Alone
Part 1
By Jeconais
Please note: This is a sequel story to All Night Long.
"Harry?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked as he approached the sun bathing form carefully.
"Hmm?" Harry replied, not moving from his relaxed position.
Kingsley sat down next to him. "I’ve got a favour to ask," he said bluntly.
Harry had told Kingsley many times that he preferred brevity to polite rambling, and was pleased that the Auror had listened.
"Really?" Harry asked dryly. "The chief Auror hasn’t just stopped by to enquire about my health?"
"You look sickeningly healthy, considering you’re a playboy these days."
Harry raised one eyebrow so that it was visible over his sunglasses. "Sticks and stones, Kingsley," he said evenly.
Kingsley smiled. "My Aurors are getting fat and lazy," he explained. "With you killing most of the Death Eaters and scaring the others into deep hiding, they’ve not got that much to do, so they sit around a lot and play cards."
"And the problem is?"
"They wiped me out playing poker the other night," the Auror sighed. "It’s a sign that they’re spending too much time waiting for something to happen. This bloody peace you’ve managed to impose is bad for us."
"Would you like me to resurrect Voldemort for you?"
"Can you do that?" Kingsley asked, looking at Harry slowly, an expression of nervousness on his face.
"I’ve got no idea," Harry grinned. "Probably, though. A bit of Necromancy here and there, a few charms, a bit of power, and hey presto, one psychotic Dark Lord for your Aurors to get killed by."
"If you don’t mind," Kingsley drawled, "I’ll pass."
"Not at all. What do you want me to do?"
"I was thinking of a day of fun and games." Kingsley’s grin was positively evil. "You versus my best Aurors. I’ll be the judge, obviously."
"What sort of games?" Harry asked warily.
"Capture the flag. In the morning, they have to defend while you attack, and in the afternoon, it’s reversed."
"Me? Against twenty? Thirty? Aurors? Doesn’t seem very fair to me…"
"I know, but that’s the maximum I can spare for the day."
"I meant fair to me," Harry clarified.
Kingsley laughed and then darted forward, throwing a punch at Harry’s face.
Harry’s hands shot up, catching the Auror’s wrist. He slid off the sun bed and dropped to the floor, pulling Kingsley off balance. A quick kick finished the job.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, as he looked down at the prone Auror before him. The Auror was face down, with his right arm held painfully behind him in Harry’s unrelenting grip.
"Proving a point," Kingsley gasped through the pain. "Could you release me?"
Harry sighed and did, walking over to a side table and poured out two drinks of fresh cold water.
"Here," he said, passing one to Kingsley.
"Thanks," the Auror replied, as he stopped rubbing his shoulder. "How many people do you think can do that to me?"
Harry shrugged as he sat back down on his sun bed.
"Hardly any," Kingsley continued. "So you’ve still got the skills, Harry, and you’re definitely still in shape. I need someone who can scare my Aurors into realising that they might have it easy now, but that’s no reason to get complacent."
"What’s in it for me?" Harry asked.
"A day of fun and interest," Kingsley offered. "Don’t tell me that you’re not looking for a challenge."
"I’ve had all the challenges I need," Harry reminded him.
"Because I’m asking as a friend?" Kingsley tried.
"Okay," Harry said.
"What?"
"I said okay."
"Just like that?"
"You asked for a favour; I owe you one for the Veritaserum you found for me to use on Malfoy. I’m paying you back"
"Wait a second," Kingsley protested. "I did that to pay you back; you can’t say you owe me for that."
"You’re talking yourself out of help here," Harry pointed out.
"Wait, I know, damn it," he said. "Not the point though."
"That’s what I like about you," Harry laughed. "You’re too honest for your own good."
Kingsley grumbled under his breath. "Look, what do you want for a day of your time where you can act as grumpy as you like, scare the hell out of a bunch of people who are riding on your coat tails, and remind those of us who count, that as bad as we think we are, you are the baddest mother-fucker on the planet?"
Harry laughed and shook his head slowly. "Damn it, I knew that introducing you to Muggle movies would be a bad idea."
"Don’t be knocking Samuel," Kingsley said seriously. "Them’s fighting words."
"You just like him because you have the same hair cut," Harry grinned.
"And that he’s a great actor," Kingsley said. "Did I ever tell you about the time I used that speech from Pulp Fiction to scare that Goblin?"
"Seventeen times," Harry said instantly.
"It’s not that many," Kingsley protested.
"It is," Harry said firmly. "I’d consider you not telling that story ever again as a price, but not even I am that heartless. Okay, at the next Weasley party, you cook."
"Barbeque?" Kingsley asked.
"Absolutely!"
"Deal," Kingsley said excitedly.
"When do you want this done?" Harry asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"A week Saturday?"
"Fine by me."
"Cool. Thanks Harry. I’ll be in touch next weekend when I have all the details worked out."
Harry nodded and settled back down. "See you next week."
"Thanks, Harry," Kingsley said seriously, before turning and walking out of the garden.
As soon as he was gone, Harry jumped to his feet and looked at his watch. Ron and Hermione would be coming home from their respective jobs shortly, and he now had a reason to talk to them.
He walked inside and pulled on a shirt to go with his shorts and thrust his feet carelessly into some trainers. On his fireplace, were two coloured jewels, a ruby and a diamond, which showed that the private Floo between his house, Ron’s, and Hermione’s were all open.
He grabbed some Floo powder and threw it in the fire, saying the private name for Ron’s flat. It had been a bit of an investment for him to set it up, but it allowed him the freedom to visit his friends whenever he liked it — and be visited by them — without anyone else knowing about it.
He tumbled out of the Floo, and brushed himself off. Despite everything, he still hadn’t mastered the art of travelling by that particular method.
