Harry and Tonks gathered up the kitten and supplies and found Remus and Ron standing outside the door. They had only taken a few steps when there was a shout and Ron was hit in the leg with a blue light that only comes from spells. Harry dragged him to safety. His leg was bloody and had a piece of bone poking through the skin. Ron’s leg had been broken. Harry handed off the kitten and peaked around the corner to see where the spells were coming from.
Narcissa was firing spells left and right. She had three people with her, their identities hidden behind their masks. Narcissa was the only one without a mask on. It was almost as if she wanted Harry to know exactly who she was.
Harry looked around frantically for Remus, Tonks and Neville. He was relieved to see them hiding behind a delivery crate near the entrance to the pet store. Tonks had just sent what looked like her patronus off in the other direction. Within seconds, five order members Apparated into Diagon Alley. Harry checked once more on Ron, and turned to join in the fight.
Harry looked out from behind the barrel that had been hiding him. He saw Narcissa in the fray, seemingly hiding behind one of the larger Death Eaters.
He shook away his thoughts in time to see a red stream of light headed straight for Neville. Harry quickly cast a shield charm on Neville, just in time to deflect the spell. Neville nodded his thanks and went back to firing off spells of his own.
Curses flew back and forth for what seemed like hours, but was likely no more than a few seconds. Harry saw Remus fall to the ground, Tonks trying to cover him as she revived him. He saw Neville’s face bleeding and his arm looked broken. There were two other wizards that Harry did not recognize that had fallen to various spells. Ron was trying to lean out from behind the barrel to cast a few spells of his own
Harry heard someone shout, “Diffindo,” just before a sharp pain sliced through his left arm. The spell had cut his robes and his flesh. Quickly checking his arm, Harry was sure he would be ok.
“You idiot! Not Potter. We are not to touch him!” Narcissa yelled.
Not to touch me? Then that would mean … No, even Narcissa is not batty enough to plan an attack on my friends and family and not expect me to fight back. But then again, what do we actually know of her? Maybe she WAS completely mental.
Mental or not, no one had the right to hurt his friends. He continued to cast at the death eaters, taking a spare moment here and there to see if his friends and fellow Order members were ok. Every time he looked around, it seemed that new injuries had appeared. Each injury was a rip to his control.
Just who do they think they are? What right do they have to attack my friends and family?
Harry saw another of the Order members fall to the ground. Since they were fighting in a narrow part of Diagon Alley, most of the order members were somewhat close together. Another Order member fell to a stunner, taking Harry’s control with him. Without even thinking, Harry raised his left hand and a silver shield covered the group. The spells dissipated upon hitting the shield.
Harry walked forward toward all the fighting. Ron yelled for Harry to stop, but Harry was beyond listening.
“No! NO! NO! NO! NO NO NO!” Harry screamed over and over as he shot spell after spell from his wand. Some of the spells even seemed to be coming from his raised left hand.
Narcissa gathered her robes around her, and Apparated from the spot, two of her fellow Death Eaters, both injured, but not severely, followed her lead. The last Death Eater was not so lucky. He had been on the receiving end of the Body-Bind curse that was only a part of the barrage of spells that Harry had unleashed.
Harry kept walking until he was standing over the remaining Death Eater. He promptly relieved the man of his wand, stood him on his feet. After casting a strange spell that had vines growing up from the ground and encasing the prisoner, Harry took the body bind spell off.
“I guess I should have an Auror present while I ask you a few questions,” Harry said as he turned away from the nervous man. The man started to yell and scream. With a wave of his hand, Harry had the vines that were incasing the prisoner also cover his mouth. He let down the shield that was protecting the others. “Tonks, could you come here for just a moment?” he said loudly. Once she got to his side, she looked at the man encased in vines and started to laugh.
“If we are going to get anything out of this one, Harry, he’s going to need his ability to speak back,” Tonks said with a giggle.
“Oh… I suppose he will. Sorry about that,” Harry blushed. He raised his wand and the vines covering the man’s mouth were gone.
“I… I was u… under the Imperious Curse. I don’t know why I was brought here,” the man sputtered, trying to cover his own arse.
“I’m sure you were,” Tonks said in a very innocent voice. The man began to smile tentatively. He paled to almost a gray shade when she said, “Luckily, there is a spell to detect that these days. Hold still. This won’t hurt a bit. Well, won’t hurt if you have had the Imperious Curse cast on you recently. Probatur Magia!”
