ficsbydeenas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ficsbydeenas) wrote2008-01-11 10:46 am
ficsbydeenas) wrote2008-01-11 10:46 am
Entry tags:
FIC--Righting a Wrong (2/5)
Title: Righting a Wrong, chapter 2 of 5
Rating: R for sexual situations and language
Pairing: Harry/Ginny, reference to Harry/Andromeda
Words: 3719
Summary: The pieces fall into place as his world falls apart.
Warnings: Angst...yes, you read that right...
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
queenb23more
Righting a Wrong
*~*~*~*~*
2
*~*~*~*~*
"I'm so sorry, Harry. Commemini!" A yellow streak of light shot out of her wand and hit him above his right ear, the same place she'd hit him all those months ago.
"Expelliarmus!" Ginny shouted from the doorway, catching Andromeda's wand in her free hand. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"
Harry collapsed onto the floor and Andromeda fell back onto the chair she'd been sitting in. Ginny rushed to Harry's side, trying to rouse him from the stupor induced by the spell. She shook him and he moaned, holding the side of his head.
"What—what's going on?" His voice was sleepy as his eyes tried to focus on Ginny.
"Ask her!" Ginny shouted, making Harry groan again.
"Andromeda? Did something happen?"
Andromeda began shaking visibly and the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. "I…I'm so sorry," she whispered again before crumbling to the floor in a heap.
Harry tried to go to the woman but Ginny held him back, her arms wrapped around him and holding him tight against her.
"She hexed you, Harry! She was standing there and…What the hell was that all about?" she screamed at Andromeda furiously.
Suddenly, inside Harry's mind, images flashed.
Kissing…a shirt coming off and a dress bunched at the waist…a hand massaging him to climax…dress falling to the floor…lying on a patchwork quilt…touching, tasting…entering…underneath her as she screams another man's name…
It all came rushing back.
Harry rolled to the floor and vomited, retching until there was nothing left inside him. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he looked at the two women: one whom he loved with all his heart and the one who slept with him and made him forget for two years.
"Harry, what's wrong? What did she do?" Ginny took his face in her hands. She, too, was crying, visibly worried about what was going on with him.
Harry's chin began to quiver and he tried to gather his thoughts, trying to decide what to say to Ginny. He couldn't tell her the truth; it would absolutely destroy her. Hell, the truth would destroy them.
"She…she did the spell," he admitted.
Ginny spun around and stared at Andromeda, ready to pounce. Her wand was in the other woman's face in a flash, shaking with either nerves or anger, yet probably both.
"You did this to him? How could you? What was so important that you had to hide it from him for the rest of his life?" Ginny screamed, her voice high and screeching, something Harry had never witnessed before. "If Tonks were alive, she'd—"
"Ginny! Stop it!" Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.
"Harry!" Her anger was turned on him now. "If anyone deserved a Bat-Bogey, it's HER!" She turned to attack Andromeda, but he restrained her.
"Let me talk to her first! Please!" Harry hedged a glance at Andromeda, who was visibly shaking. He surprised himself at how well he was restraining himself. He had several of the same questions that Ginny had and then some. Ginny nodded and turned to Andromeda.
"You had better not have made him forget something important," Ginny fumed as she walked to the door. "And by the way, Teddy's sleeping. Or at least he was when I left. I'll be in the kitchen." She turned and left the two of them in the study, her teeth clenched and eyes narrowed.
Whipping out his wand from his pocket, Harry locked the door, placing an Imperturbable Charm on the room as well as two or three classified Auror spells, just to be safe. There was no way he was going to risk Ginny hearing any of this before he was ready to tell her. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he turned to Andromeda, trying to bury his anger.
"How could you? What were you thinking?"
She was sobbing again and Harry backed away. Her tears were a catalyst last time.
"I…I'm sorry. If I didn't…we…you," she whispered through her tears. "I couldn't let you feel cheated."
"Cheated of what? Damn it, Andie, we had sex! What right was it of yours to take that away from me?"
She sat back down in the chair. "You'd feel obligated, Harry. I know you would." She looked a fright, but there was no way he was going to comfort her.
"How do you know? How could have known what I would have felt in the morning? You took that from me. Why?"
"Ginny. She deserved you. All of you."
"She's got all of me! But it's gonna be a bit harder to tell her about it now, you know. We both thought…we were the first."
