Author's Note:
Wow! Over 400 reviews on fanfiction and over 200 on Ao3! Thank you very much!
And a 🇨🇦Happy Canada Day🇨🇦 to my fellow Canucks! I hope you enjoy your weekend and are somewhere safe from the wildfires. Thankfully, I don't have any fires too close but the smoke has been bad in the air. Wishing you all well! Happy 1st of July of weekend!
Reviews and Comments: To scrappy8: Thank you! Yes, poor Harry was stuck between his fathers. Thank you! To darkhk: Sorry to hear you're so conflicted. I hope that changes for the better. Thank you! To Nightwing2013: I do love some Sirius drama lol. Thank you! To Read and Fly: Thanks for finding it intense, it's what I was going for. Sirius remembers a lot now, but still not everything and still there's a lot of holes that have been filled by Bellatrix, confusing him. Thank you for saying I "have a way of building a fascinating story" and yes, the action is coming very soon. Yes, if Sirius dies without his soul he will not reunite with the Potters or Zee. Thank you very much! To Sets: Well, sorry to disappoint. We will have more Romione, but not their first actual adult date. However, we will see the guys get together for the drink. Harry definitely plans to work on Sirius' soul whether he wants it or not. Thank you! To Tmrpotterhead250: Thank you! Communication for the win for sure. Thank you for liking how I portray Ron and Hermione's relationship. I think that they did struggle in some ways and that transition from a school-age relationship to adult is a big step. I can't harm Mina, Leo, or the Lupins? LOL. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for loving the fight between Sirius and Remus. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you very much! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To Charlotte: Thanks for loving my little wolfstar wink along with Remus protecting Harry. As to Sirius getting his soul back, we will see. Thank you! To charmshield7: Thanks for loving the Sirius/Remus/Harry scene. As to not letting Bellatrix kill anyone else, no promises. She's crazy. Thank you! I love taking the time to answer people's reviews because I appreciate every review that's left for me. Thank you very much!
To EnigmaticEmperor: Ha, yes there will be some Gryffindor boys and Theo shenanigans to come lol. Yes, Dumbledore does seem to fish for praise, I thought so. Yes, Grim Reapers exist. It's a lot to come to terms with. Thanks for enjoying Ginny's talk with Remus as well, I thought it was needed. Bellatrix definitely doesn't like Belladonna taking charge. Thanks for loving the Remus/Sirius/Harry scene. The final showdown is coming soon, yes. Thank you very much! To briana_t: I can't promise there won't be tears to come. Thanks for loving how Sirius was a bit flirtatious in the fight. It was fun to write as heartbreaking as it was. Thank you! To MABK_Potter_Fan: Yes, if Sirius dies before he's reunited with his soul, he will remain in limbo forever. If he dies, Zee can come back (in theory). I love Remus protecting Harry and I love Ginny and Remus talking about Harry. Thank you! To corneliastreet_28: Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Yes, the soul thing leaves a lot of questions. Harry and Ginny definitely need more time together, I agree. Thank you! To AQuickRead91: He knows, but he doesn't fully know. Ha, your five-year-old-self will have to wait and see before explanations are given. Thank you! To Belle: No? Not how you imagined Remus and Sirius meeting again? I think they needed the fight and I loved putting Harry in the middle. No, Belladonna doesn't understand the meaning behind Sirius calling himself a marauder, but she does know his memories are getting stronger and more clear. As to Bellatrix, no promises. Thank you! To c_thru_the_looking_glass: I'm glad I'm keeping you in suspense, thank you!
To kristinaarsova: Thank you! Yes, just because Sirius' memories are fractured and he doesn't have a soul, it is still him. He's smart and he wants to do what he wants to do before he blindly follows the Death Eaters or Harry. Thanks for liking the face off with Remus. Thank you! To vampireprincess141: Thank you! It was fun to bring in the idea of Grim Reapers and the existence of the soul. Sirius does know, but he's smart. He doesn't trust anyone right now except himself. Yes, the fight between the three of them was very intense. Thank you! To ellyann13: Thank you. Belladonna is not insane like Bart and Bellatrix, but she's not exactly sane either. Thank you very much! To Time Line Lord: I'm sorry to hear that you cringe when Harry calls Sirius dad. I disagree. It doesn't make Harry love his father any less and really, since he never got the opportunity to truly know James Potter, Sirius is more of a father to him. I'm sorry that makes you disappointed in Harry. I don't see it any different than someone adopting a child who's parents are killed and calling them mum and dad as opposed to Bob and Martha, but I can understand why you think that's disrespectful even if I disagree. Thank you for reading. To Peaches: Relationships take work and sometimes our individual selves have taken a beating. Ron and Hermione love each other and know they've both been through a lot of trauma and sadness. I don't think it means Ron has zero self esteem for taking her back. They need to work on them together. I'm sorry you feel otherwise, but thank you for reading.
To katelyn453: Thank you! Yes, Sirius and Remus met again! I'm glad you found that moment so cool. Thank you! To Ebony Rivers: Yes, finding souls and crossing realms does have a bit of OUAT vibes, though to be fair, I was thinking Greek mythology and Supernatural lol. So many influences in life, but yes, I love pushing the envelope with magic. We are going to see some more of Remus and Tonks very soon. Ha, yes, Bellatrix did threaten them (sorry to worry you — kind of ). Thank you for loving the Sirius POVs, it's fun to write them and to show his struggles. Having him throw out Wolf John Wolf shows that he's remembering more than he's let on, even if he still has a lot of holes to fill. I agree, it is funny LOL. Thank you so much! To nessiansupremacy: I accept your fear. It's valid. Thank you! To Bellmel: Yes, Ron and Seamus are kind of working on a case together lol. I love showing how they interconnect with each other even after Hogwarts. There is only so much Harry can do, but seeing him work on being an Auror has been fun to write as well. Ha, yes, I did drop that Dumbledore bit lol. I love Remus being a protective dad. Thank you so much!
To Gigi87: Ron does have a bit of a pep in his step after his chat with Hermione. They are finally on the same page and it's what they both needed. You hope Ron seduces Hermione just so Charlie's advice works the best lol? You think Crouch was responsible for the fire? Interesting. I am a fan of Game of Thrones and yes, Barty does deserve a golden crown lol. You think the cauldrons are connected to Sirius and Zee's case as well? Hmm. I thought Phineas had a point as well, Dumbledore does seem to wait for someone to notice lol. Ha, you don't think Harry should name his kid after Dumbledore? Ginny is letting things go and getting a better balance. The support of her teammates is a big help. Her roommates aren't really toxic, she's just not close with any of them. Yes, the three bitches butting heads is not a good sign. I love that I have you second guessing if Remus and Tonks survive TTTC. Sirius is realizing what's going on, but he also is still very much in the dark. I like showing the glimpses of the old Sirius, but also showing he's not the same. I'm glad the Remus and Sirius scene kept you on edge and thank you! I was trying to keep evil Sirius a bit sassy and funny. When I make myself laugh I consider it a good sign haha. As to the bit about the souls, we will see very soon! Thank you very much and enjoy your 🇨🇦Canada Day🇨🇦 weekend as well!
