Parallel

Chapter 19: Important Discoveries/Two Passionate Nights

Ginny was the first to find significant information ... which was contained in an original copy of James Black's birth certificate, not the least of which was the discovery of his mother Rose's last name: Shacklebolt, which meant that she was related to Kingsley Shacklebolt (a daughter or niece, perhaps) and consequently, just as much a pure-blood as Sirius had been, which in turn meant that young James Black was too.

Another scan of the information contained therein also netted the boy's birthdate: March 28, 1990 ... in the main wizarding hospital in Godric's Hollow, just as Harry had been. And what's more, just a week after Sirius's own birthday. But what made her cry out and grab Harry's nearest arm was the fact that Sirius's name was listed under "Father".

"Harry! Look!" She thrust the certificate under his nose.

He looked up impatiently at her for a moment, having been perusing something else, but his eyes widened in stunned shock as he noted what Ginny had. "Bloody hell! Sirius is listed here! Do you know what that means?"

"Yes. He must have known Rose was pregnant ... and not only that, she must have been pregnant when he went into Azkaban."

"Well, at least we know what family name to look under for information on Rose, which is definitely a step in the right direction. We'll see if they know anything about Sirius's relationship with her, whether she was simply a steady girlfriend or if they'd planned to be married when he was framed for murder."

"It's likely, but whether the Shacklebolts--or Kingsley, for that matter--will be willing to discuss it or not depends on how they felt about Sirius and his relationship with her to begin with," Ginny pointed out.

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "You have a point there. We'd better handle them with kid gloves until we find out for sure."

"Have you found anything yet?" Ginny finally managed to ask, deciding it was better to wait until Harry was calm again before asking because she knew how much he disliked being interrupted or having his concentration broken.

"I was just about to call it to your attention when you called out and grabbed my arm," he informed her, holding out another paper to her--which turned out to be a copy of the Godric's Hollow hospital record of James's birth, noting the time he had been born, which was 3:21 a.m., as well as his weight, which was seven pounds, ten ounces; and his length, which was twenty inches. Ginny examined it in silence for a time, then looked up and smiled.

"Seems we both found something significant quite early on. A good sign, don't you think?"

"If our good fortune continues, yes," Harry remarked cautiously. "But we're still going to need all the information we can lay our hands on before we dare go to the Office of Witchcraft and Wizarding Genealogy in Highgate."

"Then we keep looking?"

"We keep looking," he confirmed. "Set aside what we think might be important and put everything else back in the file."

"Got it." With that, they resumed perusing the material before them.

* * * * *

It was well into the night before they decided to quit temporarily and continue in the morning. It was mainly due to Ginny's near-photographic memory that they remembered to finish dinner and clear it away ... which was a good thing for Harry, who had a penchant for not eating if he was hurting a lot emotionally or overly preoccupied with something, such as one of his numerous nightmares ... which had fortunately lessened considerably in number, both due to his marriage to Ginny and the death of Voldemort.

Since they didn't want to waste water, the couple decided to shower together, which they had not done before now. They had made love in numerous places outside of the bedroom, but the shower had not been one of them. That was about to change. They went into the bathroom together, undressed without a word, then Harry reached in and turned on the shower after placing a rubber mat into the shower stall to prevent slipping.

The shower stall was just large enough to accommodate two people--as long as they were standing close together, that is ... and one may be assured that they definitely intended to do so--and then some! They stepped under the pleasantly warm spray, allowing themselves to get thoroughly wet, then soaped each other all over. But even as much as Harry wanted her, he made himself wait to do anything until after she had washed and rinsed his hair, then he did hers.

Upon finishing, he stook a step and drew her delightfully wet body close to his own, politely requesting entrance. Ginny's arms and legs once again seemed to open of their own accord, then wrap around him.

"Oh, sweet Merlin ... Harry ..."

"Ginny ... this is like Heaven on earth. I've never felt more at home anywhere. How could I ever have stayed away from you for so long? I have to be the world's biggest git!"

"No, just the world's noblest," she corrected.

