PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: MyGinevra

Story: The Hog's Head

Part: 48: Getting Better

Rating: Teens

Status: Completed

Warning: Extreme Language, Sexual Situations

Reviews: 5

Words: 9,679

Updated: November 8, 2008, 6:23pm

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48: Getting Better

Ginny spent most of next morning in the bubble bath, and eventually Harry joined her, bringing with him the copy of the Sunday Prophet that was slipped under the curtain when they were still asleep. While they were playing in the tub, they heard several soft pops from the larger chamber, and when Harry went to investigate he found breakfast on the sideboard.

"I think the house–elves are doing it," he called to Ginny. "Do you want breakfast with your bath?"

"No," she called back. "I want breakfast in bed. Come dry me off."

Harry willingly complied, which caused a half–hour delay in their eating breakfast but probably increased their appetites. It was Ginny's favorite way to start the day: hotcakes drenched in strawberry syrup, topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, plus sausages and piping hot coffee.

As they dressed to leave, they contemplated the coming weeks when Ginny would not be allowed off the castle grounds.

"I think I'll concentrate on Quidditch," she said. "I'm almost finished all my big projects, so I'll have more free time."

Harry smiled to himself; it was good to see her in an upbeat mood. For the past few days she had been in the dumps, but it seemed that finding out that George had been looking out for her and then discovering this room had restored her spirits.

"What is it?" Ginny asked with a smile of her own. "You have a little grin." She came over to where he was sitting on the bed pulling on his socks; she sat next to him. "This room sure did the trick, didn't it?"

Harry looked at her eyes, her freckles, her little nose, her lips. He felt his heart filling with her. "How is it possible to be so happy?" he said, taking her hand.

As soon as their flesh touched, he could sense the merging of themselves that happened at moments like this, and he put his arms around her. But this time, instead of seeing himself through her eyes or feeling her desire for him or sensing her happiness, it felt like their entire bodies were beginning to melt together. It was as if they were sliding into each other, becoming one body instead of two.

They both jumped back, startled, even frightened. "Oh, my," Ginny said breathlessly, "that was strange. What was happening?"

"I don't know." Harry wiped sweat from his brow; suddenly the room seemed warm. He smiled nervously. "It was a little scary."

Ginny nodded; she was staring wide–eyed at him, and she gave a nervous laugh. "We should be careful."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we should take it easy."

They finished dressing in silence, but while they were doing it they did not take their eyes from each other. They both knew what the other had meant: they both wanted it to happen again, but were unsure of how it would end.

They held each other — a little gingerly — and kissed, and then left the Room of Requirement under the Invisibility Cloak. Harry dropped Ginny off in the Gryffindor common room and returned to the inn. They had decided that he would come back later for dinner and afterward they would study together in the library, since they both had work to catch up on.

Harry walked back to Hogsmeade in the clear weather. He stopped in The Three Broomsticks for a few minutes to talk with Rosmerta, who he hadn't seen since the night of the ambush, and while he was catching her up, Neville, Keesha, and her parents came downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Baker descended on Harry and wouldn't let him out of their embraces until Keesha, somewhat embarrassed, tugged on her mother's robes and pulled her away.

"We're so grateful, son," said her father. "We can never thank you enough, but there is one thing which I would like you to permit us to do as a token of our gratitude. I don't know if Keesha ever told you, but I own a furniture shop in Diagon Alley. I'm sure you and Miss Weasley will be setting up a place of your own after your wedding, and I would be honored if you did all of your furniture shopping with us. There will be no charge, of course."

"That's not really necessary," Harry mumbled, completely embarrassed at Mr. Baker's generosity.

"It may not be necessary, but I want to do it. In fact, I insist."

"That's... that's too kind, sir. I know Ginny will appreciate it."

"You are quite welcome," Mr. Baker smiled. "I wonder if you've seen the shop; I know you're in Diagon Alley fairly often."

"I think I've already bought things there," Harry said. "Is it called Hippolite's?"

"That's me," the wizard beamed. "What did you purchase?"

"Oh, some dressers, chairs and little tables, but the coolest — er, the nicest thing we got was an expanding table."

"Ah, the blowfish model! Yes, that's very popular. Well, I'm pleased you like it."

They wanted Harry to eat lunch with them, but he excused himself, having had a late and large breakfast. Neville was also going to have dinner at Hogwarts with Keesha, so they made arrangements to meet there.

Harry hurried on to the Hog's Head. There was already a large crowd, even though it was only early afternoon, and they all cheered and applauded when Harry came in.

"The drinks are on me!" grinned Tony. "Word is coming down that Turquoise Southeby will sell her house and the Ministry will pay to repair it. So guess who the contractor will be?"

Harry pumped his hand. "Glad I could drum up business for you," he laughed. "So Turquoise is leaving Hogsmeade." Harry took a butterbeer from Stan and walked with Tony to a table where Carlos was sitting.

"My source hasn't told me if she's staying or leaving," Tony said, "but after everything that her impersonator did around here, it would be kind of difficult for her to stay."

Harry frowned. "That's not very fair, especially after what they did to her. Did you see how she looked? I almost didn't recognize her."

"You're right," Tony said, "but unfortunately that's how people are. If she came back to Hogsmeade she would be treated like a freak."

After a few more drinks Harry went up to the flat. It felt good to be there, safe and peaceful. He walked around, looking out the windows, adjusting pictures on the walls, gazing for a long time at the photos of his parents and Sirius, thinking, hopefully, that all of his troubles were behind him once and for all. Maybe he could now lounge around in the sitting room with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione and talk about Quidditch or new blue drapes with flowers on them, instead of Dark Marks, trials, and Horcruxes. If the idiotic rumor about the seventh Horcrux could be nipped in the bud, then there was a good chance that he and Ginny could really have the life that they wanted.