To ThomasJAvery: Thank you! Ron and Hermione are together again and yes, Ron is just so happy to have her back. I wanted to show a bit of Seamus' job so it was fun to have his work interconnect with Ron's. I think it's realistic that couples hit a rough patch after finishing school. Harry and Ginny had theirs while at Hogwarts, but others didn't. Thank you for enjoying the day-to-day Auror activities. They're surprisingly fun to write. Having Harry speak to Dumbledore made the most sense in my opinion as he is a very knowledgable wizard (even in portrait form). Ha, foreshadowing… possibly LOL. Ginny is getting more accepted into the Harpies family and it shows. Yes, Crouch and Bellatrix are starting to get more and more impatient. They don't really have a goal after killing Harry — thinking is definitely not their biggest strength. Thanks for enjoying how I've written Belladonna. Thank you! I'm so glad people love the Remus/Sirius face-off moment. Knowing you had goosebumps is a huge compliment. Thank you very much! To tim2604: Thank you! Nice to see you're catching up! Thanks for loving the Hinny sex-break, Romione being back, and yes, Mina and Leo snuggling up to Zee.
To Ellieoryan7447: Thank you! It was fun to have Ron working with Seamus a little. Ron and Seamus would definitely think life is easier outside of war and of course it is, but also, life is never easy lol. Higgins does have a point, Harry certainly has been going to Hogwarts a lot. I love his relationship with McGonagall and yes, she is a softie (to Harry). As to a complex plan with angst (don't worry, that's coming lol). Yes, I love her team caring about her schooling. They know she accepted this position before finishing her education and they want to help her accomplish that. As to Remus and Ginny just talking about Harry, they do love him so much and they worry about him. Knowing he has to report to Tonks gives Remus a tiny bit of relief (just a tiny bit lol). Yes, Bellatrix and Crouch want to murder Remus, Tonks, and Teddy (and well basically everyone who looked at them funny), but Belladonna is a bit more level-headed (a bit). As to the Remus/Harry/Sirius scene needing a separate review — I love that! I loved having Sirius kind of hesitate like maybe Harry was getting through to him somehow, but then Remus' fear for Harry overtook it all. Harry doesn't want to fight, obviously, and seeing Remus and Sirius fight each other? That's a lot for him to handle. Thank you so much!
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 FIFTEEN:
The One With Armani and Arlo
Sebastian looked up from his desk, rubbing a hand to the back of his neck as Joseph Rossi said his name. He greeted the man with a nod.
"Hi, Auror R. Wotcher?"
"Auror K. Do you have a minute?"
"Of course," Sebastian said. "What's going on?"
"The final walk through has been done on the house in Tuscany," Rossi said as he took a seat in the chair across from Sebastian. "As you know, I've been keeping my eye on things and dealing with it all since we first checked out the house. The Italian authorities have seized the property and have agreed to keep a few patrols in the area in case there's any efforts on the Death Eaters' parts in returning there."
"That's good to hear, but we don't really think that they'll be dumb enough to return there," Sebastian said. "Auror Lupin's team is pretty convinced that they'll be staying in the country for the foreseeable future and I agree."
"I second that, but the last place outside of England has been officially checked off and that marks my last case to close up before I retire."
Sebastian's eyebrow rose. "Blimey! You're really doing it then, Joe? For her?"
Rossi nodded, a blush coming to his cheeks. "I know what you must think of me, K, choosing this serial bride who's currently behind bars to spend my life with over a job I love. It seems mad when I put it into that perspective."
"It is a little mad," Sebastian agreed. "But it's your life and you have to do what makes you happy."
"She makes me happy," Rossi said, a soft look on his face. "All of her assets were taken when we arrested her, but Blaise has helped me secure a large flat in Rome. She'll be more comfortable in Italy than in England and frankly, I'd love to live in Italy again. It was the part I enjoyed the most about being undercover — outside of my time with her."
"You and Blaise are getting along then?"
Rossi smiled. "Yes, quite well actually. He's a very intelligent young man. He's going to make a bloody fine advocatus. Did you know that he's been working with Bellarosa's advocatus? The man's been letting him intern and he's doing very well. Nothing but high praise on his work. He'll be able to take his exams in June and off he goes."
"That's great to hear," Sebastian told him. "And how are you doing with leaving it all?"
"I'm a little sad," he admitted. "But I'm also looking forward to starting this next chapter of my life."
"You know that we're going to miss you over here, Auror R," Sebastian said.
"And I appreciate that sentiment," Rossi said, passing the file across the desk to Sebastian. "But it's time for me to pack up and move on. As I said, I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life."
Sebastian nodded and stood up to shake his hand. "What are you going to do in Rome?"
Rossi shrugged. "I don't know. Eat. Have sex. Live. Hell, maybe I'll even write a book. I always wanted to and well, now will be the time to see if I have the talent and patience for it."
"Sounds great."
"I think it will be," Rossi said. "Bellarosa's looking good to get out on parole in June which means that if all goes well, we'll be settled out in Italy by the summer. I want everything to be perfect for her when she gets out."
"Are you going to have a big wedding?"
He chuckled. "Maybe. As I said, she's a serial bride. We'll see how it all plays out. Don't worry, I'll make sure that you get an invite if we go down that route."
Sebastian smiled and wished him well before he watched him head down to Ian MacGregor's office to officially hand over his badge and shook his head. He truly wished Joseph Rossi the best, but he also knew that it was a sad day for the MIA to lose him. Rossi was one of the best Aurors in the Secret Intelligence Unit he'd ever worked with and Sebastian was sorry to see him go.
He sat back down and opened the file to go over his final notes, checking the names of the Italian law enforcement that Rossi had dealt with in concerns of keeping an eye on the now empty house. Yeona plopped herself into the chair that Rossi had vacated and yawned hard enough to make her jaw crack.
"That Rossi's final case file?"
"Yup," Sebastian said. "Hard to believe."
"All for love. Who would have thought that man had it in him?"
Sebastian shrugged. "We all have it in us, I suppose. Hey, you up for a trip to Tuscany? I want to touch base with who we spoke with last time, since we'll be taking over the case from Rossi."
"Absolutely," Yeona said, jumping to her feet. "Let's stop and get some gelato. You can bring home some back for Theo."
He grinned. "He'd love that. Deal."
They headed out of the department together and Yeona gestured to a tall blond man with a thick moustache.
"Have you heard the latest gossip?" When Sebastian shook his head, she continued. "That's the new bloke who transferred in from the Berlin office. He and his husband bought a house in London and his husband started as the new receptionist in the Criminal Behaviour Department. Guess he went to visit his husband for lunch and found him on his knees in Clark's office."
"Seriously?" Sebastian exclaimed, shaking his head. "Did Clark know that he was married?"
Yeona scoffed. "When does Clark ever care about anyone other than Clark? Anyway, there was a big kerfuffle and Clark's boyfriend — because obviously — broke up with him very publicly in the atrium this morning. And the dickwad tried to turn the tables around on him just like he did with you."
Sebastian frowned. "I don't get him. Does he just like hurting people?"
Yeona shrugged. "I think that he's just a selfish arse myself. You were lucky to be rid of him."
Sebastian made a sound of agreement and Yeona touched his arm.
"Come on, let's go get a portkey to Italy. I could use a good field trip!"
