FicWad

Chapter 17 - Getting On With It

Chas, the owner and proprietor of Hogsmeade Dry Goods Emporium pushed non-existent dust bunnies around his spotless wooden floor. For some reason his business had dried up this week. He had afriendly rivalry going with Burke's General Store but since Burke had started flying that green banner over his store sign everyone seemed inclined to shop there. The night before, as they threw back a pint in the Hog's Head Burke had explained.

"Since Miss Zabini's made us one of the clients of the Benevolent Sons I seem to be getting all the traffic -say what you will about it, that little green flag keeps the bad un's away." The old man leaned forward conspiratorially, "An the not-so-little girl ain't so hard on the eyes either, is she?"

"I wouldn't know," Chas had to admit, "She hasn't paid me a visit yet. Zabini you say?"

"Yeah, Blaise Zabini, you know her?"

"I know a bloke by that name, dark skin, looks like one of them boy band singers."

"Well I don't know any bloke by that name, but our Blaise is dark, dark skin and hair and as female as they come, y'know whot I mean?"

"You ain't!"

"Naaahhh, o' course not. I'm too old f' the likes of her, but she ain't shy about showin' off her, um, assets, y'know?"

"Big busted, you mean?"

"Oh that don't do em' justice, mate."

"Well, if you get too many customers tomorrow send some of em' my way, all right, Burke?"

"Right you are, Chas!"

___ooo000ooo___

Blaise was going slow in Hogsmeade, which was, in effect, a very small town where everyone knew everyone else. If one person felt threatened or pressured in any way the whole village would band together to fight. They'd proven that in the final battle against the Dark Lord.

So it was soft sell and keep the bumpkins happy. Undo another button and they'd slobber all over themselves. S/he hadn't thought of a suitable revenge on Parkinson or Chas yet, but whatever it was couldn't point back to the Sons of the Serpent. Any mistakes here and Hogsmeade would be lost.

___ooo000ooo___

Hermione woke to the gentle sound of Harry snoring. He was half seated in the chair by her bed with his head and arm resting next to her pillow. The dark stubble around his chin reminded her that they weren't children anymore. Of course, the baby at her breast was reminder enough of that. She shifted little James to her other breast and turned slightly to one side to stare at the dark haired young man beside her pillow. He'd let the hair grow to the perfect length, long enough to behave but not too long. His glasses were askew so she gently removed them with her free hand and, using James's blue blanket, dabbed the corner of his mouth were a thin line of drool was forming.

"Like baby like daddy." She smiled.

He murmured "Ginny?" in his sleep and Hermione felt as though an icicle had pierced her heart. She held her baby, her baby - no one else's to her breast, turned away from the baby's father and sobbed softly.

___ooo000ooo___

Harry was walking along a narrow road that ran beside a hill. As the road curved to follow the landscape he saw a small stone bridge. On the bridge were three people: a thin young man with dark hair, a petite ginger haired girl and a slightly taller girl with brilliant pink hair.

He only had eyes for the redhead.

"Ginny?"

Ginevra Molly Weasley ran to meet him and flew into his welcoming arms. They kissed, tenderly at first, then with increasing intensity until the two people left on the bridge coughed theatrically.

"Normally I'd say something suitably crass like, "Oi! Get a room!" but I'm too much a romantic to do that to you two kids.

"Sirius?"

Harry didn't let go of Ginny, he just opened up the embrace to enfold his godfather as well.

Harry felt his heart was so full it would burst. He had them back, most important he had her back and he wasn't ever going to let her go, not ever.

"You have no idea how much I love you!" she said, snuggling under his arm. The other arm he held tight around Sirius's shoulder. He nuzzled the top of her ginger hair.

"Wotcher Harry, godfather of my one and only son!"

"Tonks! It's good to see you well and up and about after, after. . ."

Harry held Ginny tighter than ever then asked, "Am I dead?"

"No, my love, you're just visiting us for a bit, after that you have to go back. You have aresponsibility to the next generation. James, your son, and Teddy, your godson- they're both going to need you.

Harry fell to his knees in front of Ginevra. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, really. We weren't together and there was a better than even chance we wouldn't be. You do love Hermione and that's okay - if you need me to say it, I will. It's okay to love Harry; it's better than okay, its necessary - it's like oxygen!"

"Love Hermione, love your beautiful son. Be there for Teddy when the other children are cruel and ask him about his mummy and daddy remind him that he has a mother and a father; a mother and father-in-love."

"Oh, and Harry," Tonks interrupted, "If you see a tall thin Druid who goes by the name o' David? Tell him I said it's okay to live; it's okay to love again. Oh yeah, and most important, make sure he spends as much time with Teddy as he wants, Okay? Okay!"

"Ginny, Sirius, Tonks; is this happening or am I just dreaming it all up?"

