ANGIE!
I IT
OMG!!
IF GINNY DIES I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!
I do like this though...
But I can't read Greek
I used a translator anf got the jist of it though
PAMS!
ILY
Abi... xox

Omg! that was so so awesome...i am so waiting for more...more...i can actually feel the desparate voices and the desparation in me when i was reading it....i was sort of reading it in full speed just like them talking in full speed to those people...wow....awesome...waiting for more...

Okay so I decided to split chapter 34 into two parts, even if it was originally one part, mostly because it was too big to post in one time and slightly because I wanted to keep you wired for a little while more.....
But don't worry, what you've all been waiting for is here in this part Please please post and tell me what you think or if you want me to change something.....I just want you guys to like the end.....

Chapter 34 part 1

It was like time slowed down at the moment Artemis started lowering the dagger in her hands, towards Ginny’s chest. Everyone was frozen and Harry in his panic raised his wand to the part of the ceiling above the circle the Death Eaters had made and made it explode. Like he had anticipated the wrecks couldn’t break through the circle and instead banged upon its force field and spread everywhere. The explosion however was enough to divert Artemis’ attention from Ginny, to the part of the ceiling that seemed to be falling right towards her. She didn’t jump to the side, knowing that the circle would protect them, but some of the Death Eaters weren’t that optimistic. Four of them cried out in fear and broke the circle, running to avoid the wrecks, before they even realized that it hadn’t affected them.
That was the golden second Harry and the others needed. Before Artemis even knew it Harry had called for the dagger, eliminating the imminent danger, while Ron had cut the ropes around Ginny’s wrists and she sat up, still surrounded by the remaining Death Eaters. Artemis drug her wand from her robes pointing it at Ginny and keeping her put. All that in a few seconds.
“You idiots!” she hissed. “Come back here!”
All four of the Death Eaters rushed to the circle again, reconstituting it, before Harry or anyone else could take one of them out. At the same moment however another Death Eater took a step back.
“What are you doing?” Artemis yelled outraged again.
“They’re right; this is wrong”, the masked figure said and Artemis opened her mouth to reply crazed from anger, but she didn’t get the chance, because all hell broke loose.
The fight erupted like Doctor Filibuster’s fireworks, the Death Eaters breaking the circle completely to face the attackers. Before Artemis even knew it, Ginny jumped off the table, ducking to avoid the curses that flew everywhere, while Hermione had already taken out two Death Eaters and Ron three. Artemis yelled outraged, turning to Ginny again, determined to kill her even with a curse, but Harry was already there. Even in the mist of it all, Artemis managed to smirk.
“And it was getting so easy, that it was boring”, she said.
“Artemis it’s over!” Harry yelled, holding the wand that pointed at Artemis’ heart in one hand and Ginny’s hand in the other. “Close the Portkey”.
“No”, she said simply moving to stand right in front of the wall, upon which Albus was tied up. Harry’s eyes drifted up to his son momentarily and then to the woman between them. “Get her!” Artemis cried out pointing at Ginny.
“Ginny, get yourself a wand!” Harry yelled, but she didn’t need him to tell her twice; letting go of his arm she turned and went next to Ron, who took a wand from a fallen Death Eater and gave it to her. “Step aside”, Harry said.
“No”, Artemis responded again. Her features were drugged up in an angered grimace and every sign of a smirk was long gone.
And the next moment she and Harry started dueling. The curses that each sent getting blocked by the other and then flying everywhere.
“Hey, do you mind?” Ron exclaimed as he and the Death Eater he was dueling ducked to avoid Harry’s averted Stunning spell.
Harry couldn’t do anything to stop this though; he knew that even one second of hesitating could give Artemis the opening she needed to defeat him. She was so crazed to make her plan work, now that she had gotten so close to the end that seemed like nothing, no spell, no curse could stop her. Harry kept pushing her with curse after curse to move from the wall and after a few minutes she did and begun walking backwards, towards the other side, still fighting fiercely against him.
They found themselves at each side of the table, Ginny was tied up on; Artemis with her back to the open Portkey. Harry attempted to free Albus, but every move he made towards him was blocked by Artemis, her Death Eaters keeping everybody else from trying too. Artemis smirked again as she flicked her wand sending the cruciatus towards him, which he had to duck to avoid.
“So as it seems I may have to change my plan a little bit”, she yelled over the chaos that reigned in the room.
“You’re gonna have to stop it”, Harry said, avoiding her Stunning spell; she ignored him, still smirking. The next moment she scooped down, picking something up and avoiding Harry’s curse at the same time. She stood up with the dagger in her hands again.
“I think I must accept that it won’t be your wife that I’m gonna sacrifice”, she yelled.
“You’re not sacrificing anyone!” Harry yelled, but the next moment she grabbed the Death Eater next to her, bringing the dagger to his neck.
Harry’s eyes widened; she was ready to kill one of her own. But then he realized that it was the Death Eater that had stepped back, breaking the circle. She pulled his mask off. It was a boy, not more than seventeen.
“Let him go!” Harry exclaimed, but Artemis laughed as the boy tried to escape her hold. With one sharp move she stabbed him, right in the heart.
Before Harry could even register what had just happened however, she had turned around and threw the boy’s body into the Portkey. The change was observable. The sucking hole on the wall changed from purple to red and loud screams started coming from it, the ground slightly trembling from the power it was transmitting. Artemis turned to Harry again.
“Just a few words, Potter”, she yelled. “Just a few words are all we have left before the Dark Lord…NO!”
Harry turned and managed to stop Artemis’ curse at the last second. It wasn’t to him however. James and Teddy had managed to untie Albus in the time it took Artemis to kill the young Death Eater and she went ballistic noticing them trying to drug the boy away. Harry stopped her Killing Curse by making a gargoyle come alive and stand right in front of the three boys, taking the curse instead. But another curse was coming towards them from another direction.
Teddy pushed James down and he fell on his brother’s unconscious form, as Yaxley and the revived Dolohov advanced towards them. James swore under his breath as he stood up again, but Teddy stood between him and the two Death Eaters.
“No, James, take Albus and go!” Teddy yelled as Hermione rushed to Teddy’s aim and both of them begun dueling the two men, keeping them from the boys.
“But…”
“JAMES, GO!” Harry bellowed and James obeyed, scooped down and started drugging Albus with him, towards the door.
“No, get them, GET THEM!” Artemis shouted, but she couldn’t do anything to stop them herself since Harry was making sure she couldn’t make a move without having to block a curse, that would cost her, her life.
As the floor beneath Harry’s legs trembled again from the screams that came through the Portkey, a more real scream was heard behind them and he wasted one second to glance back, only to see Hermione flying across one side of the room and Yaxley flying across the other.
“Hermione!” Ron cried out rushing to her side, but Harry couldn’t keep looking to see if she was alright, because Artemis was trying to take advantage of this to chase after James, who was now two meters from the door.
Hermione’s and Yaxley’s simultaneous fall, left Teddy fighting with Dolohov. Teddy was blocking curse after curse, his primary goal to keep the man’s attention away from the boys. He did manage to take him further inside the room and almost next to where Harry and Artemis were dueling, in front of the Portkey, but both of them knew that Dolohov was a stronger and a far more experienced dueler. But Teddy wasn’t giving up.

