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Saving the Saviour

Chapter 30: Things Take a Turn

As they approached the bank where they had left their clothing, Lily turned her back and took a few steps away, appearing to be studying a colourful butterfly as it fluttered into view.

Harry and Ginny were surprised as they dried as they reached their clothing. Sharing shy glances they dressed quickly. It was one thing to be nude with one another while swimming and caught up in the moment and totally different when they were getting dressed with Harry's Mum nearby.

Once they were dressed Harry glanced at Lily and noticing she was still not paying attention to them, he went and took Ginny into a warm embrace.

"Someday we'll share that special experience," he whispered, blushing slightly.

"I know we will," Ginny replied and though she was also blushing, she had a burning look in her eyes that told him that she hoped it wouldn't be too long.

They shared a quick but intense kiss before they headed over toward Lily, hand in hand.

She must have sensed them coming because as they neared her, she turned and smiled at them.

"While in a way I'm sorry I interrupted, what you were getting up to wouldn't have actually taken place in the real world," she remarked softly, her eyes sparkling and her voice filled with humour.

"Don't worry, it will happen soon enough," she added, her smile growing a little.

Harry and Ginny blushed and glanced at one another. While they didn't understand why it wouldn't have been 'real', they took her word for it.

Lily gave them a look of such tenderness and so full of love, they felt it as a physical thing, like a warm hug and they sighed contentedly.

"Come on you two, walk with me," she said, setting off at a slow pace.

Harry and Ginny fell in step beside her, remaining silent because she was.

They watched as her eyes drifted around, taking in the nature that surrounded them, looking at birds, darting dragonflies, colourful flowers and the like.

Slowly Harry and Ginny relaxed and began to emulate what Lily was doing, letting the serenity of their surroundings fill them.

Once again, Lily seemed to sense the change that came over them and she turned her head and smiled at them.

"So, how are you two doing?" she asked, her eyes crinkling with humour.

Harry and Ginny shared a forlorn look before looking back at Lily.

"Not so good," Ginny replied, giving her a worried look. "But I suspect you are aware of that fact," she added, sounding a bit accusingly.

"Yes I'm aware of what you are experiencing but I wanted to hear how you are perceiving it," Lily replied unrepentantly.

"I don't like it and neither does Harry. It feels too much like the first time we were separated," Ginny told Lily unhappily.

Lily nodded her head slowly, a sad smile on her face. "I figured as much," she murmured.

"Do you know why we're feeling like this again?" Harry inquired, looking at his Mum hopefully.

"It's because your bond isn't completed," she sighed in reply.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick, apprehensive glance.

"Does that mean we have to . . ." Ginny asked, blushing deeply.

"Heaven's no," Lily giggled.

Harry and Ginny gave her somewhat relieved but puzzled looks.

"What you're feeling right now will be of short duration, and it will be up to each of you to determine if you're willing to put up with it," Lily explained gently.

Harry and Ginny looked each other in the eyes, trying to judge just how much the other was willing to put up with what they were feeling.

Each sensed the uncertainty in the other and found for the moment neither had an answer to that question. They knew further discussion was going to be necessary.

"What will happen when we complete the bond?" Ginny finally asked.

"Well, you'll both gain an increase in your magical powers and learn things more quickly," Lily stated with a small smile. "There are supposed to be some other benefits but since they don't happen to everyone and appear rather random, it's probably best for you to find out for yourselves," she added with a small smug look.

Ginny sensed there was more to it than she had said. "Are there any downsides?" she asked hesitantly.

Lily gave a small shrug. "While you'll be able to be apart without suffering, you'll find yourselves loathed to do so," she replied gently. "You'll also find yourselves irritable and quick to anger when you are seperated," she added softly.

"But why?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"Because even though the bond will have been completed, it will take some time to stabilize completely and even when it does you'll find that you will want to be with one another almost all the time, preferring each others company over everyone else," Lily explained patiently.

"Oh bother," Harry huffed, something he immediately regretted when he felt a spike of anger from Ginny.