The prisoner squirmed at first, and then began to scream.
“You see, Harry,” she said as she removed the spell, “the spell burns itself out on the Imperious Curse… Or rather, the energy it leaves behind.” Tonks turned to the prisoner and lifted the spell. “When the curse is not present, this nasty little spell keeps searching. It feels like insects under the skin. Not a feeling of pain actually, more of extreme annoyance. This spell was shown to, and used on, all the Aurors. That way we knew what the prisoner was feeling and how long to keep the spell on. The Ministry has been researching and developing this spell since the end of the first war. So many got off the hook by stating that they were under the Imperious Curse.”
“Now, would you care to tell us the truth? Or should we keep testing?” Harry said, deceptively calm.
“I told…,” the prisoner started. When he saw Tonks raise her wand and point it at him again, he figured the truth was the best route. “It was all Narcissa’s doing. We weren’t to cast at Potter, but anyone who was with him was fair game. No one was to be killed, just hurt.”
“What do you mean? Why was I off “limits?” Harry asked with barely contained anger.
“The Dark Lord wants you for himself,” the man said with a sneer. “He’s told everyone that they are forbidden to touch you. Narcissa wanted you to hurt as payback for putting Lucius in prison. So we were to attack anyone with you.”
Tonks turned slightly away and what looked like a phoenix of fire flashed once and then was gone. When she turned back, Harry looked at her questioningly. She shook her head letting him know that this was not the time or the place for an explanation.
“Harry, though I am quite impressed with the restricting vines, would you remind releasing them after I cast my own spell to incarcerate?” she asked Harry with a wink. She turned back to the prisoner and warned, “You have an Anti-Apparating spell on you already, so don’t even think of trying it, unless of course, you fancy splinching yourself.”
Harry waved his wand toward the man, and the vines disappeared back into the ground.. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I will go check on the others,” he said to Tonks as he turned toward his friends.
“Bloody hell!” Ron yelled from behind the barrel. This was followed by a kitten kissing and spitting. Harry looked over the barrel and saw the kitten, hackles raised, bouncing almost sideways.
“Letting a kitten kick your arse, mate?” Harry said with a laugh.
“He BIT me!” Ron exclaimed.
“Told you he was a scrapper,” Kiley said, emerging from the Magical Menagerie. “Sorry I am late. I was doctoring up a crup that fell out of its cage right after you all left. By the time I heard the noise it was all over. Is everyone okay?”
“We have a few that we need to get over to St. Mungo’s,” Harry replied as he bent down to pick up the kitten. “Can you stay with Ron for a moment while I go check the others, please?”
“Of course, that is if he doesn’t mind,” Kiley said as she turned to Ron.
“As long as you quit talking about me as if I am not here,” Ron said, grumpily.
Harry laughed and took the few steps to get to Remus. Fortunately he had only been hit by a stunning curse. After being revived, he found his only injury was from a small bump on his head, probably caused by the fall.
After the prisoner was hauled off by a member of the Special Task Force, Harry, Remus, and Tonks gathered the injured around a portkey to St. Mungo’s. Tonks stayed behind to gather the packages, shrink them, and place them in her pocket. When this task was done, she Apparated to just outside the grounds of Potter Manor.
~*~*~*~*
“What is keeping them so long? Surely they are not STILL shopping,” Molly mumbled as she paced the floor.
“Calm down, Mum. They probably just lost track of the time,” said Ginny with what she hoped was a convincing tone. Truth be told, she was worried as well.
Ginny looked up when she heard her mother gasp. Directly in front of Molly, a shape made entirely of flame was hovering, flashed once, and then disappeared.
“Mum, what was that? You aren’t hurt, are you?” Ginny had stopped her mother from pacing and was holding her arms looking for burns of any sort.
“Ginny, stop,” Molly sighed. “Ginny, I am fine. That was just a message from Tonks, calling for back up. We’d best go get our cloaks, Tonks should be here for us soon. Could you please ask Hermione, Petunia and Dudley to join us? I’ll get the portkey ready”
“Who’s hurt? How did Tonks get in touch with you? Where are we going?” asked Ginny, in rapid-fire succession.
“Ginevra! Focus please. I need you to get the others and meet me in the kitchen. I’ll answer your questions as soon as I can get some answers myself. Now off with you!” Molly said, stomping her foot for emphasis.
