Harry Potter and the Ring of Loyalty

"That was wicked, Harry!" Ron cried as Harry and Kana made their way back to the beach blanket.

"Really amazing," Hermione added. "Brilliant."

"It was all right," Ginny said.

"And I got the whole thing on this camera," Sirius added.

Nobody mentioned the closeness between Harry and Kana, and Harry was grateful. But he could still feel her heartbeat and smell her hair as though he'd never let go of her. He still had a natural high from feeling so absolutely comfortable. So wanted.

Ginny had apparently noticed. She was a little red in the face and she wouldn't look Kana in the eyes. "I think we should get back to the hotel now."

"What's your rush?" Harry asked. "It's only across the beach. We've got plenty of time."

"But Ron's sort of silently suffering," Hermione said. "From his sunburn."

"I am not!" Ron protested, but he was looking a little more red than usual. Hermione poked his bare skin on his chest. He shrieked in pain. "Ouch! All right, so maybe it hurts a little. But I know everyone back at Hog... I mean, school, will be envious of the great tan I'll have."

Hermione glared at him for the near blab about where they were from. Ginny walked over and pinched him by the ear. "Mum's going to be so bloody mad when she sees you."

"Ow, ow! Just let go!"

Ginny did. Ron rubbed his ear, giving her a dirty look. Sirius stood and began to clean up from their picnic on the beach. "I do think it's about time we head back. We'll need a good night's sleep if we're going to come back here tomorrow and do this all over again." He winked at Harry.

Harry grinned. "Can't I just stay for a little while longer? The sun is finally setting and the sand isn't so hot it burns your feet."

Sirius checked his watch. "Yes, you can stay. But I want you back at the hotel by 10:30, no exceptions." It was scary how Sirius sometimes sounded like McGonagall.

Harry agreed. Hermione, Ron, and Sirius picked up their belongings and surfboards and headed back through the tangle of trees. After a moment of hesitation, Ginny followed them.

"She likes you, you know," Kana said, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"I do. Her mum has this idea that we should be an item. It seems to have rubbed off on her," he mumbled. He turned to Kana.

"Please, don't," she said.

"Don't what?" he asked. She'd been acting peculiar ever since their ride together.

"Don't stare at me like that." She took a deep breath. Her face was nearly as red as Ron's, and Harry decided she looked much more attractive that way. "I don't usually do that."

"Do what?" Harry questioned innocently. He knew what she was getting at, but it was much more fun to drag it out of her.

Kana finally turned to him, her eyes troubled. "Let tourists... touch me. I'm not some island whore." She shivered, crossing her arms over her chest and rubbing her palms against her dark skin.

"I never thought you were," Harry replied. She was ashamed, he realized. Embarrassed. And when it had been so wonderful for him - on the inside, she was hating herself.

"Yeah, right."

Harry put his hand on hers, brushing his fingers against her shoulder. She backed away. "I don't know what it is about you, but it scares the hell out of me."

"Kana, it wasn't anything. It's not like it was a kiss."

"But it wasn't nothing."

Harry couldn't argue with that. "I don't think any less of you." In fact, all Harry wanted to do was wrap his arms around her again. She was still quivering and still looked so distressed. "I've never felt... quite like that before," he said sheepishly.

He could of swore he heard her mumble something that sounded like, "Me either," but he didn't press it. "So what do you want to do now?" Kana asked. "Do you still want to surf?"

"I'm afraid my legs will crack in half if I have to balance on that board more time." He chuckled, and Kana grinned. It was good to see her smile again. "Let's just relax. If it's not too cold."

"Well, this time of day the water is warmer than the air. Want to go for a swim?"

"Sure."

"Great." Kana removed her tank top again, and Harry didn't bother to try and distract himself from giving her the once-over. She wore a hemp necklace with a dark ring that sparkled brightly in the faint sunset. It contrasted with her tanned skin and led his eyes to curves where they shouldn't be looking.

Kana didn't seem phased as she removed her shorts and took off full-speed into the ocean. Harry took off after her, splashing her and grabbing her wrists, taking her under the water and down to the sandy floor. Kana came up with a mouth full of salt water and sputtered.