"And that's what I wanted you to believe! I didn't want you to know that you took pity on me that night and—"
"It wasn't pity! I was there, you know, and I think I wanted it as much as you did. If you recall, I didn't say 'no.' Remember?" He surprised himself with how hurtful that one word could be.
"Of course I do! I'm reminded of it every time I see the two of you together! That's why I can't look at you with her!"
"And now how am I supposed to tell her?" He knew Ginny would be livid and probably leave him when she found out. Of course he was going to tell her, but when? "We could have worked it out back then, but now? I'm thinking of asking her to marry me! I can't do that without telling her. I can't lie to her anymore!"
He watched as Andromeda got up and stood in front of him, trying to place her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" He swatted her arm away, making her shrink back.
"Harry, if the three of us could talk about this—"
"NO! I'm not going to do that! I don't want her to feel like we're ganging up on her! I have to fix this! You just better keep your mouth shut," he warned.
"I have for two years, Harry. Remember?" It was her turn to be spiteful and it wasn't lost on him.
"It's amazing I remember at all," he growled as he released the spells on the door. "You can show yourself out, right?"
Harry left the room, not knowing where he should go. Ginny was in the kitchen waiting for him, but he was too angry to see her now. Teddy was sleeping, and Ron…was absolutely out of the question. He sat on the bottom step, holding his face in his hands, trying to decide what to do. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Andromeda leave the room and Apparate out of the house.
After a quick fly on his broom in the back garden, Harry felt better. He was able to think about what he'd just learned and the best way to handle the new facet of his relationship with Andromeda and what to do about Ginny. Andromeda, he decided, only did what she thought was best. She had no idea that a few months afterward, Harry would write a regulation about memory charms. She thought no one would be any the wiser. He understood why she did it after he thought about it and mulled things over. Even without knowing, his body remembered that he'd had sex with someone before Ginny. Even when they were together for the first time, he was able to control himself better than he imagined; he knew where to touch her and how to make it the best experience as possible for the both of them. He'd held out far longer than any first-timer would have. For that, he was grateful. But he doubted that Ginny would feel the same way.
Once he and Ginny began seeing each other in earnest again, he soon discovered that she could be very possessive of him. He couldn't really blame her; they'd been through so much—the distance, the separation, and the war. She wasn't clingy or anything like that, but she wasn't afraid to glare at any witch who dared to look at him with anything approaching lust. Deep down, Harry liked it. He enjoyed the fact that she loved him so fiercely, that she wanted him to herself, and that he was that important to her. When they finally made love that New Year's Eve, he'd never known he could feel such love from one person. It was everything he had ever dreamt of and more. He wanted to ask her to marry him right then and there, but knew it wasn't time; she needed to finish Hogwarts first and he wanted to be finished with his training. But now would be the perfect time. Her career with the Harpies was just starting to take off and he would be done with the programme in a year. She'd even moved in over a year ago and there was nothing that would make her mother happier than for them to stop "living in sin."
As he made a final pass over the house, he saw Ginny and Teddy emerge from inside and wave their arms up in the air at him. He circled once more before making his descent and landed effortlessly a few feet from them.
"Hay!" Teddy ran to him and leapt into Harry's waiting arms.
"You have a nice nap, Teddy Bear?" He ruffled the boy's hair and then set him back on the grass. "Sorry I took off like that," he whispered to Ginny, pulling her to his side, drinking in her scent and feeling comfort wash over him.
"I kind of figured you went out when you didn't come down after thirty minutes. I would have preferred you told me, though," she said without disdain. "You wanna talk about it?"
He knew she'd ask that question sooner or later. "Er, not now. I still have to report to the Ministry about this." He dreaded that conversation. Andromeda and Kingsley were friends, and he really didn’t enjoy the thought of having to make his private life public before a team of investigators. But it would come to that; he knew that much.
Harry sat nervously on the toilet in the bathroom that was connected to his and Ginny's bedroom. His leg was bouncing up and down nervously while he considered what lay on the other side of the door: a naked Ginny. He entered the bedroom after letting out his owl, Augustine, for a fly to find her draped over the bedclothes. She was beautiful, lying there, without shame. Part of him wanted to pounce on her then and there, while another side of him was scared at the prospect of making love to her for the first time since finding out the truth from Andromeda. He'd excused himself on the pretence he needed to wash up first. The look of disappointment on her face nearly broke his heart, for he knew how much she loved to undress him and kiss every inch of newly exposed skin.