He walked over to the picture window that overlooked the elm tree and stared out to the distant mountains. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to enjoy views like this without a single bothersome thought in his mind? If only —

There was a scratching on the casement window behind him and he turned to see McPherson perched outside on the ledge. With a cry of delight Harry bounded to the window and threw it open, almost knocking the owl off. "McPherson," Harry crooned as the owl flew in and landed on his outstretched arm. "The owlets must not need both of you any more, right? It is so good to see you. Can you take a message to Ginny?"

McPherson spread his wings and hooted, then hopped onto his perch. Harry gave him a handful of owl treats, then dashed into the bedroom and retrieved writing materials. In a moment he had penned a short note to Ginny, just so that she would know that they could now write letters to each other again. Then he went to the kitchen and got a small package of Chocoballs and tied the letter around it. McPherson flew off with it and Harry stood by the window watching him soar over the roofs of Hogsmeade and disappear toward the castle.

In a few minutes he was back. Harry took the message from his leg and read:

Darling Harry,

This is so exciting to have our owls again! And you must come back to Hogwarts immediately.
Professor McGonagall has asked me to come to her office in half an hour, and the only reason
I can think of is that she is going to cut my detention. If you can't find me, wait in the Great Hall.

I have also told the twins that we will go to the Owlery before dinner and have the official owl
naming ceremony. Hagrid will be there, too.

Harry, sweetie, I am feeling so good, especially after the night and morning we had together.
I am getting warm just thinking about it. Oh dear, what am I going to do when I see you?
Well, it's a problem I love to have.

And I love you.

Ginny

After McPherson flew away with her letter to Harry, Ginny closed the window and went down to the entrance hall. She knew she wouldn't be able to sit still in her room, waiting for Harry to come, and if her roommates happened to show up they would notice her fidgeting and start pestering her with questions. She paced the entrance hall for a few minutes, then went outside, even though she had forgotten to bring a cloak and it was rather chilly. She stood shivering on the steps until she saw Harry coming up the curving drive, then she ran to meet him.

"What are you doing?" he said as he took his cloak off and wrapped it around her. "You'll freeze to death."

"Can you believe it?" Ginny ignored his comment. "She's going to let me off, I just know it! Think about everyone who said it was unfair; I'll bet they all talked to her. Hagrid, Madame Maxime, Kingsley Shacklebolt —"

"I don't remember him saying anything like that," Harry said as they came inside the castle and started up the marble staircase. "Are you sure?"

"Well, that's what he meant, I'm positive. But it doesn't matter, it is unfair."

Harry took her hand and squeezed it. He wasn't sorry that this meeting would not involve him because, in fact, he had not been looking forward to confronting Minerva McGonagall. Even though he believed that she was wrong, or at least had overreacted, he knew how intimidating she could be with her mouth in a thin, straight line, her nostrils flaring, and her steely eyes peering over her square spectacles. Ginny had only sketchily described the initial meeting with the Headmistress when her punishment was handed out, but Harry could easily imagine how bad it had been.

They arrived outside the office, and Ginny gave the password — "massed bands" — and turned to Harry.

"You'll wait? I'm nervous."

"I'll be right here," he hugged her and watched as she rose up the spiral staircase. The gargoyle sprang back and the door closed.

Less than a minute later Ginny was back. "She wants you, too."

"Me? Bloody hell. Did she say why?"

"She said if you were waiting here you might as well come up. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I hope this doesn't mean she's still being hard–nosed."

Harry was both reluctant and glad. He was not happy to be facing the Headmistress, but he was happy that he could now be at Ginny's side. They ascended the staircase and found the office door open; they entered and took the two chairs in front of the large desk.

Professor McGonagall was peering at them over her spectacles; her mouth was in a thin, straight line, but her nostrils were not flaring, yet. As they waited for her to speak, Harry noticed that Professor Dumbledore was not in his portrait.

"Good day, Mr. Potter," she began. "When I realized that you were waiting downstairs I asked Miss Weasley to fetch you. Thank you for coming."

A small gray tabby cat jumped up onto the desk and sat in front of the Professor; it gazed at Harry and Ginny for a moment, then began cleaning its hindquarters.

McGonagall smiled briefly and slid the cat aside. Her lips resumed their thin–line aspect and her eyes assumed a steely look.

"I am not pleased with either of you," she finally began. "I have no jurisdiction over you, Mr. Potter, but I do note that over the course of this past school year you have spent a great deal of time in the castle. While that does not give me legal authority, it does, I maintain, give me a measure of moral authority. I will state it bluntly. I know that you helped Miss Weasley leave the castle four days ago in an unknown manner, even though you knew that the castle grounds were sealed on my orders."

Her words angered Harry and he lost whatever nervousness he had come into her office with. She didn't have any "moral authority" over him; he had done enough service to Hogwarts to give him authority over her.

"I know that, Professor," he said in a clipped voice, "but we had a very good reason. There was no doubt in my mind that Keesha Baker's life was at stake. I don't know how much of the story you know, but Ginny and I were the only people who had a chance to save her."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Potter," she said brusquely. "I am aware of that now, but I was not aware of it on Friday when I imposed punishment on Miss Weasley, and I don't know that it would have made any difference."

"But I tried to tell you!" Ginny exclaimed. "You wouldn't listen."

McGonagall's nostril's flared. "Let me try to explain, again, the seriousness of what you did. First, there is a rule that no student may leave the grounds without permission except at designated times, such as Hogsmeade weekends. As I'm sure you recall, even at those times we keep close track of which students leave the castle. Seventh–years who have reached their majority are allowed the freedom to do as they please on weekends, and you have taken full advantage of that privilege, Miss Weasley."

"You call it a privilege," Ginny said hotly, "but I'm an adult, and I think I've proven my judgment, several times in fact."