Ginny was running up the stairs, two at a time as Petunia was coming down them. She stopped so abruptly that she almost knocked Petunia over.
“Ginny, dear. What is it?” Petunia asked as she tried to steady the young woman and herself before they both fell over.
“Meet Mum in the kitchen please. Do you know where Dudley is? There has been an attack; Mum wants us ready to go as soon as we can. That’s all I know so far,” Ginny panted her words out.
“I’ll get Dudley. I think I saw him in the game room last,” Petunia was getting herself worked up just watching Ginny.
“That’s on the way back to the kitchen, we can get him, stop by the library to pick up Hermione, and then meet mum in the kitchen,” Ginny mumbled as she flew down the stairs. Petunia followed at a slightly safer speed.
Hermione popped her head out of the library, investigating all the noise on the steps. Ginny quickly brought her up to speed, grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her toward the game room.
They retrieved Dudley, and met Molly in the kitchen. Within seconds, Tonks stumbled into the room. She looked up to find five sets of eyes looking to her for an explanation.
“No serious injuries, just a few broken bones. We’re meeting everyone at St. Mungo’s. Molly, do you have the portkey ready? Petunia, Dudley, do you two remember how to use one? Good, let’s grab on and go!” Tonks was speaking so quickly that it was amazing that everyone was able to keep up. They grabbed onto the Portkey and disappeared from the kitchen.
~*~*~*~*
At the hospital, Neville, Ron, and Remus were taken to a ward-style Emergent Care room. The room itself was spacious and had four beds, two on each side. Since their injuries were not serious in nature, they were patched up before the others got to the hospital. Ron would be on crutches for a day or two, just until the bone set properly. Neville was in a sling for the same reasons with his left arm.
“It’s a good thing I am right handed. I’d hate to start classes without being able to use my wand. Even if it were only for a day or two. Remus, why did they usher you in here?” Neville asked, looking across the room at the older man.
“SOMEONE mentioned the bump on my head,” he replied with a pointed look at Ron. “The healers just want to be sure I didn’t scramble myself too badly.”
“Hey, would you rather deal with the healers here, or mum after she found out you didn’t get it looked at?” Ron replied with a shudder.
“Point taken. Your mum is a bit scary at times,” Remus said with a laugh.
“No need to tell me. I know from experience,” Ron chuckled.
“Where is Harry anyway? I thought he would be waiting in here with us,” Neville wondered, half to himself.
“Probably trying to lessen the panic my mother should be in about now. I don’t envy him, being the first to see her,” Ron chuckled.
The door to the room burst open. Molly and Ginny came bursting into the room with Petunia, Dudley, and Harry in their wake. Tonks strolled in behind the rest.
“Mum, Ginny, they’re fine. The healers have already patched them up and just went to get the potions to send them home,” Harry said, as he was trying to calm them down.
“Yeah, Mum. We’re okay. It was just a few broken bones and a bump on the head,” Ron added, trying to squirm out of his mother’s grasp.
Ginny turned to Harry, patting him down to make sure there were no injuries. She had just come across the cut on his arm when a squeaking sound filled the room.
“Harry, why are your robes squeaking?” asked Ginny with a horrified look on her face.
“Oh Merlin, the kitten!” he gently lifted the kitten from his robes. The kitten squinted in the bright light and squeaked again to show displeasure.
“It’s adorable!” exclaimed Hermione stepping away from Ron’s bedside.
“Not so cute when he bites you,” Ron mumbled.
“He was supposed to be part of your birthday present, Ginny. He’s the youngest of seven kittens, and the only male,” Harry explained. Ginny was staring intently at the kitten. He stretched himself toward her and bumped his pink nose against hers.
“He’s so tiny,” she said, gingerly petting the tiny creature. She opened the hand that was not petting him and he stepped onto it. He curled up in her hand and began to purr. The sound should have been somewhat quiet, but seemed to reverberate off the walls of the entire room.
“It seems he likes you,” Harry said with a chuckle. Everyone else in the room laughed quietly. “According to the witch at the pet store, he will need to be bottle-fed for the next two weeks. Then we can wean him to wet food.”
At the mention of food, the kitten started mewling loudly.
“There’s formula and bottles in the bag… Oh no, the bags!” Harry panicked for a moment.
“I’ve got them right here. He’ll be okay for a few minutes until we can get him home,” said Tonks.