"It's not that I'm against the idea and don't want it to happen, it's just that it's going to complicate things," he hastily added, sounding close to panicking.

He sighed when he felt Ginny's anger subside some as she understood what he was saying. Thinking about it, she found she had to agree with him, not that she wanted to tell him that right away.

"Yes it will," agreed Lily, "But that's one of the prices you'll have to pay for what you gain and I think what you gain far out weighs the price."

Harry sighed in resignation. "I know and I love Ginny more than I can say. She's my world and I don't know what I'd do without her," he offered, hoping that Ginny wouldn't stay mad at him.

Ginny felt herself melting on the inside. Yes, Harry could be an insensitive prat at times but then he'd turn around as say something that just filled her heart with his love for her.

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tender kiss, holding him tightly into her body.

Harry let himself relax into Ginny's embrace as he felt her love for him wrap itself around him just as completely as her arms were. He knew this was where he wanted to be, what he wanted to do. It was as natural as breathing, no thought was necessary and he found that amazing.

Ginny couldn't help but think, "I guess I can be just as much as a prat as he can," chiding herself for getting angry at him without really having a reason to.

It was at that moment she saw Lily looking at her with a knowing smile on her face and she was sure that she had heard what she had thought.

She noticed Lily's eyes brighten as her smile widened just a touch and she knew for sure she had heard. Lily laughed softly and met Ginny's eyes for a moment.

Ginny sighed but it was filled with a happy acceptance of the situation. While having your erstwhile mother-in-law in your head wasn't the most ideal situation, it did have its benefits too, especially at her age. Having someone older she could talk to that wasn't her own mother was definitely a plus and added on that was the fact she'd never let anything slip at the most inopportune time like a person in the real world might.

They strolled on for awhile without anyone saying anything. Harry finally wondered about that fact and turned toward his mother. "Mum? Is there something else you're keeping us here for?" he asked.

"I'm not keeping you here," Lily laughed softly, her eyes bright with merriment. "I figured you two just enjoyed my company so much."

While Harry got a puzzled look on his face, Ginny giggled and smiled at Lily. "While your son might not be enjoying your company, I certainly am," the petite red head said giving Harry a mischievous glance.

"Hey!" Harry protested, "I AM enjoying my time with my mum, it's just we've never experienced something like this before," he added defensively, looking a little hurt.

Lily smiled softly as she reached out and caressed his cheek. "I know son, I'm sorry we teased you. While it's something your father and I would have done if we had lived to raise you, I should have known better. The way my miserable excuse for a sister and her family treated you has left you ill prepared for such actions and for that I'm truly sorry," she said compassionately, her eyes reflecting the pain she was feeling.

Harry stared up into his mother's eyes, his own misting with unshed tears. "It's okay Mum, it's not your fault. I know you didn't want to leave me and I'll always be grateful for yours and Dad's sacrifice," he whispered emotionally.

"So will I," Ginny added. "Without it I wouldn't have Harry in my life and that's one thing I never want to contemplate. Without him I wouldn't even be alive right now," she murmured sadly.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly into his body, feeling bad that however tenuous the connection, he was responsible for her thinking about her first year.

Ginny sighed contentedly as she snuggled into Harry's embrace. It always made her feel better when he held her.

Lily wrapped her arms around both of them, hugging them hard. "Fortunately Harry was there to save you, something I'm grateful for as it's allowed me to meet you and come to know just what an exception woman you are," she said with a warm smile.

Ginny blushed even as she beamed at Lily, it was so nice to be complimented by someone who was coming to mean so much to her.

Lily kissed each of them on their cheeks before she let go and they continued walking.

A short time later Lilly noticed that Harry had a pensive look on his face. "What's going through that handsome head of yours?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with merriment.

Harry blushed and dropped his gaze, causing Ginny to giggle, "We really need to work on getting you to accept a compliment."

Harry huffed in annoyance but Ginny and Lily could see the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.

Ignoring the way the two women were smiling at him, Harry returned to his mum's question.