They spent three hours with the Italian authorities going over the case file and helping investigate the death of the Muggle who had been found in the house, a fifty-two-year-old-man named Marco Santorini. Crouch was clearly the culprit and Sebastian promised that he would be charged by the Italian Ministry on top of the ICW when he was finally apprehended. They stopped for gelato as planned and Sebastian got a full cup of Nocciola Stracciatella, the vanilla and chocolate hazelnut flavour that he knew Theo loved. He put a freezing charm on it to keep it cold as he and Yeona sat in the sun enjoying their own frozen desserts.
"We should have dragged Durant out with us," Yeona said. "He loves gelato."
"Yeah, but he's helping out Belgium with that missing persons case," Sebastian said.
"Oh right," Yeona said. "That's crossed a few countries now, hasn't it?"
"Supposedly. Durant thinks there's something weird about it. He says the father is being very suspicious. He'll figure it out."
Yeona nodded. "Yes, he will. So, how's Theo enjoying his classes?"
"He loves them. He always comes home full of excitement and has a million and one questions. He's going to make an amazing mind healer."
"Agreed. He's so kind and patient and has a big heart."
"Speaking of big hearts," Sebastian said, "Theo's somehow gotten it into his head that Oliver needs a new kitten to play with."
Yeona grinned. "Oliver needs?"
"Yeah, I noticed how he worded that as well," he said, his lips curving in amusement.
"And you said?"
"No," Sebastian said. "One overly spoiled cat is more than enough. Oliver already tossed me over for Theo as it is."
"Uh-huh."
"It is!" Sebastian insisted. "We don't need a new kitten."
"You know, that old lady who lives below my new flat, your old flat if you recall, Mrs Mayberry, her cat just had kittens."
"No."
"They're really adorable," Yeona went on. "I was thinking of taking one or two home myself, but she has six of them."
"No, Yeona."
"Come on, Bas! At least come and help me pick out one or two, you don't have to get one for yourself."
"Yeona, I told Theo that we weren't getting another kitten," Sebastian insisted. "I'm not going to let you talk me into this. No."
Yeona smiled, her eyes twinkling in mischief. "Of course not! We're picking one out for me, Bas. That's all."
Two hours later Sebastian walked into Norfolk Manor cursing Yeona's name. He found Theo in the bedroom changing into sweats and a jumper and he stood in the doorway just watching him for a moment, holding his cloak closed.
Sometimes he liked to just watch Theo. The soft look on his face as he hummed under his breath, moved his hips to some internal beat and made that gorgeous arse dance. It was no wonder he wanted his hands on him all the bloody time. Theo turned then and jumped when he saw him.
"Bas! You startled me!" Theo exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart. When Sebastian didn't speak, he frowned. "Everything all right?"
"I love you."
Theo's eyes softened. "Yeah? Well, I love you, too."
"And I don't believe in the kind of relationship that makes me give you everything you ask for — material wise. I mean, getting a huge slide when we've had too much sex to walk down the stairs is ridiculous."
"Hey, I was drunk on your cock and can't he held responsible for what comes out of my mouth!" Theo protested, his lips twitching in amusement.
"Cock drunk isn't a real thing," Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. "But as I was saying, I don't agree with that. There has to be boundaries and… Yeona made me do it."
Theo lifted an eyebrow. "Yeona made you do what exactly?"
Sebastian opened his Auror robe where two small kittens were nestled in his shirt, making Theo squeal and run across the bedroom to where Sebastian was waiting.
"Kitties!"
Sebastian's lips curved. "I know that I said no and I know that I argued that Oliver didn't need friends, but then Yeona took me to see Mrs Mayberry's new kittens and she took one for herself and well… this is entirely her fault."
Theo grinned. "Softie."
"I'm not," Sebastian argued. "This just… happened."
Theo stood on his toes to kiss him before he scooped out one of the kittens and his eyes lit up. The kitten was a tuxedo kitten, black as night with white paws and a white belly.
"Look at him! He's so adorable! All flashy in his little suit and tie."
"Yeah," Sebastian said, his lips curving. "He is and then this guy wouldn't leave me be and when I tried to leave, he cried and well…"
Theo grinned as Sebastian pulled out the second kitten, this one was a tabby, black and grey striped and possibly even cuter than the first one. He had a soft face and Theo couldn't decide which kitten was cuter.
"Auror Arsehole, you are such a softie."
"Am not. Take it back," he said, scowling.
Theo chuckled. "Can't. It's true." He snuggled the kitten against his face. "I love him, Bas! He's so soft and fluffy and I love him!"
Sebastian smiled and handed Theo the second kitten. Theo snuggled the second kitten as well.
"You're just the cutest thing ever! Oh, Merlin, you're both so cute. I love both of you already, yes I do!"
Sebastian's lips twitched. "I think that Oliver's going to be annoyed."
"He'll grow to love them!" Theo exclaimed, snuggling a kitten in each arm. "What are we going to name them?"
"I have no idea," Sebastian admitted.
Oliver hopped off of the bed and meandered over to them, sniffing the air, his tail standing straight up as he moseyed on over. Theo bent down to pet Oliver, a big smile on his face.
"Oliver, look! We brought you brothers! Wait, they are brothers, yes?"
"Yes," Sebastian confirmed. "Their father was a tuxedo cat and the mother was a grey tabby. But this little guy was the only true tuxedo kitten in the bunch."
Theo held out the black and white kitten towards Oliver and he turned up his blue face. Theo did the same with the tabby cat and Oliver's nose twitched.
"Now, don't do that! These are going to be your babies! They need you, Oliver!"
Oliver meowed and walked away and Theo scoffed.
"The nerve!"
Sebastian chuckled. "He'll get over it. You forgot that just because he loves you doesn't mean he loves others. He's actually quite crotchety and hates everyone else. Durant still calls him a demon."
"Am I going to be on Oliver's shit list now?" Theo demanded, still snuggling the kittens.
Sebastian moved to pull Theo into his arms, the kittens cradled between them as he pressed a kiss to Theo's forehead. "Count on it, but we have these babies to make up for it."
Theo beamed, his brown eyes lighting up as they met his. "If I didn't love you to pieces already, this probably would have pushed me over the edge."
"So, you're not cross with me then for bringing home two kittens without discussing it with you first?"
Theo shook his head. "Nope, not with you, but we can totally tell Yeona that I broke up with you over it and that you need to take your flat back if you want to be cross with her?"
Sebastian laughed. "I really bloody love you, Theodore Nott."
"Good," Theo said. "I'm very needy."
Sebastian kissed Theo's temple. "I also might have gone to Italy today and picked you up some gelato."
Theo's eyebrows rose. "What kind?"
"Nocciola Stracciatella."
"You're getting so lucky later," Theo said, making Sebastian laugh. "Now let's show these kitties their new home and think of names!"
"What about we name the striped one Tiger?" Sebastian suggested, reaching out to scratch the tabby behind his ears.
Theo wrinkled his nose. "We'll discuss it."
Sebastian watched him walk away, cooing to the kittens. "You just hated my name, didn't you?"
Theo tossed him a saucy look over his shoulder in response and Sebastian hurried after him, a big grin in his face.
~ TTTC ~
Ron had just finished getting ready for his pub night out with the boys. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to get it to look a bit more relaxed as opposed to messy just as a knock sounded on his bedroom door.
"I'll be down in a minute, Mum!"
The door slipped open a crack and Hermione stuck her head in. "Can I come in a moment?"