"Hi Harry," Ron’s obviously pregnant wife said, walking over to give him a quick kiss.
"How’s Harry Junior?" he asked with a grin.
"Harry Potter!" Sumi said, stamping her foot with frustration. "First, we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, and second, we are not naming our child Harry!"
"Why not?" Harry grinned. "It’s a perfectly serviceable name."
"Serviceable is not a good start," Sumi muttered darkly.
When she had first moved to the country with Ron, her English had been passable, and she had been very shy with it. Hermione had listened to her for thirty minutes before deciding to do something about it. The result was a Sumi who now spoke perfect English, and a friendship between the two women that was as deep as it was genuine.
"I don’t see why not," Harry protested.
Sumi suddenly stopped and smirked at him. "Would you like your first godchild to have the same common name as everyone else?"
"Wait, godchild?" Harry asked, "and what do you mean, common?"
"Common, as there has been a rash of children named Harry after you," Sumi said smugly. "If you’d read the Prophet recently you’d know that."
"Poor kids," Harry sighed. "And godchild?"
"Do you think we would ask anyone else, mate?" Ron said with a grin as he walked into the kitchen and embraced his wife.
"Bloody Hermione’s been teaching her how to handle me," Harry complained.
"Of course she has," Ron agreed. "I asked her to. Can’t have her in awe of you, can we."
Harry shot him a foul look. "I’m honoured," he said solemnly. "But just so you know, I’m going to spoil the kid rotten."
Ron and Sumi laughed. "You think we hadn’t thought about that?" Sumi asked. "You need a woman, Harry."
"And where am I going to find one that likes me, not Harry Potter?" Harry sighed.
"Not in that large house you hide in all day."
"Ron, she’s picking on me," Harry protested.
"I know," Ron agreed. "As we both know you won’t curse a pregnant woman, and as she’s saying things I’m scared to, I’m going to let her run with it."
"Traitor," Harry grumbled.
"And about to be a father," Ron grinned. "And much as I love you, Harry, the idea of making more children is better than that."
Harry reached behind him and threw a pillow at Ron. "Too much information!"
"How else do you think babies are made?" Ron asked with a grin, reaching into the fridge for a couple of Butterbeers and a glass of orange juice. He gave the juice to his wife and plonked a Butterbeer in front of Harry, before they moved into the living room.
"Well," Harry smirked. "Daddy masturbates into a cup and some clever Muggles concentrate the sperm, using the world’s largest eye-dropper, to impregnate one of Mummy’s eggs."
"Only if your name is Malfoy," Ron laughed. "You never did tell me how you felt when they found that Malfoy wasn’t completely sterile."
Harry smiled and settled down comfortably on their leather couch, taking a swig of the Butterbeer. "I very nearly kissed the doctor — she was attractive as well — in celebration. And just think," he said with an evil grin, "for several weeks, Malfoy really was a wanker."
Ron threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Why were you going to help them?" Sumi asked. "Ron told me what happened, and what happened at school."
Harry sighed and looked down, gathering his thoughts. "I tried to do it for the person I wanted to be, rather than the person I was. But as we got to America, I was starting to give some very serious thoughts to pulling out. The idea of someone else carrying and raising my own child started to seem very wrong, even if I was just being a donor. It hadn’t even occurred to me that the magic they use for a diagnosis wasn’t as good as the stuff the Muggles use. Still, the look of shock and horror on Cho’s face was more than enough," he finished with a grin.
"I still hate her," Ron sighed. "I wouldn’t ever forgive her for that."
Harry shrugged. "I could hate her, but hate leads to suffering, suffering leads to anger, and anger leads to the Dark Side," he intoned.
Ron groaned. "Do you and Kingsley do anything else but watch Muggle films?"
"Every Wednesday night," Harry smiled. "We get a pizza, a couple of movies, and some popcorn. And speaking of Kingsley, he’s volunteered to cook at the next Weasley Party."
"Really?" Sumi asked. "Does he know what he’s letting himself in for?"
"I think he does," Harry smiled. "He’s going to barbeque."
"And what are you doing to get him to do that?" Ron asked. "Because the last time we asked him, he didn’t stop running for a week."
"That’s why I’m here," Harry admitted. "Can we get Hermione and Bill as well? It’s not such a fun story that I want to go through it twice."
"Sure," Sumi said, getting to her feet.
"I’ll go, you rest, love," Ron said, jumping to his feet.
"I’m pregnant, not disabled," Sumi complained to Harry indignantly, with a cute pout.
"He just worries about you," Harry explained with a smile.
"I know," she sighed and then smiled. "He is very cute about it, though."
"How are your parents?"
"Worshipping the very ground you walk on," she said dryly. "Just how did you arrange for them to have the international Floo network hooked up to their fireplace?"
Harry shrugged. "Charm, bribery, and when that didn’t work, the odd threat did the trick."
"Harry!" Sumi protested.
He waved his hand cheerfully. "The guy was refusing because you married Ron, no other reason. I just told him that if he didn’t do it, I’d Apparate him into space."
"Can you even do that?"
"Of course not," Harry smirked. "But everyone expects the great Harry Potter to have more magic than the Wizengamot put together."
"You are powerful, though."
"A bit," Harry agreed. "But Voldemort was a lot more powerful than I’ll ever be. I have no wish to sell my soul for that sort of thing."
"A fact we are all grateful for," Hermione said dryly as she walked into the living room and hugged Sumi first, and then Harry.
"So I’m relegated to second in the hug stakes as well?" Harry teased.
"When you are pregnant," Hermione smiled, "you’ll get hugged first."
"What’s he whining about?" her husband asked as he walked in.