McGonagall's eyes resumed a steely cast, and now her eyebrows arched. "We'll discuss your judgment in a moment. Regardless, you knew what the rule was, and you broke it, for the third time this year. Does that not indicate a certain desire to flaunt your disobedience?"

"I never flaunted anything!" Ginny's voice had risen and her face was flushed. The Headmistress ignored her and continued.

"Now we come to the issue of your judgment, and the real reason for my decision to give you such a lengthy punishment. You knew, Miss Weasley, that the school was sealed. I took that action in large part because of what happened to you and your friends. You came within a few inches of being blinded or even killed.

"Once I had all the facts in hand concerning the incident in the lane, I did not even then decide on my own to seal the school. I consulted my teaching colleagues, the Minister of Magic, the school's Board of Governors, and even your two parents, who happened to be here at the time. All the advice I got was of one mind, the school must be protected at all cost."

She paused and pressed her lips together. As she continued her eyes flashed. "Do you know, Miss Weasley — and you too, Mr. Potter — how difficult it has been to keep this school open and running on a remarkably normal footing, given the events of the two prior years? Do you know how close we came to canceling this year? Do you know how expensive it was to repair the castle and grounds in time for the opening last summer?"

She sat back and took a breath. "I don't expect you to be aware of any of those things; it is not your place or your problem. But what you did has opened up all those questions again. I have heard from the Board and from parents, wondering how secure Hogwarts is if a student could so easily evade the seals that Professor Flitwick created.

"I would think, Miss Weasley, that if you decided to break a rule in a way that threatened the security of the school, you would demonstrate the intelligence, and exercise the judgment of someone who was thinking carefully about such things. You did nothing of the kind, even though there is no doubt that you do possess that intelligence and judgment."

Harry glanced at Ginny. Her lower lip was trembling, and he knew that she was fighting tears with all her might. He turned to the Headmistress. "Tell me, Professor, if Ginny had come to you and told you that she had to leave the school in order to save Keesha, would you have let her go?"

McGonagall looked at him steadily. "I don't know the answer to that for certain. But I would have given her the same harangue I gave just now. If she had gone despite that, I think I would have felt differently than I do now, because I would have assumed it was for a reason whose urgency outweighed the safety of Hogwarts. But I emphasize the fact that I knew no such thing."

Neither Harry nor Ginny spoke. Harry glanced at her again; she was looking at the cat who had finished her ablutions and was now stretched out on the desk, sleeping. Ginny's eyes flitted to his and he was not surprised to see her blazing look; he wondered how often, if ever, Professor McGonagall had seen it.

"Ginny left the castle with me," Harry said. "I got in and we left together by Disapparating with a house–elf."

McGonagall nodded. "I suspected as much, and so did Professor Flitwick. Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done about it. We have referred the matter to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and I believe they may have referred it to the Department of Mysteries."

She heaved a big sigh. "In a way, you did us a favor by showing how easily it can be done."

She paused and looked at the sleeping cat. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances again, and Harry detected a slight upturn at the corners of Ginny's mouth.

McGonagall sighed again. "Believe me, Miss Weasley, this is not how I wanted you to end your career at Hogwarts. No one is more aware than I am of everything you did last year, of the risks you took. If you give me your solemn word that you will not knowingly violate any more rules, then I will mitigate your punishment. Will you give me your word?"

"Yes, ma'am, I promise that," Ginny said quietly.

"Very well. You will not have to serve any further detentions, and you will be restricted to the castle grounds for one more week only, until Monday next. Do you have any questions?"

"None," Ginny replied.

"And I have a request to make of you, Mr. Potter. Can you make your house–elf available to Professor Flitwick for questioning about his Apparitions inside the castle?"

"I can't order him, Professor. He's been free since Christmas. I'll ask him, but I don't know what his answer will be."

She smiled wryly. "You specialize in freeing elves, don't you?"

The Headmistress stood, followed by Ginny, Harry, and the cat. The professor and the cat watched them leave.

"We have to tell George," Ginny whispered as they made their way to Gryffindor Tower. "I don't want him to think that he has to mess with Filch again."

"He'll be disappointed," Harry observed. "So," he paused as they stood outside the portrait hole, "what do you think about what McGonagall said?"

Ginny frowned, then gave the password; inside, they sat on a sofa under a window. Ginny still had her frown. "I thought she was trying to put a lot of responsibility on me for things I didn't do. It was Riddle who attacked the castle, not me. It was Malfoy who let the Death Eaters in the year before, not me. Umbridge and those Death Eaters attacked us, not the other way around."

"So you don't think we could have got you out of the castle without stirring up all this..."

"What do you mean, all this?" Ginny looked at him angrily. "McGonagall seems to have forgotten all about Keesha. Are you forgetting, too?"

"Gin, I was as guilty as you were, I wanted —"

"What do you mean, guilty? I don't feel guilty about anything. Why are you taking her side?"

"I'm not taking her side, I'm just saying —"

Ginny stood; her eyes were blazing and she pointed her finger at him. "You're saying that I shouldn't have gone to see my brother, who needed me? You're saying we should have left Keesha to rot in that cellar? Maybe next time you should go by yourself, isn't that what —"

She abruptly stopped and looked away, breathing hard. Harry had also stood; he took her hand, but she pulled it away.

"All I'm saying," he tried to sound placating, "is that McGonagall had a point. And I'm not blaming you, for Merlin's sake. I helped you get out, I wanted you to get out. If Pansy hadn't shown up, none of this would have happened. Ginny, I wanted you to be there, that's why you came to the inn from Zonko's. You felt it, and you came."

Ginny glanced at him, then held out her hand. "I'm sorry," she said as Harry took it. "I didn't mean that; I shouldn't have said it."

Harry sat down again and pulled Ginny onto the sofa; they sat holding hands. "In hindsight, maybe we could have done it differently," he said.