"But you do agree that I was a git for not coming back to you long ago," he noted.

"Well, of course," she laughed just before he once again kissed her passionately, then moved to her neck, where he immediately proceeded to gently bite and suck on the area at the junction of it and her left shoulder, leaving a hickey. "That goes without saying. Har-ree!" she squealed as she felt his teeth nip her neck, then gently suck. "What are you doing?"

"Well, you once gave me two hickeys, so the least I can do is give you one back," he laughed, kissing the area upon finishing.

"You silly twit! If Ron or Hermione sees it, they'll never let me live it down," she groused.

"That's the whole idea," Harry returned wickedly even as the beauty burst over them.

"Oh, sweet Merlin ... Harry, that was incredible!" Her knees were weak by the time he let her down onto her feet again, which was why he held her securely for a time until the strength came back into her legs. "One thing is for sure--you were never meant to be celibate!"

"Damn bloody right," he purred like a large cat. "Especially not four years' worth! And that was definitely one of our more pleasurable encounters, if I do say so myself." He smiled slyly. "Ready to go to bed now?"

"Might be a good idea," she agreed; with that, he shut off the water, which was beginning to feel cold, then stepped out with her and they dried themselves off. That ended up renewing their desire, and he was soon carrying her to bed and laying her down on it, even as their old magic almost literally exploded between them all over again.

* * * * *

Once that was finished and they were sated, at least for the time being, Ginny rested her head on her husband's chest and draped one arm over him. "I should have expected you to be highly sexed," he murmured just over her head. "From what I've heard, redheads usually are."

"Especially if they marry highly-sexed people with black hair and green eyes," Ginny threw back. "You shortchange yourself, my love." At this point she thought of the erotic dream she had once had about him and decided that this was the moment to tell him about it--that is, after she had mentioned her old fantasy of wishing she could have observed him in the Prefects' bathroom. "Did I ever tell you this one fantasy I always had about you?" she asked.

"No. Tell me about it," Harry directed.

"Before I do, please keep in mind that this comes from the mind of a frustrated, lovesick girl extremely lonely and longing for the touch and closeness of the boy she loved, who was far away at the time, playing Sir Galahad."

"Of course," he promised, intending to ask her about the 'Sir Galahad' reference at the first opportunity. "Now what is it?" After she had told him, Harry's eyes widened in a mixture of pleasure and shock. "I had no idea ... You naughty girl! I should punish you for such thoughts!" he threatened playfully.

"But I like being naughty," Ginny insisted. "As long as it's with you! Besides, you haven't heard anything yet!" She then proceeded to tell him the erotic dream.

Once she had finished, Harry was stunned into silence for a while. Not that he hadn't seriously considered doing such a thing before he originally left, but had been totally unaware that Ginny had wanted it as much as he. If he had known that, he might have gone through with it. As it was, he had unknowingly denied himself a night of tender passion which he could have relived over and over through the ensuing four years in order to get him through the rough times. As it was, he had only had the memories of their few weeks together, the feel of her in his arms, her heart pounding against his own and the sweet taste of her lips beneath his.

"As I said, Gin, you're a dreadfully naughty girl! Whatever am I to do with you when you have dreams like that?" He squeezed her hard and laughed.

"Make them come true, of course," she returned wickedly.

"You mean ...?" he inquired, abruptly releasing her.

"Why not, as long as we're here?" she replied.

"It'll have to be carefully planned, you know," he gently admonished her. "After all, we don't want Ron and Hermione busting in on us. It also might be a good idea to use the portable Portkey again, this time setting it for the coordinates of the Prefects' bathroom."

"Is there a means of locking the doors?"

"Of course," he assured her. "I just need to put a Locking Charm on it." Not to mention put the mermaid in the portrait to sleep ... if she's still there, that is, he finished in his mind. He also hoped that Moaning Myrtle wouldn't get one of her voyeuristic ideas and decide to watch them while they were there; he would have to try to convince her to stay away should he happen to see her before their planned rendezvous. "Meanwhile, let's get some sleep so we can get an early start on the remainder of those files. Good night, Gin. Sweet dreams." He lifted her face to his and gave her a lingering good-night kiss.

