Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

19^th December 2010

If there was one thing that Harry could rely on, it was Ron’s obsession with Quidditch.

Harry paused at the edge of the Quidditch field and grinned up at the sight of Ron inspecting the hoops.

Ron caught sight of him and waved.

Harry pointed at the Gryffindor stands and Ron pantomimed joining him after finishing with the hoop.

It took Harry no time to climb the familiar steps up to the top tier. He settled in a seat and waited for Ron to zoom over to find him.

He pulled his wool coat a little tighter around him as a sharp bite of wind rustled through the air and tugged Harry’s hair into further disarray.

He swallowed down another rush of nerves. Honestly, Harry remonstrated with himself, he hadn’t even been this nervous telling Ron that he wanted to date Hermione back when they’d been schoolboys. Well, not that he could remember. His lips twitched at the memory of Draco trying to convince Harry not to date Hermione at all which had led to Ron finding out before Harry had actually worked the courage to tell him.

It would be fine, Harry told himself briskly. Telling Padfoot the night before had gone well. Harry suspected that Sirius had known. Probably because of Dobby. The elf really couldn’t keep a secret. Or maybe, Harry considered with amusement, his father just knew Harry that well.

Padfoot was over the moon about Harry’s imminent proposal. Harry hoped Ron would be the same.

As though he’d summoned him with the thought, Ron swooped down, jumping agilely from the latest Nimbus broom onto the stands. He dropped into the seat beside Harry with a small thump.

Harry regarded Ron fondly. His friend’s bright red hair was windswept and as messy as Harry’s. His Weasley freckled face was flushed red with exertion. For a Dad of five, Ron looked surprisingly bright-eyed and bushytailed.

“You sent the kids to your Mum’s last night, didn’t you?” Harry teased.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Date night.” He poked Harry sharply in the ribs. “Luna’s got Lydia broody again.”

Harry shook his head. Ron’s whirlwind romance with Lydia Inglebee had been the talk of their Seventh year. They’d married the Summer after Lydia’s own graduation. Their eldest son and Harry’s first godson, Harold, had received his Hogwarts letter that October and would start in the new academic year in September.

“Can’t say I mind too much,” Ron waggled his eyebrows.

“Too much information, Ron!” Harry laughed, shoving Ron’s shoulder as though they were still boys and not grown men.

Ron scoffed. He looked sharply at Harry. “When’s Hermione getting home?”

“Christmas Eve,” Harry said. He took a deep breath. “I’m going to take her to lunch and propose to her.”

Ron’s blue eyes went wide with surprise before they brightened suspiciously. He grinned in delight. “About time, mate!”

Harry felt his relief at Ron’s easy acceptance turn his bones to water. “You’ll be my best man, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ron assured him with another easy grin.

Harry grinned back.

“Of course, you’ve got some catching up to Lydia and me,” Ron joked.

“Somehow I don’t think we’re going to catch up,” Harry said dryly. “I still don’t know how you convinced Lydia to try for a Quidditch team.”

“She lost a bet,” Ron joked.

Harry poked him.

Ron grinned. “Helps that she loves being pregnant.” He held up crossed fingers. “We’re hoping the next one is a girl.”

Because Ron had inherited the Weasley tendency for boys.

“Your lot over with Molly then?” asked Harry.

Ron nodded. “Mum and Dad insisted they visit now for the holidays since we’re here for Christmas day this year.”

“You know you don’t have to stay,” Harry said quietly.

“It’s my first year as the Flying Instructor and Professor of Physical Education,” Ron shrugged. “It’s not like the folks are going to be lacking for company. Bill will be there with Fleur and their two. Charlie’s visiting with Anatoile. Percy and Penny will be there with their three. Plus, the twins and Ginny will be there too.”

Harry blinked at the litany. He forgot sometimes just how many Weasleys there were, especially with all the kids.

“Besides,” Ron said, “Lydia’s kind of relieved that we can just say we’re here and not have to deal with her folks or mine getting the hump because we’re spending the holidays with the other set.”

“I guess that’s one way to solve that problem,” Harry said wryly.

Ron nodded. He looked away for a second towards the castle and back at Harry. “I also think this is where we’re all meant to be this Christmas anyway.”