"Harry getting hugged after Sumi," Hermione explained.
"In that case," Bill said with a grin, and he jumped onto Harry’s lap.
"Get off me, you lummox," Harry groaned under the weight of the large curse breaker.
"Don’t you love me anymore?" Bill pouted.
"What do you mean, anymore?" Harry asked, as he stood and carried Bill over to Hermione. "Yours, I believe."
"Thank you," Hermione said solemnly. "So why are we here?"
Harry sat back down on the couch and watched as his friends took up a couch each. There was a distinct space next to him, which was left for him to eventually bring a partner to the group. It was unspoken and always had been since they had started meeting like this.
"Kingsley’s worried about his Aurors. They’re starting to get too good at poker for his liking."
"What does that have to do with you?" Sumi asked, frowning.
"He thinks that their poker skills mean that they are growing complacent," he explained. "So he’s arranging a training day for them."
"And?" Hermione demanded.
"Me versus them," Harry finished.
"He wants you to take on all his Aurors at once?" Hermione stated coldly, her eyes flashing.
"No, of course not," Harry said.
"Good, don’t tease me like that," she said, shooting a small smile at him.
"It’s only his thirty best."
"Harry James Potter!" Hermione and Sumi shouted together.
There was a silence, before Harry’s lip twitched. He tried as hard as he could to stop it, but he couldn’t. He burst out into laughter, an action that Ron and Bill copied a second later.
"Do you think this is funny, Ron?" Sumi asked dangerously.
"No, dear," Ron said, once he had regained his breath, his face turning red as he tried to control the laughter.
"I do," Harry said, deliberately drawing the focus onto him. He didn’t want his two male friends to get into trouble because of him.
The two women turned and glared at him, a glare that was about as effective as a two year old running the London Marathon.
"If you’ve finished glaring?" Harry asked.
"You need a girlfriend," Hermione complained.
"I was saying just that earlier," Sumi agreed.
"As I haven’t got one and am pretty happy with that," Harry smiled, "how about we move on to what I wanted to discuss with you guys? Basically, it’s going to be two games of capture the flag, one in the morning where I capture theirs, and one in the afternoon where they try and capture mine."
"Confident, are we, Harry?" Bill asked.
Harry smirked. "Of course I am. After all, backing me up I have," and he pointed at Bill, "one of the best curse breakers in the world, the smartest witch," he pointed at Hermione, before moving on to Ron, "a great tactician, and someone who can move so quietly even I have trouble tracking her," he finished by pointing by pointing at Sumi. "So I’m making a request: a day or two of your time to help me out over the next few weeks."
"Harry," Hermione said slowly. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because Kingsley promised to cook at the next Weasley party?" Harry offered.
The four people opposite him shook their heads at once and just stared silently at him.
"All right," Harry sighed. "Because the last thing the Wizarding World needs is Aurors who can’t do the job. Kingsley’s right, complacency will only allow someone else to rise up in Voldemort’s place, and when that happens a lot of soft Aurors are going to die. There’s also an element of personal pride involved. The best of the lot are ex-DA members, and I think I need to remind them exactly why we trained so hard."
Hermione settled back and smiled warmly at him. "Now if you’d just said that some time ago, we wouldn’t have had to go through this."
"But where’s the fun in that?" Harry asked.
Sumi threw a pillow at him — Harry caught it cleanly and instantly returned it at a higher speed into Ron’s face.
"Hey!" Ron complained.
"Sorry," Harry shrugged. "You said yourself, I’d never hit a pregnant woman."
Ron just glared at him for a second.
"So, are you going to help me out?"
"When is it?" Bill asked.
"A week Saturday."
"That doesn’t leave much time," Ron pointed out.
Harry smiled slightly. "It’s more time than we had to prepare for the final battle," he said softly. "And this time, we have two more people."
"Damn right," Bill agreed.
"Okay," Hermione nodded. "You’re lucky that it’s the summer holidays and I don’t have class, so Sumi and I can help you every day."
Sumi nodded her agreement enthusiastically. "It’s about time I can help pay you back for some of the things you’ve done for me," she said quietly.
Harry looked a little embarrassed.
"Accept it," Ron told him dryly. "You do way more than you need to for us, and it’s not often we get the chance to help. But I do have a suggestion."
"Oh?" Harry asked, pleased that the topic was moving on.
"Why don’t we get the twins in as well?"
Harry opened his mouth and then shut it slowly. He smirked as he let the idea slowly sink into his mind. "I think I like that idea," he said slowly. "I really do."
"I almost feel sorry for the Aurors," Bill said. "And Ginny."
Harry blinked. "I’d forgotten that she might be there."
Bill and Ron grinned. "She’s been very proud of her Auror skills," Ron said slowly. "She hasn’t been pranked in a very long time. Maybe she’s just a little too big for her boots at the moment, forgetting that we’ve all been there as well."
"Absolutely," Bill agreed. "Maybe it’s time for our lovely sister to remember that we all have good jobs that we love, and that she isn’t the top of the tree."
Harry groaned.
"It’s okay Harry," Ron smirked. "If you can defeat all the Aurors, surely one more won’t be a problem."
"It’s not her," Harry explained. "It’s Molly."
Ron stood and walked over to the normal Floo in the living room. He pulled out some powder and threw it into the fire. "Molly Weasley," he said.
"Ron?" Molly’s voice replied. "How are you, dear?"
"Are you alone, mum?"
"Your father’s at work. How’s Sumi?"
"She’s fine. I called to ask you a question."
"Oh?"
"Kingsley’s asked Harry to help remind the Aurors that they are paid to work, not play poker. We’re going to help him be ready to embarrass the lot of them."
"Including Ginny?" Molly asked.