"I was just wondering why Dad hasn't been able to visit too," he stated quietly.

Lily sighed and gave him a wan smile. "Don't think it's because he doesn't want to be here as he does. It's just that he doesn't have the same connection that I do. The thing is my connection is with Ginny and can visit with you because of your connection with her," she replied compassionately.

"Oh," Harry said in surprise.

"Trust me Harry, if there was any way for James to be here he would," Lily stated sadly.

Harry nodded his head, not that he totally understood, he was just glad that he could visit with his mum at all.

They walked on for a short while without anyone saying a word, they just enjoyed being together.

Harry couldn't believe the conflicting emotions that he was feeling. On one hand he was so happy to be walking with his mum and Ginny, something he hoped that he'd have been able to experience if his parents were still alive, on the other hand, he was filled with a sense of melancholy because they were really dead and he could only spend time with his mum and not his dad.

On top of that, he also didn't know how much longer the connection that Ginny and his mum shared would last. While he knew that even is she was alive, she'd eventually die, but he figured that wouldn't have happened for seventy or eighty years or more and he sensed that he wouldn't have near that long with her in her present form.

Suddenly Lily came to a stop and Harry heard her sigh.

"Mum?" he asked worriedly.

"It's time for me to go," his mother said softly.

She noticed Harry's fearful look and she gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry, you're not rid of me yet," she teased lightly, trying to allay his fears.

Harry sighed in relief, for a moment he had thought that he'd never get to see her again.

Lily wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him hard. "I know that you'll miss me, but nothing lasts forever," she whispered.

"I know, Mum," Harry cried, fighting his tears. "It's just that I'm finally getting to know you and you'll be leaving me much sooner than if you were alive."

Lily swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump in her throat. She knew how hard his life had been and what a boon it was that he was getting to spend time with her. She wanted to curse the fates though she knew it was a useless gesture. Harry didn't deserve any of what he'd been through and while he was handling things pretty damn well, it just wasn't fair.

She hugged his body to her tightly, harder even than Mrs Weasley's trademark hugs.

"I love you Harry, never forget that," she whispered emotionally into his ear.

"I know Mum and I love you too," Harry whispered huskily, his tears trailing down his cheeks.

Lily kissed him on the forehead before she stepped back and with tears in her eyes, she stared into his as she slowly faded away.

Ginny was instantly there, hugging him almost as hard as his mother had. Harry just leaned into her embrace, tucking his head into her neck as he rested it on her shoulder. He breathed in deeply, letting her flowery fragrance fill him with a sense of peace.

"Thank you, Ginny," he whispered gratefully, holding her close with his eyes closed.

He felt a strange sensation and after it passed, he realized he was laying in bed, still snuggled tightly into Ginny.

"It's all right to miss her," he heard her whisper.

"I know, but thanks for reminding me," he replied softly, letting her warmth and love fill him.

They lay there for some time with Harry clinging tightly to Ginny and she holding him, offering her support, knowing what he must be feeling as she thought about how much her relationship with her own mother meant to her.

She began to caress him, running her one hand down through his hair and she felt him snuggle in a little tighter. She smiled as she felt his warmth and somehow their lips came together.

They kissed softly and as the kiss went on it began to change. It slowly became more heated and Ginny began to feel like she had when they were swimming.

So was Harry, if his response to her was any indication. He rolled her on her back, kissing his way down onto her neck, trailing hot kisses in the wake of where his head and lips were going.

Ginny angled her head, giving him better access to her neck. "Oh, Harry," she whispered breathlessly as she ran her hands over his back and through his hair, spurring him on.

Harry's hands weren't idle either and they began to roam over her body, reigniting the fires she had felt before, except this time it wasn't in whatever dream world that they met Lily in. It was real and now and it felt so bloody good.

Ginny moaned softly as she felt Harry's lips work lower, down across her collarbone. She was vaguely aware of fingers working the buttons of her nightgown, of her shrugging her shoulder to set it free, of Harry's lips trailing further down onto her now exposed skin.