"I suppose." Ginny leaned back against the cushions and stared at the ceiling.

The door to the girls' staircase flew open and Emma and Claire bounded into the common room. They saw Harry and Ginny and came running over.

"It's time to name the owlets!" Emma cried, and started to pull Harry off the sofa. Claire did the same with Ginny, and Ginny grinned at Harry.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," she said. "But let's get Hagrid first."

"We already sent Brian to get him," said Claire. "We told him to meet us in the Owlery."

"Who's Brian?" Harry asked Ginny as they followed the twins out the portrait hole.

Ginny chuckled. "Brian Hancock. He's a first–year. It sounds like the twins are using him as a messenger."

"Don't worry, Hagrid will be there," Emma assured them. "Brian is very reliable."

Harry and Ginny exchanged smiles, and Harry took her hand as they walked. Their little tiff was over, and he hoped that she understood that he was not taking sides against her. He had learned, from watching the Weasley family in action, that it didn't matter who you thought was right or wrong, you simply did not take sides against someone in the family. It wasn't something he was used to, but he had to admit that he liked it.

He felt pressure on his hand and knew, without looking, that Ginny was smiling. A wave of emotion washed over him; they didn't look at each other and they didn't speak. Once again, as in the Room of Requirement that morning, it almost seemed that there was only one hand where a second ago there were two. They both dropped their hand, startled by the bizarre feeling.

The twins, a few feet ahead, were chattering to each other. Emma had the list of names in her hand and they were going over it as they climbed the stairs to the Owlery.

"I still don't I like this one," Claire pointed to the list. "It's an owl, not a cup of coffee."

"It's like a color or a flavor," Emma retorted. "It matches the color of the one that nipped your ear. That's why you don't like it, but it's your own fault for laughing at its name."

"I didn't laugh, I snorted."

"Same difference to an owl. You should be more polite."

The debate continued until they entered the Owlery. Hagrid was already there, surrounded by a cloud of owlets circling and soaring over his head. Bailey was perched on his right shoulder and McPherson on his left.

"Here yeh are!" he boomed. "I got yer message, girls, an' came as quick as I could. Bailey here's all set, too. It's a very important moment fer owls," he said seriously to Harry and Ginny.

Bailey gave a loud hoot and the owlets landed on Hagrid's outstretched arms. Then the entire Owlery fell silent; every owl in the room was now peering at them.

Hagrid self–consciously cleared his throat and looked around. "Give the list to Ginny," he said to Emma; he couldn't move his arms because each one had three owlets perched on it. Emma handed the list to Ginny.

"What do I do now?" Ginny said. "How do I know which name goes with which owl?"

"They'll know when yeh call the name out. Jus' do it nice and clear so the babies don't get confused."

Ginny cleared her throat, too, and held the list up. "Okay, here goes. Peanut!"

The smallest owl, very light brown with dark brown circles around its eyes, gave a little screech and flew once around Ginny's head, then alighted again on Hagrid's arm. Bailey hooted twice and flapped her wings; there were a few calls from the owls watching.

"Peanut's a girl!" Hagrid declared and beamed down his arm at her.

"How do you know that?" Emma asked.

"'Cause Bailey welcomed her. If it's a boy, tha's what McPherson will do. Okay, Ginny, what's the next name?"

"Mocha!" Ginny cried, and another light brown owlet let out a screech and cruised around Ginny's head; then, to everyone's surprise, instead of returning to Hagrid, it flew to Claire's shoulder and settled there. It gave her ear a nibble and Claire shrieked, then reached up and stroked Mocha's head. "She likes me!" she grinned at Hagrid.

McPherson hooted loudly. "Yeh mean he likes yeh," Hagrid said. "Yeh got yerself an owl, Emma."

"I'm Claire, she's Emma." Claire held up her arm and Mocha hopped along it until he was on her wrist; he settled down and gazed at her, blinking several times.

"Do you think Mum and Dad will let me keep him?" she asked Emma eagerly.

Emma looked disgruntled, so Ginny called out, "Rosie!"

This time a russet–hued owlet flew around Ginny and, as she had hoped, went to Emma who stretched out her arm. "Rosie!" she said with a big smile.

"There yeh go!" said Hagrid. "Yer both set."

While the twins began comparing owls, Ginny called out, "Valentine!" A dark brown owlet with a heart–shaped pattern on its back circled her head, then returned to Hagrid's arm; Bailey hooted and flapped her wings.

Ginny quickly named the last two owlets, Athena and Orion. After McPherson had hooted once for his second son, the entire Owlery suddenly became filled with a cacophony of hoots, screeches, squawks, yelps, and chirps, as every owl greeted the newcomers. Harry, Ginny, and the twins covered their ears and grinned at each other.

"Tha's it!" Hagrid bellowed above the racket. He lifted his arms and Bailey, McPherson, and the four owlets flew up to their nest near the rafters. As the owl chorus subsided, Emma and Claire's new owls each gave them a peck on the cheek and also flew back to the nest.

The humans left the Owlery into the peace and quiet of the stairwell. The twins danced around, unable to contain their excitement. "We've got owls!" Emma exclaimed. "Now we can send messages to Zoro and Sean."

"How is that?" Harry said with a grin. "They live in the dungeons under the Black Lake."

"Oh," Emma stopped dancing and considered that. "Well, at least we've got owls. I just hope Mum and Dad don't throw a fit."

"You can always leave them here," Ginny said as they descended the stairs. The twins didn't seem to like the idea, and they began discussing how to persuade their parents to let them keep the owls at home. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they ran off toward Gryffindor Tower.

Harry, Ginny, and Hagrid watched them go. "That was special," Harry said. "I never thought that naming owls would be so dramatic."

"Hagrid," Ginny looked up at the gamekeeper. "Can I ask you something about the detentions I got?"

