Come Home

Come Home

"Thanks for the lovely dinner, baby," Gypsy Potter said to her new boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.

Voldemort had murdered Gypsy's husband, Harry Potter, only the year before, the night Gypsy and Harry had been married. Thoughts of him still filled her conscious mind, but she pushed them to the back, trying to forget. She always told herself that he was dead and he would never come back no matter how much she wanted him to come home. She had pushed herself to move on and find someone else and she had. Draco Malfoy had comforted her the night of Harry's death. She found love and sympathy in him and he loved her dearly.

"You're welcome, Gyp." He took her face in his hands and brushed a stray lock of her dark brown hair out of her face. "I love you." He kissed her lips gently.

Gypsy kissed him back then pulled away from him. "I miss him, Draco."

Draco looked faintly annoyed. "I know you miss him. I'm sorry. But I'm here remember?"

Gypsy looked at him slightly hurt. "I know...Love you," She kissed him again. "Goodnight." She disappeared into the flat she shared with Ron and Hermione.

"Dang it!" he muttered angrily. "It's always Harry isn't it?" He turned on his heel and Apparated to his home.

Gypsy greeted Ron and Hermione when she walked in. "Hey, guys."

"Hey! What's up? You look a little sad," her cousin Ron said.

"Draco and I had a bit of an argument, if you could even call it that," Gypsy replied, heading up the stairs to her room.

"Hang on!" Hermione called. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to tell us what happened?"

"Maybe tomorrow. I'm tired. G'night." She walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

She flopped down on her bed and sighed. "Will Draco ever understand?" she asked herself. She sat up and pulled open a drawer on her beside table, pulling out a photograph of her wedding to Harry.

As she looked at the picture pain filled her eyes. "Oh, Harry...how I miss you," she said, trying to choke back a sob. She had gone so long without crying. Don't start now, she thought. You're a wimp, Gyp. Control yourself. She stared back at the picture and she felt no happiness, no feeling of peace that he had gone somewhere better than the cruel world; only sadness and grief. She finally gave up trying to be strong and began to weep.

Far away, in a dark and damp castle, a thin man in his early twenties sat on the cold floor. His black hair was matted and stained with blood and his clothing was in tatters. His deep green eyes were sunken, much like his godfather's when he had escaped from Azkaban. The scar on his forehead was the only remnant of his former self. He had been strong and healthy then, fighting tirelessly against Voldemort. He had loved his life, his friends, and most of all, his new bride. But that life was no more. Voldemort's Death Eaters had captured him and brought him to this lonely castle.

A noise outside his stone prison made the man in the room start. He looked up. The door opened and in walked Voldemort, even more powerful than the man remembered him. Two Death Eaters flanked him. Voldemort stared cruelly at his enemy, the one who had defeated him so many years before. "So this is what you have become, Harry Potter? Nothing more than a mere shadow of your former self. I once thought you a threat to me, even though you were nothing but a small, skinny, ignorant child. But look at you now! You have been defeated, Potter. If only everyone could see you now. Harry Potter, the hero who vanquished Voldemort. You may have slowed me up, boy, but you could never finish me off."

"You shouldn't be so sure of yourself Voldie," Harry said defiantly, a tiny bit of laughter in his voice. "I'm not dead yet."

A cold fury entered Voldemort's eyes and Harry could see he was infuriated by the nickname. "You will die slowly and painfully and I will always be there to haunt you!" He turned to the Death Eaters. "Do what you must to him, just don't kill him yet. I want him to remember the pain until the moment he dies. I want him to know what happens when you mess with Lord Voldemort. Oh and before I depart, Harry, how about your wife, eh?" He knelt next to Harry and stared straight into his eyes. Harry's scar seared with pain. "What if I got her too? I could bring her here and let you watch her die."

Harry's whole body went numb. "Please," he whispered hoarsely, "Don't harm her. Do want you want with me. Just don't harm her."

Voldemort pulled his wand from his robes. "Crucio," he muttered softly.

Harry screamed. This wasn't the first time he had had the Cruciatus Curse put on him. Voldemort finally took the curse off of him, stood up, and left. Harry was left panting on the floor. He looked up at the Death Eaters. "What are you going to do to me?" he asked scornfully. "Whip me again?"

One of the Death Eaters brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of his hooded face. "Why not?"

The two pulled Harry up and locked his arms in the manacles that hung from the ceiling. The crack of the whip on flesh echoed around the stone room. Harry didn't yelp or scream, he was used to this, but his body tensed against the blows. Harry finally passed out and slumped to the ground, his blood pooling on the stone floor.

Gypsy was shaken roughly awake the next morning by a tall redheaded figure. His skin was darker than the rest of his family's because of all the time he spent in the sun. It was Gypsy's cousin, Charlie Weasley.