"Of course you are dreaming, Harry, but as I said before, what makes you think its any less real?"

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"In the flesh, so to speak."

"What must I do?"

"It's more proper to tell you what you mustn't do, Harry. You mustn't be the one who defeats the emerging dark lady - if you deign to call this creature a lady."

"Dark Lady?"

"Oh yes, Harry, when one dark lord or lady is defeated it leaves an inevitable vacuum which the forces of darkness labor to fill."

"Who is this Dark Lady?"

"You will know her if you see her, but still, I think it would be better if you did not."

"Why not?"

"Because our world will become complacent if you come charging to the rescue every time evil rears it's ugly head - fight if you must, defend your home and your family, but do not seek out this new evil. It is not for you this time."

"But I can help."

"In the short term, yes. In the long term you would be setting our world up for failure. You've run your race, pass the baton to another."

"Listen, my love, this is important. When you come back this way I'll be right here. . ."

"We'll be right here!" Sirius and Tonks said simultaneously.

". . . We'll be right here waiting, and then we can all travel on together, you, me, Hermione, Ron, everyone you ever loved or who has ever or will ever love you will be here and then we can begin the next great adventure!"

"I don't want to go!"

"You have to, love, you're not really here after all."

"Remember to live, remember to love!"

"Teach my grand-godson about his heritage, tell him and James about the Maurauders!"

"Remember the Druid!"

"I love you!"

___ooo000ooo___

"Ginny?" Harry mumbled, half awake.

"Hermione?"

The chestnut haired girl turned to see tears in his eyes; he saw that her face mirrored his own.

"I've just had a dream, a waking dream. I saw Sirius and Tonks and, and. . ."

"And Ginny?"

"How did you know?"

"You said her name in your sleep, oh Harry, how can I compete with a dead girl? Will you be calling out her name in your sleep forever? Will I ever mean that much to you?"

Harry sat up on her bedside, gently grasped her shoulders and looked into her soul with those deep emerald eyes.

"I will always love Ginny. . ."

Hermione started to turn away.

". . . but know this: I've always loved you more, and I always will."

She looked back incredulously.

"But you always were the one for Ginny, and I was going to be the one for Ron. We were going to be one big happy Weasley family."

He shook his head.

"That would have been adisaster. I've never seen any two people less suited for each other than you and Ron."

"But."

"No buts, you two would have been a train wreck together. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves."

"I can think of one or two people who are. . ."

"Delusional?"

"I guess so."

There was a pregnant pause that was only broken when Hermione asked, "what did you dream about?"

"I'm not sure it was a dream. For one thing I could see and hear and feel and smell, y'know? All my senses worked and that's not normal for a dream, is it?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Ginny told me that she knew I'd always loved you and that it was all right, necessary even, for me to love you. And Tonks told me that I needed to tell Brother David that it was okay for him to be in love too. Weird!"

"Truly."

"And Dumbledore was there."

"Dumbledore; what did he say?"

"He said there was a new dark lady rising and that I needed to keep out of this one, that it wasn't mine to do."

"Harry, I know you. If there's adark lord or lady anywhere near you you're going to take them out."

"Apparently it's important for me to not be the one to do that, something about our world becoming too dependent on 'saviors'."

"What do you want to do, Harry?"

"Your folks are still in Perth, right?"

Hermione nodded, she still hadn't un-obliviated them.

"Andromeda has family there, and I think she'd like to move, y'know, get away from the place that took her husband and daughter.

"I don't know Harry, feels like running away."

"Not to me. To me it feels like running to something, call it home."

He gently lifted baby James and held him tenderly.

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course."

"Will you marry me?"

"Only until the end of my days, Mister Potter."

___ooo000ooo___

Mitsy Rolfe was in the tiny bathroom of the small flat she shared with her boyfriend Karl. Karl was asquib who found too many opportunities to bolster his self worth by abusing the witch he lived with, rent free. The witch in question was in the loo, cleaning up after the rough sex he'd provided.

"Couple a charms an' the bruises won't show, eh? Git y'self cleaned up and be quick about it - mebe we kin pick up a playmate at the Hag's Hump!"

As Mitsy applied the healing salve she looked at her reflection. She was fairly young, just in her thirties, meaning she could pass for a college age girl in the muggle world, she wasn't too hard on the eyes, she made a decent living working as aparalegal in the magical law office of Zubediah Vance. She could get a better flat if she had a flat-mate who actually contributed something other than sex and abuse. Tonight would be another bad one, she just knew it.

Karl fancied himself a ladies man, he loved to try to charm sweet young things into their already crowded bed- that is to say he'd slip them a lust potion and then make the appropriate suggestions. Usually the evening ended with the girl running out of the apartment because he couldn't perform very well with one girl, let alone two; and in his frustration he'd turn mean and start hitting.

Once the other girl was gone the only one left to beat on would be Mitsy.

