Hey everyone,
This story is going great. I have plans for this story and know where I want to take it. I have plans for how I want Voldemort to come to his end, what I want Harry to go through as his pregnancy takes longer and longer, what I want to do in regards to Hogwarts and the KH universe and a few other things. Also, I do also have plans for my other stories, this one just takes priority right now.
Hope you understand,
Venquine1990
PS. The Quidditch match is going to be delayed for next chapter, sorry.
Chapter 20
Lea's Love For Harry
7th of November 1995
Harry's Chambers, Hogwarts
Lea's POV
Poppy explained us about the Pensive earlier this morning, what would happen and what our roles would be, especially Roxas, Xion, Isa and myself. The other three were tasked with making sure that, if things went wrong, they would either take the students to the Hospital Wing or make sure that these same students were whisked away by the Port Keys. Yet I was personally asked by Harry if I could stay close and I promised him that I would take him away the minute I felt he'd need it.
The idea that, because of the memory, Harry would feel like he was by himself upon watching the memory again made me feel quite against the whole thing, but Harry had been overcome by a sense of confidence and resolution. The sight of these emotions on his face had overwhelmed me with awe and pride and I had felt my heart burst with the love I have been feeling for this gorgeous mother of my child ever since I first laid eyes upon him.
We had all gone down to breakfast, Poppy and the staff had made sure that those that were either too young or still scarred by the actual event got the time to leave the hall with a plate of breakfast and informed the rest that there were Port Keys for them to take if they felt the need. I had taken my spot right behind my mate and laid my hand on his shoulder, determined to stay with him once the memory would cause the scenery around us to change.
The sight of the maze itself had instantly made me tense as, while Harry had told us about this – just this – and while I remember that Sora was this same age when he first started, I still don't like the thought of my mate in something this dangerous. And this is further proven by the fact that the elder kid, Cedric as I have come to learn over the weeks, is actually the one caught by the vines before being saved by Harry.
The rest of the memory plays out and I feel like both cursing Cedric for being so oblivious and carefree and blessing him for not following Harry's advice and even trying to be like a guardian to my precious mate. Yet because I had been switching my gaze between Memory Harry and my own mate, do I know that I need to take action and soon. And the minute that the word kill is uttered, the second that I feel my mate's whole body tense up underneath my hand, do I snap my fingers, creating a Dark Corridor and taking us both out of the memory.
We return to our chambers and to my great concern, Harry collapses in on himself, pulling his legs up close against his chest and starting to rock like an infant in a rocking chair. This makes me turn to look at the only bit of furniture that Sirius has been able to complete over the last few weeks, a very handsome but simple looking rocking chair that is set in the left back corner, right next to a large set of windows and stationed so that it looks out over the Hogwarts grounds.
I gently lift my soul mate up and carry him in my arms to the chair, seating him on my lap and starting to rock the chair the same way he had been rocking his own body previously. I run my hand through his hair and hum a soft tune, one we found out a week ago helps Harry when he gets tense or agitated. And while it seems to take longer this time, does Harry eventually let go off his own legs, relaxing his grip and slowly lowering his legs down and raising the rest of his body up.
He looks at me and the befuddled look in his eyes tells me everything. "You're safe, love. It was your memory. It happened months ago. You're safe. You're not at the graveyard anymore." I whisper at him, locking my bright green eyes with his emerald green gems in order to further emphasize this fact and let Harry know how much he is loved and how glad I am that he's safe. And then, just to further help Harry understand this, do I gently move one of his hands to his belly.
And the reminder that he's pregnant seems to do the job as Harry's eyes, which were still a little glazed over, clear up and widen before he lets out a sigh of relief. I pull Harry close against my form again and the boy himself happily cuddles into my form before I decide to voice my own thoughts now that I have seen the memory. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank him." I whisper softly and Harry looks at me shocked.
"Harry my love, if Cedric had followed your advice and orders, you would have been stuck there, you would have been killed for sure. I don't like that he had to be killed, I'd rather Voldemort had just ordered that rat to stun Cedric or something, but –." And Harry whispers: "That's not the way Voldemort works." And while he closes his eyes in renewed pain, does he also whisper three words that make me feel immensely proud:
"It was inevitable." And the acceptance that rings through his voice makes me almost tear up myself as I can hardly believe that this event actually did what we've all been hoping for; helping Harry find closure with that horrible trauma of his. I pull the petite body even closer and lovingly kiss his temple, wanting to kiss his gorgeous and delectable lips, but remembering my actual plans for our first kiss and restraining myself.
Harry smiles at me for this and I pull his face close against my chest as I resume the rocking of the chair. And while we wait for the others to return, do we just calmly gaze out of the window in front of us. Or at least I do, yet after a few minutes I notice that Harry is gazing at me instead. "What's on your mind?" I ask and the boy snickers as he says: "Nothing, I just like looking at my soul mate." At which I lovingly retort: "You're a gorgeous sight to behold yourself, love."