"Good night, luv. Sleep well."

* * * * *

Harry happened to awaken first, and to be on the safe side, he decided to set up the portable Portkey and prepare things in the Prefects' bathroom while he was at it, hopefully meeting Moaning Myrtle again to tell her not to watch when he brought Ginny here later. Of course, there was no guarantee she would listen, but he hoped she would cut him some slack, at least this once.

He made sure the towels were ready and took the time to choose the taps he wanted to use. The next thing he heard was, ironically, the voice he'd most wanted to hear--at least at the moment. "Hello again, Harry," the transparent Myrtle greeted him. "Aren't you a little old to be here? Surely you've graduated by now."

"Yes, I did, four years ago. We're here now to do some talks with the current students," he explained. "Just the same, I need to ask a favour of you."

"Of course, Harry," Myrtle agreed with a giggle. "Do you intend to be a naughty boy again?"

"You could say that," he concurred. "But it has nothing to do with Polyjuice Potion or a golden egg this time. I'm going to be bringing someone here, and would prefer you not to watch or listen in."

"Why, Harry, are you accusing me of voyeurism?"

"Yes, I am. In fact, the one I'm bringing here is my wife, and I want to be alone with her. Totally alone. Do you understand me?"

The teenage female ghost's face screwed up in an almost childish pout, but she replied, "Oh, very well. I suppose I could go explore the castle or something. Maybe Nearly Headless Nick would be willing to endure my company. How long will you and your ... wife ... be here?"

"Couldn't say for sure ... but at least an hour, if not two. Oh, one more question before you go. Has the password changed from the last time I was here?"

"I think it's 'honeysuckle rose' now. Why?"

"Just curious. Remember your promise now, Myrtle," he warned.

"Oh, Harry, you're no fun," the female spirit groused. "But don't worry, I'll stay away." With that, she flew up through the ceiling and was gone.

Harry was unable to stifle a laugh at Myrtle's mock-hurt demeanour, certain that she wished she could deny what he had accused her of, but knowing she was unable to. Hopefully he and Ginny could share some private quality time together without having to worry about possibly putting on a show for any of the resident spirits. They'd just have to wait and see ... as it were.

* * * * *

Ginny was just awakening when Harry returned to their quarters; she noticed that he was dressed and asked where he'd gone. "To set things up in the Prefects' bathroom for us," he explained. "And I made Myrtle promise that she wouldn't spy on us while we were there, as she did on me last time."

"I bet she didn't like that," Ginny laughed. "Just the same, it'll be good to know we won't have to worry about being watched. By the way, when were we going to go there?"

"I was thinking after supper tonight, around eight or so, so we'll have plenty of time to ourselves." He gave her a sly wink and provocative smile.

"Now who's being naughty?" she playfully accused, moving over to greet him with their usual morning embrace and kiss. "Do you want to have breakfast now? I can conjure some up, then we can get back to the files."

"Sounds great. Bacon, four slices, eggs done sunny-side up, hash brown potatoes and toast with strawberry jam for me, along with a big glass of pumpkin juice. I want to have a shower and change into fresh clothes."

"Coming up, luv," she smiled, patting his cheek before turning on her heel and disappearing into their small adjoining kitchenette. Harry patted her hand, then turned for the nearby regular bathroom for his morning shower after obtaining a fresh set of clothes from the chest of drawers beside the bed.

* * * * *

By the time Harry returned, the table was all laid out with their favourite breakfast, including a large pitcher of iced pumpkin juice. His stomach growled as he approached the table and took a deep breath to savour the smells of cooked bacon and freshly toasted bread, butter and strawberry jam. He had never been able to eat well at the Dursleys' and was thankful to have had friends whom he could call upon to supplement his diet. Not to mention his summer visits at the Burrow and Molly's wonderful cooking. His mouth watered just thinking about it. Ahh ... dee-lish!! Almost as delicious as Ginny herself ... but that was for later. Meanwhile, he had another hunger to fill.