He glanced at her but didn't seem to want to make eye contact. "Er, well, yeah. I don' know much about it, a' course. Perfessor McGonagall was the one who decided."

"Did you and Madame Maxime talk to her about letting me off?"

"Ginny, yeh shouldn' ask questions like that," he stroked his beard and gazed at her. "Jus' accep' what happened. A lot a' people didn' like how long she was makin' yeh stay inside the grounds. Les' jus' say that yeh had friends."

Ginny smiled at him, then at Harry. "Thanks, Hagrid. I was just wondering." Hagrid made dismissive noises and waved his hand at Ginny.

Hagrid returned to his cabin, and Harry and Ginny decided to skip studying and take advantage of the sunny weather, even if it was a little nippy. They wrapped their cloaks tightly and walked down to the Black Lake and sat on a bench, soaking up the sun and savoring their laziness. They returned to the castle for dinner — the Great Hall was all abuzz over the owlets' names — and had a good time with Neville, Keesha, and Luna, who sat at the Gryffindor table with them. They spent three hours studying together in the library, then said goodnight in the common room. McPherson was waiting for Harry at the flat, and, for the first time in months, love letters flew back and forth long into the night.

* * * *

Ginny decided to begin a heavy schedule of Quidditch practices. She knew that the team would be rusty, but she was also thinking about the Harpies' scouts who would be in the stadium for the next two matches. She wanted to make a good impression, not only with her flying and Seeker skills, but with her coaching. She asked Ron to plan on being at Hogwarts every Saturday morning, if possible, to help Dennis. He told her that he would even try to come up during the week for evening practices as soon as it was light enough.

On Monday she told Harry about her plans, and on Tuesday evening Harry owled her that Sagittaria Slocum's funeral was to be held the next day at a wizard cemetery just outside London.

Ginny wrote back:

It doesn't seem fair, but I don't see how I can go to McGonagall and ask her to let me go
to the funeral. I am so sorry about this, especially since I was really looking forward to
meeting Mrs. Wilson. Maybe we can have tea with her later in the spring at the inn she told
you about.

We had Quidditch practice this afternoon, and Dennis was dreadful. Fortunately the Chasers,
especially Demelza, are flying really great. I think we will demolish Hufflepuff, but don't tell
Keesha I said that.

I love you so much, and now that it's only three months until the end of term, I am getting
more and more excited about our wedding and being with you forever and ever. Did I say that
I love you? Yes, I see that I did but I can't say it enough.

I love you.

Ginny

Harry had not used the Bouquedelle for months, but there was something about the expression of this letter that broke down his resistance. He went into the bedroom and took it from the top drawer of his dresser and pressed it to his lips. He was overcome with dizziness as Ginny's sweet, flowery fragrance engulfed him. He sat on their bed, his head spinning, tears pouring down his face, and he knew that Ginny was completely aware of everything that was happening to him.

The next morning Harry packed his dress robes along with his textbooks. After their first class — Evidence Analysis — all of the staff and students changed into their dress robes and boarded a charter bus, ordered by the Ministry from the company that ran the Knight Bus. They traveled to the village of Highgate north of town. There, in a Muggle park known locally as Hampstead Heath, magically hidden in a small wood next to a large pond, was the wizard graveyard known as Roadstart. They filed off the bus and joined the solemn throng at graveside.

The first people Harry saw that he knew were Ginny's parents. They were standing with Andromeda Tonks and the Diggorys, and Molly smiled and waved to Harry. He nudged Ron, who hadn't noticed them, and the two of them walked over.

Molly hugged both Ron and Harry, then wiped a tear from her eye with a handkerchief. "We knew that Ginny couldn't come," she said, "but we understand."

"We still want to have you both over for dinner," Arthur said as he shook Harry's hand. "And of course Ron and Hermione, too."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Then Amos Diggory put his hand on Harry's shoulder for a moment. "It's been four years, hasn't it, my boy? Sometimes it seems like yesterday, and sometimes it seems like forever."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he mumbled something inaudibly and looked at his shoes.

"We just found out that you and Ginny are to be married," Mrs. Diggory said; she was a kindly woman, Harry remembered, and he smiled at her and nodded.

"In July," he said, then looked at Molly. "I guess I don't know the exact date, but I expect to be there."

Everyone chuckled, and Molly's tears began to flow copiously. "It's July 17, dear, two weeks before your birthday."

"Ah," Harry nodded. "Does Ginny know?"

Mrs. Weasley sniffed and glanced at her husband. "Well, probably not, since we were going to discuss it last Saturday, but you never came to dinner."

"We'll send an owl as soon as we get home," Arthur said quickly. "I'm sure she'll be happy with the date."

Harry turned to Andromeda before Molly could say anything. "How is Teddy?" he asked. "I'll get over to see you as soon as the summer break starts, I promise."

"He's fine, Harry. And I've told you, don't worry about it. Come when you can, you and Ginny are always welcome."

They stood and talked for a few more minutes. Harry glanced around and saw more and more wizards and witches walking through the woods toward them. He nudged Ron. "How do the Muggles not notice this? There must be hundreds of people here."

"Good question," Ron said. "I guess there's some pretty powerful magic going on."

Harry now noticed that a small, low platform had been erected next to the grave, behind which the coffin lay, and now he saw Kingsley Shacklebolt, Saliyah Ushujaa, Sagittaria's mother, and another Auror step up onto it. A hush fell as the Minister of Magic stepped forward. He looked over the crowd and began speaking.

He talked about fighting for what was good in the world, about the tragedy of dying in that fight, and about not letting sacrifices like Sagittaria's be in vain. He talked about the influence on the dead Auror of her mother Mary, who he counted as one of his best friends.

