mine."

"Bas… please…" Theo whined.

Instead of answering, Sebastian pressed another kiss to his hole and then lubed up his fingers, wiggling in one while he continued to use his tongue. Sebastian moaned and the vibrations made Theo's arse tremble and his cock twitch. When Sebastian's finger finally hit that place inside of him, Theo's eyes crossed and his legs flew over Sebastian's shoulders, heels digging into his back as that talented tongue licked deeper, teasing him even more.

Theo had always considered himself to be a very sexual being. He'd been young when he'd started having sex (not by choice) and Merlin knew that he'd sucked off a lot of blokes. He'd had many cocks in his mouth and he wasn't ashamed of that. He loved giving men pleasure and he loved getting pleasure back. But when it came to actual intercourse, there had only been Finn and now Bas (he didn't consider the quickie at the brothel to take his virginity count). But no one, no one had ever given him pleasure the way his Auror did. The way Sebastian took his time, edging him over and over and over again, determined to make every second more incredible than the last… it was a serious turn on.

The absolute lust in Sebastian's eyes when he'd look at him, the desire there as he rimmed him… Theo was positive that he could come hands free (and he had on more than occasion).

It was why Sebastian took his time to squeeze the head of his cock and stop him from doing just that.

Theo bit his bottom lip as Sebastian added a second finger, his tongue licking his balls now, swiping over and around them before sucking them into his mouth.

"Bas… I wanna touch you," he begged.

Sebastian ignored him, sliding one hand up his flat stomach to tease and pull on a nipple while three fingers continued to push in and out of him, pegging him again and again as that hot mouth sucked on his balls.

"Such fucking gorgeous balls," Sebastian murmured. "Perfect. Full. Mine."

He took them into his mouth, rolling them and Theo squirmed, his whole body taut and ready to let go. Sebastian moaned as he released them and then dragged his tongue over them, under them, and then tugged them back into his mouth once more to suckle; Theo whimpered. Then that warm wet mouth was sliding up his cock, twirling his tongue over the head where he was leaking, desperately. Those blue eyes, dark in desire met his as he twirled his tongue around him, fingers moving more aggressively now inside of him.

"Mmm," he moaned, licking his lips. "I could spend all fucking day eating your arse. I can never decide what I want more. Every bit of you is so fucking delicious."

His mouth wrapped around him now and Theo groaned. When he began to suck, Theo couldn't control himself. He was fucking himself wantonly on Bas' fingers, his own hands clutching his boyfriend's hair so tightly that it had to hurt as he held him in place.

"More…" he begged. "Gods, please… more…"

Sebastian sucked him deeper and twisted his fingers inside of him. Theo couldn't hold it back anymore. He shouted as he came, thrusting up into Sebastian's mouth while still trying to fuck himself on those fingers with desperation. Sebastian didn't waver. His mouth kept around him, kissing and licking and sucking as he finished him off, working out every last drop. His fingers stayed inside of him and Theo whimpered as they continued to peg him. He was so sensitive, but he didn't want him to stop. When he finally stopped coming, they slowly slipped out, and Theo felt empty; his breath ragged.

Sebastian kissed his way up Theo's torso and captured his mouth for a long kiss. "I love you."

Theo's satisfied smile was huge, tasting himself on Bas' tongue. "I love you, too."

Sebastian kissed his lips once more. "Now come on. We're going to be late."

"I can't move ever again," Theo murmured, his eyes closing. "Except my mouth. Come feed me your cock. I can definitely still use my mouth."

"Later," Sebastian told him, tugging him into a sitting position. "We're supposed to meet Blaise and Rossi at that restaurant in Apricity Lane."

"But you didn't get off," Theo pouted.

Sebastian kissed him again. "You're going to make it up to me later. Now get dressed."

Theo fell back onto the bed, smiling when Sebastian brought him a warm wash cloth to clean him up. "You spoil me."

Sebastian's lips brushed his forehead. "Put some clothes on before I bend you over this bed and bury my tongue in your arse again."

Theo made a squeaking sound and when Sebastian's eyes darkened, he laughed, holding up his hands as he scrambled off of the bed. "No! No! We're already going to be late. Stay back!"

Sebastian stood up and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. His lips pressed against his throat, sucking on the pulse there.

"Mmm, you know what, we're going to be even later. I've changed my mind."

Theo laughed as he watched his boyfriend remove his boxers; his hard cock thumping against his abs and making Theo lick his lips. "Bas…"

Sebastian's lips brushed his neck, his collarbone, and then back up to his chin to kiss him. "I can't wait. I need to come in your mouth, baby. So bad."

Theo wrapped his arms around Sebastian's neck, standing on his toes. "I do have a very talented mouth, but we're going already running late."

Sebastian fisted himself, brushing it against Theo's hip. "Kneel for me."

Theo licked his lips. "I do love it when you're in my mouth."

The growl that emitted from Sebastian's throat as his cock pushed between them made Theo's own cock twitch in an attempt to get hard again. Theo leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend's shoulder before he slowly kissed his way down his chest, sucking on his nipples, licking his way over every groove of his abs and when he finally fell to his knees on the carpet, Sebastian let his head fall back.

"Oh, fuck! You look so bloody peng on your knees, Theo."

Theo wrapped his fingers around Sebastian's beautiful hard cock, his eyes twinkling. "I know."

Then he took him down his throat in one go and Sebastian shuddered.