Harry nodded slowly. “It’s looking that way.”

“Any hint of what’s coming?” asked Ron seriously.

“What was always going to come,” Harry said simply.

Ron mock glared at him. “You almost sounded like Albus right then!”

“Take that back!” Harry protested. The wards shivered for a second and he frowned. “Ginny just crossed the wards.”

“Ginny?” Ron’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “She’s supposed to be in France playing against Paris in the European League tomorrow!” He was off the stand and hopping on his broom before Harry could say anything.

Harry sighed. He held his right palm up and the Marauder’s Map dropped into it. He opened it up and with a single thought the Map showed him Ginny heading through the castle.

She was going the wrong way for Ron’s family quarters with Lydia though.

In fact, Harry mused, she looked like she was making a direct beeline for Slytherin and…

Oh.

Harry took advantage of his status as Headmaster and disapparated out of the stands and into the castle as quickly as he could. He could be mistaken, he told himself. He didn’t know for certain that Ginny was heading for Draco. There was really no reason for Ginny to head to Draco…

Harry was going crazy, he assured himself, because there was no way that Ginny was the girlfriend who Draco had been keeping secret all year.

And yet, Harry was putting together the Ministry New Year’s Ball and how Draco had danced with Ginny on a dare by telling her it was a dare; how Draco had started dating right after; how Ginny had been coy about her own love life the last time Harry had talked with her.

He skidded around the right corner just in time to hear Ron’s startled yell.

“GINNY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MALFOY!”

Harry sighed.

o-O-o

Harry sat on his broomstick awaiting the snitch.

The Quidditch hoops swayed in the breeze beside him in a cloudless sky.

“Not long to wait now,” Cedric Diggory murmured beside him.

Harry turned to smile at the former Hogwarts’ Triwizard Champion, his first choice for the Hufflepuff protector. Cedric who had died protecting Hogwarts in the final battle. “It’s good to see you, Cedric.”

And it was.

Like Harry’s mother, Cedric hadn’t aged at all behind the Veil. He looked rosy-cheeked and boyishly handsome. His Quidditch uniform showed off his athletic build.

“This is the first time you’ve spoken with me,” Harry said softly.

“This is the last time too,” Cedric admitted with an all too familiar smile. “It is time for me to return. Our king will need loyal knights.”

“And you will be his most loyal,” Harry murmured, knowing it was true as soon as he said the words.

Cedric inclined his head. “I’ve never regretted it, Harry. I saved Viktor and gave my life protecting others just as you did. It was the right thing to do.”

Harry closed his eyes at the words. He’d always felt guilty about the deaths in the battle, despite the therapy he’d had. He’d especially felt that way about Cedric because he had chosen the other boy to stand as a protector.

“If you come back,” Harry said, “if you choose to come back now, you’ll face another battle.”

“I will be beside our king,” Cedric said. “Just as you will be, Harry.”

Harry nodded.

There was a glint of gold in the sky.

Cedric grinned. “See you soon, Harry!”

Harry watched as Cedric sped away on the broomstick as he chased after the snitch and reached out and reached out…and plucked it victoriously from the air disappearing in a bright beam of light…

“See you soon, Lancelot,” Harry whispered.

o-O-o

20^th December 2010

“I hear you had an exciting day yesterday,” Neville grinned as he took his whiskey from Harry.

Harry shot his godbrother a look as he sat down in his favourite chair next to the sofa. “You knew.”

The fire crackled cheerily in the hearth sending a faint scent of pine into the room.

“Kind of?” Neville conceded, relaxing back into the sofa cushions with a studied nonchalance. “You know the old Slytherin crowd are close. Blaise started a book after the Ball.”

Harry shook his head. Somewhere in amongst the changing alliances of their Fourth Year, Blaise and Neville had ended up as close as brothers. Blaise had actually moved in with the Longbottoms after Fifth Year.

“How did Ron take it?” asked Neville.

It took Harry a moment to realise Neville meant Ginny’s relationship with Draco and not his own plan to propose to Hermione.

“About as well as you’d expect,” Harry said dryly.

“That good?” Neville whistled.

Harry sighed. “Luckily none of the students were around.” He paused. “Well, apart from Regina.”

“She knew,” Neville guessed.