Ginny walked over to show the kitten to her mother, who also got a favorable nose-pat from the kitten. Mrs. Weasley cooed at the kitten and again, he changed hands. Ginny went over and enthusiastically hugged Harry. Harry flinched as she hit the cut on his arm.
“You’re hurt! Has a healer looked at this?” Ginny asked, mortified at the thought of hurting her boyfriend.
“Erm… Well, no. In all the excitement, I had forgotten about it until you touched my arm,” Harry said sheepishly.
Petunia rushed over to inspect his arm. Forgetting that she was in a wizarding hospital said, “This looks like it will need stitches.”
“Steeches? What is that? Hang on. Is that what Arthur tried with that Healer when he was in here for the bite from the snake?” Mrs. Weasley asked.
Petunia looked very confused.
“I can heal cuts. With seven children, you learn very quickly,” she laughed as she got out her wand and pointed it at the wound on Harry’s arm. “Just so we don’t have to wait for the healer to get to you,” she continued with a wink. “There, all healed. How does it feel?”
“Good as new,” Harry said giving Mrs. Weasley a hug. He did not notice Petunia shrink back to get out of the way, but Remus and Tonks did.
The healer walked back into the room with the crutches, sling, and potions floating along behind her. “So, how are my patients doing? Ready to go home I presume?” she asked handing out the items to Ron, Remus and Neville.
Augusta Longbottom burst into the room, startling everyone and causing the kitten to make his “Grrf” sound.
“I’m happy you found my note, Augusta. I tried to floo you, but there was no answer,” Mrs. Weasley explained as Mrs. Longbottom walked over to Neville. Petunia was helping him into his sling.
“I was packing the last of my things and getting them ready to bring to the manor. Neville, dear, how are you?” she asked, patting her grandson on the leg.
“Fine, Gran. Healer Weston healed my arm. I only have to wear the sling for a day or two,” Neville answered as Petunia finished tying it behind his head. “Thank you Mrs. Dursley.”
“It’s nice to be needed, Neville. I’m glad I could help,” Petunia said. Harry noticed the tinge of sadness in her voice. He would speak to her about it later.
“Augusta Longbottom? Is that really you? I haven’t seen you in ages!” Healer Weston said as she was crossing the room.
“Audra Weston. It is so nice to see you. It’s been so very long,” said Mrs. Longbottom. “Audra and I were roommates and best of friends at Hogwarts. Our husbands were also friends,” Mrs. Longbottom said, turning to Neville. “Do you remember her? She’s the one that used to baby-sit you while I came to visit your parents.”
“I didn’t make the connection. You, young man, are getting a bit famous around here. An Auror by the name of Dawlish had been singing your praises to anyone that will listen. Says you jumped in front of him after he had been hurt. He is certain that the spell that broke your arm was meant for him. He claims that even with your arm broken, you pulled him to safety. Jumping in front of him that way was a very brave thing to do. You just might have saved his life,” Healer Weston exclaimed.
“I … er, that is…” Neville stammered while blushing profusely.
Mrs. Longbottom stepped over to her grandson and pulled up his chin so he would meet her eyes. “I am very proud of you, dear. That took true courage and grace under fire,” she said with a tear rolling down her cheek. “Your parents would be so proud.”
“Well I think everyone here is ready to go. Mr. Lupin, the potion I gave you is for headaches. Take it easy this afternoon and evening. Mr. Longbottom, the blue potion I gave you is a bone-strengthening potion. The green one is for pain, as necessary. Keep the sling on until tomorrow evening. If you still have weakness in the arm, leave it for one more day. Mr. Weasley, the potions are the same for you, as are the instructions, on the crutches until tomorrow evening at the very earliest. Yours will hurt a bit this evening as the bone broke through the skin. Any questions?” Healer Weston looked a bit winded after giving three sets of instructions at once.
~*~*~*~*
Back at the manor, while dinner was being prepared, Harry pulled Fred and George aside. They were the inventors, so if anyone could do it, they could.
“How can we humble servants,” said George.
“Help our most beloved benefactor?” finished Fred.
“Can spells be stored in a wand, and then called forth by a muggle or a squib, at a later time? Simple spells, cleaning, cooking, sewing or knitting, a shielding spell, communications spell… that sort of thing. My Aunt and Cousin are feeling out of place. I want to see if we can find anything to help them feel more at home,” Harry said.