"Oh, fuck… how are you so fucking good… ugh, bloody hell!"

Theo took his time, sucking slowly, using his hands to knead and stroke his balls, letting his fingers tease his arse as he did. He moaned, his own cock growing as he took his time in pleasuring his boyfriend. Sebastian made a growling sound, pulling himself back.

"Wait."

Theo licked his lips. "I think I've waited long enough. Come in my mouth, Bas."

"I want to be inside you. Let me see that pretty hole," he growled.

Theo jumped to his feet so fast that Sebastian laughed. They stumbled back towards the bed and Theo performed a quick lubricating charm before he crawled onto the bed, his arse up in the air and a lust filled look in his eyes.

Sebastian was behind him in an instant. Those strong arms holding him as he slowly slid into him; Theo groaned. Once he was seated fully, Theo let out a desperate breath and whine as Sebastian began to finally move.

Theo cried out as Sebastian pounded himself into him again and again and when one of those big hands wrapped around him, Theo surprised himself by coming a second time, collapsing into his own mess on the sheets as Sebastian finished with a loud roar.

Theo's breath was ragged as he turned his head to grin back at him. "Mmm, we're so bloody late."

Sebastian chuckled and brushed his lips over his. "So, so late. Merlin, your arse is bloody perfect. Quick shower?"

Theo shook his head, the emptiness filling him as Sebastian slipped out. "Quick nap."

"I'll carry you," Sebastian offered.

Theo held his arms out, laughing when Sebastian scooped him up into his arms. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Sebastian locked Theo's legs around his waist as Theo snuggled into his embrace. He carried him into the bathroom and turned the shower on before he stepped inside, Theo still in his arms. Theo reached up to kiss him under the spray.

"No more distractions," Sebastian said, kissing his forehead tenderly before he lowered him to his feet. "We have to go."

Theo smiled as he began to wash himself up, sneaking a look over at the water brushing over Sebastian's incredible body. He couldn't wait to come back here later and get on his knees for him all over again.

Sebastian's hand brushed over his arse and Theo turned his head to meet his lips again. "You are such trouble, do you know that?"

Theo pressed himself up against his boyfriend, his arms around his neck. "Do you want me any other way?"

"No," he growled, capturing his mouth again. "When we get home later, we're flipping."

"Yeah?" Theo asked, his eyes wide in delight. "Promise?"

"Yeah, baby," he said, kissing his forehead. "I love having you inside of me."

"I'll take really, really good care of you," Theo said, kissing Sebastian's chest.

Sebastian made a purring sound before he pushed Theo back. "Stop that. We don't have time. Later."

But when Theo knelt down in the shower and Sebastian came a second time, neither one of them complained.

They were forty-five minutes late and Blaise scowled at them when they rushed into the restaurant.

"You two are getting bloody ridiculous! I'm going to start lying about meet times just so you're bloody on time!"

Rossi, who was sitting across from Blaise with a glass of red wine in his hand lifted an eyebrow. "Everything all right?"

Blaise scoffed. "It's fine. These two were just bloody shagging. Again."

"I told you," Theo said, taking a seat next to his friend. "I just happen to slip sometimes and Bas' cock accidentally falls right into my open mouth. It's such a crazy random happenstance."

Rossi choked on his wine and Sebastian slapped his back. "Pardon?"

"You just slip?" Blaise said, his eyes narrowed. "Funny how that keeps happening."

"It is," Theo agreed. "I can be very clumsy. So, what are we drinking?"

Blaise shook his head. "You're lucky I love you, you tosser."

Theo beamed at him and Blaise smiled back, shaking his head again. "I'm Theo, by the way, Theodore Nott."

"Joseph Rossi," Rossi said, extending his hand to shake Theo's. "You can call me Joe."

"Nice to meet you, Joe," Theo said. "Sorry about Blaise. He really likes to overshare. I'm sorry that Bas and I were late."

"Me? I overshare?" Blaise exclaimed.

Theo shushed him as Sebastian reached across the table to take Theo's hand in his.

"Why don't we check out the menu?" Sebastian suggested.

Once they ordered their meals, Rossi leaned back in his seat. "While Blaise and I were waiting for you two to arrive, we did talk a little."

"We did. It turns out that he's still in love with my mother," Blaise said.

Theo's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Really? I thought it was all an act because you were working undercover."

Rossi hesitated, exchanging a look with Sebastian before he leaned across the table. "It sure was supposed to be. Bellarosa… enchanted me and I'm well aware that it's exactly what she's known to do."

"And yet it happened again," Blaise said, taking a long sip of his wine.

Theo reached over to put his hand on his friend's knee and squeezed. "As you're aware, Joe, Mrs Zabini has been married a time or two before."

"Or five," Blaise muttered.

Rossi cleared his throat. "I am. I work with Sebastian and we both were well aware of Bellarosa's reputation as the Black Widow before I went undercover. I knew going in that my unconventional marriage to her was going to be her sixth marriage. Discovering that she was innocent of those crimes and being able to prove that it was in fact her sister, Belladonna Brambilla, was a really important achievement for me. I didn't plan on seducing her or being charmed by her, but we kind of fell together while she was still married to Lord Jason Stanford. It wasn't planned and the more time I spent with her, the more I suspected myself in danger."

"So what does that mean now?" Theo asked.

Rossi looked at Sebastian again before he cleared his throat. "As I was telling Blaise before you arrived, I'm… I'm going to take early retirement from the MIA."