Ron's eyes widened in surprise before he ushered her in. "Yeah, of course. Hi."
"Hi," she said, closing the bedroom door behind her.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Yeah."
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "Did something happen? Did you forget that we have our pub night tonight?"
"No, nothing happened," she said. "And I remember. I just… Happy Birthday, Ron."
A smile broke out on his face and her own greeted him right back. "You already wished me a happy birthday today and it's not even until Monday."
"I know," Hermione said. "But as you said, you're celebrating tonight and I realized after you left that with everything that's happened, I…"
"You what?"
Hermione took a step towards him until she met him in the centre of the room. She slid her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders, a soft smile on her lips.
"Well, to be honest I realized that there's been a bit of a tradition for your birthdays and I didn't want to break it today."
Ron gave her a puzzled look. "We have a tradition?"
"We do," she whispered, standing on her toes to nip at his mouth. "It's not official or anything, but I couldn't let you celebrate your birthday without it."
Ron put his hands on her hips, bringing her lips to his for a soft kiss. They'd only been kissing again for the last few days and he was grateful for every one. It had been exactly one week since they'd finally spoken and gotten back together. It had been the best week in a long time.
"My birthday's not even officially until Monday."
"I know, but you're celebrating it today so I wanted to do it today."
He kissed her softly again. "What's that?"
Hermione licked her bottom lip before she slowly lowered to her knees.
Ron swallowed. "Hermione… you don't…"
She reached forward to unzip his jeans, her eyes never leaving his. "I know I don't," she whispered. "But I love you and I want to do this for you. For us."
His jeans slid down his thighs and he shivered. "You know how much I want you, but we agreed to take things slow. To… to ease ourselves back into this relationship."
"And we are," Hermione said. "But some traditions are important."
Her hand cupped him through his boxer briefs and he swore.
"Don't swear."
The grin on his face made her smile back at him. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of his underwear and pulled them down exposing him. Then she traced him with the tip of her finger as he grew harder under her touch.
"Do you want me to stop?"
Ron slipped his fingers into her curls and shook his head. "No fucking way."
Then he gripped his length in his fist and brushed his tip over her lips. Hermione opened her mouth to accept him and from the moment her tongue touched him, he lost all sense of reason.
He stood there in the middle of his childhood bedroom, both hands buried in the bushy brown curls of the woman he loved, watching his cock slide in and out of that perfect mouth. His breath came out in pants as she took more and more of him down her throat and when he reached the point of no return, he only managed to grunt in warning before he came in her mouth with a deafening roar that for sure echoed all the way down the stairs.
Hermione licked her lips when he pulled out, her brown eyes dark in desire. Ron pulled her to her feet, wiping her lips clean before he leaned in and kissed her deeply.
"I love you, Hermione Granger."
Hermione brushed her lips with his, a soft smile on her face. "I love you, Ron. Happy Early Birthday."
Ron pulled her up against him and held her tight, peppering her neck in kisses before he returned to her mouth for a long lingering kiss that left them both breathless. "Do you want me to cancel on the blokes tonight?"
Hermione shook her head. "No. I want you to go out and have a good time and then tomorrow, I want you to take me to our room in Clevedon Court and show me you love me."
His grin made her eyes twinkle in delight. "Oh, I can promise to do that."
"Good," she said. "Because I think that we've talked enough."
She kissed him once more and left him in alone in his room, his jeans and underwear bunched at his ankles and he thought that Hermione always managed to surprise him. It was one of the things he loved most about her.
And he couldn't wait to spend tomorrow showing her exactly how much he'd missed her and how much he loved her.
Even if it took all bloody day.
~ TTTC ~
Harry was the first one to arrive at the pub called …And A Bottle of Rum! which had fast become their usual spot over the last few months. He chose a large booth in the back corner and ordered a pint of Harp as he waited. Neville arrived next and slid into the booth next to him.
"Hey, Harry! How are things going? What happened to your wrist?"
"Oh, you know, work is intense," Harry said, placing a hand over his carefully bandaged wrist. "Got into a fight with a dog. It's a bit tender, but I'll live."
Neville gave him a pointed look. "A dog?"
"Snapped my wrist," Harry admitted. "They healed the break easily, but the dog bite needs a few days for the antibiotic potions to do its work. Just an average day in my life."
Neville snorted. "Yeah, sounds about right."
"How are the renovations coming along?"
"Brilliantly," Neville said. "Everything is moving mostly on schedule. Goyle has been a huge help. He really knows his stuff when it comes to construction and if it hadn't been for him, I think Hannah and I would be spending a lot more money."
"Goyle? Really?" Harry asked in surprise.
Neville nodded. "I know. It surprised me too. But it turns out he's kind of a decent bloke. He's been helping us sand everything down and take out walls and pull up the floors. It's been a job and a half. Plus, Hannah is still doing the catering on the side."
"Molly has been helping with that, right?"
"Yes, and she's an absolute gem. Hannah adores her," Neville said. "Hey, Seamus, hey, Dean."
Dean gave them both a broad grin as they slid into the round booth next to Neville. "Hi! How are things?"
Dean had just filled them in on the newest portraits he was working on while Seamus talked about some of the fires he'd dealt with, including one just a few days ago that had resulted in them discovering a dead body.
"Ron's taken on the case," Seamus said. "They think that someone murdered him."
"Wow, murder?" Theo exclaimed, slipping in next to Harry from the other side. "What did I walk into?"
Seamus chuckled. "Just a fire I dealt with the other day. How's the mind healing classes going?"
"Great!" Theo replied. "I really love them! I've been talking to a wide variety of mind healers and asking a million questions. I'm really enjoying it. Sorry, I'm late by the way, I was distracted by cuteness overload."
"You're not late," Neville told him. "Ron's not even here yet."
"And if you're about to recite poetry about how perfect Sebastian is, we'll pass on the cuteness overload bit," Harry said.
Theo laughed and batted his long eyelashes at Harry. "Well, he is absolutely adorable and biteable, but I was talking about our new kittens! Bas and I adopted two new kittens and Oliver is so unimpressed with us! He scowls at them and they just want to snuggle with him and it's so cute I could burst!"
"Aww, we should get a kitten, Dean," Seamus said.
Dean shook his head. "No way. Cats make me sneeze way too much, but I would be open to a dog."
Seamus' eyes lit up. "A puppy!"
Theo grinned. "I feel like I might have started something."
Neville laughed. "Maybe. So, tell us more about the kittens? What did you name them?"
Theo ordered a glass of red wine from the barmaid when she approached the table before turning back to Neville. "Well, the first little guy is a tuxedo kitten so he's super adorable. He's all black, but has white fluffy paws and a white belly. We decided to name him Armani."
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "What kind of name is that?"
"The fashion designer," Dean said, shaking his head at Harry. "Do you live under a rock, Harry?"
"No, I just don't care what my clothes are."
"Such a travesty," Theo said, shaking his head. "Anyway, Armani is the cutest! You should see him chase the string. Bas and I played with him for hours last night! Then the second guy is a light grey and black striped tabby who is so cute I just want to smush his smooshy face! I can't decide who is cuter, but anyway Bas wanted to name the tabby one Tiger, but I vetoed that name."
"What's wrong with Tiger?" Harry asked.
"Too unoriginal," Theo said. "So we settled on Arlo, after the Quidditch player."