James reached the door and grabbed the handle, taking one last look of what was happening inside as he tried to drug his brother through it. His father was dueling with Artemis so fiercely that the ground beneath their feet warmed up; Teddy was trying to survive from Dolohov’s killing curses; his uncle was fighting with three Death Eaters at once, in front of his aunt’s unconscious form; and his mother had taken on two Death Eater of her own, stopping them from following them.
James opened the big, wooden door and folded his arms around Albus again, drugging him out of the room. He turned around just a moment before the curse flying his way found him. He ducked down, dropping Albus and turned to see.
“Cornelia!” he exclaimed as the girl was coming towards him with her wand raised. “Cornelia, no!” he yelled blocking the curse she sent his way again.
Her eyes were unfocused and her face hard, as she kept shooting curses at him, James blocking them, but not returning them.

Meanwhile, Harry was still fighting with Artemis, right in front of the still open Portkey and Teddy with Dolohov.
“I don’t know if you’re a good healer boy but you won’t be able to heal yourself, when I’m done with you”, Dolohov hissed.
“You talk too much”, Teddy sighed, jumping to the side to avoid Sectumsembra. “Stupefy!” he yelled. Dolohov flicked his wand lazily, avoiding the spell, and then he smirked at the boy.
“You know I killed your father, right?”
“Yes, I do”, Teddy growled, shooting another stunning spell against him. Dolohov grunted.
“Enough of this”, he said and then flicked his wand again and Teddy’s wand left his hands. Dolohov’s eyes shined with a murderous gleam. “Avada…”
“STUPEFY!” Harry shouted forgetting about Artemis and pushing Teddy out of the way, moments before Dolohov could kill him. His unexpected stunning spell hit Dolohov right in the face and the Death Eater fell backwards, joining his fallen colleagues on the floor.
“Expelliarmus!”
“Expelliarmus!”
Artemis and Ginny yelled the same curse at the same time, Artemis attempting to disarm Harry and Ginny to disarm her. Their curses met in the air and both Ginny’s and Artemis’ wands flew from their hands. But Artemis still had the dagger in her hands and before Ginny has time to react, she threw herself at her.
“Ginny!” Harry yelled as the two women fought with each other, a few meters away from them, in front of the screaming, sucking hole. He raised his wand, but he couldn’t cast a spell without risking hitting Ginny.
Artemis was trying to stab Ginny and Ginny had grabbed both of her hands, trying to stop the dagger from fulfilling its original purpose and plunging into her chest. Harry and Teddy watched terrified as the two women moved closer and closer to the hole, the air from it making blonde and red hair fly all around. Harry realized that the closer they moved to the hole the louder the screams from the Portkey were; the sucking air rising.
“Ginny, watch out!” he yelled as the hole was widening.
Ron had rushed to them and was also trying to get a clear shot of Artemis but he couldn’t quite achieve it.
“What do we do?” he asked Harry. At that moment Artemis broke through the hold of one of Ginny’s hands and stabbed Ginny’s shoulder, as Ginny averted the aim with her other hand.
“Ginny!” Harry and Ron, both yelled and launched themselves towards the two women, but before they reached them many things had happened.
Ginny grabbed a hold of Artemis’ hair with her uninjured hand and Artemis screamed outraged, grabbing Ginny’s throat, with both of her hands, dropping the dagger down. Ginny planted her knee on the woman’s stomach and as she let go of her throat, she kicked her right into the Portkey. For a few moments everyone froze as Artemis fell through the hole and disappeared with a loud scream.
Harry reached Ginny and hugged her tightly, careful not to hurt her shoulder. Ginny clung onto him, still looking wide eyed at the Portkey.
“That will teach her not to wrestle with someone who was raised in a house with six boys”, she muttered then under her breath, making Harry, Ron and Teddy laugh.
Harry stroked Ginny’s hair, kissing her forehead. It was over. Then the door of the room burst open.

At the same time, during the quarter of an hour that it took for all that to happen, outside the door James was trying to avoid Cornelia’s curses without hurting her, but it was getting harder and harder. She was getting more and more vicious and he knew that he had to take Albus out of there.
“Cornelia, please!” he yelled as her stunning spell hit his shield.
Her eyes flashed and she raised her wand, not pointing at him, but at the wall behind him and James knew what she was going to do before she did it, but he didn’t have time to react. The wall exploded into fifty thousand pieces and plasters and woods flied everywhere, some falling on him and hitting him hard on the head.
James was flat on the floor, a hot liquid running down his head. He thought that he must have passed out for some minutes. He threw small pieces of plaster off of him and sat up, wiping away the blood from the side of his head. Cornelia sat up too. Her lips were cut and she had a big gash running down her cheek. But her eyes were different.
“Cornelia?” he said and she looked at him.
“James! James, oh, James, I’m so sorry!” she said trying to get up. “I could see you, but I couldn’t stop myself and I…”
She left her sentence uncompleted and froze at the process of getting up, her eyes staring at something behind her. James turned. She was staring at the pile of woods, bricks and plasters, where the biggest part of the wall had fallen and beneath it… a hand.
“Albus!”

-Angie-

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! This was so good I can't think of what to say. I'm speehless, and breathless. It was action packed from the beginning to the end of this post! Hope the next part of the chapter finds Albus ok. He really needs to be ok! But how.. never mind. I can't wait for the next part to come out. You won't be heartless and leave us this way long will you?