"That's it!" she cried, and jumped on Harry's back, trying to drag him under the calm evening waves. Her weight wasn't enough to make him fall over, and he bent over backwards until she let go of him and fell into the water. Feeling triumphant, Harry turned around, about to gloat, but there was no sign of Kana. The only sound was of the waves softly crashing on the shoreline and call of a distant seagull.

"Kana?" Harry called. He turned around again. "Kana?"

He was just about dive under and look for her when he felt two arms clamp around his waist and drag him under the sea. Without warning, he received a mouthful of water as his head was playfully shoved down to the ocean floor.

When he finally pushed himself to the surface, he was out of breath and had a stinging sensation in his nose. Kana was standing in waist-high water with an arrogant smile on her face. "Don't underestimate me. I have a green belt in Soo Bahk Do Karate."

Harry held up his hands in defeat. "You win." He struggled to catch his breath. "That's the last time I mess with a native islander."

Kana flashed a smile. "Smart guy." She quickly swam into shore, and Harry did his best to follow her. She quickly grabbed Sirius's surfboard and headed back towards Harry. "C'mon, we can relax on this." She gave Harry a leg up onto the board, then he gave her a hand until they were both sitting on each end, facing each other with their legs dangling in the water.

A serene silence had overwhelmed them and Harry realized he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Did Kana have some sort of island magic over him? At the thought of magic, Harry suddenly snapped back to reality. He had forgotten all about his problems of the wizarding world for a few hours. Those hours had been so peaceful, so happy. Part of him wished he never had to go back to Hogwarts.

"What's the matter?" Kana questioned, disturbing his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You're far away from the island," she laughed. "What were you thinking about?"

Harry sighed. He had a sudden urge to tell her everything - everything about his past and his lifestyle. But he knew he couldn't. He'd be breaking a dozen laws and she'd probably think he was clinically insane. "About home. About how I don't want this to end."

"Ah... Many tourists wish to have a permanent vacation here," Kana replied. "How long are you staying for?"

"Two more days," he said sadly. "School is starting soon, and it's a very big year for me this year."

Kana nodded. "I imagine you're close to graduation."

"Next year," Harry replied.

"Then what?"

Harry shrugged. "A permanent vacation?"

"I hope you'll come back to this island before two years goes by," Kana said, tracing her fingertips along the stripes on the board. "Especially if you only have two days left."

"Yeah." An uncomfortable stillness settled between them, and Harry once again caught himself staring at her chest - her necklace. "That's a very beautiful necklace."

Kana looked down at it. "Oh, thanks. My father gave it to me before he died."

"Really?"

She nodded. "What about your parents? What do they do?"

"My parents are dead," Harry said quietly. "They died when I was a baby."

She didn't reply with the courteous, yet fake response of, "I'm sorry." She simply placed her hand over his. "I was only a baby when my father died too. I can't imagine not having my mother around. It must be terribly lonely."

"Not always," Harry said. He smiled at their intertwined hands. When he looked up at her face, his heart skipped a beat. "And I have Sirius. He's been a great father to me."

"He seems like a very nice man."

"Oh!" Harry said suddenly. "We forgot to pay you. I'm so sorry!"

"That's okay."

"No, really. How much is it all going to cost?"

Kana grinned. "It's free of charge. I had way too much fun today to be giving lessons. It was my pleasure."

"But..." Harry stammered.

"No! I won't accept your money," Kana laughed. "My mother will understand. It's not a big deal."

"But you wasted a whole day that you could have been making money with me - with us."

"Money isn't everything," she replied. "And I certainly didn't waste my time."

It was at that moment that Harry knew there was something incredible about Kana. Even if didn't have a drop of wizard blood in her, she was magical. She was generous, kind, and honest. It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes as well.

He took her other hand into his, and gently pulled her towards him, leaning closer and closer to her face. He could smell her scent again, and it drove him wild. He had to be close to her. He had to have his arms around her. He had to...

"Harry," she said, her voice soft and husky. "I - I don't kiss tourists." She started to recoil, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she wanted him to kiss her, and when he pulled her back to him, she stopped resisting.