“Excellent idea that is, Harry” George said, patting Harry on the back.
“So excellent in fact, that we started on them two weeks ago,” Fred guffawed.
Harry’s mouth fell open in shock. Then he felt ashamed of himself for not thinking of it sooner.
“In fact, if you would permit us,” said George with an exaggerated sweep of his arm.
“We can show you, Dudley and your aunt how to use them,” said Fred, pulling out two wands.
Harry looked closely at the wands. One could only be mahogany, it was made thicker and had a dragon carved into the handle. The other was a longer, thinner wand, made out of beautiful cherry wood that seems to have an opal-esque finish to it. The handle of this wand had a petunia carved into it.
George reached into his pockets and pulled out two wand holsters. “No need to worry about tricks on these, Mate. We have seen how restless Petunia feels. We just wanted to help. She and Dudley are now part of our family too.”
“Shall we go turn our new family members into test subjects?” Fred laughed.
The three walked back into the kitchen to see everyone there. They were standing propped against the wall, sitting at the table, or cooking. He noticed that Ginny was feeding the kitten at the table. He was eating like a bottomless pit!
“Could we have your attention please?” Harry said with a smile. “Our troublesome twosome here has a new invention. Aunt Petunia, you and Dudley were the inspiration. Would you like to try them out?” Harry said, looking back and forth between the two of them. “I have been promised that there is no danger of a prank with the items. This is something that might make you feel more at home.”
Petunia stepped forward first. Fred walked up to her and gave her the wand.
“We’ve discovered a way to store spells within a special type of wand. You just say the proper command word, with a little flick and a puff, you have cast the spell. None of the spells are particularly difficult ones. But they will help out in cooking, knitting or sewing (if you please), and cleaning. It has a warming charm and a drying charm, for those rainy days. On the more serious side, it has a communication spell, to reach the nearest Order member if you should need help,” Fred said seriously.
“We have also brought some of our shielding cloaks for the two of you. You know, to have on hand in case you run into a raving lunatic or two,” George supplied.
“Aunt Petunia, we are not trying to single you out here. I know you have felt a bit out of place. We thought that just maybe this would make you feel more at home, more a part of the family,” Harry said. Tears were streaming down Petunia’s face.
Molly stepped closer to Petunia to hand her something to wipe the tears. “Care to give it a try, dear?” she asked, gently prodding Petunia to give it a try.
Petunia nodded and looked through the little booklet at all the spells. The wording for the spells was not at all what she had heard the others use. She came upon the warming spell. Petunia stepped over to where Ginny was just putting the kitten into his little blanket for a nap. She pointed at the blanket and said, “Warm.” The kitten immediately started to purr loudly, his new bed was now warm and comfortable. Petunia reached out to touch the blanket and was shocked when it was actually quite a bit warmer than before.
“I don’t know how to thank you. This has to be the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. It is so beautiful,” Petunia cried.
“Almost forgot, you can strap this on your wrist, around your waist, or even your ankle to hold your wand when you are out or even just around the house,” said George. Petunia ran over to the boys and gave them a hug that would rival one of Mrs. Weasley. When she let them go, she turned to Harry.
“Were you behind this?” she asked with a watery smile.
“They were working on it before I could talk to them about it. I just didn’t want you to feel left out anymore,” Harry said honestly. “This is all Fred and George. They had the wands and holders done by the time I got around to asking them. I should have asked sooner.”
Dudley came up to the front of the group and got his wand as well. Fred was going over some of the spells with him while Harry and Petunia were talking. He was excited about being able to borrow magic, even if he was not a wizard.
“How can I ever repay you?” Petunia asked, looking once again at the twins.
“Ahhh, it’s a steep price indeed,” said George.
“But only the best for family,” said Fred.
“You have to join the Weasley clan and let all of us call you Aunt Petunia,” Fred and George said together.
“That would make Dudley our cousin as well,” Fred finished.
Petunia looked at Dudley for a moment before answering. He looked happier than she had seen him in a while. He caught her eye, and nodded. He wanted to be part of this eccentric, but full of love, family.
She then looked over at Molly. Admittedly, they had gotten off to a rough start, but she wanted to be sure, before she accepted the terms, that Molly was agreeable to them.
“Molly, is it okay with you?” Petunia asked.