Great post, and I'll be watching for your next.

nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
albus!!!!!!!!!!!!
this was amazing
during the entire thing i was shouting "yeah!" and "no!" and "yeah! show her ginny!" when they were wrestling
that was just amazing
PAMS

Yay!!!!!!!! Artemis is gone, Artemis is gone, Artemis is gone, Artemis is gone, Artemis is gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!! Oh, but wait Albus is okay, right? I mean you can't actually kill him, right?????? RIGHT????? I can't wait for more, though I must say that I don't really like the fact that the fic is about to end..... well.....PAMS!!!!!!!!!!!
*Kate*

Well, I promise not to be heartless and not to leave you like that for long, since the next part is alredy written, I just want to finish the epilogue

But how...what??? If you want to ask me something or if I got something wrong or made it far too misleading tell me and I'll change it.

I think you were right about the previous chapter about how Harry and the others got caught, it seemed really easy, but I only wanted to get over with it so I could get to the next part, where they're in the main room. I'll probably go back and redo the actual thing when I have time. Thanks for pointing it out.....

-Angie-

Omg, I can't believe all that actually happened in one post!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was freaking amazing!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that Artemis is finally gone!!!!!! Go Ginny, go Ginny, go Ginny, GO GINNY!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!

Albus is gonna be okay though, right??? I mean he's gonna be fine, right??? PAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maria

omg!!!that was just as amazing as the last one...throughout i could feel the tension of the battle as i read...amazingly written...sooo waiting for the next part....

Right... I have a problem with the post
You saved Ginny but-
ALBUS! HOW COULD YOU!
I stand by my threat, Angie!
ILY
Abi... ♥

Ok so here's the rest of chapter 34. It's kind of long, but I couldn't bring myself to cut any information out and I didn't want to leave you guys with another cliffie either....so please read and please please reply, now that we are so close to the end I really want to know what you think....so PLEASE leave a reply!!!!!!!! Enjoy

Chapter 34 part 2


“Albus!” James screamed, rushing to him, falling to his knees on the floor and pushing the plasters and the bricks on top of his brother away.
Albus was just lying there on his back, his arms spread, one of them forming an abnormal corner, a big wound on his head from a brick and several other hits; blood generously dripping down his face.
“Al?” James murmured terrified, dread spreading inside of him. Albus looked almost as if he were…
He didn’t dare touch or move the boy in case he hurt him more. He shook his nausea and his dreadfull thoughts away and got up, rushing to the door. He burst it open and run inside the room again.