"That’s what’s causing Harry the problem," Ron grinned. "He’s scared of your reaction."
"Stand back, Ron," Molly said cheerfully, and a second later, she appeared in the room and sat in the spare space next to Harry.
"I think I’m gratified that you’re a little scared of me," Molly grinned at Harry.
"I think we all still remember your Howlers," Harry said in explanation.
Molly laughed. "Harry, dear, I love my daughter very much, but recently she seems to have forgotten that both Arthur and I were fighting Voldemort long before she was born. As much as it pains me to admit it, she does need a small dose of humility to remind her that she is as human as the rest of us. We’ve tried to have a chat with her, we all have, but it doesn’t seem to be getting through."
Harry looked at the one woman he felt was the closest thing to a mother to him, and slowly nodded. "Thank you."
"You’re welcome," she said softly. "Now, what are you five planning for dinner?"
"We haven’t got there yet," Ron said.
"Right. Harry, take Sumi outside and help her Apparate to the Burrow. The rest of you, into the Floo."
The five adults found themselves moving before they could even think about protesting.
"So," Harry said as he finished his meal. "Why haven’t I seen Ginny act like this?"
"It’s a pretty recent thing," Bill said as he tilted back in his chair. "Well, it’s been there for a year or so now, but not really when you’ve been around. It’s more been little comments here and there, nothing really you can put your finger on."
"It was just the way she’d look when she’d stop a Fred and George prank — and they’ve been so busy running their business that they’ve not had time to do anything more than token gestures," Ron continued smoothly. "But when you went to Singapore, it seemed to go up a level or two — as if the Aurors are the only ones in the country good in a fight."
Harry nodded and yawned. "Speaking of which, I need to go home and get some sleep. I’m still running on Singapore time."
"Okay, Harry," Molly said, giving him a hug.
"I’ll see you guys later," Harry said and jumped into the Floo.
Sumi frowned and looked around the table. "We all agree that he is lonely," she said. "So why don’t we help him find someone?"
"Never," Hermione said gently, getting there before Ron could. "All through school, Harry was manipulated by Dumbledore into doing what the Professor wanted. It took away all of Harry’s choice and forced him into a position he hated."
"Harry hates being manipulated, more so than anything else — even being lied to. While he is in a much better mood these days, the steel is still inside him," Ron continued.
"Ron and I swore that we would never do that to him, no matter how good our intentions. We saw how badly Dumbledore screwed up their relationship, and we love Harry too much to do that. We’re his friends, and we’re privileged to be so; we’re not going to do anything to disrupt that — even if he is unhappy and alone. All we can do is be there for him and support him in any way we can."
Sumi’s eyes were wide as she looked at her husband and her closest female friend. "I’m sorry," she said simply. "I didn’t know."
"We know," Ron said, pulling her chair next to his so he could hold her. "Not many people do."
They were interrupted by the sound of the Floo from the living room, and a few seconds later, another Weasley sibling entered the house.
"Percy," Molly said with a smile. "I didn’t expect to see you here."
"Hi, everyone," Percy smiled. "I expected Harry to be here as well."
"He’s still on Singapore time," Bill explained.
"Ahh yes, he did a wonderful job over there. Smoothed over the troubles we were having with his normal skill. It’s a pity we can’t have him full time, but anything is better than nothing.
"Anyway, I’m not staying long, Angelina is waiting for me. I thought I’d bring you a little present."
"Oh?" Molly asked, looking a little surprised.
"I happened to be in Kingsley’s office earlier, as I’d heard about a training exercise happening next Saturday," Percy explained as he casually placed a rolled up piece of parchment on the table
"Anyway, I tripped," he said with a completely straight face, "and happened to land on an Extendable Ear, and somehow overheard Kingsley telling Madam Bones that Harry is going to go against the top thirty Aurors in a couple of games."
"Tripped?" Ron snorted.
Percy’s face took on a haughty expression. "Absolutely. Even highly trained Aurors can stumble at times," he said with the slightest hint of a grin lurking in the corners of his mouth. "As I climbed to my feet, I just happened to place down my Duplication Parchment on top of the map on Kingsley’s desk."
"Accidentally," Bill agreed.
Percy drew himself up, so that he was almost standing to attention. "Precisely, William. So, rather than have this useless paper sent to recycling, I thought that I’d let you deal with it. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing."
"Nothing but," Hermione smiled.
"Oh, and in completely unrelated news, our sister is one of the Aurors on the course next weekend. I do so hope that some time soon she learns that we also all fought Voldemort, and we can look after ourselves."
He looked around the room solemnly, then threw them a quick wink and a smile and vanished out the Floo.
"Angelina’s worked wonders on him," Ron laughed, picking up the parchment his brother had left. "And this is wonderful; we’ll have some tactics for Harry in no time."
"She has," Molly agreed. "It’s so good to see that mischievousness back. When he was younger, he was almost as bad as the twins."
"Almost," Bill smiled. "But he seemed to calm down when they were born."
"I bet he felt out numbered," Ron mused. "And it was one way to stand out from the crowd."
"True. I just wish I’d seen his face when Harry let fly on him," Bill sighed.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a long smile.
"I think it’s safe to tell you the story now," Hermione said with a soft smile. "Percy’s five inches taller than Harry. And he loomed over Harry and gave him some rather bad advice that went along the lines of…"
"Let me, Hermione," Ron interrupted, standing. He raised his nose high in the air. "While you have been instrumental in pointing out the regrettable lapse of accuracy that the Ministry incurred whilst denying the return of Voldemort," he said in a snooty tone. "I do believe it is time for you take a back seat and let the professionals handle it."
Molly, Bill, and Sumi clapped as Ron sat down. "Sorry," Ron grinned at Hermione.
