So, much confetti and celebration is in order. Thank you all for hanging in there through all the trial and tribulations, and for giving my writing time to get better [I hope it has, at least].
Chapter 30: Father’s Blessing
“When it’s safe?” Harry repeated, not quite sure what Lupin might mean.
“Harry, it is understandable that you want to visit Godric’s Hollow,” Lupin sighed. “Understandable to the point of predictability.”
“You’re talking about Voldemort. You’re saying that he’ll be expecting it.”
“Precisely. And, unlike Diagon Alley or Hogwarts, and other places the Death Eaters are positive you’ll show up “ it’s not so well protected, there are not hundreds of other people surrounding you. For all we know, Voldemort is keeping an eye out on Godric’s Hollow, because if you show up there, you won’t be so well guarded “ you will be vulnerable to attack.”
“I suppose the Order’s already thought about that, then?” Harry said, more hopeless than derisive. “You’ve all had a little chat and have decided my parents’ house isn’t safe… because you knew, eventually, I would ask.”
Lupin nodded, and Harry furrowed his brows in frustration.
“Well, I want to at least see Pettigrew. Even if I can’t go until… until Voldemort is destroyed “ I want to know that I can.”
Remus nodded once again. “I’ll take you before you return to Hogwarts.”
Harry thanked him. Suddenly he had all the more incentive to seek Voldemort and destroy him. Unlike the recent attacks, deaths and near-misses, this did not press upon him, instead it spurred him on. It was one more aspect of his life controlled by his fate, and he was growing tired of living under lock and key. The only question left was when Harry would be ready to face the dark wizard. He did not yet have faith in his own abilities, and wasn’t sure he would be powerful enough for the task anytime in the near future. It sapped him of his courage and left only fear. As such, Harry knew he was certainly not ready to face the Dark Lord. Not yet, at least.
Though the constant presence of Order members did well in keeping the war near the surface of Harry’s thoughts at all times, he found the next few days at Grimmauld Place to be fairly peaceful and enjoyable. He spent one afternoon laying in the sitting room with Katie in his arm’s while they watched Bill with his ear pressed to Fleur’s stomach as he listened for sounds of the new life growing within her.
As the days passed, however, another dark cloud settled directly above Harry’s head. Katie was still unaware of Siobhan’s presence at the Bell house. Although Harry knew it was better he tell her before she found out herself, he had not been able to bring himself to disturb his quietly happy holidays, for fear of Katie’s reaction which he knew would be negative, and feared would be somewhat violent.
But by the time Tuesday arrived, Harry was sure it was only luck that had allowed him to procrastinate so long, and so he decided it was best to just have it over and done with, rather than risk being on the wrong end of ‘… and when were you planning on telling me this?’
He left his bedroom that morning and went down to the kitchen. It was nearly ten, so most people had left, leaving only Katie and a drowsy looking Ron at the table.
“How d’you feel about going to your house today, to give Hermione a visit?” Harry asked, taking a seat and casually pouring himself some tea.
Though he looked in danger of falling into a stack of toast in his half-asleep state, Ron’s attention quickly snapped to Harry, and he sent him a look that asked ‘What are you doing?”
“Sounds good. I’ve been meaning to stop by and collect some things, actually,” Katie said, taking a sip of her orange juice. “And I’ve missed Hermione. It’s odd… that she hasn’t come by yet.”
“Yes. That. I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“About Hermione?”
“Good luck, mate,” Ron said, finishing his tea with one last swig and quickly making his exit.
“About the Hermione hasn’t stopped by yet,” Harry clarified, pushing away his annoyance at Ron’s unsubtle departure. “She has company.”
“Oh?” Katie said. “Who?”
“Shvn,” he muttered quickly.
“Who?” Katie repeated, now looking at Harry suspiciously.
“Siobhan “ Siobhan is staying with Hermione.”
Katie fell quiet. It was a frightening silence. She appeared to be calculating something, though Harry knew it was just for effect.
“Siobhan - who kissed you, my fiancé “ is staying with Hermione at my house?”
Harry nodded.