“She knew,” Harry confirmed.

Draco’s younger sister was in her Fifth Year at Hogwarts. She was like every other lady of the House of Black – terrifying.

“Anyway, Ron has grudgingly allowed that maybe Ginny and Draco dating isn’t the end of the world,” Harry said. “He ended up being more upset about the Cornwall Pixies dropping Ginny from the starting line-up ahead of the League game. I think he spent all last night Floo-calling people to complain.”

Neville laughed.

“So,” Harry said, “how are you settling in as Minister of Magic?”

“Getting used to it,” Neville admitted, gesturing with his glass. “It’s both different and not from what I expected from my time working with Cornelius. I’m learning that it’s difficult to get things done without a ton of meetings though.”

Harry grimaced at the thought of more meetings.

“How are you settling in as the Headmaster of Hogwarts?” asked Neville, smiling and gesturing around Harry’s comfortable quarters.

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully. “A bit like you, I think. Both different and the same? Mostly Minerva left me a steady ship.”

Neville nodded. His expression sobered. “Luna’s back.”

“Yes,” Harry said.

“Then whatever comes next is coming soon,” Neville surmised. “The protectors of Hogwarts are gathered.”

“Luna says the challenge will begin in the new year,” Harry confirmed with frank honesty.

Neville nodded solemnly. “The Ministry stands ready to assist you.” He cocked his eyebrow. “Do you know what is coming?”

Harry smiled sadly. “I saw it once.”

Neville’s eyes widened. “You mean when you, uh…”

“When I died and stood by Death on every battlefield through time,” Harry supplied. Neville had been one of the few people who knew the truth of what had happened when Harry had saved them all from Barty Crouch Junior’s last stand to kill them all. He sighed. “It’s a blur now.”

“Maybe that is for the best,” Neville said. “You might be too tempted to interfere like Albus if you knew what was to come.”

“Maybe,” Harry allowed with a chuckle.

Neville sipped his whiskey. “Anything else you want to tell me, little godbrother?”

Harry sent him a chiding look and sipped his own rather more boring beverage of tea. He’d learned early on that alcohol did not mix well with his power levels. “I am literally only one day younger than you.”

“I’m still older,” Neville smirked.

Harry sighed as he took in the knowing glint in Neville’s eyes. “You know.”

“You forgot to tell Ron not to tell Lydia,” Neville pointed out. “Lydia told Ginny to make her feel better about Ron being Ron. Ginny told Draco to make Draco feel better about Ron being Ron. And Draco told Blaise because he wanted to change his bet…”

Harry set his tea down and put his head into his hands.

“If it helps, we’re all now sworn to secrecy and Blaise told Draco he couldn’t change his bet due to insider information,” Neville leaned over and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Harry looked up. “I was hoping to propose without everyone knowing I was going to propose.”

“You know she’s going to say yes,” Neville said confidently. “You two have been solid ever since, well…”

Ever since they’d resumed their relationship after a miserable year apart.

The Year of Hell as Harry had deemed it had happened straight after Hogwarts when Hermione and Harry had split up after a fight. Neither of them could remember exactly what the fight had been about. They’d both been irritated and tired. Harry had been getting used to professional Quidditch training and doing his Defence of the Dark Arts apprenticeship; Hermione had been stressed with trying to learn both magical and muggle medicine at the same time.

A year later they’d both ended up outside in the garden at Harry’s birthday party. They’d reconciled and they’d been stronger than ever for the time apart.    

“I guess we’ll see,” Harry admitted.

Neville patted his shoulder again as he got to his feet. “You have nothing to worry about,” he reiterated. “Well, I should get going. I promised Sue I’d stop by for a drink.”

“A drink, huh?” Harry started to grin.

Neville’s cheeks went a ruddy red. “That’s, uh…” he deflated suddenly in a way that alarmed Harry. “It would be weird though, wouldn’t it? Me and Sue? I mean, because of Hannah. She was her best friend, and I was Hannah’s first boyfriend.”

Harry silently swore roundly. The betrayal of his first girlfriend had left an indelible mark on Neville. Hannah Abbott was like a spectre looking over his shoulder in every other relationship Neville had ever had.    