"Huh? Charlie?" Gyp rolled over, looked at her clock, and groaned. "Charlie, it's five in the morning. Normal people are not up now. Leave me alone, go home, and Go. To. Sleep."

Charlie sat down on her bed and stared at her stubbornly. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong and why you've been so depressed lately."

"Isn't it obvious?? My husband died, Charlie. Honestly. Get a clue," Gyp replied grumpily.

"You're nice in the morning. I know Harry died. But you know it's been a year. You're allowed to be happy," Charlie replied, looking at his cousin sympathetically.

Gypsy looked at Charlie and knew immediately that she had hurt him. "Charlie...I'm sorry. Draco got sort of angry at me last night because I keep remembering Harry and...I just don't know what to do."

"Gyp..."

Again Gypsy's eyes filled with tears. "I've been pushing away the people I need and love the most."

"Gyp, really, it's okay," Charlie said.

Gyp turned to Charlie. "Oh, Charlie. I miss him," she sobbed. She laid her head on Charlie's shoulder and cried. Charlie patted her head awkwardly. "Er...well, you wanna come with Hermione, Ron, and I to Hogsmeade? We could go visit Fred and George at Zonko's."

Gypsy smiled broadly and groaned. "Nooooooooooooo.... They'll play some sort of cruel joke on me." She pulled the covers over her head.

Charlie smirked, knowing he could now get his cousin with her one true weakness: she was as ticklish as a pixie was annoying. He put his hands on either side of her and tickled her sides. She yelped and sat up, laughter shining in her deep blue eyes once again.

The afternoon found Ron, Charlie, Gyp, and Hermione roaming Hogsmeade. They had been to The Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer and now they were headed towards Zonko's. Gyp had begun to smile and laugh again and Charlie felt she had finally come back from her drowning pit of despair. He had always been there for her ever since the Weasleys taken her in after her parents' murder.

Gyp had told Ron and Hermione about the night before and they had been sympathetic and understanding. Ron still didn't like Draco very much, but he never voiced his opinion about him.

"Oh, here we are," Hermione said.

They had arrived in front of Zonko's Joke Shop. Fred and George had bought it from the original owners and they now ran the shop. Gyp stepped inside, happy to be in the old joke shop again. She spotted Fred and George. "Fred! George!"

Fred turned. "Gyp? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me you big idiot!"

Fred tapped George on the shoulder and together they walked over to Gyp, both smiling broadly. "Gyp, you're smiling again!"

She laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"So in that case," George said, "Drink this."

Gyp took the small cup from him. It had a frothy, green liquid inside. She looked at it warily. "What is it?"

"It's just a milkshake," Fred said matter-of-factly.

"It's green."

"A watermelon milkshake."

"Oh. Right. Well here goes nothing." She downed the glass in one sip.

There was a small pop and Gyp had turned a shade of green. Literally. "Fred! George! What did you do to me?!"

Fred laughed. "It's a milkshake that makes the drinker change into a different color!"

"I am going to so hurt you!" Gypsy leapt at them and Fred and George laughed as she punched them playfully. "Ooh! Look! The green plant girl is trying to attack us!"

Gyp looked at them. "That hurt. Maybe I'll just go be green plant girl somewhere else."

"You do that," George snorted, trying to contain his laughter. "But it takes and hour for that to wear off."

"Oh, I'm going to kill you!" Gyp said, but she suddenly had an idea. "Or I could just tell Angelina who really died her hair blue..."

Fred thought of his wife and when he had died her hair blue during his school years when they had been friends. "Oh, please don't tell her! She'll make me take Jacob to play catch again!" He painfully remembered the time he had taken his son to the park to play catch. Jacob had hit his father with a ball in the groin.

A door opened behind the counter. Angelina emerged from the room behind the door. "Gyp! It's good to see you out and about again." She looked at Fred's guilty face. "What did you do this time?"

"He was the one who died your hair blue during school!" Gypsy said in a rush.

Angelina looked at Fred, her eyes blazing. "You died my hair blue?!"

"Now, Angie...don't get too angry...." Fred shot Gyp an acid look.

"Fred!"

"Hehehe...."

Gyp turned to Hermione. "Think we should leave? Let them have their little lover's quarrel alone?"

"You're probably right. Let's go."

Gyp and Hermione headed out and walked down the street towards Hogwarts School. "Gah, I miss Hogwarts, don't you Hermi?"

"Yeah. I wonder if the teachers would mind us coming to meet them?" Hermione wondered.

Gypsy laughed. "Can you imagine what McGonagall thought when she saw Fred and George had taken over Zonko's? She probably ran away screaming about lunatics and troublemakers! Oh and to answer your question, they would probably mind us coming to see them. Don't you think they've all had to suffer enough with us in school?"

Charlie and Ron caught up with the two girls. "Fred is in for it! Good going, Gyp!" Ron said, almost falling over from laughing.