“The children have never had an aunt. Lots of uncles, but never an aunt. I think it would be wonderful to have you as a sister. Don’t you agree children?” Molly said as she looked around at her family. All the boys were nodding their acceptance. The only one not nodding was Ginny.
“Does this mean that Harry will be my cousin? Not sure I’d want to date a cousin,” Ginny said with a mischievous grin. Everyone joined in the laughter as she said she would love having an aunt.
“It’s a deal, but only if I can make you some cookies as well. My White Chocolate Raspberry cookies are really very good. I’ve won a few prizes with them,” she said with a giggle.
“You drive a hard bargain,” Fred began.
“But, it’s a deal,” finished George.
Petunia gave both the boys another hug. She turned to her son and said, “How are you with all of this?”
“Well, it’s a bit of a shock having so many new family members. But this lot grows on you after a while,” he chuckled. And everyone joined in the laughter.
Things were starting to calm down, so Ginny reached for her butterbeer on the table, not paying attention. The kitten pounced on her hand before it ever got to the bottle.
“Oh, you little devil. Play time, is it?” She turned the kitten over on his back to play with his paws and rub his tummy. After a few moments of play, the kitten let out his personal “Grrf” sound. “He thinks he’s viscous too!” She played with him for a few more minutes, until he fell asleep in her hands.
“The woman at the store was calling him Gurf because of that sound he makes when he plays,” said Harry. He came up behind Ginny and started playing with her hair.
“We’ll find something better. We just have to give it a few days to see what his personality is like. He’ll tell us his name,” she cooed at the sleeping kitten.
~*~*~*~*
After dinner, Petunia and Dudley were in the kitchen doing the dishes and trying out their new wands. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Mrs. Longbottom when Harry walked in.
“Mrs. Weasley, I was wondering if we could stay up a bit later tonight. I had planned something earlier for Ginny’s birthday, but with all the excitement, it got put off. I’d really like to give her presents to her at midnight, under the stars. I think Ron had something planned as well. Please?” said Harry, turning on the charm.
“That look. Augusta, how can I say no to that?” Molly and Mrs. Longbottom both laughed. “Let’s not make a habit of this. Tonight will be fine. I’ll be waiting to see her presents by one o’clock,” she said with a wink.
Harry thanked her, gave her a hug, and with a wave to Mrs. Longbottom, left to get the final preparations done.
“He’s such a dear. Your Ginny has chosen very well”
“I already love him as one of my own. He’s so generous and loving, despite the way his uncle treated him. I’m just happy to see Petunia and Dudley come around and not put up with the abuse anymore,” Molly sighed.
“It all works out in time. You just have to have faith,” Mrs. Longbottom said, sipping her tea.
~*~*~*~*
Neville, knowing Ron and Harry’s plans for the evening, volunteered to take the watch with the kitten. It was almost as if he were babysitting. His main duty this evening would be the final feeding of the evening, and making sure Crookshanks did not terrorize the kitten. He took the kitten into the family room, and turned on the television. Harry had explained that although it was a muggle television, it had a special adapter to work in the wizarding world. He chose a comedy, and lay on the floor with the kitten.
In the back yard there were three separate tables spaced meters apart and hidden by hedges. Dobby had talked to some of the fairies and got them to stay, providing the lighting for both scenes.
Harry check to make sure everything was ready, and then ran up to his room to retrieve the presents. He met Remus and Ron in the backyard. When everything was ready, Harry called Idget, Dobby, and Winky and asked them to please go and get the girls.
The men wished each other luck and went to their own tables.
Ginny walked cautiously toward the hedge, peering around the corner, and readjusting her hunter green halter-dress for the tenth time in the last five minutes. When she saw Harry, she began to walk faster. She grabbed him in a hug and said, “Hello.”
She looked at the table setting. This was so very romantic. She gasped as he pulled out her chair and guided her into by placing his warm hand on her bare back. He lifted her hair gently and kissed her on her bare shoulder, causing her to gasp again.
“Happy Birthday, love,” he whispered next to her ear, sending chills down her back.
“Thank you,” she said softly. He kissed her once more and then walked over to his seat.
Once he was seated, he took the packages out of his pocket and laid them gently on the table. Dobby popped in for a moment to leave the Glasses of Butterbeer and a small snack on the table.
“Thank you, Dobby, for all your help,” Harry said, shaking hands with the house-elf as he bowed. Dobby nodded his head and disappeared with a small pop.