After breakfast, they moved to the bed again, which Ginny had made during his absence, most likely with a Bed-Making Spell--then sat on it cross-legged and began to go through the remaining papers in the personal file on James Black. Silence reigned for a time, broken only by the occasional rustling of paper, then a soft exclamation from Harry brought Ginny's head up. "Bugger! I ... don't ... effing ... believe it! Why didn't Sirius ever tell me?"

"What is it, Harry?" she asked, curious as to what he had found.

He didn't reply, simply handed her something else that looked like an official paper ... and not just any official paper, either--a marriage license! For Sirius Black and Rose Shacklebolt, approved by the Ministry of Magic's Division of Marriage and Children ... and dated January 28, 1990! So they had been married after all ... but Rose had obviously decided to keep her maiden name. Both wondered why for a time, then the answer clicked into Harry's mind.

It wouldn't have been good for her to have made the marriage public, since Sirius was believed to be a serial killer and was a known felon at the time, despite his pureblood background. Harry supposed he should have guessed long ago that Sirius wasn't the kind of person not to "make an honest woman" of anyone he might have impregnated. Bloody hell! If what they had already found was any indication, what else could they expect to run across in this file?

"Oh my God," Ginny murmured half-under her breath. "Sirius was ... married?"

"Apparently," Harry returned. "But if it's true, why didn't his will reflect it? That way he could have left something to Rose and his son. It would have been perfectly legal for him to do so; instead, he left everything to me. Why? I didn't need it. Mum and Dad left me plenty ... then I got some more when Dumbledore died ..." He closed his eyes in pain at the painful references; Ginny rested a comforting hand over her husband's nearest one. He looked up and met her eyes, anguish and sorrow in their sparkling green depths and thick dark lashes, reflecting through the lenses of his glasses.

"I assume Sirius did it because he loved you," Ginny opined. "You were like a son to him."

"He could still have left something for her and his real son," Harry countered. "It just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe he offered to; how do we know? Maybe Rose is the real independent type who won't accept what she considers charity, even from a husband. You know that the Shacklebolts aren't exactly rolling in Galleons like the Blacks were. The original genteel poor."

"That's a possibility," Harry conceded. "Can you imagine how Ron and Hermione would react if they knew this? Not to mention the rest of the wizarding world? But it's probably a good idea to keep it to ourselves, at least for now ... if only for the sake of preserving Rose and young James's privacy. As I recall, Sirius was just as private a person as me, never wanted his personal life to be under public scrutiny, so even as much as we'd like to shout it to the world, we have to respect his wishes and keep it quiet."

"I suppose so," Ginny agreed, although she knew several people in her own family who would have been thrilled to know that Sirius had not only been married but a father, her parents among them. Molly had remarked often how sad it was that Sirius had had to live his life alone, without a wife and family, but if she ever saw this--or a picture of young James--she'd totally freak!

She truly hoped one day to be able to tell at least a few select family and friends like Hermione, but for the time being, mum was the word. She and Harry would be the only ones who knew, and whatever else Harry was, Ginny knew that he had never betrayed a confidence made to him. Whatever secrets were told to him remained secret, although he surely knew a lot of damaging stuff on people ... herself among them, not to mention his two closest friends.

* * * * *

It was well into the afternoon by the time they finished going through the file and had amassed roughly a dozen items relating to either young James's birth or Sirius and Rose's marriage. It was also likely that Sirius had kept his marriage secret because Rose was from a poor family and the Blacks were very snobbish on that score. There had even been a wedding picture of them amongst the papers, for Merlin's sake! Sirius had looked so young, so handsome, so happy, having had an arm around his new wife in the picture, and Rose looked very beautiful and very much in love ... not to mention very pregnant, about seven months.

They couldn't have had much time together as husband and wife, since Sirius had been arrested, convicted and serving time within a month of said marriage. Harry had promised Minerva he wouldn't keep anything from the file, although there was no law that prevented him from making copies of that picture for himself before replacing it in the file. Not to mention James Black's birth certificate, the hospital record and the marriage licence.