Harry turned to see James running inside. For a few moments he didn’t notice anything wrong with him. He just thought that James had came back to fight after securing his brother, but there was no one else left to fight. Artemis was dead and the Death Eaters were out. All they had to do was find a way to close the Portal.
“James!” Ginny smiled and the moment she did, Harry realized the state in which his son was in. His heart dropped; for a moment, for one blissful moment he dared to hope that everything was over, that his sons were secure, but he could clearly see it in James’ desperate face that, that was not the case.
“Dad!” James yelled running towards them; blood running from his forehead, dirt all over his face, mingled with tears. He seemed beside himself with concern and fear. “Dad, you gotta come quickly! Albus…”
Harry left Ginny’s side at once and hurried to the boy, meeting him at the middle of the room. James took his hand and they both broke into a run, Harry having a very bad feeling about this, but he tried to reassure himself; all the Death Eaters had been taken care of and Artemis was dead, what could possibly have gone so wrong? They walked out of the door and Harry could hear the others following them, but as he got out to the hallway his eyes found the scenery in front of him and he forgot about them.
Cornelia Jenks was still at the same spot she was before, among wrecks and bricks and plasters. It seemed like a small explosion had happened, sending pieces of the wall everywhere, which would explain the big gash on her cheek and the blood on James. Harry rather thought that they must be fighting, one of them having the brilliant idea to blow up the universe; Cornelia probably trying to stop James from getting his brother away, as she was under the Imperius. She seemed herself now though, probably because Artemis died, taking the curse with her. Her eyes were locked to a spot at the corner. Harry turned and gasped.
“Albus!” he exclaimed rushing next to him and kneeling beside him. “Come on Al wake up!” he said shaking the boy. He didn’t wake up though; he didn’t move…he didn’t even breathe? “Al, wake up please. Come on kid wake up”, he said his fingers fumbling at the boy’s neck, trying to take his pulse, just as Ginny came through the door, followed by Ron and Teddy.
“What the hell happened here?” she said her eyes finding her husband knelt down beside her son.
“We were fighting and…and then…” James mumbled, tears running down his dirtied face, he didn’t seem able to go on. His shook his head as if to clear his head and then turned to look at his father and brother again. “Dad? Dad, he’s okay, right? He’s gonna be okay, right? Dad?”
“Harry?” Ginny asked. Harry drifted his eyes up at her; the shock and terror inside them was palpable.
“He’s dead”, he said.
“Wha…what?” James said terrified. At some point he had realized that Albus wasn’t breathing from the moment he knelt down next to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually accept it; he thought that his father would do something, something beyond the boundaries of magic; he always did something and saved their family, like he had done when James was dying, both times actually. But that was the difference, wasn't it? James was dying, now Albus...now Albus really was dead and it was his entire fault. He, James, didn’t want to risk hurting Cornelia and he didn’t even try to stun her or make sure that Albus was secure…
‘It’s my fault’, James thought mortified. His mother’s scream reached only a part of him, but while he wanted to scream too, he found himself unable to even blink. He was shocked. And kept repeating it in his head. My fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault…
“No, he’s not!” Ginny said kneeling next to the boy herself. “Albus! Albus, can you hear me? Wake up, honey, please baby, wake up! WAKE UP!” she screamed shaking the boy.
But it was true. The boy wasn’t waking up; he wasn’t breathing or moving, he was dead. Ginny let out a sob and hugged her son’s waist, lying on his chest. Harry’s mind was in free fall, as he watched his wife cry over his son’s body. Albus was dead. That phrase replayed in his mind again and again, but he couldn't bring himself to actually understand what it meant. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not now that everything was over. It wasn’t fair to end this way. But it would, because his son was gone and there was nothing he could do to…
“Ginny”, he said quickly as his brain begun working again. “Ginny, let go of him”, he yelled pushing his wife from the boy. He picked him up, folding his arms around his chest. “James, help me carry him inside”, he told his other son that was closer. “JAMES!”
The boy woke from the shock with a start and scooped down, picking Albus’ legs up. Both he and his father carried the boy inside, followed from Teddy and Ron drugging Ginny with him. Cornelia followed them from a small distance. Harry and James walked all the way to the table, Artemis had set up to sacrifice Ginny on and Harry motioned James to leave the boy on it.
“What are you doing?” Ginny asked as Harry rushed to the mystical book. He chose not to waste time and answer her; the hole was getting smaller by the minute, probably ready to close since nobody was finishing the ritual.
He looked at the book in front of him, not entirely sure what to do. It was open in the page Artemis was reading, while performing the ceremony, but it was still written in the unknown language. He looked around thinking intently.
“Ron, go wake Yaxley”, he told his friend and all of their eyes followed Ron as he did what Harry said.
Yaxley stirred with a start and made to launch at Ron, when he realized that he was the only Death Eater with his consciousness.
“What happened?” he hissed as Ron drugged him up and pushed him forward. “Where’s Apostollo?”
“Artemis is dead”, Harry said with no heat in his voice. “And if you don’t wanna join her, you’d better do as we say”.
Yaxley looked around at them and his eyes stopped at Albus on the round table. A large smirk spread on his lips as he realized that the boy was dead. He turned to Harry knowing exactly what he had in mind.
“The boy died, didn’t it? I bet the ritual doesn’t look so evil now, huh?” he said.
Harry bit the inside of his cheek, feeling a wrecking pain engulfing him at the very mention of the word ‘died’. But he wasn’t going to grieve for Albus just yet, not when there was still the smallest chance of bringing him back. It wasn’t like what Artemis had in mind; she wanted to bring back someone evil, who had been dead for a really long time. He wanted to bring back his son, who had never hurt anyone or done anything wrong and who had just died, so there was no need to find a body, to kill someone else. His body was right there, Albus just needed to return into it.
“You know how to finish it? The ritual?” he asked the Death Eater.
“I do”, Yaxley nodded and Ginny exhaled relieved.
“Wait”, Ron said. “How do we know that he won’t bring Voldemort back instead of Al?”
“You don’t”, Yaxley replied cheekily, to be silenced by the threatening look Harry gave him.
“We will”, Harry said then, looking at his brother in law. “Because he’s not going to perform the ritual, he’s only going to show me how to do it”. Both Ron and Yaxley looked extremely shocked at this.
“Harry…” Ron said wide eyed. “Harry, this is a great deed of evil we are talking about, you can’t honestly…”
“What else can we do?” Ginny yelled at her brother.
“I don’t care Ron”, Harry replied. “If a whole life of acts for good cannot measure up to one act of evil, then I don’t care”.
“But you can’t perform the ceremony, you don’t have the…”
“You’ll show me”, Harry replied, cutting Yaxley off. “And don’t think that you can trick me, Yaxley. I could always sense Voldemort’s presence, don’t think I won’t be able to do so now”.
“You’re gonna have to sacrifice someone to…”
“Artemis has already been thrown into the Portal and before that she threw a boy inside. I think that this must suffice”. Yaxley seemed to have a double take at this, but as Ron pushed him forward, he was forced to approach Harry and take the book he was holding out for him. He only gave the book a small glance.
“How do I do it?” Harry demanded.
“What if I don’t tell you?”
Before Harry could answer him however, James grabbed him from behind and threw him against the table, his wand pointing at his chest.
“If you don’t do this and my brother doesn’t come back, then I’ll throw you into that hole by myself”, the boy bellowed warningly. The Death Eater gulped seeing the truth behind the boy’s threat; the fact that he was the one to help Dolohov torture James, when they kidnapped him, didn’t give him much courage either.
Teddy advanced forward and grabbed James, drugging him away from the Death Eater. As James was backing away, his eye caught Cornelia’s. She seemed surprised and shocked from his reaction, but at that moment James couldn’t care less; all he cared about was that Albus wasn’t breathing. His little brother wasn’t breathing and if they didn’t bring him back, he would have to live with his blood in his hands.
“Well, you got your answer”, Harry said then. “How do I do it?” he repeated.
Yaxley hesitated, but then looked back down at the book, really reading it this time. He and Artemis were the ones, who had taken the time, during those four silent months that they stayed away from everything, to read and learn this language. The Auror office could not make sense of it, because they were searching the old magical languages, but this was not a long lost magical language. No, it was written in Ancient Greek, something that proved just how old the knowledge this book provided, was. It was written back at those times when magic wasn’t hidden, when there wasn’t any Muggles and wizards, just people who had magic and people who sought it; Artemis had the crazy idea, that it was this book that gave the infamous Olympic Gods their powers, this book that ruled the world.