Their lips seemed miles away and it took agonizing ages until their lips touched. Kana's were soft and delicate, and she tasted sweet like cocoanut as she fell into him. She grasped his fingers tightly as Harry's mouth searched hers. Harry raised one hand to her cheek and brought her closer to him, her lashes fluttering slightly at the sensations his lips gave hers. She sighed as they pulled away, both gasping for breath.

It was, by far, the best ten seconds of Harry's life.

***

"What's taking Harry so long?" Ginny grumbled as she paced back and forth in the hotel lobby. Honestly, she didn't like the looks of Makana Kane. If she was out there seducing Harry, she was going to kill her tomorrow. There was no way Ginny was about to complete with that piece of island trash. It was bad enough to have Cho back at Hogwarts, and Harry was not going to have a girl on every island.

"Ginny, settle down," Ron said, smearing aloe on his bare beet red arms. "Harry's a big boy. He knows how to handle himself."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she muttered.

"You know, this muggle salve feels pretty good on my sunburn. I ought to take this plant home to dad. He'd really go crazy."

"Shh!" Hermione hushed. "Ron, you've got to be more careful. People can hear you. You've got to be more inconspicuous. You know, blend in. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and all that."

"What?" Ron cried. "Hermione, what the devil are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Nothing."

Ginny was glad that the two of them had bounced back from the afternoon's events, but they could be really annoying. She didn't think she could take another ten minutes of this.

"I'm going back out on the beach," Ginny announced.

"Now, Ginny," Sirius said, looking up from his muggle newspaper. "Harry's got five more minutes. If he's not back in fifteen, then we'll send out a search party."

Ginny sighed and plopped down on the sofa, when she suddenly realized that someone was beneath her. She quickly stood up, turned around, and screamed.

"Ginny! What is it?" Sirius cried, rushing to her side.

"It... it's... it's Dumbledore!"

Sure enough, Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was sitting on the sofa. His long hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and his beard was also tied together and hung from his chin. He was wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt with loud pink swimming trunks. His pale bony knees quivered as he stood up from the sofa.

"So much for blending in," Ron whispered to Hermione. She elbowed him in the ribs. He gasped in pain, nearly falling over.

"Albus," Sirius said, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid I'm here to cut your vacation a little short," Dumbledore gravely replied. "We must get Harry out off this island and back to the Burrow as soon as possible."

"But Professor Dumbledore..." Hermione started. He raised a hand to silence her.

"I know that all of you are having a wonderful time," he paused and met Ginny's eyes, "but it's an emergency. We must get Harry out of here, before it's too late."

Sirius's face was pale and his eyes lost the spark they'd had on the plane two days ago. "Albus, what's going on?"

"Voldemort has been sighted."

***

Harry stared deep into Kana's green eyes. She was speechless, and her bottom lip was slightly swollen from their kiss. Her face was red. All he knew is that he wanted to do it again, and again, and again. He didn't ever want to stop.

"That was..."

"Incredible." They both said it at the same time. Harry grinned like and idiot and pulled her closer to him. He leaned forward and watched Kana's eyes flutter shut again, and closing his own to let his lips find their way to hers.

"Harry!"

Harry's eyes flew open. Kana jumped. She pointed behind him. He quickly turned to look on the beach.

Professor Dumbledore was standing on the beach, dressed peculiarly as ever. "Harry!" he called again, waving his arms back and forth. Harry was embarrassed for a moment, then frantically realized that something was wrong. He quickly got off the surfboard and started pulling it and Kana into shore.

"Who's that?" she questioned.

"Uh... my grandfather," Harry replied. He hated lying to Kana, but there was nothing else he could say.

Kana jumped off the surfboard and helped Harry paddle into shore. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know." Another lie. Harry knew that if Professor Dumbledore had taken the time to attempt to wear proper muggle clothes and apparate on his vacation in Hawaii, there was definitely something wrong. "Listen, Kana. I have to go. I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

He stared at her. She was so damn beautiful. "It's not all right. I'm sorry." He kissed her on the cheek as he sprinted up to the beach. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kana!" he called.

Kana smiled and waved to him, hauling the surfboard up on shore.