Once they had finished going through the file, Harry decided to drop it off at McGonagall's office just before he and Ginny went to the Prefects' Bathroom, telling himself to suggest that Rose take over the deed to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, if only for the sake of giving her son an inheritance from his father's side when he came of age, especially now that it had been cleaned up and made livable.

He would have to discuss it with the Order before doing so, of course, but do his best to keep Rose and James's names out of it. Maybe just say he wanted to give the house to a friend of his who had also once been close to Sirius ... and he fully intended to meet Rose and get to know her, so that would at least technically be true. In the meantime, however, he and Ginny had a nice, long, romantic evening alone together to look forward to.

* * * * *

Once eight o'clock rolled around and they had finished supper, the couple used the portable Portkey to gain entrance to the Prefects' bathroom. Just the same, Harry brought along his wand, placing a Locking Charm on the door so they would not be disturbed. Both wore just bathrobes and slippers; Ginny left her hair down, a red-gold cascade that now reached the middle of her back.

She had once intended to cut it, but Harry definitively vetoed that, declaring that he loved long hair on women, particularly long red-gold hair--loved to bury his face in it, smell its fragrance, run his fingers through its silky strands ... and this was one of the times when Ginny was all too happy to accede to her husband's wishes.

On a whim, she had also brought along a battery-operated Muggle-type "boom box", obtained from Arthur Weasley, along with a tape of the "Magic Waltz" from the fourth-year Christmas Ball, at which she had not had a chance to dance with Harry. Maybe now they would finally be able to; she had always thought the waltz very beautiful, so she had asked McGonagall for a copy and saved it all these years ... just for a moment like this.

Harry's sharp eyes naturally noticed it, particularly the fact that there was a tape in it, although he didn't say anything to her at first. Time enough for that once they got to their destination. What he didn't know, however, was that she'd also snuck another tape into her robe pocket, one featuring Ravel's Bolero, one of the most sensuous pieces of music ever written ... and therefore very relevant to the evening ahead of them. Both were, in fact ... and even now she could recall the lyrics as if she'd heard them only yesterday:

And dance your final dance

This is your final chance

To hold the one you love

You know you've waited long enough

So believe that magic works

Don't be afraid of being hurt

Don't let this magic die

The answer's there

Just look in her eyes

And make your final move

Don't be scared

She wants you to

Yes, it's hard, but

You must be brave

Don't let this moment slip away

And don't believe that magic can die

No, no, no

This magic can't die

So dance your final dance

For this is your final chance

She set the boom-box and extra tape within reach when they got into the pool; this time, however, they had no compunctions about appearing naked before the other because of their months-long-intimate association. He did help her in, however, although he kept his eyes open as he did so, neither of them having any modesty on that score--at least not while alone together.

"I never thought I'd actually be here with you in real life," Ginny commented as they settled themselves in the water, his arms around her and her head on his shoulder as she curled up next to him and the scented pink and blue bubbles surrounded them.

"Neither did I, frankly," Harry returned. "Gin, why didn't you tell me about your fantasy before I originally left? I had no idea you wanted me that much. If you had, I could have accommodated you and we would have both been left with beautiful memories, if nothing else."

"You had too much else to concern you at the time, luv," she reminded him. Not her real reason for not telling him, but it would do for the moment. "How about a swim? Race you to the deep end. Ten Galleons says I make it there before you do!"

"Not bloody likely," he growled playfully. "I'd beat you in a walk!"

"You're on, Mister!" With that, Ginny deftly extricated herself from his arms and took off swimming, moving almost too fast for Harry to have even realised she'd moved. It was at least a minute before he managed to catch up with her, a quarter of the way across the swimming pool-sized bath. And it turned out she was right--she did beat him there. When he did manage to catch her, Harry suspected that it was because she allowed it. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, caressing her with one hand as they trod water.

"Blimey, Gin, how'd you ever manage to beat me?" Harry asked upon reluctantly breaking off the kiss and releasing her.