Theo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Really?"

Blaise crossed his arms in front of his chest. "He wants to play step daddy."

"That's not it," Rossi said, giving Blaise a stern look. "You're an adult, Blaise, and we both know that you raised yourself more than your mother raised you, but you still love and respect her. I don't know what kind of relationship you've had with her other husbands and I don't care if you want me to marry her or not, but I am letting you know that if she'll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy and I hope that you and I can be friends of a sort."

Blaise snorted. "What's funny about that is that her husbands usually don't get much of a life to live."

Rossi's eyes met his. "Your aunt will not be part of our lives, Blaise."

"Excuse me," Blaise said, standing up. "I need to use the loo."

Theo watched him disappear before he stood up as well. "I'll check on him."

Sebastian nodded at him as Theo hurried to the back of the restaurant to find the washroom. He found Blaise standing in front of the sink, his hands on either side of the counter as she stared at himself in front of the mirror.

"Blaise?"

"I'm being a git, I'm well aware."

Theo moved to stand behind him, wrapping his arms around him from behind. "As long as you know that."

Blaise sighed and turned around to hug his friend. "The thing of it is, I rather like him."

They stepped apart and Theo hopped up onto the bathroom counter. "Oh?"

Blaise nodded, resting against the other side of the sink and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "He's… nice. He's intelligent. He knows that Mamma isn't innocent by any means, but he also knows that she has a good heart. He's trustworthy, Theo. I mean, he works with your totally-not-gay-Auror!"

"Are you ever going to just call him Sebastian?"

Blaise smirked. "Totally-not-gay-Auror is more fun."

"And Rossi?"

"He's worked in the MIA for years," Blaise said. "He has a good head on his shoulders. He's not like the others… I mean, he's enchanted by her of course, but he's not stupid with it, you know? And… fuck, he's the first one, Theo, the first one to actually reach out to me and to give a bloody damn."

"And that scares you?"

Blaise shrugged. "I'm nineteen. I don't need a father. Come the summer, I'll be an adovcatus with my job. Mama will still be in Azkaban."

"Blaise, you know that I get it better than anyone. Your mother is all you have. You've never really had a father who looked out for you or was there for you in any way. Your mother might not be perfect and could definitely be scary nine times out of ten, but you've never once doubted that she loves you. The one thing that you can say about all of her exes is that they've never hurt you."

Blaise met Theo's gaze. "They barely hurt her. She used them, Theo. All of them. She never loved any of them. Not since my father. But she's lonely and she takes whoever gives her a smidge of attention. I don't think Mamma knows how to be alone."

"But Rossi's not like that," Theo said. "He used her first."

Blaise nodded. "He did and I don't know if Mamma respects him more for that or not, but she's different with him. You should hear her talk about him. I think when she gets out, if he's not waiting for her… I think that would really break her, for real."

Theo reached out to touch his friend's shoulder. "Then maybe you should go back out there and make nice with Rossi."

"I was making nice with him! I had no choice since you were so bloody late."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Only a little late."

"Forty-five minutes, Theo! I'm still upset with you," Blaise insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You can't just show up late every time we're supposed to meet. It's rude and disrespectful."

"It was twice," Theo corrected. "And it wasn't intentional, I swear." At Blaise's look, he smiled. "You've seen him, how can I say no to all of that?"

"Try harder."

"He was hard. Very, very hard."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Wanker."

Theo grinned. "I'm going to remind you of this the next time that you're having regular sex."

Blaise snorted. "Let's be honest here, mate: Is the sex that good?"

Theo gave him a hot look. "You have no bloody idea! That man loves to rim me like no tomorrow and he's so bloody good at it! Then he edges me and oh, Merlin, Blaise! When I finally come, it's like… explosive. I swear I see stars and I think I've died a few times and that's all before he even sticks his magnificent cock inside of me and turns me inside out. And don't even get me started on how beautiful his cock is! I will gladly spend hours with him in my mouth."

"I know," Blaise said. "You're always falling on it. You always were a bit of a cock-sucking tart."

Theo grinned. "Jealous?"

"Of regular sex? Yes. I haven't had a good shag in almost a month, but I am happy for you, mate. Now, please for the love of Merlin, stop oversharing."

Theo laughed and hopped off of the counter. "So, you don't want me to tell you about how when we get home, I'm going to top him?"

"Bloody hell," Blaise said, rubbing his fingers over his eyes. "What part of stop oversharing is unclear, mate?"

"The part where you don't want to know all about my sex life," Theo said. "It's brilliant and let me tell you, Bas is a total top, you know? I love it because I bloody love bottoming, but every once in a while, I really do love to flip and Bas… bloody hell, he even tops from the bottom and I fucking love it."

"I hate you so much right now."

Theo leaned over to peck his friend's cheek. "I love you and as much as I would rather be at home shagging my boyfriend's brains out, I'm here because you need me to be. Well, also because I came twice before dinner and unfortunately I need some time to recharge."

"Such a selfless bloke," Blaise teased, rolling out his eyes. He let out a slow sigh. "All right, you wanker, are you done telling me about your sex life now?"

"Well, that depends, did I tell you how much he likes my shower dildo? He likes to watch me shag myself on it while he sucks me off."

Blaise shook his head in exasperation. "Too much information, Theo. Seriously, too much. Are you done?"

"Only if you agree to come back out and talk to Joseph Rossi?"