Then Saliyah Ushujaa spoke, and as her eulogy continued, tears streamed down her face. She spoke about dedication, professionalism, and heroism. She was followed by the other Auror on the platform, who Harry had seen in Hogsmeade after the ambush and Sagittaria's death. He spoke about friendship and support in times of danger.

The ceremony was not long, and then the coffin was lowered into the grave and the dirt shoveled onto it.

Harry stayed on the edges of the crowd as people milled about, greeting each other and offering condolences to Sagittaria's mother. He wandered around the cemetery, looking at gravestones, peering through the trees to a Muggle highway a few hundred yards away; automobiles and large lorries sped by, and he wondered if they could see him.

He heard footsteps and turned. "They can't see you," Sagittaria's mother said with a smile. "There are probably people a few yards from us who are completely unaware of our presence."

Harry nodded. "How are you, Mrs. Wilson?"

"I've been better, thank you."

"I'm sorry, I —"

"Harry," she smiled, "don't worry yourself. I know how you feel."

"Sure," he mumbled, then he looked up at her. "Ginny was really sorry she couldn't be here. She had to stay in school. She wants to meet you though."

Mrs. Wilson looked around; there were only a few people nearby and they were engrossed in their own conversations. She moved closer to Harry and took his arm.

"I would like to meet her, too, but not simply because she is your fiancée, although that's quite a good reason."

At first Harry was puzzled; he couldn't imagine what she meant. But then it occurred to him. "Because of Elizabeth Derby?"

She smiled again; whenever she did so it seemed to Harry that a quiet calmness had fallen on the earth and had enveloped him in its peacefulness. He smiled back.

"Not exactly because of Elizabeth," she replied, and for the first time since Harry had met her she almost lost her composure; she coughed, then continued. "It's been almost nine months since I last saw my two sons. Perhaps you met them the day after the battle at Hogwarts. Ginny showed them where Elizabeth had... had died."

Her grip on Harry's arm tightened; she bowed her head and began to weep silently. After a moment she shook her head and looked at Harry. "I can hold it in for my daughter, but not my granddaughter. Her grandfather, my second husband, had Veela blood, and she was remarkably beautiful."

"Yes, I remember her from school." Harry hesitated; he wasn't sure why this gentle woman was talking to him like this, and he was afraid to say certain things for fear of making her pain worse. But he suddenly felt a need to tell her what he had talked about to nobody except Ginny.

"I saw Elizabeth after she had been hurt," he said, and Mrs. Wilson's eyes grew wide. "I walked past Ginny that night when she was trying to... comfort her. I didn't know at the time that it was Elizabeth."

Incongruously, she smiled, and moved her hand from Harry's arm to his own hand. "Harry, that is remarkable. Of course I've heard about where you were going that night, and what you did, but I never connected it to Ginny. And you kept on walking. That must have been extraordinarily difficult."

"Well, I didn't mean to... the thing is, you know, I survived but Elizabeth didn't. A lot of people didn't."

"You mustn't put that on yourself," she said earnestly. "You were meant to live because only you could end it. If you hadn't, more Elizabeths would have suffered the way mine did."

She looked around again, then moved closer to Harry. "I have got word from my sons, and they may try to contact Ginny. I know you and she must do the right thing, but please be careful."

Harry stared at her in surprise. She put her hand on his cheek for a moment, then turned and walked away.

As soon as she was gone Ron came over; he had been watching from a distance. "What is it, mate?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

Harry told him what Mrs. Wilson had said about her sons, but Ron was still puzzled. "Why would her sons contact Ginny?"

"If they want to turn themselves in, maybe they figure she can help them. I don't see how, though."

"If that's what they want to do, then it makes some sense, actually. They know her and they must know that she's connected to you."

"Maybe. I wish people wouldn't think about me like that, but it seems like it's inevitable."

Soon after, they boarded the bus and returned to London. It was the middle of the afternoon, and as they were arriving at the Ministry Percy announced that they were being dismissed early. Ron decided to go to Hogsmeade with Harry since Ginny was holding another Quidditch practice.

In the village, Ron borrowed a broom from Madame Rosmerta and they hurried to the Quidditch stadium. They could see the Gryffindor players zipping through their drills, and as they watched, Dennis let in two quick goals.

"He's hopeless," Ron shook his head. "He's making every mistake I pointed out to him last fall. Ginny had better be good or else they'll lose."

Ginny had seen them, and she was waiting when they walked into the stadium. She kissed Harry and told Ron to fly up to the goal where Dennis was weaving back and forth in front of the hoops.

"He's hopeless," Ginny said to Harry. "I don't know what to do."

"Catch the Snitch in the first fifteen seconds," Harry grinned.

"That's what I'm hoping for. How was the funeral?"

Harry told her about his conversation with Mary Wilson. Ginny was as puzzled as Ron had been. "Why would they come to me if they want to surrender? All I did was talk to them."

Harry couldn't give her an answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you mind if I stay and watch? I promise not to say anything."

"Not at all," Ginny smiled. "In fact, I wouldn't mind if you said something to Jimmy Peakes, he's being a real pain in the arse today."

Harry climbed up to the Gryffindor section and sat in the top row. The drills continued, and he marveled at Ginny's fluid flying, her quick turns and acceleration. Her Chasers executed passing drills and criss–cross flying maneuvers with great precision.

The Beaters, however, were clearly unhappy with Dennis Creevey. Ron had placed himself about fifteen feet above the goals and shouted instructions and encouragement to the hapless Keeper as each wave of attackers approached. Harry noted that the Beaters were always in perfect position to help take away the attack angles, but the only save he made was when Will Reynolds' Bludger hit Frances Spangler's elbow as she was about to shoot, and the Quaffle hit Dennis squarely between his eyes.