"Professor?" Harry questioned, once he reached Dumbledore. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid there won't be a tomorrow, Harry. At least not in Hawaii."

***

After finding a fireplace in the master suite of the hotel and some strict instructions from Dumbledore, Harry found himself back at the Burrow - the Weasley's home - in England. To Harry, it felt as though it had only been ten minutes ago that he'd had Kana in his arms. Now he was sitting at the table in the Weasley's newly refurbished dining room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as well as Fred and George, joined them.

Sirius was pacing back and forth, something that Harry had learned he always did whenever he was worried about something. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Don't blame yourself, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said. "No one could have predicted that Voldemort would choose to show his face again - especially in a muggle resort."

"I think I just forgot how careful we really need to be. I'd taken advantage of the peace in the wizarding world ever since the Triwizard Tournament."

"I think we all have," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "But it's no use upsetting yourself now. You're back here, safe and sound."

"But what about Kana?" Harry asked. "Is she safe?"

"Who cares?" Ginny muttered. Harry's eyes shot daggers at her.

"I imagine so," Sirius said. "Dumbledore is there. He'll be able to handle things. After he's finished scouting the area and used a few the memory charms..."

"Memory charms?" Harry interrupted. "They wouldn't give Kana one, would they?"

"Of course they would," Sirius said sadly. "She's the one you've had the most contact with."

Harry felt his heart drop from his chest into the pit of his stomach. "But then... She won't remember anything."

"That's generally what happens when someone receives a memory charm," George supplied, earning a kick from his mother underneath the table. "Ow, mum!"

Harry could feel his throat choking up. No. It was his first kiss and the best moment of his life, and she wouldn't even remember it?!

"That's rotten luck," Ron said quietly.

"We could all see how fond of her you were, Harry," Hermione replied, giving Harry a good-natured pat on the shoulder. Harry pulled away. He didn't want Hermione's pity - or anybody else's for that matter.

"I hate him," he declared. "I hate Voldemort."

All Voldemort had done since Harry's birth was ruin his life. The monster killed his parents and sent him to live with the horrible Dursley's. He'd tried to kill Harry himself on numerous occasions, nearly killed Ginny once, and even got away with Cedric's murder. Now he was taking away the single most incredible moment of Harry's life.

Defeated, Harry stood up from the dining room table. "I'm going to bed." He disappeared up the stairs into the other wing of the Weasley home.

"Harry's right," Mrs. Weasley said. "It's about time all of you get into bed. We'll take a trip into Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up some school supplies. It should be a nice diversion." She shoed Ron, Hermione, and Ginny out of the room.

"One day, all the horror Harry's been through will really take its toll," Sirius said sadly, shaking his head and finally taking a seat at the table. "But I think everything is under control now. Harry's security is in order. There have been a number of protective charms and hexes put around the perimeter of your property." He nodded at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "Tomorrow, there will be over a dozen wizards and witches on watch in Diagon Alley. As long as Harry steers clear of Knockturn, he should be well-protected until he reaches Hogwarts."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley mumbled. "This is quite an ordeal."

"Don't worry, Mum," Fred said. "If George and I buy that joke shop in Hogsmeade, we'll be close enough to keep an eye out for Harry too."

"We'll talk about that later," Mr. Weasley said between clenched teeth.

"But that's not all - it gets worse." Sirius wiped his face with his hand. "Dumbledore has asked me to go on a scouting mission looking for You-Know-Who. I've got to meet up with him tonight and he'll give me instructions of who, where, and what to investigate."

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "But that means - you can't leave Harry tonight, Sirius. He's miserable. You know he'll want you to stay..."

"You know you're welcome to stay," Mr. Weasley interjected.

"I know," Sirius replied. "But I'm afraid I've imposed far too much as it is."

"But Sirius, that boy has been through hell. He needs you. He needs you now."

He sighed. "I understand that, Molly, but in my mind I just can't justify staying another night when I could be able to track Voldemort down." Sirius stood. "I'm sorry, but my mind is made up. I just want to do what's best for Harry. I'll still write him as often as I can. I'll see him whenever I'm around..."

"You don't need to give us excuses," Mr. Weasley said, wincing as a door slammed overhead.