She hated her life.

___ooo000ooo___

Blaise got well and truly tarted-up and headed for the Hag's Hump. It had been a while since s/he'd seen any action and was feeling randy. The indecently short red dress displayed two stocking-clad legs that seemed to go on forever and was cut low enough to enhance the magnificent baps barely contained within. All in all it was the stuff of an adolescent boy's wet dreams.

Add the matching red four-inch"fuck me" heels and Blaise was five-foot, eight inches of walking sin.

Karl saw a goddess walk through the door. He told Mitsy to go over and invite the black beauty to join them.

Blaise was delighted. Karl was charming, Mitsy was demure - they obviously wanted some extra spice in their relationship.

Zabini sniggered as s/he saw the man surreptitiously slip a powder into a drink and then hand it over.

A brief distraction and Blaise's drink was exchanged for Mitsy's.

Blaise self-administered adifferent potion, a simple sildenafil citrate, powder. Since the quasi-sex change, more and more of the bitter powder was needed in order for Blaise to"rise" to the occasion. Tonight's dose was twice that of the previous week.

The bitter concoction made Zabini wince and Karl smugly assumed he'd successfully administered the lust potion.

After a few minutes he said, "So, Blaise, fancy coming up to our flat for a bit o' fun?"

"I thought you'd never ask, luv!"

___ooo000ooo___

Allison was walking around just inside the perimeter of protective spells between the forbidden forest and the chicken coops of Parkinson House. At her side was an enormous brown dog, was that a husky? Surely it couldn't be a wolf - as there are no wolves in the U.K., right?

The adult wolves were off in the forest doing grownup things; Allison had walked unexpectedly upon the two grown wolves coupling and had retreated, red faced. Later, when the Druid, David, and Bellanca had asked her to keep Odin company she knew why, and readily agreed. She didn't want the pup to get an eyeful as well. She couldn't have known that young wolf cubs see their elders mating whenever the bitches go into heat and think nothing of it.

___ooo000ooo___

Remus and Bella morphed into their human shapes and dressed in silence. Finally the vampiress said,"Tomorrow is Imbolic, I'll be putting my vestments away for good and all."

Remus nodded, "I'll be presiding over the Sabbat."

He looked at her and was startled by her skin, seeming even paler in the light of the waning moon and was moved to ask, "Do you need to feed?"

"I wouldn't say no to a little nip?" she answered with a smirk.

Remus removed his robe and placed it on the ground before lying on it, his legs parted to give the vampiress full acess to his femoral artery.

Bella smiled and then jumped back, startled, as a white winged furry ball of scorched fluff landed with athud between Remus's legs. She sensed the identity of the large bat from their shared blood.

"Eliza?"

The bat rolled onto its back and Bella gasped at the half burned face.

"Can you transform?"

The bat looked at her, then at Remus, and then back to her.

"Remus, this is my ancestress, Eliza Shakespeare. She's been hurt and needs to feed. Can you spare two or three pints?"

He nodded and lay back as the ancient vampiress crawled to his thigh to begin feeding.

___ooo000ooo___

Blaise kissed Mitsy deeply as Karl worked the fasteners on the little red dress. One breast, then the other popped out, nipples hard enough to cut glass.

"Oh baby," Zabini purred, "you wanna play?"

The man moaned "Oh yes!"

"Get naked; lie on the bed."

He quickly complied.

Blaise stifled a snicker and shared a sideways glance with Mitsy, whispering, "Kind of /underwhelming/, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, what he lacks in size and stamina he more than makes up for in speed!"

Karl, who couldn't hear what the bitches were saying began to get impatient.

"Oi, I'm right here, y'know?"

Blaise, topless and breathing hard vamped over to the head of the bed and said, "Don't worry, luv, you'll get fucked tonight - well and truly done to!"

The man smirked and reached for Zabini's tits.

"Ah, ah, ah! Turn over first."

He looked incredulous, but complied.

Blaise conjured ropes which snaked around Karl's wrists and ankles, binding him to the iron bed frame, before incanting "Silencio!"

The quasi-transsexual shimmied the rest of the way out of the dress and Mitsy was shocked at the size of the semi-flaccid member. Her first thought was to cut and run, but then she remembered multiple bruises, humiliations, broken bones and teeth and she crossed over to Blaise.

The lust potion that had been meant for Blaise course through her veins, she hesitated for only a moment before kneeling to take charge of the growing todger in front of her. She used her lips and tongue to bring the tranny fully erect.

When Blaise was rock hard Mitsy scowled in the direction of the bed where Karl was watching in horrified silence.

"Fuck me, baby, make me scream before you pound him into the mattress!"

___ooo000ooo___

An unfortunate side-effect of sildenafil citrate, A.K.A. Viagra, is that the longer you use it, the more you need to use.

At least that's what I've heard, yeah, that's it. . .