"Harry…" she called to him through the door. Her voice was impatient yet sexy. Unfortunately, it did nothing to his listless cock between his legs.
With a deep breath, he got up and made his way out the door to rejoin her in the bedroom, dressed in a pair of red boxer shorts, adorned with broomsticks and Snitches. She was still lying on the bed but had obviously been up to something in his absence. Her legs were spread wide and one hand was on a breast while the other was between her legs, toying with her clit and diving inside her wet, warm heat. He groaned imperceptibly, either from desire or frustration, he couldn't tell. He stood there, rooted to the spot, watching her hips rise up to meet her fingers, staring as her hand massaged her breast and tweaked her nipple, listening to the pants she emitted as she brought herself closer to climax right before his eyes.
"Come here, Potter, and stop watching me, you pervert," she teased.
"Er, well, okay," he muttered his answer, wearing a sly smile on his face as he climbed onto the bed.
"Now come on and finish this for me, okay?"
Harry knelt between her legs and began massaging the inside of her strong thighs, taking in the feast for the senses in front of him. He reached out with his hand and quickly slipped one, then two fingers inside her, curling them up to find that spot that drove her wild. His thumb massaged her clit and soon she was moaning and writhing with her approaching orgasm.
"More…more…please, Harry!" she yelped, her hips meeting his hand and swirling for more contact.
Harry watched her with a glazed expression, feeling so much love for her. He took a nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the taut nipple. With a few more movements of his fingers, she bucked her hips one more time and screamed out his name.
He sat back on his haunches and watched her come down, her breathing rapid and shallow and her skin glowing in the muted light of the room. He grinned again and lifted his fingers to his lips to clean them off with his mouth.
"You're beautiful," he said as he looked over at her. On instinct, he raised his fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean. Her juices were tangy, yet sweet, and so unlike anything he'd ever tasted before. His eyes ran over her body, taking in her breasts and stomach before going to the juncture of her thighs and the dark curls located there. He wanted her; in all the circumstances he'd ever dreamed of, none of them involved losing his virginity to Andromeda. But nothing mattered. Not the consequences, not the fact that she'd buried her daughter that day, nothing. He was learning from someone he knew, deep down, could teach him all he needed to know.
He stopped his hand before it reached his mouth and gaped at his drenched fingers, unable to continue with what he'd always done every time he pleasured Ginny with his fingers.
"Shit," he murmured and sprung off the bed, heading back to the bathroom. He quickly locked the door behind him and vomited into the toilet, guilt and shame driving out every remnant of dinner from his stomach.
Harry sat nervously in Kingsley Shacklebolt's office, one leg jumping nervously as he scanned the room. Across from him on the wall were a number of photographs featuring Kingsley with various important people, both wizard and Muggle. In the largest, the Minister was shaking hands with Britain's Prime Minister. Harry remembered that day; how could he not because he was in the photo as well, flanking the Muggle on the opposite side of Kingsley. Next to that one, on the left, was another picture of Kingsley with Professor McGonagall as he presented a commemorative plaque to the school in honour of what the teachers and students had done in that noteworthy battle. The other picture was one that made Harry smile. It was taken in the atrium of the Ministry itself at the dedication of the new fountain to replace the one that was demolished back in his fifth year at Hogwarts. The fountain depicted a wizard, a witch, a house-elf, a giant, a goblin, and a centaur standing around a large live rose bush, filled with perpetually blooming white roses. It was perhaps the best thing to have come out of the war.
He was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden opening of the door to the Minister's office.
"Harry…good to see you," boomed Kingsley's voice. He walked around to the other side of the desk and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the dark wood. "What can I do for you? Find the person who did the spell?"
"Er…yes, I have." Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Good, good. Has the spell been reversed?" Kingsley was still extraordinarily relaxed, making Harry even more uneasy.
"Uh, yeah," he began. He watched as the Minister raised an eyebrow, an unasked question on his lips. "It…er, well, Andromeda Tonks did it."
Kingsley nearly toppled backwards off the chair but regained his balance and leaned forward toward Harry.
"Did I hear you right, Potter? Did you say Andromeda Tonks put the spell on you? One of my oldest friends Obliviated you?" The look on his face told Harry that the man was in no mood for jokes.