Blaise nodded. "I can do that. Anything to burn the images you've just created out of my brain."

Theo leaned into him, butting his shoulder against his. "Hey, those images are golden." At Blaise's look, he grinned. "Okay, okay, but seriously, Joe seems great and it never hurts to make a new friend, right?"

The gleam in Blaise's eyes told Theo that he was right. They headed back to their table to find Sebastian and Rossi talking about some thief. When they sat down, Sebastian reached out to take Theo's hand.

"Everything all right?"

"It's all good," Blaise said. "So, Joe, what else can you tell me about yourself?"

If Rossi was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. When he began to fill Blaise in on his own background, Theo let his fingers play with Sebastian's on the table and thought Blaise was right: Joseph Rossi was different. Theo didn't know how that was going to play out with Bellarosa, but he had a feeling that no matter what, his brother had just made a new friend.

~ TTTC ~

As the year 1999 took off and Ginny returned to Hogwarts after the holiday, Harry found himself working on a lot of small cases with Higgins. Things slowed down and he was able to spend time asking more questions, learning more about the day-to-day life of an Auror on a slow day, and taking the opportunity to get more of his studies done.

Ron stayed a few more nights at Clevedon Court, but he was quiet. He hadn't said much over the last week since Hermione had walked out on New Year's Eve and when Harry tried to talk to Hermione, he was met with the same quiet and unanswered questions. He could see that both of his friends were hurting and he just wished that he could do something to help them, but he didn't know what. When Ron decided to go stay at the Burrow for the foreseeable future, Harry felt the quiet of the house more than ever and he missed having his best friends around. Without their presence it only made him miss Ginny even more.

Feeling restless, he decided to go for a run after work one evening. Ron wasn't interested in joining him, claiming Molly was waiting for him at the Burrow so Harry took off alone, heading out into the town of Somerset. He'd run two kilometres before he felt it; the tingle on the back of his neck that told him he wasn't entirely alone. He turned, intentionally running off towards the woods. He slowed his pace along the edge of the trees just as he caught sight of a shadow following him.

His wand was in his hand in seconds.

"Show yourself!"

His heart caught in his throat when Sirius stepped out of the shadows. His dark jeans had a hole in the knee, but the leather jacket looked new.

"Running from me, Potter?" he drawled, the sound of his voice reminding Harry of everything that used to be.

Despite the hurt in his heart, his hand was steady as he held his wand in front of him. "I don't run from anyone."

Sirius smirked. "Seems you and your friends have been trying to find me. So, here I am."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Sirius said, leaning back against a tree and crossing his arms and ankles as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Why are you here?"

"Turning myself in."

"Bullshit."

Sirius' lips twitched as he pulled his wand from his jacket. "Yeah, it really is. I've been sent to kill you."

"I'm harder to kill than most."

"I've heard that," Sirius said. "I've been hearing a lot about you, Harry Potter."

"Anything good? I could do with a new rumour or two."

He snorted. "You have quite the mouth on you, don't you?" When Harry didn't answer, he said, "I raised you."

Harry was slightly startled by the turn in the conversation, but he didn't let it show. "You did."

"You don't doubt it's really me anymore, do you?"

"I know it's really you," Harry said quietly. "But it's not the you that I grew up with. The Sirius I grew up with… he would never hurt me."

"Not even after the boy he raised grew up to stab him in the back?"

Harry swallowed. "Whatever they told you I did is a lie."

"Funny, they say the same thing about you."

Harry watched him use his wand to light a cigarette. "You haven't smoked since you were sixteen."

"It calms me," Sirius said, blowing out a long strand of smoke. "Bella told me what happened that night at the Ministry. She was trying to kill you."

"She's always trying to kill me. She's bloody insane."

Sirius blew more smoke towards him. "You shoved me in front of yourself and used me as a human shield."

Harry's eyes widened before he caught himself. "I used you as a — bloody buggering fuck! I never bloody used you as a human shield! I would never let someone die for me! Never! That's not what fucking happened!"

Sirius' grey eyes flickered to the scar through his eyebrow and on his forehead before moving down to the other one on his cheek. "But you don't exactly save people either, do you, Potter?"

Harry's grip tightened on his wand as his heart clenched in his chest. "I would have done everything to save you."

"Doesn't mean much now. I was worm food before my cousin had the balls to bring me back."

"You can't trust Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said carefully, watching as Sirius took another drag from the cigarette. "She's insane. She's a murderer."

"Maybe," Sirius replied. "I don't remember much before I was worm food. So, it's your word against hers and since she brought me back from the dead and you couldn't be bothered, I'm tending to lean towards her as the more honest one."

Harry snorted. "Do you know how she brought you back? She cut the heart out of the woman you loved. She sacrificed her and left Zee for dead to return you to the land of the living only to kill me. Doesn't seem like much of a life worth living if you ask me."

Sirius took another drag from the cigarette. "I read that I was engaged to her. She was beautiful. I don't remember her though so she can't have been that memorable of a shag."

"You aren't him," Harry said, his eyes darkening. "The man who raised me would never speak so callously of the woman he loved like that."

Sirius flicked the cigarette butt onto the light snow, crushing it under his boot. "Oh, it's really me, Potter; and you know it. So, tell me, if you didn't use me as human shield: How did I die?"

Harry scoffed. "Because Bellatrix is bloody insane and she murdered you."

Sirius' tongue touched the top of his lip. "That seems possible."