"Arlo Ross?" Harry asked.
"If he's the Chaser who was injured two years ago and was traded to the Magpies, then yes," Theo said. "I don't sport talk well."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's him."
"Armani and Arlo are great names," Neville said. "You said Oliver's not a fan?"
"Nope," Theo said. "But I think that they're growing on him. I caught him licking Arlo this morning. They're going to be such a great family!"
Seamus chuckled. "Nice to know you're so excited by it. Hey, Ron, about time!"
"Sorry I'm late," Ron said, sliding into the booth next to Theo. "What did I miss?"
"Bas and I are new kitten daddies!"
Ron lifted an eyebrow as he took in Theo's words. "Er, congrats?"
Talk turned to their jobs as they all spoke about their careers and how things were working out for them. Ron filled them in how things were going with Hermione and how they were back together and moving forward.
"Does that mean you'll be moving back to the house soon?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged. "I don't know. With Hermione and I being back together, I think we're just taking one day at a time. But I promise we'll spend more time there."
"Good," Harry said. "The place is a bit lonely."
Neville spoke more about the renovations happening and how helpful Goyle had been in the process. Seamus and Dean spoke about their little townhouse and how they were thinking about expanding the garden for more sitting space come the summer. Dean talked about his newest portrait series which involved a middle-aged woman who wanted multiple nude portraits of herself to present to her husband for his sixtieth birthday.
"Is this a thing?" Theo asked. "Are people presenting nude portraits as gifts? That seems a bit tacky."
"No clue," Dean admitted. "But lately I've sure had a lot of them commissioned."
"Can I commission a full frontal naked portrait of Harry? Think of how much money we could get for it," Theo teased. "Especially if he was hard?"
"No," Harry said with a growl. "Just no."
"Such a plonker," Theo said, winking at Harry.
They all did Firewhiskey shots in honour of Ron's nineteenth birthday, which wasn't technically until Monday, but they were celebrating tonight regardless. Neville took a second shot and then he cleared his throat.
"I have news!" When everyone turned to look at him, he swallowed. "I've decided that the day before we open the shop, I'm going to ask Hannah to marry me."
Harry's mouth dropped open. "Wow!"
Neville nodded, reaching for his beer. "I'm slightly terrified even though I know she's going to say yes. I also need to find a ring."
"Didn't you already give her a ring?" Seamus asked, looking bewildered.
"That was a promise ring, you wanker," Dean said, rolling his eyes.
"What's the difference?"
"The promise ring was for her to know how serious I was about her," Neville explained. "It was a promise that one day I would ask her to be my wife."
Seamus frowned. "Seems like a pointless step to me. Now you have to go through all of the drama of asking her again and finding a new ring!"
Neville nodded, taking a long sip of his beer. "Yeah, don't remind me."
"Congratulations, mate," Harry said.
There was more laughter and another round or two of shots as they reminisced about their times at Hogwarts and shared stories of the past before Seamus pinned Harry with a deep stare.
Harry sighed. "I'm afraid to ask."
Seamus grinned. "It's a good question! An important one!"
"I rather doubt that," Harry said.
Dean chuckled. "Nah, it is an important one. Seamus and I discussed it before we came."
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Well, now I'm really worried then. What's up?"
Seamus cleared his throat, his eyes moving between Harry and Ron before he spoke. "Dean and I would like to know the real story behind how you and Weasley know such personal details about each other."
"Um, because we're best mates?" Harry supplied.
"Nuh-uh," Seamus insisted, shaking his head. "Best mates don't know the exact number of freckles on each other's arses or the exact width and girth of their best mate's cock unless your shagging. Start talking."
Harry frowned and Ron sighed.
"Maybe we better just fess up?" Ron suggested.
Harry took a long drink of his beer before he leaned over the table and lowered his voice. "All right, fine, but this never leaves this table. Are we clear?"
"Promise!" Theo exclaimed, his eyes wide in excitement. "Did you shag?"
Harry ignored him and licked his lips. "So the summer before seventh year, if you remember I was going through a bit of a rough patch in terms of losing Ginny. We had that whole potions fiasco and she hated me and wished me dead and all that. So, Ron was coming over a lot to comfort me."
Theo squealed. "Sorry, I'm getting really excited about this. Please tell me you did something naughty together."
"No!" Harry said, rolling his eyes. "We're just friends, Theo."
Theo pouted. "Well, that's a terrible shame. I was at least hoping for some curious touching."
Harry ignored him.
"Anyway, we spent a lot of time in my treehouse just talking and going over different scenarios in how we could help her and coming up with nothing. Sometimes we drank a little bit as well. I'm sure you can remember my drunken night of us ending up naked outside," Harry said.
Neville snorted. "That was an interesting night."
Harry nodded as he recalled the memory to his mind. "It was. Anyway, one night, we were drinking and hanging out in the treehouse and Ron mentioned something about how the freckles on his arse looked like Merlin…"
"It's really unique, don't you think?" Ron demanded, looking over at Harry who was lying in the hammock.
"It is. It's definitely not something you see every day," Harry agreed.
"I guess it means I have a lot of freckles on my arse, which is kind of weird because like it's not as if my arse sees the sun a whole lot so, how did they get there?"
"Genetics?"
Ron scoffed. "Genetics! No one has been amazing enough to get a freckled outline of bloody fucking Merlin on their fantastic bloody arse! I'm a bleeding legend!"
Harry snorted. "Well, that might be taking it a tad too far. Besides, Ginny has no freckles on her arse. It's just a perfect upside down heart of smooth alabaster perfection."
Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust. "My arse is way better looking than Ginny's."
"Definitely not," Harry said.
Ron glowered. He stumbled to his feet and moved to the wall. He grabbed his wand and a full length mirror appeared by the door. He unfastened his jeans and Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Oi! Keep your drawers on!"
"I just want to check something!"
Harry scowled as Ron dropped his jeans and boxers down over his arse, staring at it over his shoulder in the mirror.
"Blimey! There really are a lot," Ron said, squinting. "I should know how many there are. It's important."
"You have way more freckles than Ginny," Harry said. "Hers are more perfectly positioned on her body."
"Mate, stop!"
"Stop staring at your own arse then!"
"I have to! I need to know how many freckles make up Merlin."
"So bloody count them," Harry said, reaching for the whisky to pour more into his glass. "I can't believe you just conjured a bloody a mirror to look at your arse."
Ron squinted harder. "It's bloody hard to see your own arse well. Come here and count them for me!"
"Piss off! I don't want to stare at your pale freckly arse!"
"Come on, mate!" Ron begged. "It's important!"
"To who?"
"To me! What if one day someone asks me the exact number and I don't know the answer? What kind of prat will they take me for?"
"A less conceited one?" Harry supplied.
"Come on, Harry! I'll help you if you help me?"
"I don't need help," Harry grumbled. "I just need more whisky."
Ron marched across the room to where Harry was lounging in the hammock and bent over, shoving his bare arse close to Harry's face.
"Argh!" Harry exclaimed, falling out of the hammock.
"Come on, mate! Just count them for me! I keep getting confused around forty-two."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I bloody hate you. I don't want to look at your ugly arse."
"My arse is a bloody masterpiece and you know it! Besides, it's not like you don't spend hours counting Ginny's freckles!"