Harry stood up and walked over to another wall where personal photos lined the oak panelling. His eyes were immediately drawn to one in the middle, depicting Kingsley, his wife, Theodora (a woman whom Harry had met several times in the last year), Andromeda, and Ted. The four of them looked as if they were on a tropical island on some sort of vacation. They looked happy and kept toasting the photographer with large, fruity drinks. The caption written on the frame said: 'In The Azores with Ted and Andie—1985.'
Not bothering to look Kingsley in the eye, Harry whispered, "Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you." He took a deep breath and turned to face the Minister. "Please don't ask me anything more."
"Harry," Kingsley said in a soft, fatherly tone as he rose from his chair and strode over to him. "If this stays within the Department, it'll stay private. Now what did she cover up? The investigators will discover it anyway."
"An investigation! Kingsley, no! Please don't make this public," Harry pleaded, his eyes beginning to burn with both fury and humiliation.
"I can't guarantee it, m'boy."
"But you're the bloody Minister for Magic!" Harry felt as if he were looking down the business end of someone's wand, that's how much terror he felt at the moment.
"And you're Harry Potter! If this goes to trial, there's no way that I can stop the press from being there. I'm sorry." He placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder and looked the younger man in the eye. "I won't say a word, Harry. I swear on Dumbledore's grave."
"If I tell you, please don't be upset with her. She did it for a very good reason and she feels bad enough about it."
Kingsley nodded. "Of course. I've got a Pensieve right over there." He pointed to the large gilded basin perched atop a marble pedestal.
Showing Kingsley the memory was the last thing he wanted to do and Harry could feel his skin heat and his stomach fall. A wave of nausea washed over him. "N-no. I can't show you. I just can't." He shook his head violently from side to side with his eyes wide as saucers.
Kingsley studied him for a moment, taking in the unbridled fear in on Harry's face. "Harry, did something happen between you and Andie?" The sound of his voice left Harry no choice but to answer.
"Yes," he whispered, his voice nearly inaudible. "We, uh…well, we had sex."
"WHAT?!?!" Kingsley asked lividly. "Tell me I didn't just hear what I thought I heard."
"Y-you heard right," he answered, suddenly ashamed of himself at admitting that he'd shagged his boss's friend.
"Put charms on the damned door and tell me what happened, Potter." Kingsley strode back to his desk and poured himself a glass of Firewhisky, downing it in one swallow.
Harry did what he was told and took his seat in front of the large desk. The next twenty minutes were spent telling Kingsley about that night, answering questions about the spell, and drinking Firewhisky with the minister. When their talk was completed, Kingsley's eyes were closed and he shook his head in disbelief.
"I'm…shocked, Harry. I don't want to butt into your personal life, but what the hell were you thinking?"
Harry hung his head and put his hands on the top of his head. "I don't know, okay?" He lifted his head. "I've always thought she was pretty, you know? And then she needed me, and in a way, I…I guess I needed her, too. I mean, Remus was the last connection to my parents and he was gone. She'd lost everyone but Teddy…it just…we needed something."
Kingsley leaned forward and leaned on the desk. "Harry, I'm not judging you. Yes, I'm a little angry because Andie's my friend, but that's between the two of you." He paused to clear his throat and got up from the chair, moving around the desk to stand next to Harry. "Look at me, Potter."
Harry looked up at the minister with wary eyes. "What?"
"We have to report this. It's regulation and you know that," he stated plainly. "But given the circumstances, we can probably avoid a inquiry in front of the Wizengamot."
Harry let out the breath he'd been holding and managed a weak smile. "Good. I don't think that I could handle that."
"Me, neither," he chuckled. "But seriously, Harry, don't let this take over your life. It happened and both of you will have to deal with the repercussions."
"Yeah, I know," Harry muttered, sinking back into his chair.
"I have to ask you one thing, though," Kingsley said, his voice steely.
"Yeah, what?"
"What did Ginny have to say about all this?"
Harry knew that question would come at some point, and it made him sick to his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "Er, well, she doesn't know yet." Harry took a profound interest in the ceiling tile of the Minister's office.
"Oh, Merlin, Harry," Kingsley groaned. "She needs to know."
Harry shot up out of the chair and began pacing the office. "Don't you think I know that? The timing couldn't be worse, Kingsley. I bought her a ring…"
"I can't tell you what to do, m'boy, but the sooner you get it over with, the better it will be for you both," he pointed out.