Harry had absolutely no idea what was going on. Part of him was sure that he should have sent a Patronus for backup by now, but another part of him was so confused as to why Sirius was here, talking to him, asking questions…

His grip tightened on his wand.

"I overheard them talking, you know; it seems they're keeping secrets from me."

"No shit."

Sirius' lips twitched as if he was holding back a smile. "It seems there's something they've been giving me to help keep everything foggy. It's not working entirely as I've had dreams."

Harry's heart was pounding so loud now that he swore Sirius could hear it. "Dreams?"

"Maybe memories," he said, staring right at Harry. "I barely sleep so most of them are waking dreams, I suppose, but I was a pirate in a treehouse and you made me walk the plank. A man I recognize but… eyes like whisky telling me that I was the mum of the house. I called him Moomy. My father hitting me as a child because I played with a Muggle. All of its fractured and unclear; like a dream I can't quite remember."

Harry swallowed. "Those are all true. That all happened, I mean, the memories are real."

Sirius stared at him. "They said that I have three months left to kill you before things… unravel."

"Unravel? What unravels?"

"Dunno. Being as I was eavesdropping at the time and not being told directly, I figured it's something that they don't want me to know."

Harry took in Sirius' casual appearance and then he took step towards him. "Why don't you come with me? We can work on this memory thing — together."

Sirius snorted. "You might not have held the wand, but you're the reason I died, Potter. I don't trust you."

"You don't trust them either," Harry said, trying not to flinch at Sirius' words. "Not completely. Come with me. I can… help you."

Sirius stared at Harry for so long that Harry was starting to wonder if the man had frozen. When he finally blinked, he shook his head. "Tell me… when they killed her to bring me back, was she pregnant with my babies?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"The man with the whisky eyes… Moomy… he said he heard heartbeats. Two."

Harry's hand trembled. "Uncle Siri… you… you were gone for almost three years. Please, come with me. I can help you."

His eyes darkened. "I'm not your bloody uncle, Potter, and I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"You're right," Harry said, holding his wand up in front of him. "You're not my uncle. Not by blood. My parents named you godfather and when you were released from Azkaban prison you raised me the way my parents wanted you to and while I called you uncle, you were so much more. The day Bellatrix murdered you I lost a dad and a godfather it broke something inside of me that's never quite healed."

"Well boo-fucking-hoo," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"And you've been dead for three years!" Harry shouted, unable to stop himself. "I buried you. I moved on and Zee had your babies. Twins. A boy and a girl."

Sirius blinked. "What?"

"They just turned two before the new year."

"Mina and Leo," he whispered making Harry's eyes widen. Then suddenly his wand was up and pointing at him. "Stupefy!'

Harry rolled away from the spell, his own wand in his hand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

The spell hit the tree where Sirius had been standing as he pointed his wand at Harry. "This isn't over, Prongslet."

He Disapparated and Harry stayed where he was, crouched on the ground near the edge of the wood, his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

By the time he made it to Wrexham, he didn't feel any more sure of what had happened, but he told Remus and Tonks everything the moment he set foot inside.

"Wait? So… he remembers?" Remus asked, his eyes wide. "How is this even bloody possible?"

"Some things," Harry admitted. "It seems like the memories are all jumbled and unclear, but he's remembering enough that he's clearly asking questions — just not enough to make him stop trusting Bellatrix."

Tonks shook her head. "He tried to stun you?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "He never even raised his wand to try to do anything worse. I tried to get him to come with me, to talk more, but he wasn't having it."

"But he did talk?" Remus asked, his voice coming out in almost a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah, he did," Harry said. "Uncle Rem… he didn't remember your name, but he called you Moomy instead of Moony."

Remus' lips twitched. "He… that twat."

Tonks grasped her husband's hand in hers. "Moomy, huh?"

"It was a joke because I told him that he was the mum of the house back when Harry was a lad and… he said if anyone was the mum, it was me, I was Moomy and he was Dadfoot. He was such a bloody arse," Remus said, frowning. "What does this mean?"

Harry swallowed. "It's really him, Uncle Moony. It's really bloody him and he… called me Prongslet."

Remus grabbed him, pulling him tightly against his chest as tears welled up in Harry's eyes. "I know that I told you what's dead should stay dead, Harry and I… I still believe that with everything I am, but this is…"

"A completely different and uncalled for situation?" Harry supplied.

Remus chuckled. "Kind of, yeah."

Harry hugged Remus back, not wanting to let go. "I don't think he entirely trusts them. I think… even without a soul, he's… questioning things."

"It certainly sounds like it," Tonks agreed, chewing on her thumbnail. "All right, this is what we're going to do. Harry, you're going to write up this encounter and then tomorrow when we go in, we're going to see if we can get a consult in from the Department of Mysteries."

"Department of… why?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

Remus kissed Harry's forehead. "Hey, take a deep breath, Harry. I know that you still think of the Department of Mysteries and remember losing him, but Nymphadora's right. If anyone is going to be able to answer questions about the human soul, it's the witches and wizards who work there. That's all."

Harry moved out of Remus' embrace to look at Tonks. "We still haven't heard back from Borage and Slughorn about the potion."

"We'll check in with them tomorrow too, but we do need to look more into the soul and how it is that Sirius is back without his. If his memories are coming back and he's questioning things… there's still a lot here that we don't understand," Tonks said.