To Ginny, it just kept feeling better and better and her hands began mirroring Harry's, unbuttoning his pyjama top, running her hands over his hot skin as it was exposed. She was aware of moaning and hearing Harry's moans in response.

She impatiently shrugged off the top of her nightgown, wanting to be free of its encumbrance.

She hissed in pleasure when she felt Harry's naked torso against her own, and she pulled impatiently on his shirt, wanting to get the offending garment off her love's body as it was just in the way.

She felt his hardness against her her thigh and she wanted to feel it against her skin. With a rising feeling of irritability, she momentarily took her hands off Harry and grabbed her nightgown and tore it off, throwing the offensive garment as far as she could.

Though she was now unencumbered, Harry's pyjama bottoms still remained between them. Huffing in frustration, she grabbed the waist of the garment and began to work it off of him.

Harry realized what Ginny was doing and he helped her remove the last barrier between them. As soon as it followed her nightgown, they crashed back together, both revelling in the new found sensations of their complete skin to skin contact.

Ginny was moaning deeply as she ran her hands down Harry's back, ending up clutching his arse cheeks, pulling him in even closer, loving the feeling of his warm body on hers.

Harry couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to hold the nude body of his bond-mate tightly against his own. It just felt so wonderful and so right.

Ginny snaked one hand down between them, taking hold of Harry's manhood. She moaned just as loud as he did when he felt her hand grasp him.

She was surprised that her hand barely encircled him, and while she briefly wondered if it would fit inside of her, she knew that's what she wanted.

Squirming a little, she spread her legs, letting Harry's body settle between them. She kissed him fiercely as she lined him up with her centre.

Harry groaned as he felt Ginny shift and he felt the tip of his rampant staff touch her hot, wet centre. Acting on instinct, he thrust his hips forward, driving a couple of inches into her.

Ginny hissed as she felt Harry enter her but the small pain she felt quickly disappeared as he worked himself deeper inside of her hot, clinging sheath.

Harry moaned as he felt Ginny's velvety tunnel envelope his manhood. He'd never felt anything so wonderful. He almost faltered when he heard her hiss of pain but then she thrust her hips forward, helping to drive him further inside.

Though neither knew what they were doing, they let nature take its course and they began to move together, giving each other as much pleasure as they could.

"Oh Harry! I can't believe how wonderful it feels," Ginny's mind sent to her love.

"I know, it's unbelievable. I love you so much," Harry replied, loving what they were sharing.

Ginny felt an unbelievable pressure building deep in her gut and before she could say anything, she felt it explode, sending the most exquisite pleasurable sensations racing through her body.

Harry felt Ginny tense and then she cried out as her back arched and she gripped him tightly, her centre gripping him, triggering his own release.

He kissed her ferociously, ravaging her mouth, his tongue dancing and swirling with hers as he felt like he was going to pass out from the intensity of what he was feeling.

Ginny felt herself getting lost in the wonderful feeling she was experiencing.

Suddenly, they felt their magic flare up and explode between them, adding to the wonderful, overwhelming sensations they were experiencing.

A warmth flooded their bodies and while they didn't see it, a bright golden light flared up, filling the room as a magical pulse exploded out of them.

They were so lost in what they were experiencing they didn't feel the very foundations of Hogwarts shudder from the magic they unleashed.

All through the school various denizens were reacting to what had just happened. The portraits awoke, looking around bewilderedly, wondering what had just taken place.

Every student and professor was startled out of their sleep, many finding themselves on the floor, having been tossed out of their beds.

One of those was Albus Dumbledore and he found himself looking around, feeling the after shocks of the magical pulse reverberating through the castle.

As he tried to gather his thoughts, he smelled an acrid odour drifting up from his office. He jumped up and ran down to see what was happening.

He halted in shock, taking in what he saw before him. Almost all of his little gadgets had been reduced to smouldering piles of melted metal.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eyes, he turned and saw Fawkes ruffling his feathers as he settled back down onto his perch.

He gaped in surprise as his familiar, met his eyes, looking rather smug and not concerned in the slightest.