He felt no obligation to help them bring the boy back, but he realized that he didn’t have a choice. Artemis was dead and so was their cause. He could try to bring the Dark Lord back, but he knew that Potter would understand it, before he finished the ritual. And then…it didn’t seem like the most prudent thing to do anymore. While Artemis was around, he knew that she could convince the Dark Lord about what had happened and explain what a big role his old Death Eaters had played, but with her dead, he would have to be the one to receive His anger. So now that everything was lost, it seemed right to help Potter out and hope for a better treatment afterwards.
“Go stand in front of the boy”, Yaxley said and Harry did as he told him.
He stood right above Albus, avoiding however to look down at him. He didn’t want to see his son dead more than he would have to.
“Hold one hand above the boy’s forehead and one above his stomach”, Yaxley instructed and Harry did so; this time chancing a glance down at his son. The bitterness that engulfed him made him regret it immediately. He drifted his eyes up, back to Yaxley; they would bring him back and he would be okay.
“Now what?” he asked, surprising his own self at how steady he managed to keep his voice.
“Now repeat after me”, Yaxley said. “ΝΕΚΡΗ ΚΑΡΔΙΑ, ΝΕΚΡΟ ΣΩΜΑ, ΖΩΝΤΑΝΗ ΨΥΧΗ”
“Wait…slow down”, Harry said frowning. “One word at the time”.
“Maybe I should do it”, Yaxley said.
“No”, Ginny cut in before Harry could reply. “Harry would do it”, she said exchanging a look with her husband, which he understood completely. None of them wanted Albus to have a Death Eater bringing him to life, not if they could avoid it. “Fine, pay attention then”, Yaxley said. “ΝΕΚΡΗ”
“ΝΕΚΡΗ” Harry repeated, still holding his hands above Albus’ head and stomach.
“ΚΑΡΔΙΑ”.
“ΚΑΡΔΙΑ”.
“ΝΕΚΡΟ”, Yaxley said slowly.
“ΝΕΚΡΟ”.
“ΣΩΜΑ”.
“ΣΩΜΑ”, when Harry said that last word many things happened at once.
The Portal that had begun to slowly close, now opened again and the screams from inside it started making the ground tremble. Harry felt warmth emanating from his hands, while he would swear he could see a small glow around them. He looked at Yaxley. He didn’t seem worried, he just waited for the screams to subside and then begun telling him what to say again. Harry was repeating the unknown words, his hands glowing more and more. He heard the others gasp, but he was focused on Yaxley, trying hard not to confuse the words he was saying.
After a while, Yaxley said Albus’ name and his father repeated it and when he did thin rays of silver and golden dust seemed to leak from the Portkey and started circling the boy. Harry felt a sickening feeling at his stomach, as the screams from the inside of the Portkey started again, but he ignored it. No matter how evil what he was doing was he would have to do it. For his boy.
“ΔΩΣΕ” Yaxley said.
“ΔΩΣΕ”, Harry repeated, feeling all of the sudden exhausted.
“ΖΩΗ”.
“ΖΩΗ”, Harry said too, feeling that he was going to faint and not be able to finish the ritual.
Suddenly he realized that the glowing and the warmth that were emanating from his hands were his own strength and power. For a moment he panicked, thinking that Yaxley was trying to trick him, but then he understood that the ritual must need physical power to be completed and that it was the silver and golden dust rays that were draining his. He bit the inside of his cheek, remaining unflustered; he had to do this.
“ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΩΣΕ”, Yaxley said again.
Harry needed a couple of tries to get that more complicated word right.
“ΤΗΝ ΨΥΧΗ”, Yaxley said when he did.
When Harry repeated it, Albus’ body was gracefully raised in the air, making everyone gasp and Ginny to take a step forward.
“No, stop, it’s happening”, Yaxley said closing the book. “Don’t move now Potter”, he added addressing Harry.
Harry stayed at his spot, with his hands still outstretched, while he felt more and more life to be drained from him, his hands glowing with a golden light. The silver dust rays raised Albus’ body farther up, until his forehead and stomach met with Harry’s hands. The moment that happened, Harry felt his knees almost giving way and his head pounding fiercely, but he ignored it, focusing only at the young boy beneath his hands. He realized he must have had tears in his eyes, but he didn’t bother wiping them away. So what if that ritual killed him? Giving his life to bring his son back would be so much more preferable than living a life without him.
But the ritual didn’t kill him, because the moment he felt like every inch of life had been drained from him, it stopped and the glow disappeared. The silver rays moved to circle his hands for a moment and then slipped from them, crept on Albus’ body for a while and then disappeared inside it or more like united with the boy’s body. And then Harry heard a sound that made his heart swell and made him want to jump up and down excited, in spite of his exhaustion. Albus took a breath; it was sharp and ragged, but it was a breath. Harry’s hands trembled as the boy’s body slowly returned back on the table, his chest moving up and down as he breathed.
Then with an awful sound the Portal began to close rapidly. Harry watched for a moment and then run (or more like stammered on his feet) to Yaxley. The man flinched, thinking that Potter wanted to throw him in, but Harry only took the book out of his hands. He turned and just before the Portkey closed for good, he threw it in, releasing the world from the evil power and knowledge it could give.
“What did you do?” Yaxley exclaimed. “That book was the most powerful thing in the world!”
Harry ignored him, not regretting one bit for what he had done. He turned and hurried next to his son again, his wife and his other son already above the boy. Ron looked to see that Albus was breathing and then went to his wife, to wake her up. Teddy, seeing how exhausted his godfather seemed to be, rushed next to him, taking his arm and holding him up. Harry thanked Teddy with a nod and then looked down at Albus.
The boy seemed to be breathing normally now, his eyes however still closed. Ginny looked up at her husband with a smiling face and he returned her smile wearily, but with his whole heart in it. Their boy was alive again. She turned to Albus again and after hesitating for a moment, she let her fingers touch his face, then with a little more confidence she stroked his cheek.
“Honey?” she said. “Al, wake up, baby”.
The boy groaned, frowning, his eyes still closed.
“Come on, kid, wake up”, Harry tried too and the boy’s eyelids moved and after a few torturous moments opened.
All of them froze as the boy’s eyes looked at them perplexedly for a moment. Then green found green and the boy just stared up at his father’s eyes, which were so similar at his own.
“Dad?!” he exclaimed and everyone around him breathed out relieved. “Are you alive or am I dead?” he asked his father as he sat up.
Harry laughed, in spite the wetness of his face.
“No, we’re both alive”, he replied.
Before Albus could say anything else however his mother fell on him, kissing his forehead and cheeks and hugging him tightly.
“Wha…? Mum…mum you’re gonna break my ribs…mum!” the boy complained trying to free himself from his mother’s embrace, but she wasn’t letting go. He looked at his father from his mother’s hug smiling.
“I knew you were alive”, he said and then he twisted around, finally breaking free from Ginny and looked at his brother. “I told you so, didn’t I?”
James smiled.
“Yes, you did”, he nodded.
Albus frowned, confused by his brother’s lack of a witty comeback remark and from the tears that were leaking from the corners of his eyes. He didn’t get a chance to express his confusion though, because James hugged him too. Albus would swear he could hear sobs, but when James spoke his voice was steady.
“I love you Al”, he said from his shoulder.
“I love you too”, Albus replied though outright bemused. “What is the matter with you people? Dad is the one who came back to life not me”, he said when his brother released him.
James exchanged a look with his parents. Telling Albus what happened didn’t seem wise; it could only freak him out.
“Artemis took you and we were all very worried, that’s why”, Ginny lied. “Plus we have already seen that your father is alive before now”.
Albus nodded and then his eyes widened and he looked around.
“Artemis…where…where? The Death Eaters…?”
“It’s okay”, Harry said soothingly. “Artemis is gone and the Death Eaters are done; it’s over”.
Slowly a smile crept over the boy’s face as he comprehended what his father told him. Then he looked at him expectantly. Harry realized what the boy wanted and he nodded for Teddy to let his arm. Then he sat on the edge of the table, supporting himself and leaned forward to hug his son. Harry was too weak to give him a tight hug, but Albus grabbed his father firmly, having missed him so much over the last days. When he let go, Harry smiled at him.
“Thank you for believing I was alive”, he told him, poking his cheek.
“Thank you for actually being alive”, the boy retorted and both of his parents chuckled and then after looking at each other, they both hugged him again.
As Ron and an unsteady Hermione rushed to their side, James turned his head and his eyes found Cornelia. She had been watching everything from a distant corner, tears running down her cheeks. She looked back at him and at that moment, they both realized it. It was over. Whatever it was that they had, whatever was going on between them was over. James would never forgive himself for risking his brother for her and she would never forgive herself for what she almost did to one of her students. James thought the end didn’t actually hurt, it just stung. He already knew that they had no future together, maybe not even a present together and yet he had let himself fall for her; like he hadn’t fall for any girl until now. But he had to end it now, because he didn’t know if he would be able to let go of her later on; because eventually she would leave, he was certain about that. She knew that too. They couldn’t stay together, they were not meant to be. And as James turned his attention back to his family, pressing his lips together with bitterness, she turned and walked out of the main room, to disapparate moments later, out of this place.