"You do impersonate him much better than I can. Anyway, Harry seemed to blink and then go quiet, and Ron and I retreated."
"Fast," Ron interposed.
"Because when Harry goes quiet like that, you know an explosion is about to happen. Harry reached forward and grabbed Percy, lifting him straight from the chair, thrust him against a wall and held him there for a second."
"He turned to face me," Ron continued. "And said, 'Ron, I’m about to tell this prat some home truths. If you don’t want to listen, leave now.’"
"Obviously, Ron was about as likely to leave as Voldemort was to become a Tax Inspector," Hermione took over again, "and we both stayed out the way."
She paused and took a sip of water, and then said in a fair approximation of Harry’s tones, "Listen here, you sanctimonious git, you’re about fifteen seconds away from finding out just why I’ve been trained harder than any Auror in the country for the past year. It obviously missed your attention, as your nose is so far up Fudge’s arse, that you can’t see anything else. I am the professional, and I am more than fed up with your attitude. You are hurting my friends, and that is one thing I cannot, and will not tolerate. So you have a choice before you, Weatherby. You can go back to Fudge, and continue to be a toadie, and know that when Voldemort is defeated, you will have no life, no career, and no family. Or you can bloody think about who and what you are becoming and apologise to your family."
"Of course," Ron added dryly. "The fact that Harry continued to hold Percy a foot off the ground while snarling at him added the necessary emphasis that finally made Perce realise that he was being an idiot. Even if it did take him a week to apologise."
"Harry actually called him Weatherby?" Bill laughed.
"He did," Hermione smiled. "I was more impressed that he used the word sanctimonious in context."
"Hermione!" Ron groaned.
The witch in question just grinned.
The Floo in the other room activated, and two faces bounded into the kitchen.
"Great, all here and no Harry. Perfect."
"Fred, George," Molly greeted with a smile.
"We’re not here for long. Penelope and Katie are running the shop, and we promised we’d be quick. Percy just Floo’d us and pointed out that there is something we should know here. So, what’s going on?"
Ron smiled, "Harry’s going to be playing some games with the top Aurors on a week Saturday. Percy happened to stumble over the plans for the play area earlier today and donated them to the cause."
Fred and George’s eyebrows rose. "Well," they said together.
"I think that gives us enough time, doesn’t it?" Fred asked George.
"It does indeed," George smiled. "I take it that Percy offered his help in the hope that our darling sister might be reminded that she’s as human as the rest of us?"
Everyone at the table nodded.
"And you’re all helping as well?" Fred asked.
They all nodded again, this time with wide smiles.
"Brilliant," they said together.
"Ron, we’ll come and see you on Sunday with what we come up with, so you can build it into the strategy," George smirked.
"It’s almost not fair," Fred said with a fake sniff. "Those poor Aurors have no idea what they are letting themselves in for. The last time we worked together like this, the last time we all backed Harry like this — he took down Voldemort and a load of Death Eaters."
"We know," Bill said — his grin evil. "Harry wants to make sure that they aren’t getting complacent."
The Floo sounded again, and Molly smiled and called out, "We’re in here, Charlie."
Charlie walked into the kitchen, "How did you know it was me?"
"Because everyone else has already been in," Ron said dryly. "Perce Floo you?"
"Yep, and I managed to get what is happening out of him, and I’m here to help. What’s the plan?"
"We don’t know yet," Hermione said. "But Fred and George are going to come up with some new toys for Harry. Sumi is going to work on Harry’s stealth, Bill’s going to be working on curse detection and creation, Percy has already 'acquired’ the plans for the area, and I’ve got some new spells I can teach him."
"And I’ll be feeding everyone," Molly said with a small laugh.
"Damn it," Charlie gave a mock groan. "I knew being here last would leave me with the worst job."
"What’s that?" Sumi asked.
"Harry’s training partner."
The sound of laughter filled the kitchen, as Charlie took a seat, and Fred and George went back to their partners.
They were talking about Samantha, Charlie’s daughter, when the back door opened and Ginny walked in.
"Evening, Ginny," Charlie said.
"A family reunion?" Ginny asked, a smile on her face.
"Mum insisted on feeding us," Hermione said with a welcoming look. "We were all talking to Harry and forgot the time."
"He’s back, is he?"
"This morning," Ron said. "How are things down at Doughnut Central?"
"Ron!" Ginny groaned. "Just because our chief Auror has watched too many Muggle films with Harry, doesn’t mean that our Headquarters are called Doughnut Central."
"I heard that’s all you do," Charlie said with a teasing grin. "Sit around, eat doughnuts and play poker."
"And keep the peace," Ginny said with a sweetly condescending expression. "We are the thin line protecting the nation from any future uprising. Without us, this place would descend into anarchy within days."
"Really," Bill murmured.
"But, as you asked," Ginny continued, as if she didn’t hear the interruption, "I’ve been chosen for a special training event next Saturday — a day of games against a competing team. It shouldn’t be too hard. We’ve seen most of the foreign Aurors, and we’re much better than they are."
"They might surprise you," Hermione offered.
"Unlikely," Ginny said with an unladylike snort. "Anyway, I just popped in to check Mum was safe. I’ll see you later."
There was silence as the red-haired girl left the kitchen, until a faint crack announced that she had Apparated away.
"How nice of her," Molly said dryly. "I’ll be sure to let your father know what is going on. I think I’ll cook some of Harry’s favourites tomorrow, as he is doing our dirty work for us."
"He doesn’t mind," Hermione said instantly. "He thinks of all of us as family, so he’s not doing anything special."
"Even so," Molly said. "He is still doing it. Sumi, do you mind helping me out? I’ve never been that good with Japanese cooking."