"I've had more of a chance to swim than you have, you know," she pointed out, leaning her elbows against the edge of the pool. "It was a wonder you did so well during the second task in the Triwizard Tournament. I could understand your overcoming the dragon fairly easily, since you were able to utilize your Quidditch skills, but you had no such advantage at the Black Lake ... nor in the maze."

"You ... mean you ... watched the whole thing?" He had frankly hoped Ginny hadn't, if only for the sake of not seeing him in danger or injured, but after what she'd just said, he had to assume otherwise and could only hope it hadn't upset her too much.

"Of course. I sat in the stands just behind Ron and Hermione," she recalled. "And don't worry, luv. I was frightened for you, of course, but at the same time, I knew you'd be able to pull it off. You're too smart, too skilled, not to ... and I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the stadium heard me scream when you swooped down and grabbed the golden egg one-handed. You were incredible, my love, truly incredible!" She smiled when Harry propped his elbows next to hers, leaning on the side of the pool while they talked.

Harry was glad to hear she had such faith in his abilities, but frankly, if it hadn't been for the help of the one who he had believed to be "Mad-Eye" Moody, he'd never have made it ... particularly not without the help of Hagrid, Cedric and Neville, who had provided him with the means to complete the tasks via their own associations with the fake Moody, who had turned out to be Crouch Jr. in disguise. But even if he'd mentioned it, she would have had none of it, did not want to hear of him denigrating himself. There was enough of that from other quarters without Harry adding to it.

"Which reminds me ... would you like to hear some music now? There's some I saved from the fourth-year Christmas Ball."

Harry felt almost as if he'd been hit by a Stunning Spell. "You mean you have ... a copy of that waltz?"

"I asked McGonagall for a copy of it. It was so beautiful that I just couldn't pass up the chance. It reminded me so much of us."

"Maybe us now, but not then," he gently reminded her. How he wished he'd had the brains (not to mention the taste) to have pursued her then! Things could have been so different for them ...

"The point is, it did remind me of us; that is why I wanted to have it. After a time I memorised the words, and to this day can sing them from memory." She began softly humming the melody as she left the side of the pool and began to swim back to the other end, part of the time doing a backstroke, other times a breast-stroke. Harry could do little more than dog-paddle, but managed to reach the other end of the pool shortly after Ginny did. She was so much more than he deserved; how could he ever have won the heart of such an incredible girl?

Shortly thereafter, the instrumental melody of the "Magic Waltz" began to fill the air and Ginny actually started to sing along with it. Harry had had no idea she could sing at all, much less sing so sweetly and beautifully ... just like the angel she was. Upon reaching the other end of the pool, he sat on a submerged bench, legs crossed as he rested his elbows on the edge of the pool again, totally mesmerised by the sound of Ginny singing ... and somehow Harry knew she was singing for him alone. And she was right; the words were indeed reminiscent of them--or at least their present feelings for each other.

When she finished, Harry smiled and applauded his sweet songbird; Ginny bowed her head and blushed attractively at his adulation. He couldn't help noting that she didn't blush only on her face, but on her entire body ... a small and compact but very beautiful body for which he had developed an almost insatiable hunger--a hunger which seemed to grow with every passing moment, especially over the last few minutes. .

He moved over close to where the boom-box was, which was where she was. "That was beautiful, Gin. I had no idea you could sing like that."

"I'm ... glad you like it, luv," she smiled, unable to help blushing slightly again at his intense scrutiny. "I wouldn't do it for anyone but you."

"There is something else I would like very much," he crooned as he moved ever closer to her, gently pulling her body close to his own upon reaching her. "Can you guess what?"

"I think so." In spite of herself, Ginny's heart began to pound and her breath quicken, particularly as her husband's hands and lips became progressively hungrier. This was even more incredible than the dream--and best of all, this was reality!

"Gin ... darling ... sweetheart ... never leave me. Never stop loving me," her husband whispered passionately, thrilling her more with every passing moment.

"Never, Harry ... never ... I'll never leave you ... could never leave you. It would be easier to have my heart torn out ... you are a part of me, now and forever ..."