-Angie-

Angie, I must say that was very intense! I thought when I looked at the post that it was like you said, long, but when I was reading it, suddenly I was at the end. Super post Angie. I can't even imagine how Harry must feel at this moment. I knew it! I knew Harry would think of something! Oh I'm so glad he didn't disappoint me. I don't know if that's right, but I agree with Harry! It sounds right. And he knows he deserves being thrown in too! Brilliant! Just like when Harry returned the Elder Wand. He didn't want the power. The world is a better place without one thinking he has power over others. I agree whole heartily! I think this is for the best. I love the whole paragraph, but, I'm just too tired to say anything else.
Great post Angie! I'll be watching for your next.

O H M Y G O D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why is it that everytime i read one of your posts lately, I found myself speechless?????? It was amazing!!!!! Long, but just not enough!!!!!!!!!! I love how James seemed to care for his brother more than anything else and I must say that I'm happy he realized he should end things with Jenks. Poor Albus, at least he's okay now. He's okay, right? Nothing freaky is going to happen, right??? Hope not. I love the part with Harry and Albus interacting at the end, so cute!!!!!!!

Well all in all, you promised a great end and that's what we get....I can't wait to read more and in the mean time I don't want it to end!!!!!! Can't you like make it neverending or like a sequel or something????
Anyway.....PAMS!!!!!!!!!!!
*Kate*

Whoa, it was long.......but I loved it!!!!!!!! Poor Albus, for a moment there I was so scared when Harry said' he's dead', I was like 'Nooooo, you can't do this!' This was so sad and in the mean time I'm super excited that everything turned out okay!!!!! I kinda feel sorry for James for blaming himself and for ending things with Cornelia. Sure I don't really like her, not for one exact reason, I jsut didn't like how she was, but I feel kind of sorry for Jamie...I mean apparently it was his first serious crush and the end of it sure does hurt (personall experience talking). Anyway, please give us some more posts!!!! I know that the actual story is done, since Artemis and the book are both gone, but please write a lit bit more!!!!!! PAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maria

awesome
just amazing
i almost cried when i thought albus was dead
i dont want this story to end
it is so good

SOOOO GOOD! i'm just speechless, i don't want it to end now!!

xLillyx

Omg!!!!!!! I took Maria's advice and Kate and me watched A Very Potter Musical on YouTube. I've never seen it before and all I can say is OMG!!!!!!!! I don't think I have ever laugh that hard in my entire life!!!!!!!!!!!! It was simply amazing!!!!!!!! So freakisly funny, I was actually rolling over with laughter!!!!!!!!! If you guys haven't watched it yet, do. Believe me it's not silly, I thought so too, but it's not, it's brilliant!!!!!!!!!!

About the fic now...I'm just adding a few details to the next chapter and it should be ready any day now....

-Angie-

I'm like OMG too!!!!!! It was freaking, bone chrushing hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harry at Kings Cross: So now you now everything, like the past, the present and the future.
Dumbledore: Sure yeah.
Harry: Can you tell me how Lost ends?

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harry sings at Ginny and then : Hey, Ginny do you think that a girl could fall in love with me with that song?
Ginny: I think a girl already has.
Harry: Cool 'cause it's for Cho Chang!!!!

ROLF!!!!!!!!! I just can't stop laughing with those lines!!!!

Or Voldemort at the end: Killing people doesn't make them like you....it just makes them dead!!!!!!!

or hogwarts goes to harry, the chocolate factory goes to charlie!!!!! You gotta love this musical!!!!!!!!

Seriously if you haven't watched it, you've got to!!!!!!!!

*Kate*

It was a wonderful post...waiting for more...

Last chapter before the two part epilogue.....as you see this is the clean version of it, because I would probably got erased from Ss if I posted the whole thing in here If you want to read the whole thing just tell me and I'll Pm you with it Please Read and Reply....

Chapter 35 (Clean version)