"That's the story of this entire bloody case, Tonks! None of it makes sense! Zee's… frozen in some state of time where she can't even bloody die properly, but she's not exactly alive either and Sirius is back with no bloody soul and a madwoman feeding him lies about me! He thinks that I used him as a human shield to save myself and I can't…"

Remus' arm came around his shoulders. "No. You will not go down this rabbit hole all over again, Harry. I forbid it. Sirius' death is not your fault. It never was and it never will be. Do not let whatever codswallop Bellatrix Lestrange is feeding Sirius get into your head. You know what's true. You know what's not true. Now, we need to figure out how to help Sirius learn the truth."

"Will it help?" Harry asked. "Living without a soul, Uncle Rem… even if he does learn the truth: Will he even care?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't have the answers and I wish that I could give you a better one, but I just don't know."

Harry didn't know either and it only made everything seem that much more bleak than before.

~ TTTC ~

Borage and Slughorn asked for another week to work on the potion. They said that they were close, but not quite there yet and didn't want to give answers that could change once everything was sure.

Talking to the Department of Mysteries was a tougher nut to crack.

Everything in that department was top secret to the nth degree which meant that even getting a consult had them jumping through hoops. The Unspeakables were all too busy doing top secret work to talk to them and the other departments within the department were too busy doing important research. After a week, Robards was still going through red tape and Harry was frustrated. He'd written up his encounter with Sirius and added it to the case file, talking it through with Higgins, Baxter, and Ron the next morning, but no one had any more answers.

Finally, when he couldn't get his thoughts to quiet, he told Higgins that he was taking a break and left the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to take a walk and try his clear his head. The last place he expected to find himself was following the stairs down to the Magical Menagerie. He entered the Care of Magical Creatures Ward and watched a magizoologist bathe a baby mooncalf with a half smile before someone called his name.

He turned, surprised to see Rolf Scamander heading towards him.

"Hi, Rolf," he said, his hands moving into the pockets of his red Auror robe.

"Harry," Rolf said by way of greeting. "I didn't expect to see you down here. How are you doing?"

Harry shrugged. "As expected I suppose."

Rolf nodded and then gestured for Harry to follow him. He led him into another room that opened up into a huge field where two wizards were brushing the mane of a hippogriff and a bright white baby pegasus was lounging on the grass. He pointed to one of the large rocks and Harry took a seat as Rolf sat beside him.

"I love to come here and just watch them sometimes," Rolf said. "Big beautiful animals who are just living. Henrietta, that's the hippogriff, she was caught in a storm and injured her wing. She's been here three days and we're hoping by the end of the week we'll be able to send her off on her way. The pegasus I brought with me from Greece. I named her Artemis. Her parents were killed by hunters and she was too young to fend for herself. Eventually she'll have to return to Greece, but for now, we're trying to make sure that she'll be all right."

"She's beautiful," Harry said.

"Yeah, she is. We miss her here."

Harry nodded, a lump in his throat at Rolf's sudden words. He knew that. Oliphant hadn't even started interviewing anyone to fill her job yet, but he knew that it had to be done.

"Her office still empty?"

"Yeah," Rolf said. "Oliphant's not ready to replace her yet. I heard a rumour from his secretary that he's going to post the job soon, but I don't know when."

"You going to apply?"

"Me?" Rolf asked in surprise. "Oh no. I don't want that kind of job yet. I love travelling way too much. Coming and going whenever I please is much more my speed. Plus, I don't have even remotely the right amount of experience to take over Zee's job. Nah, that's not for me."

"Oh, yeah that makes sense," Harry said, not really sure what else to say.

Rolf stared at Artemis as they sat in comfortable silence for a long moment before he finally spoke. "I know that you don't know me very well, but Zee was one of my idols and I loved getting the chance to work with her. I was sorry that I had to miss her funeral as I was out of the country, but she meant a lot to me. I think that I could maybe have even called her a friend. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your mum, but if you ever need anything or just want to talk… I'd be honoured to lend an ear to Zee's son."

Harry swallowed, surprised to find a lump there. "Thank you. I… I don't really know why I came down here."

"It's peaceful," Rolf said. "It's one of my favourite places. Opening this ward was one of the best decisions that Zee helped the Ministry make. I love knowing that there's a place that can care for magical creatures; help them heal and grow, whether it's a niffler or a dragon, there's room for them here. She was proud of what she accomplished with this menagerie and she should be. We're only one of two ministries in the world with a department like this."

"I know," Harry said. "She was… brilliant."

"She was," Rolf agreed. "She's missed."

Harry nodded and then he turned to look over at Rolf. "Do you have Dementors here?"

Rolf looked over at him in surprise, his dark eyes seeming to shine in the charmed sunlight. "In holding cells sure, we have three. They were found in a graveyard and taken into custody. Now that they aren't guarding the old prison, it's been hard to control them and stop them from feeding. Why?"

"Do… do you know a lot about them?" Harry asked.

Rolf looked pensive before he pursed his lips. "A bit, I suppose. Unfortunately Dementors are one of those extremely dangerous magical creatures that really cannot be deemed safe. They aren't easy to study when going near them and surviving is nearly impossible and a Patronus drives them away. What would you like to know?"

Harry turned to give Rolf his full attention. "They feed on human souls, right?"

"Yes. They consume the soul wholly, sucking it out through the mouth like inhaling smoke; leaving the person an empty shell and ultimately in a permanent vegetative state."