Ron and Hermione had disappeared into the flat as soon as the four had gotten home. Gypsy had wanted to say a few more words to Charlie. "Charlie, thank you so much for what you did. I feel a heck of a lot better now."

Charlie smiled. "No problem, little cuz. Just call me when you feel depressed and talk to people, okay?"

Gyp hugged Charlie. "Alright. Bye!" Gyp entered her home and saw Ron and Hermione kissing. "Nice clothing guys," Gyp said, commenting on their lack of some articles of clothing. "I don't care if you are married. If you want to do that, get a room."

Ron looked over at her. "Why don't you go to your room?"

"Fine. I will," Gypsy said and disappeared up the stairs.

The next morning Gyp woke up by herself and felt absolutely wonderful. Draco had owled her and said he wanted to meet her for a late lunch at his house. As soon as she was ready, she Apparated there.

It had to be the most fancy house Gyp had ever set foot in. This was the first time she had ever been to his mansion. "I'm in the dining room!" Draco called. Gypsy walked over and sat down next to Draco in the dining room. "Hi! How are you?"

"I'm fine. I have something to ask you," Draco said, clearing his throat.

"Oh? What do you want to ask me?" Gyp asked as Draco's servants brought them their food. She looked at him. It was quite unnatural for Draco Malfoy to be this nervous....

"Well, I, um.... Will you marry me?"

Gypsy's face fell. She hadn't been expecting this. "Draco, I-I'm sorry, but I just...I just can't, okay?"

"And why not?" Draco asked angrily. "It's Harry isn't it? Poor, dead Harry. Gypsy! He's dead! Can you not see that?! We had his funeral a year ago! Can't you just let it go??"

"You act just like a...a...there's not even a name for it! Look I'm not ready for another relationship with anyone past dating! Don't you understand? Or have you never lost someone you really cared about?!"

Draco stood up abruptly. "I lost my mother and father!"

"You wanted them to die! You only wanted your inheritance!" Gypsy retorted.

Draco walked swiftly over to Gypsy and yanked her out of her chair. Gyp looked horrified. "What...? What do you think you're doing?! Get away from me!"

"Don't you dare say things like that to me!" Draco said, his face just inches from Gypsy's.

"Ever heard of the Constitution, Draco? It allows me freedom of speech! Let me go now!"

Draco slapped her on the face. Gypsy stood stunned, then looked at Draco with fury. "Never...Ever...hit a girl, especially a girl like me." She kicked Draco in the stomach. He fell and Gypsy put a knee on his chest. "As far as I'm concerned, this relationship is over." She stared at him with contempt, then Apparated to her home.

She appeared in the living room and she felt so angry she almost punched her cousin when he walked in. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry...."

"Gypsy? What's up? The last time you were this angry was in school when Snape made comments about your mum and dad!" Ron asked, looking quite scared.

"Draco hit me, Ron! First he proposed to me, then he slapped me!" Gyp said, still shaking with fury.

"He WHAT? Ooh, I'm going to get that slime...when I get my hands on him..." Ron left off, looking around murderously.

"Ron, really, I can handle it. We broke up. I can't stand him anymore," Gyp said, sinking into a chair and rubbing her temples. "I thought he had some sympathy..."

"You should have known he didn't. He's a Malfoy. So he didn't become a Death Eater, but he still hasn't changed much," Ron replied, sitting next to Gyp.

Gypsy sighed and looked over at a picture on the end table next to the chair. It pictured she and Harry when they were in their fifth year. The picture Harry waved to Gyp. She looked away. "Good. I'm alone now and I can hang out with you guys now that I don't have Draco around."

Ron smiled. "Yeah."

"I'm going to go to my room, okay?"

"Right, see you later."

Gypsy got up and walked up the stairs to her room, actually feeling relieved to not have a boyfriend hanging on her.

She decided to take a bubble bath; that always calmed her. She ran the water and poured in the bubble bath. As she was walking over to her window she thought she saw a figure waving up at her, trying to get her attention, but she ignored it, thinking it might've been her imagination.

She walked back into the bathroom and put on some loud music and stripped her clothes. Gypsy stepped into the bath and sank into the hot, foamy water. She hardly heard her window break and quick footsteps through her room. She was about to get out when the door opened. "Hang on! I'm in the bath. Be out in a..." She left off, staring at the figure that was standing in her doorway. He had a beard and his hair was matted and messy. Gypsy nearly let out a scream, but the young man crossed the bathroom in a few strides and covered her mouth. "Shhh, Gypsy. It's just me."

She pulled away from the man. "Me who? Do I know you?"

"Of course you know me. You may not recognize me, but I will tell you I am not dead."

This took a minute to process through Gyp's mind. "Okay, so you're not dead.... Why does that matter?"