Hannah had served her time for colluding with Crouch and gone to live abroad as mandated by the Wizengamot as part of her sentencing. She’d ended up at an Abbott ranch in New Zealand and had ended up marrying a muggle sheep farmer. Reports stated that she’d had two children and looked settled.  

“Hannah hasn’t been in either of your lives for years, Nev,” Harry said firmly, “so, no. I don’t think it would be weird for you two to date.”

Neville sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I guess it’s daft for me to be hung up on relationships we had back when we were kids.”

Harry shrugged. “Hannah betraying us was tough on both you and Sue,” he said, “I think you’re allowed to be a little freaked out about things which remind you about it.”

“But you’re right,” Neville said. “Hannah shouldn’t be any part of my thinking about whether to ask Sue out properly.”

Harry smiled and patted his arm. “For what it’s worth, I think you and Sue would make a great couple.

Neville nodded slowly. “You know my Gran keeps track of the boy.”

“You mean Caspar Abbott?” Harry grimaced.

Barty Crouch’s s son was being raised by the Abbotts in France and had been since his birth. The Abbotts had petitioned to have him attend Hogwarts but Minerva had refused on the basis that he’d be attending classes with students directly related to people his parents had harmed. He was currently a Fourth Year at Beauxbatons and a good student, by all accounts.

“I feel for him,” Neville said quietly. “It can’t be easy knowing his beginning.” He straightened. “But we should all move on. It was years ago now.”

Harry clasped his shoulder. “Well said.”

Neville reached down and picked up his abandoned whiskey. He downed the remaining liquid and set the glass down with a thump. “Wish me luck.”

“You won’t need it,” Harry repeated his godbrother’s assurance back to him, “but good luck anyway.”

Neville shot him a grin as he left Harry’s quarters.

o-O-o

It was rare for Harry to dream about Arcturus Black instead of his own grandfather. Sirius’ grandfather was a savvy politician who embodied the Slytherin traits of ambitious and cunning.

The first time he had met Arcturus in his dreams, before the final battle, it had been in the wizarding circle where the family magic had been created by Merlin and the most powerful witches and wizards of the time. Every time since then they’d been sat in their respective Wizengamot seats, alone in the chamber and able to talk across the circular space as though they sat right next to each other.

Harry grimaced even as he sat back in the Potter seat. He rarely attended the Wizengamot since he’d given Theo his proxy. He was not suited to politics; he was too blunt, too direct.

“There was a reason why your father chose to assume the role of Lord Black,” Arcturus said from the Black chair. He placed both hands on his walking cane and leaned forward to peer at Harry with the same silver eyes as Padfoot.

“Power,” Harry stated.

“Just so,” Arcturus nodded approvingly. His black hair was streaked with grey but neatly tied back in the old wizarding tradition of a single low ponytail. His expensive wizarding robe gleamed darkly green.

“It was love that won in the end,” Harry countered.

“Only because your father moved heaven and earth to create the right world in which love could thrive,” Arcturus pointed out.

Harry rubbed his forehead as though trying to stave off the headache politics always gave him.

“Neville is Minister and you have worthy allies, but you need to own the Wizengamot the same as your father did in building your alliance back then,” Arcturus pressed. “There are those who are simply waiting for the Potter alliance to falter and to assume it cannot would be foolish.”

Harry nodded slowly, the warning resonating inside him as the truth. “I hear you, Grandfather Black.”

“Then you know what to do,” Arcturus said proudly.

“If power is what is needed,” Harry sighed, “then power is what I’ll embrace.”

Just as Padfoot had embraced power to make sure he had custody of Harry, to make sure Harry was safe and happy, to make sure they’d win against Voldemort in the end by denying him the power he’d sought so badly.

“For the record,” Harry said, “I hate this plan.”

Arcturus smiled. “So did my grandson, but he would do anything to see you safe and you must do the same for our king.”

Harry nodded grimly.

Arcturus saluted him and faded away, leaving Harry sitting alone in the Wizengamot contemplating the challenge ahead.

It would be fine, Harry mused. He’d talk to Neville and Theo, and they’d come up with a plan. He might have to embrace politics but he was not alone. It was the hardest lesson he’d learned back when he’d faced Voldemort, but it was the most important one.

To be continued in part 3.

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