"I would be honoured," Sumi said with a huge smile. "Helping Harry-san will be a privilege."
"Sumi," Ron groaned. "I thought we’d broken you off the habit."
Sumi blushed prettily and shrugged. "He is truly worthy of respect," she said helplessly.
"He is," Bill agreed. "But remember that he adores you as well, and that you have paid him what he considers the ultimate in respect by naming him as the godfather to your child."
Sumi nodded, and Ron leaned over to gently kiss her.
"That’s a wonderful idea," Molly said approvingly. "But it’s getting late, so all of you, off home."
"Yes mum," the chorus came from everyone there.
"Morning, Harry," Charlie said, as he rested against the doorframe to Harry’s large house.
"Morning, Charlie, how’s Sammy?"
"Wanting her favourite uncle to come visit again soon!"
Harry smiled. "How about this evening?"
"Perfect. She’ll be happy all week then."
Harry paused and then smiled. "How about I look after her for the night? You and Fleur can go out."
"Really?" Charlie asked eagerly.
"Sure," Harry smiled.
"Cool," Charlie grinned. "Anyway, I thought we’d have a bit of a jog first, and then work on a bit of hand to hand stuff."
Harry nodded and started to stretch.
"You’ve kept in pretty good shape," Charlie said, as he watched Harry.
"I’ve not got much else to do," Harry explained. "And I refuse to let myself go soft, just in case, you know?"
Charlie nodded. "A lot of us feel that way. We lived through one war, and if it looks like it might come back, we want to be ready."
"Exactly," Harry nodded. "Come on then, let’s go."
They were both dressed in Muggle outfits that allowed them to jog along the country lanes. Charlie set a pretty fast pace, wanting to see just how fit Harry was. Since he had returned to England, Charlie was working with the Chudley Canons as their fitness coach and spent his entire working life keeping fit.
A few miles later, Charlie called a halt, and they moved into a large field.
"Right," Charlie said. "Let’s see what you’ve got."
It was a fun morning for Charlie; it was rare that he got to practise the fighting that he had learnt for the fight with Voldemort, and there weren’t many people in the country as good as he was.
Except for Harry; the man had taken to fighting like he had to Quidditch. While Charlie might not have won the majority of today’s scrimmages, he did win enough to keep his pride.
When they had finished, Charlie collapsed into the grass, breathing hard. "You don’t need any help with that," he gasped. "But we’ll get you a bit fitter — you’ve lost a little of your edge."
"It’s all the international travel," Harry said in agreement. "It mucks up my schedule so that I can’t train as I’d like."
"I’ve got to get to work," Charlie continued. "What time are you coming by?"
"I’ll pick Sammy up at five," Harry offered. "I’ll feed her as well."
Harry stretched and walked up the driveway toward Charlie and Fleur’s house, carrying his invisibility cloak and broom. All the Weasley’s had anti-Apparition wards around them — it was something Harry had insisted on installing for them. It protected his family, and at the same time, it meant he felt safe when visiting them.
Sumi’s lessons had started with her teaching him how to control his breathing. He was used to using his lung power to increase his physical power, but this was almost the opposite. He had to breathe through his mouth to avoid any unnecessary noise, and at the same time, not take any sharp breaths, no matter how he moved. It had taken some time to get accustomed to doing that reflexively, but with a little effort, he seemed to be doing fine now.
As he got halfway up the house, he spotted a blonde head in the front window and faintly heard a squeal. He smiled and prepared himself, dropping the broom and the cloak to the ground.
The front door opened, and a petite blonde missile streaked out, moving as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Uncle Harry," the missile yelled, jumping straight at him.
Harry caught the seven year old in mid flight and lifted her high in the air.
"You’ve grown," he said accusingly.
"I have," Sammy agreed. "I’m a big girl now."
Harry nodded solemnly. "Too big for pizza and ice cream for tea?"
Sammy shook her head fast.
"Good, you remember the drill?"
Sammy nodded solemnly, and Harry put her down. "Let’s say goodbye to your Mum."
Sammy dashed off — she seemed incapable of merely doing anything as prosaic as walking, and she jumped at her mother. "I’m going now so you and Daddy can go get me a brother," she announced to Fleur.
Fleur raised an eyebrow. "A brother?"
"Michelle has one," Sammy said. "He smells funny, but I think it would be nice to have one around. And Michelle said that Daddies and Mummies go and get a baby from somewhere, and then Mummy eats him for aaaaggggeeeesss, and then I can have a brother."
Harry tried hard not to laugh at the expression on Fleur’s face. He was pretty sure that the act, at least, if not the result, was the plan for tonight.
"Charlie said that you’re going to feed her tonight, right?" Fleur said, obviously deciding to ignore her daughter.
"Oh no," Sammy cried, "he always makes me eat healthy stuff!" The way the girl said healthy made it clear that it was a swear word.
"It’s good for you," Fleur pointed out. "I wish you’d eat more of that stuff for me." A few years in the country had enabled her to speak English without the accent.
Sammy shook her head and gave her mother a quick hug, before launching herself into Harry’s arms again.
"Come on, Uncle Harry," she said excitedly. "We can go flying on your broom."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Harry grinned. "I’ll bring her back in the morning, Fleur."
"Thank you, Harry," Fleur said seriously. "We do appreciate it."
"Any time," Harry replied, turning and walking out the room.
"Ron’s still jealous that you’ll let Harry fly with Samantha, and not him," Charlie said as he walked into the kitchen, absently doing the cuffs of his shirt up.
Fleur sighed. "What would happen if she fell off when she was flying with Ron?"
"She’d never fall off."
"But if she did, what would happen?"
"Ron would try to catch her," Charlie replied.