Harry nodded. He knew everything that he heard, but actually putting things into action was the difficult part. It was ironic, really. Harry was an Auror and had faced Voldemort, but yet the thought of telling Ginny about that night with Andromeda scared him more than anything else.
NEXT CHAPTER
Rating: R for sexual situations and language
Pairing: Harry/Ginny, reference to Harry/Andromeda
Words: 3719
Summary: The pieces fall into place as his world falls apart.
Warnings: Angst...yes, you read that right...
Beta:
queenb23more*~*~*~*~*
2
*~*~*~*~*
"I'm so sorry, Harry. Commemini!" A yellow streak of light shot out of her wand and hit him above his right ear, the same place she'd hit him all those months ago.
"Expelliarmus!" Ginny shouted from the doorway, catching Andromeda's wand in her free hand. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"
Harry collapsed onto the floor and Andromeda fell back onto the chair she'd been sitting in. Ginny rushed to Harry's side, trying to rouse him from the stupor induced by the spell. She shook him and he moaned, holding the side of his head.
"What—what's going on?" His voice was sleepy as his eyes tried to focus on Ginny.
"Ask her!" Ginny shouted, making Harry groan again.
"Andromeda? Did something happen?"
Andromeda began shaking visibly and the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. "I…I'm so sorry," she whispered again before crumbling to the floor in a heap.
Harry tried to go to the woman but Ginny held him back, her arms wrapped around him and holding him tight against her.
"She hexed you, Harry! She was standing there and…What the hell was that all about?" she screamed at Andromeda furiously.
Suddenly, inside Harry's mind, images flashed.
Kissing…a shirt coming off and a dress bunched at the waist…a hand massaging him to climax…dress falling to the floor…lying on a patchwork quilt…touching, tasting…entering…underneath her as she screams another man's name…
It all came rushing back.
Harry rolled to the floor and vomited, retching until there was nothing left inside him. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he looked at the two women: one whom he loved with all his heart and the one who slept with him and made him forget for two years.
"Harry, what's wrong? What did she do?" Ginny took his face in her hands. She, too, was crying, visibly worried about what was going on with him.
Harry's chin began to quiver and he tried to gather his thoughts, trying to decide what to say to Ginny. He couldn't tell her the truth; it would absolutely destroy her. Hell, the truth would destroy them.
"She…she did the spell," he admitted.
Ginny spun around and stared at Andromeda, ready to pounce. Her wand was in the other woman's face in a flash, shaking with either nerves or anger, yet probably both.
"You did this to him? How could you? What was so important that you had to hide it from him for the rest of his life?" Ginny screamed, her voice high and screeching, something Harry had never witnessed before. "If Tonks were alive, she'd—"
"Ginny! Stop it!" Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.
"Harry!" Her anger was turned on him now. "If anyone deserved a Bat-Bogey, it's HER!" She turned to attack Andromeda, but he restrained her.
"Let me talk to her first! Please!" Harry hedged a glance at Andromeda, who was visibly shaking. He surprised himself at how well he was restraining himself. He had several of the same questions that Ginny had and then some. Ginny nodded and turned to Andromeda.
"You had better not have made him forget something important," Ginny fumed as she walked to the door. "And by the way, Teddy's sleeping. Or at least he was when I left. I'll be in the kitchen." She turned and left the two of them in the study, her teeth clenched and eyes narrowed.
Whipping out his wand from his pocket, Harry locked the door, placing an Imperturbable Charm on the room as well as two or three classified Auror spells, just to be safe. There was no way he was going to risk Ginny hearing any of this before he was ready to tell her. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he turned to Andromeda, trying to bury his anger.
"How could you? What were you thinking?"
She was sobbing again and Harry backed away. Her tears were a catalyst last time.
"I…I'm sorry. If I didn't…we…you," she whispered through her tears. "I couldn't let you feel cheated."
"Cheated of what? Damn it, Andie, we had sex! What right was it of yours to take that away from me?"
She sat back down in the chair. "You'd feel obligated, Harry. I know you would." She looked a fright, but there was no way he was going to comfort her.
"How do you know? How could have known what I would have felt in the morning? You took that from me. Why?"
"Ginny. She deserved you. All of you."
"She's got all of me! But it's gonna be a bit harder to tell her about it now, you know. We both thought…we were the first."
"And that's what I wanted you to believe! I didn't want you to know that you took pity on me that night and—"
"It wasn't pity! I was there, you know, and I think I wanted it as much as you did. If you recall, I didn't say 'no.' Remember?" He surprised himself with how hurtful that one word could be.