"That's completely different!" Harry protested. "It's important to know that she has seven just on her lower back by her tailbone, but when you go lower, not one. Not until you reach her gorgeous creamy thighs then she has five perfect freckles under each butt cheek… and Merlin, her bottom is sexy."
When Ron looked over, Harry had a dreamy expression on his face.
"Ugh! Stop thinking about my sister's bottom or I'm going to throw up in my mouth," Ron told him.
Harry cleared his throat. "You're the one who got me thinking about it."
"Whatever, mate. You've made my point though, you're a freckle counting pro." He wiggled his arse. "Count them."
Harry sighed. "Fine. Give me your wand."
"Why?"
"So I can use it to count them."
"Why can't you use your own wand?" Ron demanded.
"I don't want to use my wand to touch your arse."
Ron rolled his eyes and passed Harry his wand. "Git."
Harry glowered, but counted aloud, using Ron's wand to poke every freckle. "Nineteen… twenty… twenty-one… hey, did you know that Ginny has a perfect freckle pattern under her right butt cheek that almost looks like a —"
"—Don't finish that sentence," Ron interrupted. "Keep counting."
"Er," Harry said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I lost count. Let me start again."
It took him four attempts, but when he finally finished, he grinned at Ron in the mirror.
"Done! You have thirty-seven freckles that make up Merlin's face, but if you add in all of these random ones scattered around your arsecheeks, you have fifty-two."
"Blimey!"
Harry shoved him and Ron tripped over his jeans as he fell over. "Now get your arse out of my face."
Ron grinned and gave his bottom a shake. "You loved it."
Instead of responding, Harry reached out and slapped it, making Ron yelp. "Tosser."
Ron pulled his jeans and boxers back into place before he made himself comfortable in the armchair. "Thirty-seven to make up Merlin, eh? Fascinating, isn't it?"
"Not really," Harry said, reaching for more whisky. "Ginny's freckles are much more fascinating."
Ron wrinkled his nose. "I don't want to think about my sister's freckles. You've already told me way more than I ever wanted to know."
"Well, I didn't want such a close-up of yours, but there you go."
Ron stuck his tongue out at him.
He took a sip of his whisky, a dreamy look coming over his face. "Did you know that Ginny has seventeen perfect freckles on her left tit, but only fifteen on her right? She's so bloody gorgeous. I like to trace them with my tongue."
"Mate, she's my sister. I so don't want to know that."
Harry took another long drink of his whisky before he frowned. "Hey, mate… do I…?"
"Do you what?" Ron asked.
Harry drank more whisky before he spoke, his cheeks heating. "Do I really have a big cock?"
Ron's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I mean, in comparison to the rest of us, yeah. You're kinda hung, mate."
Harry continued to frown, staring down into his glass. "Sometimes I think it's too big to be normal. Like how come I gotta be so abnormal? And Theo's always making jokes about it and it's not… I mean I'm not… I'm scared I'm going to hurt Ginny when we finally, you know…"
Ron's face softened and he moved to hop up into the hammock next to Harry. "I mean, it's possible, right?"
"What if I'm a virgin forever because my prick's too big and no one wants it?"
Ron grimaced. "I mean, my sister likes you or… she did before this potion thing and well, everyone wants a piece of the Chosen One. Trust me, you won't be a virgin forever."
"I could be!" Harry exclaimed. "People are going to see it and run away screaming because it's too big."
"Have you ever… you know, measured it?"
Harry blinked. "Duh. I mean, you have too, right?"
Ron nodded, his cheeks heating. "Of course."
They swung quietly in the hammock for a long moment before Ron spoke, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper as he told Harry his measurements.
Harry blushed, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. "That's big, right?"
"Bigger than average, I reckon," Ron admitted. "But I'm a tall bloke. It's not like it's disproportionate to my body or anything."
Harry polished off his whisky before he spoke.
Ron's mouth dropped open. "Merlin's beard!"
"It's too big, right? It's abnormal?"
Ron shook his head. "I don't know about that, but it's a hell of a lot bigger than mine, that's for sure. You have a bloody monster in your trousers. It's almost the length of your bloody wand!"
Harry flushed. "It's not as long as my bloody wand!"
"What?" Ron said, his cheeks heating. "It's pretty bloody close! I can see why it might be daunting to have sex with that…"
Harry turned to look over at his friend. "It's been almost two years you know, and the first few times we got… she had a panic attack because of fucking Voldemort and that diary."
Ron looked over at his friend, but didn't speak.
"She said that I'm bigger than the bone he used on her and it… fuck, that scared her, you know? After what that tosser did and sometimes I think… maybe she is ready to-to have sex, but she doesn't want to do it with me because of my size. Like maybe it will bring back a bad memory or something."
"I didn't know that she still had panic attacks about the Chamber," Ron whispered.
Harry shrugged. "Not like she did, but yeah, sometimes she still has dreams and… I don't want to hurt her, Ron. I don't want to scare her, but what if I'm too big and she can't ever get past that?"
"Mate…"
"I mean, she certainly doesn't mind sucking on it," Harry said, making Ron blanch. "Or at least, she didn't, but that's different."
"Too much information!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing Harry's empty whisky glass. "You're officially cut off before you tell me more things about Ginny that I never wanted to know."
"Theo told her what to do, you know," Harry said, a dopey look on his face. "And she does this thing with her tongue when she swallows my cock that —"
"— All right, Harry, time for bed!" Ron bellowed, pulling Harry to his feet.
"But I'm not tired! I have concerns," he whined.
Ron grimaced as he pulled Harry over to the pile of blankets in the corner and tucked his friend in. "You have a big cock, Harry, and apparently it doesn't bother my sister. We'll figure out this potion thing and you two will get back and I'm sure you'll lose your virginity. I promise."
"Promise I won't die a virgin?" he asked, half-asleep already as his face was buried in the pillow.
Ron grinned. "Don't worry, mate. I'm sure that I can find a witch or two to help take care of your virginity if Ginny turns out to be a bust."
"Don't want another witch. Just want Ginny."
"You just have to look at options," Ron teased. "Bet Romilda would be interested."
"Piss off!"
Ron chuckled. "We can convince Mandy to do it."
"I don't want Mandy. She's with Goldstein and she's not… I want Ginny."
"Hey, if you don't want to die a virgin, you might have to make some sacrifices. There's always Theo."
Harry scowled. "I'm not attracted to blokes."
"So picky," Ron teased. "Harry, I'm not going to let you die and I promise we'll fix this thing with Ginny. You'll get her back, mate."
"Promise?"
Ron's eyes softened. "Yeah, I promise. You'll get her back, mate. I'll make sure of it."
"So, there was a lot of drinking involved," Harry finished, giving most of the details from his memory. "And Ron and I learned things about each other that neither of us wanted to know."
"No, I really did want to know how many freckles I had on my arse. It was bloody hard to see them properly in the mirror," Ron said.
"Why didn't you just ask Hermione to count them for you?" Seamus asked.
Ron shrugged. "Because I was a little drunk and Harry was there, obviously."
Theo licked his lips. "I'm still waiting on that magic number, Harry. If you told Ron you did measure it, I think that you should share."
Ron reached around Harry to grasp Theo's shoulder. "Mate, he's got a beater's bat in his trousers and you know it. Let it go."