"What would happen if she fell off with Harry?"
Charlie opened his mouth and then shut it again, looking a little sheepish.
"Exactly," Fleur said. "Harry would catch her, and nothing, not the laws of physics, not the laws of magic, nor his own safety would stop him. And that’s why."
Charlie nodded. "When you put it like that," he smiled and gave his wife a quick kiss. "So, a brother for Samantha?"
"Well," Fleur said thoughtfully. "We could see what we get. I always liked having a younger sister. We can afford it, so why not?"
Charlie grinned. "And if not, we can always practice a bit."
Fleur reached up and gave him a kiss that left his knees weak. "A lot," she whispered. "Now, let’s go eat so we can get home and start."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I know, I love you too," Fleur replied with a smile. "And if you’re good, we can play a round of the Auror and the Naughty Veela."
Charlie’s grin grew, as he started to work out what he could do for Harry, because he really owed him for this.
"Up," Harry said to the broom. It jumped obediently into his hand, and he straddled it, picking the young girl up and placing her firmly in front of him.
"Can I steer?"
"Are you going to tell your mum?"
"Of course not," Sammy said, sounding disgusted.
"Take her away," Harry grinned, and wrapped his arms around her.
The broom rose, a little unsteadily, before starting to move forward.
"That way," Harry pointed, wrapping the invisibility cloak around them both.
"Yeeaaahhh!" Sammy yelled, and pushed the broom forward.
It was much harder letting her drive than doing it himself, because he had to concentrate harder to keep the broom stable. He wasn’t worried about her doing it without him; he’d told her very firmly that if she did, she would never be allowed onto his broom again and at the same time, he’d charmed all the family brooms not to respond to her.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; it was just that she was a very inquisitive seven year old.
They landed outside his house — he took control for getting through the wards and the landing — and walked inside. "You order the pizza; I’ll get the drinks."
Sammy nodded and dashed to the phone. She picked it up and dialled the number from memory. "Michelle doesn’t have one of these," she shouted to Harry. "She thinks they’re silly Muggle things, but I told her how they can order pizza, and now she wants one." Her voice paused for a second. "Oh hello, Giorgio," she said into the receiver. "It’s Sammy. Me and Harry want one of your specials."
There was another pause. "Thanks Giorgio," she said. "And can you send some ice cream as well?"
"Thank you," she said and hung up. "Twenty five minutes, Uncle Harry," she shouted as she ran into his living room and skidded to a halt. "How come all witches don’t have all this cool stuff?" she yelled.
"Most witches don’t like them, and electricity and magic don’t really mix," Harry said, as he brought two glasses of ice-cold coke into the room.
"You have them," Sammy pointed out with impeccable logic.
"But I have friends that can get around that sort of thing," Harry explained.
Sammy nodded and picked a DVD, placing it in the tray and jumping on the couch.
"Come and watch with me," she pleaded.
"Of course," Harry smiled, sitting next to her.
They paused the DVD for the pizza — a cooling charm kept the ice cream cold, and after they had both over-eaten, they lounged on the couch, Sammy lying on Harry.
"Why do Muggles always make their animals talk in cartoons?" Sammy asked.
"Because they can’t talk to them in real life."
"Why don’t you have any pets?"
"I had one once, a lovely owl called Hedwig."
"What happened to her?"
"She was killed by the nasty Snakeman," Harry sighed. "I never bothered to get one again after that."
"Uncle Harry?"
"Yes, Sammy?"
"Why are you two people?"
"What do you mean?"
Sammy scrunched up her face in thought and shifted so that she was lying on his chest, staring up at him. "To me, you’re Uncle Harry, right?"
"Right."
"To Mum and Dad, and to all my uncles and aunts, you’re Harry, the same person, right?"
"Right."
"But to everyone else, you’re Harry Potter, right?"
"Right," Harry said for the third time.
"And Harry Potter is a hero, right?"
Harry winced.
"But to me, you’re still Uncle Harry, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Is it hard being two people?"
"In a way, yes. Because I don’t like being Harry Potter," Harry explained. "And that’s who most people want to meet and expect. I like being Uncle Harry; it’s who I am."
Sammy nodded solemnly. "But you’re a hero, no matter who you are."
"I am?" Harry asked.
Sammy nodded again. "You’re the bestest grownup in the world. You let me do all sorts of cool stuff that none of my friends can do, and all my friends are really jealous that I know Harry Potter, and I keep telling them that Uncle Harry is better than Harry Potter, but they don’t believe me."
Harry laughed softly. "Let’s just keep what we do under your hat; we don’t want your mum finding out."
Sammy shuddered theatrically.
"Uncle Harry?"
"Yes, Sammy."
"How are babies made?"
Harry froze for a second, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this one. In the end, he intelligently decided that retreat was the best response. "That’s the sort of question that Mum’s are best at answering," he said evenly.
"Oh, okay," Sammy said cheerfully. "Can we watch TV for a bit?"
Harry picked up his wand from the floor, banished the mess on the table to the rubbish bin, and handed her the remote.
Hermione stepped into the private Floo, and she stepped out into Harry’s kitchen. The house was silent, apart from the sounds of Harry’s TV from the front room. She walked in and smiled slightly.
Harry was asleep on the couch; Samantha was asleep on top of him.
She pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, covered them gently, and turned the TV off.
She walked silently back to the kitchen.
"Thanks," she heard Harry whisper, and she smiled to herself. She should have known she’d never be able to sneak up on him, especially when he was responsible for something or someone.
She stepped into the Floo and went home.
"That was quick?" Bill asked.
"Samantha was asleep on Harry again."
Bill smiled. "He’d make a wonderful father."