"But not immediately, right? It takes a while for a person to end up like that?"

"Usually a few months," Rolf said, running his fingers through his light brown hair. "Living without a soul strains the body. They're walking around with nothing to hold onto, nothing to live for. It drains them. They don't need to sleep and rarely do for more than hour or two. They have no real desire for things like food or sex or water. It's merely… a means to an end for them."

"Is the soul consumed right away?" Harry asked. "I mean… how long can a soul exist outside of the body?"

Rolf frowned. "Well, a soul can exist outside of someone's body infinitely. It's an entity in itself full of light and hope. However, when a Dementor consumes it, it fills them with this sense of contentment. It's believed that the more powerful the soul, the longer it fills the Dementor and the longer it sustains them; therefore the longer the person who's soul has been sucked lives on as an empty shell. Once they move into the vegetative state, that's when the soul has been fully consumed by the Dementor."

"Okay and souls that haven't been consumed, but ones that live outside of the body, what happens to them?"

Rolf wrinkled his nose, making his freckles all bunch together. "The only way a soul can be removed from the human body is through acts of unspeakable evil or through dark magic that splits it apart."

"What's the difference between the two?" Harry asked.

Rolf looked pensive. "Well, acts of unspeakable evil would be intentional. Taking a human life for example puts a black spot on your soul. It can be used in dark magic to do… unspeakable things. I think you know what I mean by those."

Harry nodded, wondering how much Rolf might be aware of what Voldemort did to stay alive. "More than you know."

A bowtruckle hopped out of Rolf's pocket and made himself comfortable in the palm of his hand. "This is Ash. He's very curious."

"Hi, Ash," Harry said, holding out his finger.

The bowtruckle gave him an amused look before he gripped his finger and let Harry carry him towards his own hand.

"Behave, Ash," Rolf said. "As to the second part with dark magic specifically, that's where it gets tricky. My grandfather always said that souls don't remain in this world. They travel to another dimension when we die and it's our souls that can reach out to those we love in dreams or by other means. It's the souls that watch over us."

"So, if someone was to be here without a soul, it would be in another dimension?"

"Yes," Rolf said. "As far as I can tell anyway."

"Is there a way to bring it back into this dimension?"

Rolf gave Harry a questioning look before he shook his head. "If there is, I'm afraid that I don't know it. It would be like bringing someone back from the dead, not really possible and if you somehow succeeded, it wouldn't be right."

Harry was afraid of that answer. He held his hand out to Rolf and the bowtruckle walked off of his palm back onto Rolf's. "Thank you. You helped a lot more than you know."

"I'm not really sure how I did, but you're welcome."

"Are you going to be in England long?"

"No. I came home to spend the holiday with my grandparents, but I'll be heading to Whataroa, New Zealand by the end of the week." He looked over at Harry for a long moment before he smiled. "If you need anything or have any more questions that you think I might be able to assist with, please send me an owl. I'd be more than happy to help with anything I can."

"Thank you, Rolf," Harry said, shaking the man's hand. "Have a good time in New Zealand."

Rolf smiled and left Harry alone. He sat there a moment longer watching Artemis before he headed back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Higgins raised a brow at him when he plopped down at his desk.

"Did you get lost?"

Harry shook his head. "Haha. No, I ended up talking to Rolf Scamander about Dementors and souls."

Higgins leaned back in his chair, absently playing with the feather of his quill. "And?"

"I don't know, Rex; maybe I'm looking too much into it. But Scamander was saying that when a soul is separated from one's body it goes into another dimension, like on another plain of existence. Unless of course, it's consumed by a Dementor, then it's ultimately destroyed over a period of time."

Higgins frowned, twirling the feather around his finger. "Hypothetically, if you come back without your soul, your soul is wherever it was before you returned to your body, correct?"

"Yes."

"And when you die, we know you go somewhere… the great big sea in the sky, the mysterious place that no one truly knows. We can call it paradise or heaven or the other or whatever, but it's one of those great mysteries that no one can lay claim too. So if one's soul is stuck there… how do we get it back?"

"Get it back?" Harry repeated, leaning forward towards Higgins across the desk. "Like get his soul back? I know we've said it before, but do you really think that's possible? Rolf Scamander didn't think so. Well, he said it's possible, but as possible as bringing someone back from the dead without any repercussions or issues."

Higgins shrugged. "This is completely hypothetical, Harry, but hear me out. If it's just missing and stuck in this other place, it's part of the person who's stuck here. One shouldn't exist without the other. So, if there was a way to summon the soul back to the person it belonged to…"

"Rex, don't mess with me. Is this even bloody possible?"

"I don't know," Higgins admitted.

"It's possible," a deep voice said from behind Harry.

They both turned as a tall figure with thick silver hair and a thick silver beard came into their joint cubicle. He took a seat on the empty chair and a short woman with big glasses and wild bright orange curls leaned against Higgins' desk.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"Arcanum Sylvester Silver," the man said, extending his hand. "Love Chamber. This is Arcanum Catherine Paddington, Death Chamber. We're research and theoretical Arcanums within the Department of Mysteries. Auror Robards asked us to come up and speak with the two of you."

Higgins jumped to his feet, offering Paddington his chair. "Thank you for coming. We know that you're both very busy, but we could really use some assistance on this case."

Silver nodded, crystal blue eyes shining out of his face. "If you're talking about souls, I can see why that is."