"Of course I do! I'm reminded of it every time I see the two of you together! That's why I can't look at you with her!"
"And now how am I supposed to tell her?" He knew Ginny would be livid and probably leave him when she found out. Of course he was going to tell her, but when? "We could have worked it out back then, but now? I'm thinking of asking her to marry me! I can't do that without telling her. I can't lie to her anymore!"
He watched as Andromeda got up and stood in front of him, trying to place her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" He swatted her arm away, making her shrink back.
"Harry, if the three of us could talk about this—"
"NO! I'm not going to do that! I don't want her to feel like we're ganging up on her! I have to fix this! You just better keep your mouth shut," he warned.
"I have for two years, Harry. Remember?" It was her turn to be spiteful and it wasn't lost on him.
"It's amazing I remember at all," he growled as he released the spells on the door. "You can show yourself out, right?"
Harry left the room, not knowing where he should go. Ginny was in the kitchen waiting for him, but he was too angry to see her now. Teddy was sleeping, and Ron…was absolutely out of the question. He sat on the bottom step, holding his face in his hands, trying to decide what to do. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Andromeda leave the room and Apparate out of the house.
After a quick fly on his broom in the back garden, Harry felt better. He was able to think about what he'd just learned and the best way to handle the new facet of his relationship with Andromeda and what to do about Ginny. Andromeda, he decided, only did what she thought was best. She had no idea that a few months afterward, Harry would write a regulation about memory charms. She thought no one would be any the wiser. He understood why she did it after he thought about it and mulled things over. Even without knowing, his body remembered that he'd had sex with someone before Ginny. Even when they were together for the first time, he was able to control himself better than he imagined; he knew where to touch her and how to make it the best experience as possible for the both of them. He'd held out far longer than any first-timer would have. For that, he was grateful. But he doubted that Ginny would feel the same way.
Once he and Ginny began seeing each other in earnest again, he soon discovered that she could be very possessive of him. He couldn't really blame her; they'd been through so much—the distance, the separation, and the war. She wasn't clingy or anything like that, but she wasn't afraid to glare at any witch who dared to look at him with anything approaching lust. Deep down, Harry liked it. He enjoyed the fact that she loved him so fiercely, that she wanted him to herself, and that he was that important to her. When they finally made love that New Year's Eve, he'd never known he could feel such love from one person. It was everything he had ever dreamt of and more. He wanted to ask her to marry him right then and there, but knew it wasn't time; she needed to finish Hogwarts first and he wanted to be finished with his training. But now would be the perfect time. Her career with the Harpies was just starting to take off and he would be done with the programme in a year. She'd even moved in over a year ago and there was nothing that would make her mother happier than for them to stop "living in sin."
As he made a final pass over the house, he saw Ginny and Teddy emerge from inside and wave their arms up in the air at him. He circled once more before making his descent and landed effortlessly a few feet from them.
"Hay!" Teddy ran to him and leapt into Harry's waiting arms.
"You have a nice nap, Teddy Bear?" He ruffled the boy's hair and then set him back on the grass. "Sorry I took off like that," he whispered to Ginny, pulling her to his side, drinking in her scent and feeling comfort wash over him.
"I kind of figured you went out when you didn't come down after thirty minutes. I would have preferred you told me, though," she said without disdain. "You wanna talk about it?"
He knew she'd ask that question sooner or later. "Er, not now. I still have to report to the Ministry about this." He dreaded that conversation. Andromeda and Kingsley were friends, and he really didn’t enjoy the thought of having to make his private life public before a team of investigators. But it would come to that; he knew that much.
Harry sat nervously on the toilet in the bathroom that was connected to his and Ginny's bedroom. His leg was bouncing up and down nervously while he considered what lay on the other side of the door: a naked Ginny. He entered the bedroom after letting out his owl, Augustine, for a fly to find her draped over the bedclothes. She was beautiful, lying there, without shame. Part of him wanted to pounce on her then and there, while another side of him was scared at the prospect of making love to her for the first time since finding out the truth from Andromeda. He'd excused himself on the pretence he needed to wash up first. The look of disappointment on her face nearly broke his heart, for he knew how much she loved to undress him and kiss every inch of newly exposed skin.
"Harry…" she called to him through the door. Her voice was impatient yet sexy. Unfortunately, it did nothing to his listless cock between his legs.