"I know," Hermione sighed. "And a wonderful husband. He just needs someone who doesn’t see the most eligible bachelor in the country for the past six years running, and sees Harry."
She watched as Bill climbed out of his chair and walked over to her. "It will happen," he said seriously. "I refuse to accept that anyone who gives as much as Harry has is destined to die alone."
Hermione nodded. "I hope so," she whispered. "I really hope so."
"I know," Bill whispered, and started kissing her neck
"I’ve been thinking," Hermione said.
"Hmm?"
"Well, now that I’m a professor, it wouldn’t be hard for me to have a year off work."
Bill leaned back without saying anything, and she continued nervously. "And, well, I’m finding myself a little jealous of Sumi."
"You want a baby?" Bill asked with a surprised look on his face.
"I know I said I wanted a career, and I still do," Hermione assured him. "I just think that it might be time."
Bill nodded, and she couldn’t read his expression. "Is that all right?"
Bill smirked at her, and she relaxed as he picked her up. "All right?" he asked dryly. "Let’s just go upstairs and let me show you how all right it is."
"Oh," Hermione said, suddenly feeling a little light-headed. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Mummy," Samantha said as she sat in the bath, playing with the bubbles.
"Yes, dear?"
"Why doesn’t Uncle Harry have a girlfriend?"
"What do you mean?" Fleur asked.
"Well," Samantha said as she lifted her hands up and blew the bubbles into the air. "Uncle Ron has Aunt Sumi. Uncle Percy has Aunt Angelina, Uncles Fred and George have Aunts Katie and Penelope, and Uncle Bill has Aunt Hermione. But Uncle Harry is just himself. So why hasn’t Uncle Harry got a girlfriend he can turn into another Aunt for me."
"I think," Fleur said carefully. "It’s because all the girls want to date Harry Potter."
"Oh, and they don’t see that Harry Potter is just Harry," Samantha said sadly. "I asked Uncle Harry what it was like to be two people, and he was sad."
"I know, sweetie."
"Can I be Uncle Harry’s girlfriend when I grow up?" Samantha asked, closing her eyes tight as Fleur poured some shampoo onto her hair.
Fleur froze and took a deep breath, suddenly finding her heart beating faster than she had ever thought possible. "Has Uncle Harry talked to you about it?" she asked carefully.
Samantha giggled. "I want to surprise Uncle Harry," she said. "Uncle Harry should be happy. He smiles when he’s around me."
"He loves you," Fleur said gently, finding her heart slowing down, as unwanted and unwarranted thoughts vanished from her mind. "But it’s the same way that Daddy and I love you and not the way that Uncle Bill loves Aunt Hermione."
Samantha frowned and then slowly pouted. "I can still be friends with him and pretend, right?"
"Right," Fleur said dryly. "But you might want to look at boys your own age."
"But they smell, and Michelle says that they have the lurgies."
"They do get better as they get older," Fleur said with a smile. "Did you eat enough last night?"
"Uncle Harry made me eat lettuce," Samantha said, and then held her nose as she rinsed her hair under the water. "I’m not a rabbit."
"No, you’re a little girl," Fleur agreed. "Stand up." She wrapped a towel around her daughter and started to dry her.
"We should get Uncle Harry a rabbit. Then he could give the rabbit the lettuce, and I wouldn’t have to eat it. And then maybe Uncle Harry won’t miss Hedwig so much."
"How do you know about Hedwig?"
"I asked Uncle Harry why he didn’t have any pets, and he told me that the nasty Snakeman killed his owl. Why would the man do that?"
"He was evil," Fleur said simply. "We were all scared of him."
"Except for Uncle Harry, right? Uncle Harry isn’t scared of anyone."
"Except for Uncle Harry," Fleur agreed. "Uncle Harry fought the bad man so that everyone else would be able to live without the fear."
"Do you think Uncle Harry would like Aunt Ginny?"
"Do you ever get tired of asking questions?"
"No," Samantha said immediately. "I don’t want them to like each other."
"Why not?"
"Because Aunt Ginny’s been mean recently. I don’t like her."
"You don’t?"
"No. She thinks I’m a kid. I’m not — I’m seven years old!"
"I know you are," Fleur laughed softly and hugged her. "A very mature seven year old."
Harry looked at the road in front of him; at the end was a small hut, guarded by thirty of the best Aurors in the country.
All he had to do was get past them, get a flag out of it, and return here.
He felt ready. The twins had outdone themselves with toys. Ron had come up with some strategies to use them. Sumi had finished teaching him how to move like an animal. Charlie had him back up to full fitness, Bill had taught him a new way to detect traps, and Hermione had taught him some new curses that seemed very interesting.
And to top it off, he had Sammy’s hair ribbon in his pocket as a good luck charm. She’d wanted him to wear it, but Fleur had pointed out that it would make him stand out.
Sammy had told him, very firmly, to show Aunt Ginny that he was the bestest, because he didn’t treat her like a kid.
He’d smiled and hugged her. She had her mother’s stubbornness and her father’s temper, and she could be a royal brat some of the time.
But she was also the first child he’d actually found the time to get to know, and while he hadn’t really met her until she was four, it had been love at first sight when he had.
It had made him realise just how lucky he had been with Draco and Cho. It would tear him apart to know that he had someone like Sammy with someone else.
He ruthlessly shoved the feeling away, took a deep relaxing breath, then cast a Chameleon charm on himself and blended against the background.
The games were about to begin.
As always, thanks to my beta crew for all their hard work and for keeping me going. John, Cami, Rachael, Susie, Julie, Leslie, John, and Ellie.
THere will be a delay before I post again, as I'm moving house in a few days time.
Some people have put reviews asking me to email them when I do a new story - that's what the Email Alert link at the top of this page is for.