"If you only knew, Albus," Fawkes thought smugly as he settled himself down and closed his eyes, falling asleep in a matter of moments. He knew what had just occurred and he couldn't have been happier for the young couple.

They were starting to come into their own and with the completing of their bond, they would be a force to be reckoned with.

Hogwarts was in an uproar, all the common rooms were packed with frightened students and their heads of houses were trying desperately to calm everyone down.

Meanwhile the other professors were frantically searching the castle, trying to determine just what had happened.

Poppy belted her dressing gown and hurried out into the hospital wing, preparing things in case there were injured that needed treating.

Once she had everything prepared, she went and opened the cabinet and took out every last vial of calming draught she had, hoping that she had enough.

Satisfied for the moment, she decided to go check on her charge, figuring he might be worried about what was happening.

She quickly made her way back to Harry's apartment and entered. She was slightly surprised when she didn't find Harry in his parlour and she hoped that he hadn't hurt himself.

Rushing to the bedroom, she opened the door. What she found brought her to an immediate halt. Her eyes opening wide in shock.

She shook her head and blinked, not believing what she was seeing.

Harry and Ginny lay entangled on the bed. What they had been doing painfully obvious to the matron.

The thing she found most astounding though was the cocoon of golden light that was wrapped around the couple. It flashed and pulsed, sometimes so bright it hurt Poppy's eyes.

"Oh Dear," she breathed out softly.

She stood there frozen, trying to figure out just what was going on. She wondered how had Ginny gotten into Harry's apartment without her knowing. There were spells cast on the entrances to let her know when they were used and none had been triggered.

She knew enough that she couldn't approach any closer and she was contemplating what she should do when she heard someone call her name.

Turning back to the parlour she saw a worried Minerva entering.

"Is Harry alright?" the concerned woman asked.

"Umm, I think so," Poppy replied uncertainly.

It was then that Minerva noticed the pulsing light coming from Harry's bedroom. "What's going on?" she asked with a frown.

Poppy sighed, not knowing what to tell her friend.

Seeing Poppy's reaction, Minerva came over and brushed past her and looked into the bedroom.

Poppy giggled softly when she saw Minerva's reaction. She imagined she had looked the same when she had seen what was taking place.

Minerva spun around, looking totally shocked. "What? How?" she stammered.

Poppy just shrugged. Like Minerva, she really didn't have a clue.

Minerva sighed and quietly shut the door as she exited. She motioned for Poppy to take a seat, joining her on the couch.

"I'm assuming that they're the cause of what happened," the older woman sighed.

"I believe so but I don't really know for certain," Poppy replied thoughtfully.

"How in the name of Merlin did Miss Weasley get here?" Minerva asked bewilderedly.

"I have no idea," Poppy replied, just as confused as her colleague.

Minerva shook her head, her eyes darting around unseeingly. "I'm guessing that my eyes didn't deceive me and they were actually making . . ." her voice trailed off.

"No, I'm sure you saw exactly what I did," Poppy reassured her friend.

"Well this certainly complicates things," Minerva sighed.

Both women just sat there, trying to figure out what was going on.

Albus Dumbledore tiredly rubbed his temples, trying to ease his pounding headache. Gathered before him in his office was almost every Professor, all talking at once.

"Please calm down everyone," Dumbledore finally called out loudly so that he could be heard over the cacophony of panicked voices.

Slowly everyone fell silent and stated at the venerable old Wizard.

"First off, has there been any injuries?" he asked, his eyes sweeping the crowd.

When everyone shook their head or said no, he sighed. "Was there any damage?" he asked, his eyes once more sweeping the crowd.

He nodding in satisfaction when there were only some reports of minor damage, suits of armour being knocked down and a number of cracked and shattered windows.

"Did anyone see anything that might have caused the incident?" he finally asked.

With everyone's answer of no, he sighed once more. Before he could continue, the heads of houses began demanding Calming Draughts for their charges. The first and second years were especially distraught at what had happened.