As the rest of the team helped him slowly and woozily circle to the ground, Jimmy Peakes flew a circuit around the stadium and stopped a few feet in front of Harry. "Did you see that?" he pointed to the hoops. "You need to talk to Ginny, knock some sense into her and get us another Keeper."

"What do you mean, Peakes, knock some sense into her?" Harry said angrily; he stood and pointed at Jimmy. "If you think you can do that, be my guest. Before you do it though, I suggest you send your obituary to the Daily Prophet."

"Now, I didn't mean it that way, Harry" he backed away a few feet. "I just meant that she screwed up getting us a Keeper, and I thought that you could talk to her."

"What, do I look like a coach? Listen, Peakes, she's the captain, it's her team. And if you ask me she's doing the best job of coaching I've ever seen here. If you don't like it, then either quit or shut the hell up."

Jimmy scowled but didn't reply. He pulled away and dove to join the rest of the team which was gathered on the ground around Dennis. Harry noticed that Ginny was pointing her wand at his nose while Demelza held a blood–soaked towel under it. After a few minutes the team took to the air again and Ginny flew up to Harry.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing. The bloody git wanted me to talk to you about Dennis. I told him to either quit the team or shut up."

Ginny grinned. "I tell him that all the time, but he doesn't do either one." She blew him a kiss and flew back to the goal hoops.

Ron was talking with Dennis, and Ginny joined them, then gestured to the rest of the team to take up their positions. This time, Frances got off a clean shot, and everyone cheered when Dennis made the save.

The little Keeper held the Quaffle above his head with a huge grin. Ron dropped down and clapped him on the back, as did the rest of the team except Jimmy.

The drill resumed, and Dennis continued to make saves. He wasn't perfect, but something seemed to have happened to make him more confident, and with Ron's help he was able to save about half of the shots against him. After practice Harry went back down to the pitch; Ginny was in the dressing room with the team while Harry and Ron waited for her.

"It turns out that the kid was petrified the whole time," Ron said. "That whole cocky thing was just an act, a front. When he got smacked with the Quaffle, he realized that it wouldn't kill him, and bingo! he wasn't scared anymore. He's not a Weasley, but he should be an adequate Keeper now."

"Well, good job, mate," Harry laughed. "Your coaching skills have done the trick."

The team came out, Dennis sporting two black eyes which he refused to let Ginny treat, and they trooped back to the castle in a jolly mood, even Jimmy. Ron and Harry decided to stay for dinner, where Dennis's two shiners were the main topic, supplanting the owls. The entire team basked in the attention, especially Dennis, and when word started to spread that he had actually made some saves, excitement grew and Gryffindors started casting significant glances at the Hufflepuff table.

Ron returned to Diagon Alley after dinner, but Harry stayed and went to the library with Ginny; he found a book on the history of the Auror department and read while Ginny studied. He returned to the inn, after an interlude with her in an out–of–the–way corner of the entrance hall, and soon the airways between Gryffindor Tower and The Hog's Head Inn were once again busy with owls, love letters, and packets of Honeydukes goodies.

* * * *

The weather turned warm as though the storm that had accompanied the ambush in the lane had been winter's dying gasp. After Ginny's last day of confinement to the castle grounds, she and Harry started spending more time on weekends at the Burrow, often arriving late Saturday morning after Quidditch practice and staying overnight until Sunday afternoon. Harry slept in Ron's room under strict enforcement of Ginny's "house rule," but Ginny was often up late making wedding plans with her mother and Fleur, who had a knack for these things.

"Ze entire focus of ze entire day must be on you," she declared to Ginny one Sunday in the middle of April; she, Ginny, Molly, Hermione, and Angelina were browsing through catalogs and portfolios of wedding gowns, bridesmaids' dresses, floral arrangements, and marquee decorations. "Zese flower girl dresses are too flashy, zey will make everyone look at zem and not at you."

"But they're so cute!" Ginny said. "The twins will look gorgeous in them." Molly frowned slightly; she had been pushing for three or four Prewett cousins to be flower girls, but Ginny had absolutely insisted on Emma and Claire.

"Zey are allowed to look gorgeous, but not too gorgeous," Fleur said. She leafed through a few more pages. "Voila! Zis one is perfect. Everyone will ooh and aah when zey come down ze aisle, but when you appear, Ginny..." She picked up a portfolio of wedding gowns and turned to the one that Ginny had chosen. "Ravishing, demure, beautiful, fetching, both attainable and unattainable. I don't know 'ow you do it wizout being Veela."

Ginny laughed and blushed. "I'll settle for married. Now what about the ring bearer?"

Ginny had chosen George to hold the rings during the ceremony. He had given her a hug when she asked him to do it, and had unsuccessfully tried to hide the tears that followed. There was some discussion about what he should wear, however. Ginny wanted Harry and his best man Ron to wear Muggle tuxedos instead of dress robes, and now she wondered if George would look strange standing next to them wearing robes. She and Fleur thought yes, but Molly thought no; Hermione was uncharacteristically undecided, and Angelina was diplomatically neutral.

They debated until Arthur, Harry, Ron, George, and Bill walked into the parlor. They had gone into the village so that Arthur could ask a local Muggle acquaintance about the millennium bug that he had been concerned about earlier in the year. Hermione had told him that it was a software bug and not at all contagious, but he was skeptical, and insisted on asking a Muggle expert.

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione when they came in. "Total embarrassment," he said. "The bloke didn't stop laughing until we were out of his shop and halfway home."

"I still don't understand it," said his father grumpily as he sat down in an easy chair and picked up a copy of the Prophet. "Why do they call it a bug if it's not contagious." He opened the paper and covered his face with it.

"Well, Dad," Ginny tried to console him, "at least you don't have to quarantine your pomcuters out in the shed." Arthur rattled the newspaper but didn't respond.

Soon it was dinner time, and then the family scattered back to their homes. Harry and Ginny Floo'd to their flat and Harry immediately began a rather heavy snog.