Harry sighs at this and looks away, making me wonder if I did something wrong and remembering Poppy's warning that Harry might go through more and more sudden mood swings the further into his pregnancy he will get. "You know, you've been calling me love since the day we met, but – how do you know that's what you really feel?" The boy suddenly asks and this question horrifies and shocks me to the core.
Yet then I notice the incredible sense of self-doubt and concern that shines in his eyes and realize that this must be another one of the skeletons that my precious love has been carrying inside the closet of his heart this entire time. Instantly I feel determined to rid him of more than one cause for the tendrils of darkness that are still whisking and floating around him and I reassuringly tighten my hold on his form as I say:
"That's simple, Harry. Because you make me feel things I have never felt before and yet at the same time, I feel a lot of the emotions that I usually feel around Roxas, Isa, Xion, Sora and the others, but then ten-folded so many times I lose count before I can even start. You bring out sides of me I didn't even know I had and also, I love just spending time with you way more than I do with anyone else, even Roxas and Isa, who are my closest friends.
I know that I went to crazy lengths for both those guys, but I also know I would go way beyond that for you. I know that, if I had forced myself to be Axel again, I would still love you and your presence would help me regain a heart. With Roxas and the others, I can easily read what they need me to do, especially in battle. With you, I feel like I know that all the time – or at least learning to at a much faster pace than I did with them.
And most importantly, Harry James Potter, I don't just call you love because it's an appropriate nickname, I say it because I know with my entire heart and soul that I love you. I know, just by the few weeks of time that we got to know each other that, if I had been a student here, I still would have fallen for you and asked you to be my boyfriend. I know because, when I think of any other situation through which we could have met, I still see us ending up together in the end.
I don't just know because our souls feel like they are one when we are together, I know because my mind and my heart are telling me the same thing every time I am near you, look you in the eye, hold you and just have fun with you or comfort you when you need me to. Roxas was, in a way, my goal when I was Axel, but you, love, you are my life."
And while Harry had actually started to softly weep in my arms as I spoke, did I not falter and just motion him to go back to how he was seated before I spoke and continued my little speech. Yet by the end, I had again made sure to lock my gaze with his, to show him the determination as well as the strength I had in my own belief in the words I spoke. And of course, the love I felt in my heart as I looked at that gorgeous, green-eyed wonder.
I know just fine that the others have come back by now as I actually heard a few of them gasp while I spoke, but I just don't care. Having Harry this close while I speak with him makes me feel stronger and more assured that our bond was meant to be and that it is growing stronger with every word. And the best part of it all, as I glance just slightly over the top of his head and over his shoulders, I notice the tendrils circling around him shrinking in size.
At the same time
In the living room
Sirius' POV
I knew from the minute I noticed how Harry and Lea had been entranced by each other that their souls were united and fit each other perfectly. And as the weeks progressed, I saw the obvious love that the two felt for each other grow stronger and stronger, actually succeeding and surpassing Lily and James with how much they loved each other. There were even times that I believed that, like his parents, Harry would easily put his life down for his mate and vice versa.
Yet while there had definitely been plenty enough times where Harry and Lea took part in something that obviously proved how much they loved each other, did I also start to notice something the more weeks passed. Lea did indeed call Harry his love whenever possible, but Harry had yet to tell Lea that he loved him back. This made me think back to everything that ever happened between Harry and those he loved and I realized something.
Harry has never said those words to anyone; not to Molly, Ron and Hermione or me. And thanks to the things I have learned about Harry and his troubled youth was it easy for me to realize why this is; the Muggles never taught him what love actually felt like. And even though Albus kept telling him that it was love that saved him so long ago, has this never helped Harry as he only remembers his mother screaming for his life to be sparred.
He doesn't remember the love his mother felt for him, how she raised him lovingly in the few months that they had together, and because there is such a huge gap between the two parts of his life where he was actually loved and liked, Harry never properly got the chance to learn what it meant to love and feel loved in return. And this made me realize something. "Harry does love Lea, he just doesn't realize it himself, because he doesn't know what love really feels like."
This had made me feel deeply worried and while I tried reassuring myself with how Harry had been behaving towards his pregnant belly and while Damian, Lea and I constantly showered him with different kinds of love, do I still worry and wonder something. "Will my poor godson ever be able to utter those words, knowing he means them and what they mean?" I had thought to myself a few times these past few weeks.
We just returned from watching the memory of what Harry went through in June and the whole experience of watching it happen made me feel like I was back at Albus' office and hearing Harry speak of the horrors he encountered that night. Even the fact that a large portion of the memory had been taken out and altered had not changed this experience for me and I felt desperate to take Damian with me, get Harry and reassure myself that both my boys were alright.