Promising to have the potions delivered to the common rooms, he dismissed everyone. It was then that he noticed that neither Poppy nor Minerva were present and he wondered where they were.

As the last of the Professors filed out of his office, Dumbledore rose, figuring he'd go check on Poppy and see if he couldn't get a headache potion while he did so.

He hadn't taken two steps when the missing women appeared in the door.

"Ah, there you are. I was just about to come and find you," he stated with a small smile.

"Sorry I'm late but after waiting to see if I would need to treat anyone, I took out all of the Calming Draughts I had, figuring they'd be needed," Poppy explained.

"Good thinking, I just told the other heads of houses that I'd have them sent to their common rooms," Dumbledore said appreciatively.

He turned his gaze to Minerva expectantly, but she remained silent, not explaining her delay in arriving. He shrugged it off, figuring that she may have had a harder time dealing with her Gryffindors.

"Is there any indication of what happened?" Poppy asked a bit hesitantly.

"Alas, no," Dumbledore replied regretfully. "Fortunately no one was injured and the castle only received minor damage but the cause is a mystery for the moment," he added sadly.

He was just turning to return to his desk when he noticed out of the corner of his eyes Poppy and Minerva share a quick glance. The thing was he didn't garner anything from their glance and it passed so quickly, he wasn't sure he'd actually seen it or not.

As he sat down, he smiled at Poppy. "If you'd be so kind as to send me a headache potion when you send the Calming Draughts to the common rooms, I'll forever be in your debt," he stated pleasantly.

"I'll see to it as soon as I get back to the hospital wing," Poppy assured him.

With that, the two witches turned and left. Dumbledore had hoped that Minerva would have stayed so he could question her further but he figured she needed to get back to Gryffindor Tower and oversee the distribution of the Calming Draughts. If need be, he could always talk to her later.

Rubbing his temples once more, he popped a Sherbet Lemon into his mouth. While it did calm him slightly, it did nothing to ease his headache and he hoped that Poppy sent the headache potion soon.

Harry and Ginny

Harry and Ginny lay snuggled together, basking in the afterglow of their love making. Both had smug smiles on their faces, and they couldn't stop lightly touching one another.

Nothing sexual, just running their fingers through one another's hair, rubbing of backs, stroking arms, small intimate touches that made them both tell each other how much they loved one another.

" I don't know about you, but I'm going to have a really hard time even returning to my dorm to wait for Fawkes to come and get me," Ginny sighed with a small smile.

"I know, I don't want you out of my sight. Just being with you makes me so happy," Harry sent back.

Ginny felt her heart clench, knowing that he'd had so little to be happy about in his life. Sure things were getting better but she didn't think it came close to making up for the years of abuse he had suffered.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked with concern, feeling Ginny's emotions shift.

"Damn bond," Ginny thought to herself. "I'll never be able to hide anything from him again," she groused.

Taking a couple of deep calming breaths, Ginny rolled over and stared into his eyes. "I was thinking about how much happier you've been lately," she explained, hoping that she'd not have to explain further.

Though he didn't come out and say it, Harry understood what she was thinking. "It's okay, love. I understand. Yes, my life hasn't been a bed of roses, but none of that matters now because I have you," he sent as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

Ginny felt a lump form in her throat but it was tempered by what he said. She felt her love for him grow as she thought about how much he had changed, and it was all for the better.

He was so loving and compassionate, besides how passionate he could be. Just thinking about it brought back memories of their making love and how wonderful it had felt.

She couldn't help but think about what Lily had said about them not needing to take that step and she giggled lightly, glad that they hadn't listened to her about that. Yes they were young, but to her it didn't matter, they were bonded and that's what was important.

Plus she could feel that her magic was already much stronger than it had been and she could tell it was still growing. Feeling through their bond, she knew it was the same for Harry.

While they might have waited, she was sure that they'd made the right decision. She knew in her heart that things were going to get even more dangerous and deadly and they needed to be prepared as much as possible. Having their magic much stronger could only be a good thing as far as she was concerned.