“Oh, well… everything works itself out then…”
“H-how is that?” Harry asked, surprised but not comforted by this unexpected response
“Well, it’s convenient. We can visit Hermione, and I can murder Siobhan in just one trip…”
Katie stood up suddenly and pulled on her robes.
“Aren’t you coming?” she asked Harry, who remained stationary at the kitchen table.
“To visit Hermione, yes…” Harry said, standing up and following her as she headed for the door. “But “ can we rethink the second part?”
“Why, might I ask, is she staying at my house? Hasn’t she got her own home?”
“She does, but her mum just died a few months ago, and her dad is in Azkaban,” Harry explained. “And Hermione “ who knew nothing about the kiss “ invited her to stay for the holidays. She asked Libby and everything…”
Katie made a sound of frustration. “She still shouldn’t be there…” she muttered.
“Katie,” Harry said, moving towards her and taking hold of both her hands, “can you just forget about the kiss? Siobhan is a good person “ though that might not be obvious at first “ and I want the two of you to get along.”
“And why is it so important to you?”
“Because she’s my friend. When Ron and Hermione are busy, or when they’re battling each other… I still have someone to talk to.”
Katie frowned, and gave a reluctant sigh.
“Well, I won’t kill her,” she said haughtily. “But it doesn’t mean I have to like her.”
“I suppose that will do for now,” Harry grinned. “Let me get Ron, and we’ll leave.”
After summoning Ron, who had been hiding in the bedroom with a forced serious expression as he awaited to hear of Katie’s reaction, Harry pulled on his jacket and the three of them stepped outside the house and quickly Apparated to the street where Katie lived. Their breath was visible in the cold winter air, and Harry noticed that Katie was exhaling at a much faster rate than himself or Ron; they were also having trouble keeping up with her.
“Calm down…” Harry told her in a comforting whisper. “I thought we weren’t killing anyone today…”
They reached the front door and Katie quickly opened it for them.
“Hello?” she called. “Anyone home?”
“Katie!” It was her older sister, Libby, who answered, and she rushed down and the two sisters greeted one another with an embrace. “How are you?”
“I’m grand,” Katie said. “Have you heard from…”
“No,” Libby replied regretfully. “I’m really starting to worry.”
There was a sad silence, which Ron tried to cover with a forced cough.
“Um… where’s Hermione?” he asked.
“Upstairs with Siobhan,” Libby answered, and Harry felt Katie’s hand tense. “I’ll get them for you.”
Harry, Ron and Katie went into the sitting room to wait; Katie sat very stiffly and had a dark frown on her face. A minute later, Hermione came into the room and greeted them all happily.
“Where’s Siobhan?” Katie asked, her eyebrow raised.
“Oh…” Hermione said, and looked at Harry. “I wasn’t sure if…”
“Yes, Harry told me,” Katie said. “It’s alright… she can come out from wherever she’s hiding.”
“I’ll… just go find her,” Ron said, seeming very eager to pop out of the room for a moment.
“I hope you’re not mad,” Hermione said.
“No, don’t worry about it…” Katie sighed. “How’s your holiday going?”
“It’s lovely,” Hermione said. “Very relaxing, and it’s nice to see my mum and dad again. And… Charlie’s around a lot, too… visiting Libby…” she added with a grin.
“Ah, yes,” Katie said, smiling also. “We were wondering where he was always running off to.”
“Have the two of you announced your news yet?” Hermione asked.
“No “ waiting for the right time…” Harry replied.
The door opened and two heads of red hair entered. Siobhan looked thoroughly relaxed, but Harry could see a hidden anxiety in her green eyes.
“Hello Potter,” she said, avoiding Katie’s eye
“Hey Siobhan,” said as warmly as possible, given how uncomfortable he felt.
“Katie, nice to see you again…”
Katie looked conflicted as to whether or not to respond. After a moment’s consideration, she cleared her throat distinctively and gave a small nod.
“And you, too.”
“Ron, can I talk to you outside?” Hermione asked in a rather squeaky voice.