But upon entering the rooms, all of my concerns were laid to rest. Harry was seated in Lea's lap and the elder teen was speaking right from the heart, not just comforting my godson, but reassuring him and reaffirming to the boy why they were meant for each other. And while, from time to time, I felt like watching James and Lily fall for each other when watching these two bond, this time it's not like that. And still the scene brings tears to my eyes, tears of relief, love and utter bliss.
I keep standing in the doorway, even as the others return back to the living room and while Molly wants to try and get me to join them, does Damian keep her and whisper: "Just let him, he needs it." And the woman, who has slowly started to see me for the guardian that I always was, nods in acceptance and leaves me be. And as I watch Harry and Lea just calmly sit with each other, do I think: "It's only a matter of time." Something that relieves me beyond words.
At the same time
At the Hospital Wing
Pepper's POV
Poppy contacted me after her meeting with Roxas and Dumbledore and because I feared for what consequences this could have to the magic that is still in Harry's scar, did I decide to come along and keep an eye on the boy. At first I had been amazed as the magic of the scar was further gone than I had expected, especially after the whole thing with Pettigrew from a few days ago, but upon seeing Lea come to stand with the boy did I understand why.
The bond between these two, which I already knew about and had seen incredible signs of over the past few weeks, was much stronger than I had expected it to be at this point. Instantly I understood how the magic inside the scar could have weakened so quickly, yet I still worried for what the upcoming event could mean for this magic and weakening process. Yet to my relief, did Lea actually take Harry away from the whole thing before things got bad.
I instantly followed them, having been given Poppy's permission to enter the chambers from time to time. And upon witnessing Lea comforting and reassuring his mate and then hearing him make his speech, I was so in awe and amazement, it took me a moment to realize something more had happened while Lea spoke. And this something made the whole event even better. The rest of the residents had returned to the chambers at this point, yet I noticed my sister to be missing.
I left for the Hospital Wing and noticed her busy at work calming down and reassuring several students who had obviously been left distraught by the events that they witnessed. I decided that I would just wait for her in her office and tell her the good news once she was done. The woman herself only seems to need a few more minutes after my entrance to join me in her office and asks: "Hey Peps, did it happen already?"
But while I had already cast a huge amount of privacy and secrecy charms, do I still smile upon seeing my sister surreptitiously waving her own wand, activating a few of her own privacy charms to join with mine. "No sorry, though we're certainly getting there. It's really just that we're currently working on dotting the last I's and crossing the last t's and all that. We plan to strike just before the Christmas holidays, if all goes well."
This, strangely enough, makes my sister upset and she asks: "Not in the weekend, right?" I shake my head, already deducing why and ask: "Hogsmeade weekend?" Poppy nods and I say: "No, we plan to strike the Thursday before then. Though it is a good thing that you mention that. Tell Albus and, if you can, the people of Hogsmeade about this. We have a plan to separate him from the last link he has to his immortality by taking him to Hogsmeade and leaving it behind.
I will then strike it and head back to Headquarters to get my memory wiped, while the other Unspeakables take him out once they spot him turning mortal. Some of our more – ahem – adult members consider it a – heh – a 50/50 Christmas present. 50% pleasant, 50% not." I roll my eyes at this and hear Poppy mutter: "I'll just make sure to send Harry with Lea to Radiant Garden before then." At which I instantly start to grin and say:
"It's gone." Poppy looks at me and I explain: "The magic inside Harry's scar. It's actually been weakening at a much faster pace since the incident on the grounds and I got to say, I was amazed when I saw how weak it was when I arrived here this morning. Then, after the whole thing was over and Lea took Harry back to the Chambers, I heard him make a speech that, I kid you not, gives mum and dad's wedding vows a run for their money. And after he was done, I realized it was gone."
Poppy is nearly gaping at me as she hears this and I nod as I say: "Lea's speech was so heartfelt and so touching, Harry's love for him grew so strongly it completely evaporated that magic in his scar. Though personally, I doubt he even realized it himself." At which my sister leans back in her seat, a huge smile on her face. I smile back at her, pull a small vial out of my pocket and touch my temple with my wand, pulling the memory of the speech from my mind.
"Watch this. It might not be as good as a first-person, at the moment experience, but I'm pretty sure it comes damn well close." Poppy happily takes the vial from me, but then I decide to satiate my curiosity as I noticed one small thing in the bedroom before I left for these chambers. "Hey sis, what was with that weird and powerful looking scroll I spotted on Harry's bedside table?" I can't help but ask, fearing the worst when Poppy cringes at hearing this.
Yeah, that happened.
And to be honest, I – forgot about that. I forgot about the will having been given to Harry several chapters ago. I KNOW! I'm a horrible person. Such a huge and important bit of plot and I completely forgot about it, even when I wrote about Amelia holding up the will – or better said a copy that she had been able to make of it – back during Sirius' trial. However, the whole thing is still going to have to wait a little while longer.
Quidditch first,
Venquine1990