"Someone's desperate," Ginny giggled a few minutes later as they rolled around on the red rug. "But I think we can help him out."

She made it back to the castle with only a few minutes to spare.

* * * *

The following Saturday was to be the Gryffindor–Hufflepuff Quidditch match, and Ginny was becoming nervous again. It had been a long time since the Slytherin match, and she was afraid that she would not be able to equal the impression she had made on the professional scouts. Harry tried to be encouraging in the letters that they exchanged every evening, but Ginny's nerves got worse as the weekend drew nearer.

She wanted him to come to the castle early in the morning on the day of the match and stay with her until the team went to the stadium, but on Thursday afternoon at his daily Mentor's meeting with Saliyah, the Auror told him that they would be leaving for France on Friday afternoon and staying until Sunday. The French wizarding government had requested a meeting on Saturday to discuss some of the issues that had arisen when Dolores Umbridge fled to their country and had been pursued by agents of the British Ministry of Magic.

"Is there any way we can do it on a different day?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," Saliyah frowned. "They are asking us to come, and I'm damn happy that they finally agreed to meet. Listen, I'm sorry if this interferes with plans you made, but it's part of the job, Harry." She smiled. "Look, I promise that nothing will happen on your wedding day or the following week. That's when you're taking your honeymoon, isn't it?"

"The next two weeks."

"Fine, the next two weeks, then. But I'm afraid we have no choice about this weekend."

Harry knew how badly Ginny was going to take this; he wasn't taking it too well himself. "It's the Hufflepuff match," he said. "Ginny wanted me to be with her; she's nervous about the impression she'll make on the scouts."

"Posh." Saliyah waved her hand in the air. "She's as good as made the Harpies already."

"I agree, but she's still nervous, and I wanted to be with her."

The Auror gazed at him. "You've chosen a career that can get in the way of normal life, Harry. It has its rewards, but it also has its responsibilities, and things like this are one of them."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I do like to watch her fly."

"I also have some good news, or at least it's not bad news." She turned and picked up a folder from a table behind her desk and handed it to Harry. Across the front was written, H Rumors, and underneath it in large red letters, Completely and Absolutely Secret. Saliyah spoke while Harry read the parchment inside. "We have not detected a single whisper about Horcruxes anywhere except in Azkaban. Now, since we can't prove a negative, this doesn't prove that a rumor does not exist. But we're pretty good at detecting things floating around like that, so I can say that, as of right now, it's not very likely that the rumor spread beyond Azkaban."

Harry nodded. "And what about the rumors inside the prison?"

"We've planted counter–rumors, to coin a term. We'll see what happens in a couple of months, but I'm pretty confident that you're okay. We will still keep a guard in Hogsmeade, though."

"Will you keep on listening, I mean outside of Azkaban?"

"Yes, Kingsley saw this and he asked me not to close the case yet."

"I was wondering," Harry said slowly, "what were those 'ideas' he mentioned about stopping the rumors?"

"I was wondering when you would ask me that," the Auror smiled. "I don't know what he meant; he hasn't said anything because he hasn't had to. I have my suspicions, though: Obliviate."

"He would do that to stop a rumor about me?" Harry was incredulous.

"But it's not just about you, Harry. We do not want people to start speculating about Horcruxes. I thought we made that clear."

"You did. I was surprised, that's all."

"Understandable. Well," she glanced at the clock, "it's still a little early, but why don't you get back to Hogsmeade? I think you want to talk to Ginny."

Harry arrived at the castle with the Marauder's Map in hand and found Ginny in the library working on her last big term project, an analysis of the potentials of Amortentia. She gave him a delighted smile when he dropped into the chair next to hers.

She kissed him and closed the large, musty volume she was reading; the title, embossed in gold, was The Sensations of Love: Using Amortentia. "I found this in the restricted section, and now you're here. It's my lucky day. I found out how they make Bouquedelles, in case you're interested."

"Luv, I need to tell you something. Let's go someplace."

"Oh, okay." She returned the volume and Harry gathered up her belongings. They went back to the common room and Harry put the load of textbooks and parchments on a table. They sat in a sofa.

"I can't be here on Saturday," he said, and Ginny's face fell. "I'm sorry, I really don't like this, but I have to go to France on Friday with Saliyah. We're staying till Sunday."

"France? What's in France?" She was scowling fiercely.

"The French wizarding government wants to talk to us about what happened when Umbridge was there."

"And they need you?"

Harry shrugged. "I asked her if we could do it another time, but that's impossible. I'm sorry, Gin, I wanted to be with you."

"Yeah," she sighed, but after a moment of thought she smiled. "I guess I'll have to get used to being married to the Head Auror. We'll just have to figure out a way to be together even when we're apart."

"What do you mean? How can we do that?"

She took his face in her hands. "Love, I feel like you're with me most of the time, so why can't it be all the time?"

"But we'll be hundreds of miles apart."

"So? Do you remember when Saliyah told you that she wanted you to become Head Auror, and then when you got home I told you that I knew something big had happened to you?"

"Yes, but —"

"I was at the Burrow and you were in London. That's about a hundred and fifty miles. And last summer I knew every time you were coming home from Hogsmeade, and that's hundreds of miles."

Harry considered, then he, too, smiled. "Okay, let's do it, but I'm still going to miss being at the match."

Ginny put her arms around his neck. "And be warned, Potter, I'm not going to let you marry me long distance. If you do that, then you can also do a long distance honeymoon."

"No," Harry said in dead seriousness, "Saliyah already said she wouldn't plan anything for the wedding or the honeymoon."

"Harry! I'm joking. I know you wouldn't do that!"

As they snogged on the sofa, Harry marveled, as he had done so often, at the love and acceptance this bewitching woman had for him. Life was good, and getting better.

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