“Huh?” Ron asked rather dumbly. “Oh “ um, sure…”
The two left, leaving the pseudo-love triangle alone in their discomfort.
“Can we try to act normal?” Harry asked with frustration.
“What are you talking about?” Siobhan asked.
“Oh, give it up!” Katie said. “You know very well what’s going on…”
“Really?” Siobhan said, raising her left brow at Katie. “Well, what I see is my friend “ the first one I’ve ever known, might I add “ sitting beside the woman he loves, the only woman he has eyes for, and who he would do anything for. And I see that, for some reason, she’s uncomfortable with my presence. And it seems to be causing him frustration, on top of everything else that he’s carrying around.”
Katie flushed, but did not back down. “For some reason? You kissed him!”
“You can’t possibly feel threatened by that, can you?”
“No “ but it doesn’t excuse it!”
“Do you make a habit of not forgiving acts that have no consequences?”
“No. Nor do I make it a habit to befriend people who have no respect for other people’s relationships.”
“I have all the respect in the world for you relationship,” Siobhan said quietly, glancing down, and then back to Katie with a significant look. “It’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed true love.”
Katie faltered, and her mouth hung open as she searched for words that weren’t there.
“It was just a kiss,” Siobhan told her. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
There was a knock on the door, interrupting whatever Katie might have responded with, and Hermione poked her head in meekly.
“Sorry to intrude,” she said shakily. “But… we’ve just got a message from Mrs Weasley. Katie “ your dad is at Grimmauld Place.”
When Harry, Katie and Libby arrived at Headquarters, they were breathless. The confrontation with Siobhan had been quickly pushed aside at the news of Christopher Bell’s reappearance, and the two had quickly left with Libby“ Ron opting to stay behind with Hermione and Siobhan.
They found Mr Bell, ragged and unshaven, in the kitchen amongst other Order members “ Mrs Weasley, Lupin, Alex, Charlie and Bill included. The atmosphere was grave, some people looked very angry indeed.
“Dad!” Katie and Libby exclaimed in unison, rushing to embrace him.
“Where have you been?” Katie asked, tearful.
“I “ had to leave after what happened. We all left “ I didn’t know if you’d reported me.”
“Of course we wouldn’t report you!” Katie answered.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not going to,” a man in the corner said.
“Dalloway “ nobody’s reporting anyone,” Alex said firmly. “As long as we’re not forced to. And what that means, Christopher, is that you must give your word that you will not return to the Militia.”
Mr Bell didn’t respond, but shifted his eye uncomfortably to his daughters, who stood waiting for his response.
“Dad “ tell me you’re not going back?” Katie said with trepidation. “You “ you can’t possibly…”
“And why not?” Libby interrupted. “What’s wrong with what the Militia is doing?”
“They’re killing people, Libby!” It was not Katie that answered, but Charlie. “You can’t really think that’s justified “ no matter what the cause.”
“We’ve done more than the Order has,” Mr Bell said quietly.
“What “ gotten masses of civilians killed?” Katie charged angrily. “The Order is doing plenty, and not at the cost of more innocent lives. You didn’t see the wards of St. Mungo’s after what happened at Krum Stadium, Dad… it was horrifying. And it’s on your head.”
“Katie…” Harry said softy, taking hold of her, for she looked as though she might break down at any moment; he felt her body trembling.
“The Militia have been classified by the Ministry as criminals, Christopher,” Lupin said calmly. “If nothing else, you must leave to save yourself from imprisonment.”
“I’m sorry Remus, I’m not in the practice of giving up my principles to protect myself against unjust laws.”
“And what about your daughters?” Harry said. “Do you think they want to see you go to prison?”
“Speak for yourself, Harry,” Libby said. “If my father makes the choice to do with his right, then I will support him in that. And so should my sister.”
“Don’t talk to Harry like that,” Katie snapped. “And what dad is doing isn’t right. It’s murder. The Sphinx Militia have no right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die. Lucius Malfoy made that decision for mum, and for Mr Weasley, and we hate him for it, don’t we? What makes this any better?”