“What is all this, Harry? Not that I am complaining, I’m just curious,” Ginny said with a laugh.
“This, my love, is the beginning of your birthday. Do you want your presents now, or shall we eat first?” Harry asked, grinning from ear to ear.
“Harry, you already got me the kitten. You shouldn’t have gotten anything else,” Ginny said, embarrassed.
“What good is money if people won’t let me buy gifts for my girlfriend and my friends? I didn’t grow up with luxuries in my life. Hell, the broom cupboard was my bedroom for ten years. Now that I do have it, I’m going to spoil my friends and family. Just get used to it Ms. Weasley,” Harry said with a grin as he handed her the first present.
Ginny tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful heart shaped emerald pendant. The chain and the setting for the emerald were of pewter. The piece was so dazzling that it took her breath away and brought a tear to her eye.
“I’m giving you my heart, Ginny. Will you take it, keep it safe and close to yours?” Harry said softly, looking into her cinnamon eyes and wiping the tear off her face.
“Of course I will,” she replied, tilting her head slightly to the side.
“I’m not very good with words or emotions. Until recently, I didn’t think I would ever know what it felt like or meant to be in love. My world stops when you walk into a room. The rest just seems to melt away. When you kiss me, I feel like I could take on the world. When you are sad, my heart shatters with every tear that falls. And when you smile, it lights up the room. I don’t take love lightly. Some may say it, never meaning a word of it. I’ve never told anyone that I love them, at least not that I can remember. I waited until I was absolutely sure. I love you, Ginny,” Harry was watching her eyes for a reaction, any reaction at all.
“I love you too, Harry,” she said with a smile, then after a moment asked, “Would you help me put this on, so I can put your heart next to mine?”
Harry got up out of his chair and stepped up behind Ginny. She handed him the necklace and raised her hair so it would not get caught in the clasp.
“If you ever need me, just rub the pendant and say my name. I will be at your side as quickly as I can get there,” Harry said as he fastened the clasp.
Ginny turned into his arms and kissed him passionately.
“You still have one more gift to open. Before you claim that it is too much, this one I did not buy,” Harry chuckled.
Ginny opened the next box with trepidation. Inside, she found a beautiful emerald ring. The emerald was again heart-shaped and had 2 hands holding the heart with a crown on top of the heart. She noticed the paper in the box and picked it up to read it.
The Claddagh Ring
1--On the right hand, crown in heart out, the wearer is free as the birds in the sky.
2--On the right hand, crown out heart in, the lass is spoken for.
3--On the left hand, place of choice, heart in crown out, she is happily married for evermore
“According to Remus, this ring has been passed down for generations. It is given to the eldest son when it is time. I know it is way too soon to ask you to wear it on your left hand. But would you do me the honor of wearing it on your right hand with the heart in?” Harry asked softly.
“Only if you do me the honor of putting it on my finger,” Ginny replied, just as softly, looking at Harry very coyly.
“My pleasure,” Harry smiled as he pulled the ring from the box. “As I said before, this is still too new for this to be an engagement ring. Shall we call it a promise ring? I promise that my heart belongs to you.” Harry slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand, with the heart in and the crown out.
As he and Ginny hugged and kissed, and settled down into their newly expressed feelings, Harry could have sworn he heard laughter on the wind.
The laughter went on until a voice that sounded remarkably like his conscience said “Mischief managed.”
A/N: The kitten does really exist. I came by him on a trip to the local Humane Society to find a puppy for my sister. He was too young to be there and they did not have the staff for the extra feedings. Now, I’ll leave it to you all, shall we leave his name Gurf? The other name I had picked out was Develin, to reflect his devious nature. You all decide which to use. (The real one is called Rebel, for his rebellious side)
It always disturbed me that so many used the excuse that they were under the Imperious curse after the first fall of Voldemort. The spell Probatur Magia loosely translates into To test magic. My ultimately twisted mind needed a way to make the liars known. Hope you all don't mind.
Thanks to both of my Betas…Sorn and DumbleFanNo1 for their wonderful help with this chapter! I couldn’t have gotten it straightened out without you guys!
The rest of this story can be found on SIYE. Chapters 1-19 have been re-edited and new content added. Chapter 20 is also poisted there. Hope to see you all there.
Prophecy's Child by Katastrophe
Chapter Notes: It's JKR's world. I just play on the playground.
PLEASE SEE BIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS STORY!