Harry smiled to himself as he looked over at the small red head that appeared beneath the blankets. They had disapparated out of the temple and to the Burrow. It was really late at night, but both Molly and Arthur were up, in the kitchen, probably too filled with concern for their only daughter to go to sleep. They were both really excited to see her back alive and they both couldn’t believe their eyes, when they saw Harry; his ribs still hurt from the first bone crushing hug he got from Molly, who was crying unstoppably, hugging him again every other minute.
Ron and Hermione had alerted the Auror office and Ron had personally taken Yaxley and Dolohov – the most dangerous of the Death Eaters, back to the Ministry. Harry had suggested going with them and helping them out, but all of them, with his wife first, had yelled at him. Teddy told him that he would need to rest and certainly some medical attendance, which he would get none the less first thing in the morning, but for now Harry had sent the boy home. Truth be told, Harry had never wanted less to go to the Ministry. He just wanted to spend his first night back with his family.
Albus seemed alright and himself, completely thrilled that his father was okay and definitely unwilling to leave his side. Ginny was downright happy and kept pecking kisses on his cheek, as Harry told his parents in law what had happened; both of them and Albus gasping when they heard that Ginny had thrown Artemis into the Portal. James seemed a little gloom and stayed out of the conversation, sitting by his own in a corner; Albus kept giving him worried glances, every now and then. Harry though suspected what was wrong with him, but decided not to say anything in front of Ginny.
After a while, Harry inclined Molly’s midnight dinner with difficulty, insisting that he needed to see his daughters. He first checked on Hope, sleeping soundly in her crib as her father stroked her rosy cheek and then he went to the room Lilly was sleeping into. He entered quietly and stared at her red head, beneath the blankets. The door opened again and Ginny entered. She winked at him and then went and sat on Lilly’s bed, motioning him to stay hidden in the shadows. She stroked the girl’s hair and she woke with a start, terrified at the presence of someone else.
“Mum?” she said with disbelief still half asleep. “MUM!” she screamed then and hugged her.
Ginny let go of her after a few seconds and smiled.
“Hey, honey”, she said.
“I didn’t think I would see you again”, Lilly said, a few tears running down her cheeks.
“Well, I’m back now”, her mother replied wiping the girl’s tears away and then smiling even more broadly. “And I’m not the only one”, she added.
“What?” Lilly asked confused; she hadn’t seen her mother that happy since her father…but she gulped the bitter thought back, as her mother pointed at a corner of the room with her head.
She turned her eyes there, as Harry walked out from his hiding place with a large smile upon his face.
“Hey, princess”, he said.
Lilly stared at him for a whole moment and then her eyes widened in shock.
“Da…da…daddy?” she stammered after an entire minute or maybe two. She slowly got up from her bed and moved towards him, as if in a dream. She stopped a few steps away from him and pinched herself. Harry laughed.
“Lills, what are you doing?” he asked his daughter.
“I’m not dreaming”, she said and then her eyes widened even more and she stared up at her father’s smiling face. “It’s you! It’s really you! DADDY!” she screamed the last word loudly and then launched herself at him, tears flying from her eyes, screaming incoherent things and making her mother cover her ears.
Harry was exhausted, but he couldn’t help twisting around with his daughter hanging from his waist. Ginny laughed watching them from the bed, as her daughter climbed up at her father, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, still screaming things she even couldn’t understand.
An hour, a lot of bone crushing hugs and some arguing about where they would spend the night later Harry, Ginny and all four of their kids arrived at their house. Rose and Hugo insisted to go with them, after having been woken up from Lilly’s screams. Both of them were extremely happy that their uncle was back and that their beloved Potter cousins weren’t anymore in the depressed and mourning state, they were in just this morning. Harry stepped out of the fireplace last with the baby sleeping quietly in his arms.
“I swear, Gin, she’s grown a foot taller since I last saw her”, he commented and Ginny laughed and for the millionth time this night, kissed him.
“Do we really need to watch this?” James said making a face of disgust.
“I rather watch daddy and mum kissing than not watch them at all”, Lilly said shaking her head.
“Dido”, Albus nodded.
“So why didn’t we stay at the Burrow and had to come here at the middle of the night?” James asked then.
“You are so negative”, Albus shook his head.
James didn’t reply, just gave him a thoughtful look. Albus frowned at this; for the last hours, ever since they got back, James was exceptionally quiet and every time Albus was making a sarcastic comment against him, he didn’t give him a witty retort, not even an angry shut up. It was almost as if his big brother was determined not to get into an argument with him anymore and what was more puzzling James looked almost happy to hear Albus’ remarks and comments.
“Aren’t you glad we’re all back home?” Ginny asked her son, as her husband handed over the baby to her. James’ face lit up as he smiled and nodded. Harry advanced and pulled him into an unexpected hug. What was more unexpected was the tear stained face James had when he pulled away, but Albus and their father were the only ones to notice before the boy wiped his face to his sleeve; and Harry didn’t say anything and Albus didn’t know what to say.
Ron and Hermione came after half an hour, both tired and sleepy, but satisfied. They had made a quick report to the Auror office and had handed over the Death Eaters, which were already on their way to Azkaban. There were more of course, since the number of the Death Eaters in the temple didn’t even come close to the number of Death Eaters that had escaped Azkaban, but that was tomorrow’s worry.
“We all gonna have to go to the Ministry at some point this week to testify”, Harry said tiredly. He stood up from the couch to go to get some water and noticed Ron staring at him. “What?”
Ron shook his head and stood up too.
“I realized I didn’t get to express how extremely frustrated I am with you, that you went and got yourself captured and we all thought you were dead”, Ron said.
The kids looked up at him with wonder mixed with disbelief; could he actually be mad at Harry now? Harry was grinning though, knowing his friend better and as he had expected him to, Ron walked forward and hugged him. When he let go, his eyes appeared to be red and he seemed close to tears. He shook his head however and punched Harry’s shoulder, before mumbling something about having to get something from the kitchen.
Half an hour later, Lilly had fallen sound asleep on the couch, leaning on her dad’s shoulder and he carried her upstairs, while Ginny was saying goodnight to Ron, Hermione and their kids, who were going back to the Burrow for the night and the boys climbed up to their rooms to go to bed too.
Harry waited a little bit and then went straight to James’ room. He knocked on the door, but he got no answer, so he opened it anyway. The boy was sitting on his bed, with his legs pulled to his chest and didn’t even look up as his father sat next to him in the bed.
“Are you gonna talk to me?” Harry asked him and the boy slowly raised his head to look at him.
“It was my fault”, James whispered.
“What was?” Harry asked, though he could already guess the answer.
“What happened to Albus”, James replied, confirming Harry. “Dad, if you haven’t…we almost lost him back there and I…I can’t believe I didn’t protect him well enough. I mean, I’m his big brother, I’m supposed to protect him and I couldn’t and he…he died!”
“James”, Harry started. “First of, please don’t say that your brother died, okay? He’s fine now and I don’t really think we should tell him what happened to him”. James nodded at that. “And then…I don’t really understand how this could be your fault, Jamie. It was an accident; accidents happen”.
“It was no accident”, James shook his head. “Weren’t you there? Cornelia blew up the wall!”
It took Harry a few moments to respond; up until now he thought that James had blown up the wall.
“She did it?” he asked. “I thought it was you and that was why you were so…”
“She was Imperiused, she didn’t mean to”, James said hastily. “But I…when she attacked us…I didn’t…” his voice trailed off and he stared at his legs again, but Harry understood.
“You didn’t fight against her?” he asked and James nodded; his father sighed. “James, she was attacking you and you didn’t fire back, with your brother unconscious right next to you?”
James bit his bottom lip, still not looking at him, but nodded. Harry shook his head. He knew that he too would find it difficult to attack someone, who’s Imperiused, but what troubled him was that James didn’t, even when he had no choice.
“James…” he said hesitantly. “James…are you…I mean…are you in love with her?”
The boy laughed at this; not one of his usual, arrogant laughs, but an uncharacteristic bitter one. He shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter, does it?” he said.
“Jamie, of course it does”, Harry said.
“No, it doesn’t”, James insisted. “Because she became the reason that almost killed my brother and…”
“It wasn’t her fault, James”, Harry said; he didn’t know why he was all of a sudden defending the girl, but he knew that he had to do something to change his son’s mood. He just couldn’t bear a dim James, while in his mind eye he could easily see the completely different version of his son, before all of these had started.
“I know”, James nodded. “But it was mine; and anyway it’s not like the two of us could go much farther, with you knowing and with Albus knowing and with her being my professor and all”.
“Are you sad?” Harry asked.
“No, more like frustrated”, James shook his head. “I mean, I know that I can’t actually be with her, but knowing that, makes me want to be with her even more and then there’s Albus too. Dad, I can’t believe that he almost…that we almost lost him. What the hell would I do then? How would I live with my brother’s blood in my hands?”
“Okay, Jamie, you need to listen to me”, Harry said strictly taking the boy’s face in his hands. “Your brother is alive, okay? He’s sleeping right next door”.
“But what if…?”
“Stop asking yourself ‘what if’s!” Harry exclaimed. “Look, James, what you did, not attacking Cornelia, while she was attacking you, was reckless and downright stupid, but you did it and honestly, I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same, had it been someone I care about”.
That seemed to have done the trick, because slowly a smile crept over the boy’s mouth.
“So…um…are you gonna tell mum about the whole Cornelia thing?” James asked after a few moments in a fake indifferent tone.
“Are you two broken up?” Harry asked his son and the boy nodded. “Good, then I won’t say anything”.
James smiled more profoundly at this and hugged his father. Harry pated his back and then winked at him, before he got up and went to the door.
“Dad?”
“What?” Harry asked turning to look at his son.
“I’m just glad you’re back, daddy”, he said in a Lilly-kind-of way. Harry picked up a small Quidditch figure from the shelf and threw it at him, which he avoided with a laugh.
“Oh, and just so you know both you and your brother are grounded for not listening to your Aunt and Uncle and not staying back”.
“What?” James exclaimed in disbelief. “Come on dad, you can’t…”
“Your mom is not gonna change her mind about it James”, Harry cut him off. “For the rest of your holidays you are to stay in the house”.
The boy groaned.
“It’s like I’m being held hostage!” he exclaimed falling back to his mattress.
“You’re not being a hostage, you’re being grounded”.
“Yeah, which is being held hostage with an extra lecture”, James replied.
Harry chuckled at this and left the boy’s room. They weren’t actually going to ground the boys – grounding never worked with James anyway, since he could easily sneak out whenever he wanted to – but he felt like annoying his son a little bit.