Ginny had set the other tape to play after the other one stopped, and by this point the strains of Ravel's Bolero filled the air; for a while, they even moved to the rhythm of the music. How could anything feel this good and still be legal? After a time he became almost a deadweight against her, even as he sighed happily and found her ear with his lips.

"Gin ... I didn't think it was possible, but I truly believe that this was even better than last night."

"Spontaneity tends to increase the partners' pleasure in a romantic relationship, from what I understand."

"The partners being in love helps too," he pointed out. "Although I remember the sex education book here saying that sex is usually better when the partners can be friends as well as lovers ... in essence, like as well as love each other."

"I remember Mum saying that too; she sat me down and told me 'the birds and the bees' during one school vacation right after I started my first period. I was about thirteen. And I was always able to talk to her; she never seemed to shy away from any questions I had on the subject. I think it's mainly for that reason that I never felt the need to experiment before we got together."

It was so sad that Harry couldn't have had a much better knowledge of the ins and outs of romantic relationships long before now--mainly due to his growing up an orphan, without any true positive grown-up influence until he had met Dumbledore--and later on, Sirius ... but what mattered was that he loved her, they were together, and best of all, were going to have a baby! So even if he had gotten the vast majority of his knowledge out of a book, she didn't think he did too shabbily when it came to pleasuring her. In fact, it seemed that he got a lot of his own pleasure out of doing so. How many men were capable of that?

She had no idea; all she knew for sure was that Harry was--and if only for that reason, considered herself lucky to have him in her life. He could be very sweet and tender on one hand, on another, almost bruisingly passionate ... but either way, she loved it, because it was all part of him. Part of the man she had loved since she was a child, the man she would always love ... no matter what happened in their lives.

"I would hope that she told you about people as well," Harry quipped, a mischievous twinkle in his beautiful green eyes.

"Twit! You know bloody well what I mean!" She playfully popped him one on the jaw.

"Hey! What brought that on?" he protested, equally playfully, grabbing her arm and holding it away from him for a moment. "I won't let go of you until you promise not to hit me again."

"I'll hit you whenever I bloody well feel like it, Harry James Potter," Ginny declared in mock anger--then dissolved into laughter, which is always contagious; soon they were both laughing like children. "Now don't you think we should get back to our room?" she asked when they both recovered from their spell of almost insane laughter. Ginny was so glad that she was able to make Harry laugh, that he could relax enough with her to allow himself to do so--and she prayed that would be the case for the duration of their married life.

"Might be a good idea," he agreed. "At least we managed to drop off the file, even though Minerva wasn't there. Oh well, as long as she got it back. I put it where she'll be able to find it easily."

It took only a short time for them to dry off and don their robes again; after donning his own, Harry moved to drain the bath.

"How long do you think we're going to be able to avoid Ron and Hermione?" she asked once they had taken the Portkey back to their room, most likely once again avoiding said friends, which had to be frustrating as all hell for them.

"I have no idea," came the reply. "I can only hope it's long enough so that we can go to Highgate and Hampstead before they catch up with us."

"Can you imagine what'll happen when they do? They'll probably pin us down and not let us up until we've told them everything we've been doing!"

"Wouldn't surprise me at all," Harry laughed again as he headed for the bed, dropping the robe on the way. "Hermione is especially good at that." Ginny savoured her husband's male beauty. It was scarcely believable that he truly loved her, truly belonged to her ... and not just in a legal sense! She was also sure that there were many marriageable women out there who would have loved to take her place--but Harry wasn't that kind of person. Once he made a romantic commitment to someone, it was for life ... and it was to one person alone. Ginny was proud and thankful beyond words that he had chosen her to be that one person.

Harry's voice brought her back to reality. "Hey, Gin, come to bed. We need to get some sleep!" Within moments, she knew that he meant just that. Fun and games were over, at least for now. Sleep was the order of the night; they could not be at their best without it, either now or later. She dropped her own robe upon reaching her side of the bed and slid in beside him; his arms automatically went around her, and her head found its way to his right shoulder even as his head found its way to her left. Within moments, they were deeply asleep.