With a deep breath, he got up and made his way out the door to rejoin her in the bedroom, dressed in a pair of red boxer shorts, adorned with broomsticks and Snitches. She was still lying on the bed but had obviously been up to something in his absence. Her legs were spread wide and one hand was on a breast while the other was between her legs, toying with her clit and diving inside her wet, warm heat. He groaned imperceptibly, either from desire or frustration, he couldn't tell. He stood there, rooted to the spot, watching her hips rise up to meet her fingers, staring as her hand massaged her breast and tweaked her nipple, listening to the pants she emitted as she brought herself closer to climax right before his eyes.
"Come here, Potter, and stop watching me, you pervert," she teased.
"Er, well, okay," he muttered his answer, wearing a sly smile on his face as he climbed onto the bed.
"Now come on and finish this for me, okay?"
Harry knelt between her legs and began massaging the inside of her strong thighs, taking in the feast for the senses in front of him. He reached out with his hand and quickly slipped one, then two fingers inside her, curling them up to find that spot that drove her wild. His thumb massaged her clit and soon she was moaning and writhing with her approaching orgasm.
"More…more…please, Harry!" she yelped, her hips meeting his hand and swirling for more contact.
Harry watched her with a glazed expression, feeling so much love for her. He took a nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the taut nipple. With a few more movements of his fingers, she bucked her hips one more time and screamed out his name.
He sat back on his haunches and watched her come down, her breathing rapid and shallow and her skin glowing in the muted light of the room. He grinned again and lifted his fingers to his lips to clean them off with his mouth.
"You're beautiful," he said as he looked over at her. On instinct, he raised his fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean. Her juices were tangy, yet sweet, and so unlike anything he'd ever tasted before. His eyes ran over her body, taking in her breasts and stomach before going to the juncture of her thighs and the dark curls located there. He wanted her; in all the circumstances he'd ever dreamed of, none of them involved losing his virginity to Andromeda. But nothing mattered. Not the consequences, not the fact that she'd buried her daughter that day, nothing. He was learning from someone he knew, deep down, could teach him all he needed to know.
He stopped his hand before it reached his mouth and gaped at his drenched fingers, unable to continue with what he'd always done every time he pleasured Ginny with his fingers.
"Shit," he murmured and sprung off the bed, heading back to the bathroom. He quickly locked the door behind him and vomited into the toilet, guilt and shame driving out every remnant of dinner from his stomach.
Harry sat nervously in Kingsley Shacklebolt's office, one leg jumping nervously as he scanned the room. Across from him on the wall were a number of photographs featuring Kingsley with various important people, both wizard and Muggle. In the largest, the Minister was shaking hands with Britain's Prime Minister. Harry remembered that day; how could he not because he was in the photo as well, flanking the Muggle on the opposite side of Kingsley. Next to that one, on the left, was another picture of Kingsley with Professor McGonagall as he presented a commemorative plaque to the school in honour of what the teachers and students had done in that noteworthy battle. The other picture was one that made Harry smile. It was taken in the atrium of the Ministry itself at the dedication of the new fountain to replace the one that was demolished back in his fifth year at Hogwarts. The fountain depicted a wizard, a witch, a house-elf, a giant, a goblin, and a centaur standing around a large live rose bush, filled with perpetually blooming white roses. It was perhaps the best thing to have come out of the war.
He was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden opening of the door to the Minister's office.
"Harry…good to see you," boomed Kingsley's voice. He walked around to the other side of the desk and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the dark wood. "What can I do for you? Find the person who did the spell?"
"Er…yes, I have." Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Good, good. Has the spell been reversed?" Kingsley was still extraordinarily relaxed, making Harry even more uneasy.
"Uh, yeah," he began. He watched as the Minister raised an eyebrow, an unasked question on his lips. "It…er, well, Andromeda Tonks did it."
Kingsley nearly toppled backwards off the chair but regained his balance and leaned forward toward Harry.
"Did I hear you right, Potter? Did you say Andromeda Tonks put the spell on you? One of my oldest friends Obliviated you?" The look on his face told Harry that the man was in no mood for jokes.
Harry stood up and walked over to another wall where personal photos lined the oak panelling. His eyes were immediately drawn to one in the middle, depicting Kingsley, his wife, Theodora (a woman whom Harry had met several times in the last year), Andromeda, and Ted. The four of them looked as if they were on a tropical island on some sort of vacation. They looked happy and kept toasting the photographer with large, fruity drinks. The caption written on the frame said: 'In The Azores with Ted and Andie—1985.'