Feeling Harry move, she turned her attention to him and was surprised to see him glancing around the room with a puzzled look.

"What's the matter?" she asked quizzically.

Harry immediately turned his attention to her, looking slightly embarrassed. "Nothing is the matter per se, it's just that I, ah, don't seem to need my glasses any more," he replied hesitantly.

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise, then a smile crept onto her face. "That's fantastic," she beamed enthusiastically.

Harry was surprised when her smile turned quite mischievous. "We need to make your glasses plain glass now," she explained.

"Why?" Harry asked in confusion.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, causing him to blush embarrassingly.

"Think about it, Harry. If everyone still thinks you need your glasses it could give you an unexpected advantage in the right circumstances," she pointed out like she was explaining it to a somewhat dim witted child.

Harry gave a small jerk in surprise. "O never thought of that," he replied embarrassingly.

"That's why you need me," Ginny teased good naturedly.

"That and so much more," he replied emotionally, kissing her deeply. "You're . . . you're my world. I couldn't live without you," he added fervently, giving her such an intense look it took her breath away.

Ginny hugged him hard into her body as she returned his kiss with equal intensity. "That goes both way," she sent, letting her love flow between them.

Slowly their ardour died back and they returned to just snuggling together. It was a short time later that Ginny glanced around uneasily.

"Shouldn't Fawkes have returned by now?" she asked hesitantly.

Harry glanced at the clock and saw it was almost nine thirty and his eyes widened in shock.

"Oh Merlin, look at what time it is," he cried in a panic.

Ginny's eyes widened just as much as his did and she jumped out of bed, scurrying around, trying to find her clothes. "Oh Godric, we're going to be in so much trouble," she sobbed.

Just as they finished getting dressed, Fawkes flashed into the room and trilled a greeting.

"Fawkes, where have you been? We're going to get caught and get into so much trouble," Ginny cried in despair.

"Be at peace," Fawkes trilled softly. "All will be well."

"But someone is bound to come in and catch us," Ginny cried despondently.

"I hate to tell you this, but it's a little late to worry about getting caught," the magnificent Phoenix sang, his voice filled with amusement.

Harry and Ginny stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Harry asked fearfully.

"Well, after you two shook the castle to its very foundation when you consummated your relationship last night, it seems Poppy and Minerva came in to check to see if Harry was okay. Needless to say, they discovered you two together," Fawkes explained, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Harry and Ginny shared a worried look. "What do you mean we shook the castle to its foundations?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

Fawkes trilled a deep laugh. "When you made love, the magic backlash spread out like a bomb went off," he sang humorously. "It was something to behold, let me tell you. Half the students had to be dosed with Calming Draughts and you even knocked Albus out of his bed!"

Harry and Ginny stared at him wide-eyed in shock.

"Don't worry, no one knows what really happened, though Poppy and Minerva may have some suspicions but they don't have any proof," Fawkes reassured them.

Harry and Ginny relaxed considerably and sighed.

"Are you going to take me back now?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Not this morning. It's too late to sneak you in to your dorm as all of your dorm mates are awake and because of what happened last night, classes have been cancelled for today. Besides, Poppy and Minerva are waiting for you in your parlour," Fawkes trilled in explanation.

Harry and Ginny went white.

"Do not worry, things will turn out all right," Fawkes reassured them. "Come, let's not keep them waiting."

Harry and Ginny looked at Fawkes in surprise.

"Yes, I am coming with you," the Phoenix answered their unasked question.

Seeing there was no way out of it, Harry and Ginny joined hands and headed for the door, with Fawkes circling right behind them.

They paused to take a deep breath and then Harry opened the door, leading Ginny out into the parlour. They stopped right outside the bedroom door when they spotted Poppy and Minerva sitting on the couch, sipping tea.

They shared a worried glance before they turned back to the two women. "Good morning," they both said softly.

Harry and Ginny

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter done and posted. Real Life has a way of throwing a spanner in the works now and again.

As always, I'd appreciate a review. Come on, I know you want to write one.