The black haired man lifted his hair and revealed a scar on his forehead. A lightning bolt shaped scar. "It's me baby," he said hoarsely. "Harry."

Gypsy did scream this time. "HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!! YOU AREN'T HARRY! I'M GOING TO CALL..."

Harry shoved a hand over her mouth again. "Look. Don't believe me. I do have a way I can prove it though."

"And how is tha--"

Harry put his lips against her's and kissed her. Gyp closed her eyes, kissing him back. Finally, Harry pulled away. "Now do you believe I'm Harry?"

Gypsy had begun to cry. "Harry...oh, Harry...you're alive...but, how...?"

Harry smiled weakly, a few stray tears trickling down his cheek. "It's a long story. Let me shave this repulsive beard off and you get some clothes on and we'll go down and meet Hermione and Ron."

"O-okay," Gyp said.

A while later, Gypsy and Harry sat on the couch, holding each other's hands. Ron was gaping at Harry. "S-so, what happened. We all thought you were...dead."

Harry smiled and began his story of how Voldemort had captured him and how he had projected Harry's body in the street a year ago by a spell. Harry went on to tell of his escape from the dark castle and arriving in Gyp's room. The story took well over and hour, but they all listened in rapt attention. "So, that's what's been happening to me over the past year."

Gypsy looked at him, smiling and crying at the same time. "Oh, Harry. I'm so happy you're alive."

Harry smiled at Gypsy. "It's been so long...Oh, wait...there was a Death Eater in the castle. We all thought he was on our side."

"Wait, what?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Draco Malfoy was in that castle with me and not as a prisoner," Harry replied.

Ron looked livid. "I knew it! And all this time Gypsy was dating him!"

Gypsy looked at Ron. "This isn't the way I wanted Harry to find out about that."

"You were dating Malfoy?" Harry asked, looking quite shocked.

"Well, er, yes," Gypsy said, looking at him uncomfortably. "I just thought...you were, you know...."

Harry smiled. "It's okay, sweetheart. I understand you moving on, even though I wasn't dead."

"Well I didn't know that! I'm glad I ended Draco and my relationship the other day," Gypsy said.

"Why did you do that?" Harry asked. "After all you still thought I was dead."

"Well he got angry and hit me on the face, so I ended our relationship right there."

"So Malfoy hit you, did he? Hang on." Harry got up from his spot beside Gypsy and walked over to the fireplace. He threw some green powder into the fireplace and it flared. "Jonathan?"

A man about Harry's age stepped into the room through the fireplace, brushing soot of his robes. As soon as he spotted Harry, though, he retreated back to the fireplace and tried to grab the pot of green powder off the mantel.

Harry smiled. "Jonathan, it's me. Harry."

Jonathan looked at Harry. "You're supposed to be dead, you know in the ground, six feet under?"

"Voldemort," Jonathan flinched at the sound of the name, "captured me and held me prisoner in a castle," Harry replied kindly.

"Harry...you're alive! I can't believe it! Oh, I'm sorry, in all the excitement I forgot to introduce myself! I am Jonathan Baker, member of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad."

"Nice to meet you, Jonathan," Gypsy said, shaking his outstretched hand. "I'm Gypsy, this is--"

"I know who you all are. Harry told me all about you guys," Jonathan said. "We worked side by side in a lot of things. Ron! How have you been?"

The five went through their pleasantries, but Harry, it seemed, was quite impatient to tell Jonathan something. "John, I've discovered a Death Eater."

"Really? Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"Right. I'll get right on it. It's great to see you again, Harry! I'll let everyone at the office know! You're alive! You're really alive!" Jonathan walked back into the fireplace and disappeared into the green flames.

By the time Jonathan left, it had become very late. Hermione walked over to Harry and hugged him. "I'm glad you're back."

Ron nodded. "It's great to have you back, mate. We're going to bed. I daresay you and Gypsy would like to have the wedding night you never had?" He had a mischievous grin on his face.

Harry looked at Gypsy. "I daresay we will. Come on, Gypsy."

"Right, good night you guys. I'm coming, Harry!" Gypsy said, running after Harry.

Gypsy slipped into a silk nightdress and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Harry was there in his boxers brushing his teeth also.

Harry turned. "Oh my gah, it's good to be home. I love you. I'm finished. You ready to go to bed?"

"Sure."

So Gypsy and Harry had their long anticipated "wedding night," even though their wedding was a year past. Draco Malfoy was arrested and sentenced to life in Azkaban. Gypsy felt a little sorry for him, but she said that he deserved it and moved on.

A few months later Gypsy had gathered everyone into the living room for an announcement.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell us?" Harry asked, smiling.

Gypsy breathed deeply. "Okay...Ron, Hermione, Harry," she turned to each of them in turn, "I'm pregnant!"