Theo sighed. "Fine, but only because I have a big cock waiting for me at home right now and I'm going to go home and ride it."
"Overshare," Ron said.
Seamus laughed. "No, no, it's not. Tell me more about this big cock you plan to ride, Theo."
Dean elbowed his boyfriend. "Do not tell him, Theo. Seamus, that's his business!"
"What? He was offering. Do you always bottom?" Seamus asked. "I was a strict top until I met Dean and now we flip fairly often."
Theo chuckled. "We're both vers, but I prefer to bottom. Bas loves to be in control and we do often flip, but he always tops from the bottom. I don't think he can stop himself. He's only recently grown to like it as his ex was a total arse and didn't make it enjoyable for him."
"Ginny shoved a finger in my arse and I came like a bloody firehose," Harry said.
All eyes turned on Harry and he turned beet red.
"Er, I mean… I think I've had enough to drink."
Theo chuckled. "I'm so getting that out of Ginny later, lover."
Harry swallowed. "I need to go."
"Us too," Seamus said, standing up. "This was fun."
"It was exactly what we needed," Neville agreed. "Next month same time, same place?"
They all agreed and said their goodbyes. Ron draped an arm over Harry's shoulders as they voted to take the Knight Bus home for safety. They mostly tried to hold onto each other during the ride and when they arrived outside of Clevedon Court, they headed inside together. It was only when they closed the door behind them did Ron turn to Harry.
"Hermione did that to me before," he admitted, his ears burning. "The finger in my arse thing, I mean, and it was bloody brilliant."
Harry blushed. "I didn't mean to say that aloud."
Ron shrugged. "Doesn't make it less true. I'm going to crash here tonight. Goodnight, mate."
Harry stayed by the front door until Ron disappeared up the stairs and then he followed, highly embarrassed for what he had admitted. When he stepped inside the master bedroom, the sight of Ginny sleeping in his bed made his heart clench in his chest. He crawled onto the bed, stroking her hair and her eyes opened.
"Hi."
"Hi," Harry said, bending to kiss her.
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "You taste like the bottom of a whisky barrel."
"I told Theo you put a finger in my arse and I liked it."
Ginny stared at him a full minute before she burst into laughter. She sat up and moved into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Did you now?"
Harry nuzzled her neck. "Love you so much."
Ginny brushed her fingers through his hair. "You are drunk, Harry Potter."
"Buzzed," he corrected. "I'm going to make you feel so good."
"Mmm, I bet you are," she teased. "Let's shower first because you also smell like a whisky barrel."
He grunted, but he let her lead him into the shower. She helped him wash while his hands roamed all over her, teasing her to the point that she was more than ready for him. But by the time he crawled back onto the bed, he was snoring with his legs hanging over the side.
Ginny chuckled and snuggled into the bed next to him, tugging the blankets up to tuck him in.
"Being here with you makes me feel so good," Ginny whispered, kissing his cheek. "I love you, Harry."
She stroked his hair and a soft smile formed on his face. And for the first time in weeks, Harry didn't dream. He just slept, wrapped in her arms, and was content.
~ TTTC ~
Harry spent the next week trying to get a meeting with someone from the Department of Mysteries. It was just as difficult to coordinate a meeting with them as it had been the first time. He sent owl after owl to Arcanums Silver and Paddington and then followed that up with office memos. When they finally responded, he was actually surprised and held it up to Higgins with a grin.
"Finally!"
Higgins leaned over Harry's shoulder to read the memo. "Well, that's promising."
"I said I had questions about the process, using Reapers, and the whole thing," Harry said. "This is from Silver and he wants to bring in an Arcanum from the Brain Chamber to answers some questions as well."
"When can they meet up?"
"At three," Harry said. "I want Ron to come with us."
Higgins nodded. "All right. We'll get Eric to join in as well. I'll send word that we need them back for a meet. Are you sure that you're ready to seriously consider this?"
Harry met Higgins' gaze and pursed his lips. "I want them to confirm what Dumbledore said and go from there, but yeah. If I can do this, I'm going to do it, Rex."
Higgins clasped Harry on the shoulder. "All right. I'll support you one hundred percent."
Harry was grateful for the support. His wrist was finally fully healed from Sirius' attack on it, though he rather thought he might have a tiny scar just above Ginny's tattooed name from the teeth of Sirius' Animagus form. He was still surprised that Sirius had actually struck out at him, but a broken wrist and a bite was nothing compared to what he could have done because once again, Sirius Black had left him very much alive.
Yes, Harry had a lot of questions about that.
By the time three o'clock came around, Harry was anxious to get down to the Department of Mysteries and talk to the Arcanums. When they were led through the black marble halls, a door opened on the far left and a short brunette led them into the Brain Chamber where three Arcanums in robes were sitting at a round table.
Ron gave an uneasy look around the room and Harry reached out to grab his friend's arm, mindful of the visible brain scars Ron still had interlaced up both of his arms.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," Harry said, taking a seat at the table along with Higgins, Ron, and Baxter. "I'm Auror Potter and this is Aurors Weasley, Higgins, and Baxter."
Sylvester Silver smiled warmly. "Lovely to see you again. I'm sure you remember Arcanum Catherine Paddington who works in the Death Chamber. I work in the Love Chamber and this is Arcanum Leslie Gold who works here in the Brain Chamber."
Ron was staring at the floating brains behind the glass, his face pale. Harry elbowed him lightly and he startled.
"They're just brains, my boy," Arcanum Gold declared, his voice much more nasally than Harry expected.
"Brains are more powerful than you know," Ron said, pushing up the sleeves of his Auror robes to reveal his faded white scars.
Gold's eyes widened to saucers. "You're the one who was attacked by the brains. Is it true that they imprinted on you? Are you connected to the brain still? What can you tell me about the experience?"
"We're not here to talk about our adventure in this department three years ago," Harry interrupted. "We're here to talk about human souls."
Silver cleared his throat. "As Paddington and I discussed with you last time, it's not an easy process. Human souls are very powerful branches of magic in their own right."
"I know," Harry said. "Higgins and I had a long discussion with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore and I learned a few more things. About Reapers for one and the ability to obtain a soul from the other side."
Silver frowned. "Travelling to the land of the souls, to the other is… dangerous, but yes, it would be the only way to find the soul."
"You can't summon it?" Ron asked.
Paddington shook her head. "No. Summoning a soul is suicide. It would have no place to land and would basically implode on landing."
"Why do we keep using bomb analogies to describe souls?" Baxter asked.
"Because it's the closest thing that we have to describe the way they detonate if they aren't controlled," Paddington said.
Gold cleared his throat. "If you're willing to travel to the other plain and bring a soul back, we can help you."
"So, you're saying that the only way to obtain it is that I have to go and physically retrieve it from another plain of existence?" Harry asked, his eyes widening. "Is that even possible?"
"Yes," Paddington stated. "It's just comes with a highly improbable success rate."
"What in bleeding hell does that mean?" Ron demanded.
"It means that to enter the other plain one must be on death's door in every sense of the word. A soul has to be carried over to find its way back to its owner."
"Carried over?" Harry repeated.
"Yes," Paddington said. "Ergo someone who has a connection to the soul can go over to retrieve it at great personal risk to themselves."
"Personal risk?"
"Are you two going to keep repeating everything I'm saying or are you going to bloody listen to me?" Paddington demanded.