Not bothering to look Kingsley in the eye, Harry whispered, "Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you." He took a deep breath and turned to face the Minister. "Please don't ask me anything more."
"Harry," Kingsley said in a soft, fatherly tone as he rose from his chair and strode over to him. "If this stays within the Department, it'll stay private. Now what did she cover up? The investigators will discover it anyway."
"An investigation! Kingsley, no! Please don't make this public," Harry pleaded, his eyes beginning to burn with both fury and humiliation.
"I can't guarantee it, m'boy."
"But you're the bloody Minister for Magic!" Harry felt as if he were looking down the business end of someone's wand, that's how much terror he felt at the moment.
"And you're Harry Potter! If this goes to trial, there's no way that I can stop the press from being there. I'm sorry." He placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder and looked the younger man in the eye. "I won't say a word, Harry. I swear on Dumbledore's grave."
"If I tell you, please don't be upset with her. She did it for a very good reason and she feels bad enough about it."
Kingsley nodded. "Of course. I've got a Pensieve right over there." He pointed to the large gilded basin perched atop a marble pedestal.
Showing Kingsley the memory was the last thing he wanted to do and Harry could feel his skin heat and his stomach fall. A wave of nausea washed over him. "N-no. I can't show you. I just can't." He shook his head violently from side to side with his eyes wide as saucers.
Kingsley studied him for a moment, taking in the unbridled fear in on Harry's face. "Harry, did something happen between you and Andie?" The sound of his voice left Harry no choice but to answer.
"Yes," he whispered, his voice nearly inaudible. "We, uh…well, we had sex."
"WHAT?!?!" Kingsley asked lividly. "Tell me I didn't just hear what I thought I heard."
"Y-you heard right," he answered, suddenly ashamed of himself at admitting that he'd shagged his boss's friend.
"Put charms on the damned door and tell me what happened, Potter." Kingsley strode back to his desk and poured himself a glass of Firewhisky, downing it in one swallow.
Harry did what he was told and took his seat in front of the large desk. The next twenty minutes were spent telling Kingsley about that night, answering questions about the spell, and drinking Firewhisky with the minister. When their talk was completed, Kingsley's eyes were closed and he shook his head in disbelief.
"I'm…shocked, Harry. I don't want to butt into your personal life, but what the hell were you thinking?"
Harry hung his head and put his hands on the top of his head. "I don't know, okay?" He lifted his head. "I've always thought she was pretty, you know? And then she needed me, and in a way, I…I guess I needed her, too. I mean, Remus was the last connection to my parents and he was gone. She'd lost everyone but Teddy…it just…we needed something."
Kingsley leaned forward and leaned on the desk. "Harry, I'm not judging you. Yes, I'm a little angry because Andie's my friend, but that's between the two of you." He paused to clear his throat and got up from the chair, moving around the desk to stand next to Harry. "Look at me, Potter."
Harry looked up at the minister with wary eyes. "What?"
"We have to report this. It's regulation and you know that," he stated plainly. "But given the circumstances, we can probably avoid a inquiry in front of the Wizengamot."
Harry let out the breath he'd been holding and managed a weak smile. "Good. I don't think that I could handle that."
"Me, neither," he chuckled. "But seriously, Harry, don't let this take over your life. It happened and both of you will have to deal with the repercussions."
"Yeah, I know," Harry muttered, sinking back into his chair.
"I have to ask you one thing, though," Kingsley said, his voice steely.
"Yeah, what?"
"What did Ginny have to say about all this?"
Harry knew that question would come at some point, and it made him sick to his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "Er, well, she doesn't know yet." Harry took a profound interest in the ceiling tile of the Minister's office.
"Oh, Merlin, Harry," Kingsley groaned. "She needs to know."
Harry shot up out of the chair and began pacing the office. "Don't you think I know that? The timing couldn't be worse, Kingsley. I bought her a ring…"
"I can't tell you what to do, m'boy, but the sooner you get it over with, the better it will be for you both," he pointed out.
Harry nodded. He knew everything that he heard, but actually putting things into action was the difficult part. It was ironic, really. Harry was an Auror and had faced Voldemort, but yet the thought of telling Ginny about that night with Andromeda scared him more than anything else.