“The Militia’s targets are criminals…”
“Murder is murder. The Militia kill without provocation, it is not self-defence, it is deliberate, and cold-blooded. And it does nothing but stir the Death Eaters into killing more people for revenge.”
“Katie…” Mr Bell began, but Katie cut him off again.
“I won’t see you go to jail for this, Dad. I need you here,” she cried. “I need you to give me away…”
“Wh-what?” Mr Bell asked, looking confused. He was not the only one who seemed to have gotten lost on Katie’s last sentence; everyone in the kitchen was eyeing Katie with perplexity.
“I “ I need you to walk me down the aisle,” she stammered, and she looked at Harry. “I need you to give me away.”
“I still don’t…”
“Harry and I are getting married,” she said finally, lifting up her left hand, the ring on which was now visible to all of them. “We’re engaged.”
Mr. Bell stared at his daughter, as did Libby, both were speechless.
“I need you, Dad, to stop this,” Katie’s plea continued. “I don’t want you to go to prison, I don’t want you killed. I need you “ we need you.”
Her ‘we’ did not refer to herself and Libby, but to herself and Harry. Mr Bell’s eyes finally rested upon the green-eyed young man, who flushed awkwardly.
“I “ I’m sorry I didn’t ask your permission…” Harry spluttered.
“No… no,” Mr Bell reassured him. “No… don’t worry about it.”
Everyone was quiet. In the corner of his eye, Harry could see Mrs Weasley bubbling with excitement. It was clear she was having difficulty restraining her desire to run up to him and make a big fuss over the two of them. Mr Bell exhaled loudly.
“My little girl is getting married,” he said in disbelief.
Katie smiled at him through tears.
“Does that mean you’re going to stop this nonsense?” she asked.
“Yes,” he sighed. “Yes, I’ll stop.”
At this, Katie beamed, and ran up to hug him “ and the rest of the kitchen rejoiced. Mrs Weasley rushed up to Harry and gave threw her arms around him.
“Oh, you’re all grown up,” she sobbed. “My little Harry… engaged. Oh “ I was your age when Arthur and I “ ”
Her words trailed off into something incomprehensible, and Charlie and Bill managed to shake Harry’s hand despite the fact that she was still clinging on to him. Over Mrs Weasley’s shoulder, Harry could see Libby embracing Katie with a huge grin. After a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley finally let go to envelope Katie, and Harry was approached by Libby and Mr Bell.
“Take care of my little sister,” Libby said, giving him hug and a kiss on the cheek. “And I’m sorry about earlier “ perhaps I was out of place…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said, swallowing hard as he felt Mr Bell’s eyes on him.
“Well, Harry…” the older man said to him. “I have to say I’m surprised at the… suddenness of this.”
“Oh “ er… we’re not getting married straight away. You don’t need to worry that we’re rushing “ ”
“I’m not worried,” Mr Bell said with a smile. “I told you before that I trust you with my daughter. I still mean that. I have to admit… it’s a little frightening to see Katie having grown up so fast. Seemed like just yesterday she thought all boys were menaces. And now she’s engaged…”
“I’ll take care of her, Mr. Bell…”
“I know that. After all… what happened with Bellatrix Lestrange that night “ that was you, wasn’t it? You’ve seen to it that they can’t hurt Katie…?”
“Yes, sir. I don’t intend on letting anyone harm her. I love her too much for that.”
“Then, Harry,” Mr Bell said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “you have my blessing.”
“Thank you, Mr Bell.”
“And perhaps it’s time you stopped calling me ‘Mr Bell’, now that we’re practically family. It’s Chris…”
“Yes… Chris…” Harry replied, hoping that one day he might find using the name less uncomfortable.
And then, Harry felt a familiar hand take his. He looked to Katie’s smiling face and took her in a kiss, not caring that the whole room was watching, but rather wishing it was the whole world. A secret love had been romantic in it’s moments, but Harry suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase ‘shout it from the rooftops’.
“I love you,” he told Katie, smiling stupidly.
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her again, knowing that he was going to marry Katie, and die old and happy by her side. And nobody, not even Voldemort himself, was going to stop him.