Baxter winked. "A woman after my own heart."
Paddington rolled her eyes. "Listen, there's a way to allow someone to cross over onto the other side, but it does require the help of a Reaper."
"As in someone who reaps you when you die?" Harry asked. "Dumbledore mentioned that. He said the rumours are that you have Reapers who work here in the Department of Mysteries."
"Precisely that," Paddington said. "Reapers are very powerful creatures who can control the movement of souls from one side to the next. However, the catch is that to work with a Reaper in couriering a soul requires your soul to be part of the bargain. It's a whole process and basically you have to die to work with the Reaper."
"How is this even remotely possible?" Ron exclaimed. "It sounds bloody insane! Harry, you can't be considering this!"
Harry bit his lip. "It's not permanent, right? Like, I wouldn't lose my soul?"
Paddington shook her head. "Not necessarily, no. You have a short window to carry out the task before your body will officially die on this side. If you're not brought back to life within that window, it will be too late for either of you and your soul will move on. This is partially why it's so risky and why no one takes a chance on trying to recover a soul and don't even get me started on the couriering process."
"Harry… you're not really considering it, right?" Ron asked, his voice a bit higher than normal.
"We'll take every precaution to bring you back safely," Gold explained. "But in the end, it's really up to you."
"How long would I have?" Harry asked.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, tossing his arms up in the air. "It's like talking to a bleeding wall!"
"Six to eight minutes — max."
"That's not bloody possible," Ron insisted. "There's no way that he can find what he's looking for in such a short window."
Gold shrugged. "Yes and no. As I said, he would have the help of a Reaper once he crossed over and time does work a bit differently there."
Harry swallowed. "And once I come back… how do I bring the soul with me?"
"It will hop over with your own soul."
"That doesn't even make sense," Ron exclaimed. "Souls can't bunny hop on top of each other!"
"We know that they can," Harry said, absently running a finger over the lightning bolt scar on his forehead and making Ron frown.
Silver passed Harry a ceremonial blade with symbols carved all over it. "You cut your forearm, deep. A horizontal line over the centre and the soul will sail under your skin. It will be painful, but once you are revived, it should have travelled back with you."
"And then what?" Harry demanded.
"Then you have twenty-four hours to find the soul's host and send it back or it will burn through you."
"Burn through me?"
"Souls are some of the most powerful magic on earth, Auror Potter. I've told you before that they are not to trifled with. Even once you find the host, you will survive the passing of the soul without incident, but once it reaches its destination as I stated before, there's a very high probability that it will implode on impact. Re-souling someone is a nasty business," Silver stated.
"But even if that person dies after regaining their soul, they still have their soul, right?" Harry asked.
Paddington pursed her lips. "Yes. Their soul will have been reunited with them which means that they will be able to pass on properly in death."
Harry let out a slow breath as Ron grasped his shoulder.
"Mate, think about this! This is not an easy feat that you're attempting. It's downright dangerous and frankly, suicidal."
Harry shook his head. "I have to do this, Ron. I can't… Uncle Siri can't die without his soul. I won't condemn him to that. I can't. And if he doesn't die… I lose Zee. What choice do I have here?"
Ron swore. "Then I'm going with you."
"No!" Harry insisted, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous, Ron."
"Which is why I can't let you go meandering off by yourself," Ron replied. "First off, if you don't come back, my sister will murder me and secondly, if you don't come back, my sister will murder me."
Harry frowned. "You're afraid of Ginny?"
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "You're not?"
Harry started to shake his head before he remembered who he was talking about. Yeah, Ron was right. Ginny would definitely kill him. He loved his girlfriend for a lot of reasons and one of them was definitely because of how powerful and slightly scary she could be.
Silver cleared his throat. "If you go together, I'll have to bind you to make sure that you both travel to the same place. If you get separated, there's no promises that you'll both make it back."
"Bind us," Ron said. "Do whatever's necessary. I'm not letting this prick go off half-cocked by himself."
"Oi!" Harry said, making Ron smirk.
"Don't give me that look. You know I'm right."
Gold nodded. "Follow me."
The four of them followed the Arcanums through the door and into the Death Chamber. Paddington pointed to the Veil in the area below.
"The veil is the thinnest at twilight so come back for half past eleven tonight and we will begin. I should be able to get everything in order by then," Paddington said. "It will have to be done here in the Death Chamber."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Harry asked.
Gold stared at him for a long moment before he pursed his lips. "Get your affairs in order."
Then he turned and left them alone in the Death Chamber as the other Arcanums followed him out.
Ron let out a slow breath and shook his head. "I hate this, mate."
Harry stared at the Veil, watching the curtain shiver in an invisible breeze. "I have to do this, Ron. It's the only way to fix what they did."
"It's going to kill him — you know that, right?"
Harry turned to meet his friend's bright blue gaze. "It's not guaranteed."
Ron swore. "There's a less than a ten percent chance, Harry. When you put his soul back into his body, he's going to die. Again. Are you ready for that?"
Harry's hands clenched into fists at his sides before he nodded. "I can only save one of them, Ron. At this point, I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that Mina and Leo have at least one living parent left at the end of this."
"And what about you?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'll deal with it just like I do everything else."
Ron pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, pressing his cheek against his. "You better go find Ginny and tell her what we plan to do because if you die doing this, mate, I'm going to find a way to bring you back and kill you myself. I'm not dealing with her wrath, you hear me?"
Harry held onto his best friend tightly. "I hear you. I'll tell her you tried to talk me out of it."
"You better."
"You're really going to come with me?"
Ron pulled back, resting his forehead against his. "I'm with you to the end, mate. Always."
Harry squeezed Ron's arm in reassurance, his heart rising into his throat. "I'd do the same for you."
"I know it," Ron said, patting his back. "Come on. We have our own preparations to handle if we're taking a trip to the afterlife."
"Like what?" Harry asked.
Ron scoffed. "If there's even the slightest chance that this is my last night on earth, I don't know about you, but I plan on shagging my girlfriend. Come on, let's go."
Harry laughed as Baxter snorted and held his hand up to high-five Ron.
"I like the way Weasley thinks, Potter."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, me too. Do you two think that I'm mad for doing this?"
Baxter let out a long breath. "Honestly, yeah, but I can see your point with this."
"Me too," Higgins said. "And we're going to do everything in our power to get you both back safely, but this is a one time chance, Harry. If something goes wrong and you fail at retrieving the soul, that's it. We're not going to try it again. Understood?"
"He understands," Ron said, glowering at Harry. "Right, Harry?"
Harry sighed as he looked between his best mate and his partner. "Yeah, I understand."
Higgins nodded. "Good. All right, I'll let Robards know you two are done for the day. Baxter and I will let Lupin and Atwell know the plan. You two won't be alone here tonight."
Harry appreciated the sentiment as he followed Ron out of the Death Chamber and out into the black marble halls of the Department of Mysteries. He was right, if they didn't make it through this, they needed something to make their last night a good one.
Of course, once he told Ginny what he was planning to do she might kill him instead of shagging him, but it was a risk that he was going to have to take.
Going into the afterlife to retrieve a soul with a Reaper suddenly seemed much easier.
End Author's Notes:
Thanks to EllieOryan for her help in pinning down just what I wanted to say in Harry's memory. Thank you!
Thank you for reading and please review!