"You said it's possible," Harry said, making Silver turn his attention over to him. "Auror Harry Potter and this is Auror Rexford Higgins. Can you elaborate on that?"

It was Paddington who spoke. "When one's soul is separated from their body, they can't exist without the other. However, if the body is killed and the soul remains outside of the body… they aren't really at peace."

"We have someone who was brought back from the dead without his soul," Higgins said.

Paddington's eyes widened. "That's… impossible."

"Not impossible," Silver said. "Incredibly rare and very dangerous, absolutely. If he dies again, without any part of his soul in his body, he will never be at peace."

"You said it's possible to return someone's soul to them?" Harry said. His heart was pounding in his chest and his hands were clenching into fists as let out a slow breath, afraid to hear the answer. "If we returned this person's soul to them, we wouldn't have to kill them, right? They would be okay again, right?"

Silver shook his head. "They would be far from okay, Auror Potter. In theory, it would save them, but probability wise… it's going to end them once for all."

"What do you mean?" Higgins asked.

"The human soul is a ticking time bomb," Paddington said. "I've been working in the Death Chamber for almost five years and the one thing about death is that when you die, your soul leaves your body. Some people have claimed to see it and some people claim the soul disappears the moment the light vanishes from your eyes. Souls are dangerous. Once a human soul is removed from the body, it's extremely volatile and to even attempt to return it to its host could be catastrophic. The person could essentially burn from the inside out or if you're lucky, end up in a permeant vegetative state because of the intensity of trying to place the soul back into their body. If by some miracle they were to wake from the vegetative state, they would delve into madness. It's extremely dangerous to those who hold it and to whom it belongs to."

"What do you mean it could burn someone?" Harry asked.

"A soul is like a blinding ball of white light, Auror Potter. It's bright and volatile and more powerful than you can possibly imagine. To lose your soul, to destroy your soul, or to even willingly give up your soul is the most dangerous thing you can do because that soul is more powerful than any magic the person wielding it can do," Paddington explained. "A soul is priceless and worth more than gold. Without a soul inside of you when you die, there is no afterlife. If your soul is consumed by a Dementor, once your body dies, that's it. That's why the punishment is so bleak — it's worse than death because there is no afterlife for you. But if your soul is separated from your body then even if the body dies, you linger. Not really living, but not really dead either."

"I'm familiar with that," Harry said. "But how does the body keep going without a soul? Doesn't the soul provide the magic?"

"A great deal of it, yes," Silver said, "but not all of it. Magic runs through the blood first, but it's the power of the soul that makes it truly powerful. A good soul, someone who has love and hope deep within them, that makes the magic more forceful, more impressive."

"But as long as magical blood runs through a person, they can perform magic even without a soul. It's just not to the level that they could do if they had one," Paddington said.

Higgins frowned. "So, if we don't find a way to return their soul to this individual, they will die without any form of peace and just disappear into… nothing?"

"Yes," Paddington said. "Absolutely."

"But if we find a way to return their soul to them, they will most likely die, but they would have a normal human death and be able move on into the unknown again?"

"Precisely," Paddington said. "Death is most certain."

Silver crossed his ankles as he stared at the two of them. "Probable, not most certain."

Harry's eyes flicked to the Arcanum hopefully. "What do you mean?"

"As Arcanum Paddington explained, a human soul is like a ticking time bomb, but it's a lot more similar to an actual bomb," Silver said. "Imagine a ball of bright, blinding white light about the size of a Bludger if you will. To hold it or contain it takes a great deal of concentration and power that the average wizard does not possess. To find the right soul would take a lot of power and a lot of energy that would most likely leave the castor exhausted. You would have less than a minute to pull the soul out and put it back into the person it belongs and if you don't do it just right, it goes nuclear."

"Nuclear?"

Silver turned to look at Higgins and nodded. "Yes, nuclear. The body will implode. It's about placing the soul just under the heart in just the right way at just the right moment. It's not impossible, but it's extremely difficult. Re-souling a person is not exactly every day work."

"But it's possible?"

"Yes," Silver said. "But finding the right person to do it would be even harder. It's not something that I would recommend."

"Nor I," Paddington said. "Letting someone die and knowing that they would never be able to find peace is… well, it's one of the worst things that I could imagine, but I don't know if you have a choice here."

Higgins looked between them and let out a long breath. "All right. Thank you both for coming to speak with us. You gave us a lot to think about."

Paddington nodded. "Of course. If you or your partner have any more questions, I'd be happy to help if I can."

"I would as well," Silver said. "This sounds like a rather fascinating case."

Harry and Higgins shook hands with the Arcanums and let them head back to the Department of Mysteries before Harry took a seat back in his chair and buried his face in his hands.

"I don't know what to do, Rex."

Higgins sighed and plopped himself down into his own chair. "I don't know what to do either, Harry."

A flying memo zoomed in and landed on Higgins' desk. He opened it and his eyes widened.

"Well, at least we have some good news. Borage and Slughorn are ready to meet. You up for it?"

Harry jumped to his feet and grabbed his wand. "Yeah, let's go."

He hoped the Potioneers had better news than the Arcanums did.


End Author's Notes:

I wanted the people who work in the Department of Mysteries to have a cool name like the Aurors do so I looked up the Latin word for "mysterious" which is arcanum and I thought it was perfect. I know the Department of Mysteries has Unspeakables, but in my head, they do something different in the department than what I am using the Arcanums for. Thank you!

Thank you for reading and please review!