After cleaning some of the mess and making sure that Hope was fed, changed and asleep, Ginny entered their bedroom in search of her husband. She knew that it was probably not very healthy, but after having thought that she lost him forever, even five minutes apart from him, seem to hurt. She also knew that she had to start controlling it and not let it turn into dependence, but not for tonight. Tonight it was his first night back, hell it was everybody’s night back; back to their normal lives.
She heard water running and after a while he came out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Ginny stood on her knees on the bed as he smiled and approached her, so she could hug him. Over his shoulder she flicked her wand and the door closed and locked itself. There was one thing and one thing only that she found sexier than Harry; wet Harry. He let go of her and sat on the bed, with a smug smirk on his face that she might found irritating if it wasn’t making him so bloody irresistible.
“Why did you lock the door, Mrs. Potter?” he asked her mockingly. She threw her arms around him, wanting nothing more than to touch him. It felt to her like if she didn’t check every now and then to see if he’s real that he was going to vanish in thin air.
“Well, I was just thinking that maybe you would want me to show you, how much I missed you” she said and Harry laughed, leaning in to kiss her. She smiled at the feel of his lips, as she played with his wet hair through her fingers. He broke their kiss after a few seconds and started kissing her neck and shoulder passionately. She felt her stomach tighten with happiness, but she made herself pull away and almost started laughing at the startled face Harry took; though truth be told, pulling away wasn’t something she did often. There was just something she needed to tell him now. “I love you”, she said putting all her heart in it as she caressed his cheek.
He smiled and gave her a tender kiss.
“I love you too”, he said. Ginny sighed closing her eyes.
“We are so cheesy, aren’t we?” she asked her husband.
“Just so you know, saying we’re cheesy, makes us even cheesier”, Harry laughed.
“Hmm”, Ginny smiled mischievously. “How about: shut up and kiss me?”
“Cheesy; but I like it”.

They were exchanging kisses after a while, his arm holding her to him, as she had her head rested next to his. She broke their last kiss and let out a small, warm sigh, letting her fingers ran along her husband’s chest and stomach. She felt herself smile a bit; she was never really capable to come to terms with Harry’s job, since danger was coming in a daily basis, but she had to admit that being an Auror had its advantages. Here she was with her husband, who would turn forty this summer and yet he still had a firm chest and a six pack due to the daily field training every Auror had to endure. So that was the part she wasn’t complaining about, especially after seeing how much weight some of her brothers put on after they got married; but Harry didn’t. Thumbs up to Harry Potter. She grinned wider at the thought.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked her suspiciously. She looked up at him, biting her lips.
“Nothing”, she replied and he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Just thinking how sexy you are”, she added. He grinned smugly, but she could easily detect the red behind his cheeks. Her mother had once told her if she could make her husband blush after a significant time of being together, then she’s doing a good job as a wife. She smiled, but then frowned.
“Aren’t you gonna return the compliment?” she asked him with one eyebrow raised. At this Harry started laughing. “What?” she asked making a fist and hitting his arm.
“Oh, Gin, aren’t you still tired of me telling you every day and every night just how beautiful you are?”
“No”, she shook her head.
“Well, you’re the most beautiful woman to ever walk on this planet”, he grinned.
“Am I now?”
“Most definitely”, he nodded and there was real conviction in his voice. “The only ones that can measure up to you are perhaps your daughters”.

Ginny woke up the next day feeling a wave of happiness engulfing her. They were free. Artemis was gone and she and her family had nothing to be afraid of anymore. She rolled to her back with her eyes still closed, stretching her hand, wanting to touch a part of her husband. Her eyes flew open, when her hand found nothing but the mattress. She sat up and looked around.
Harry wasn’t next to her on the bed and he wasn’t anywhere else inside the room. She closed her eyes, trying to fight away her growing panic, telling herself that she was being paranoid. Unable to calm down however she got up, hastily putting her robe on and run to the bedroom’s bathroom, opening the door without knocking.
“Harry?” she said looking around, but he wasn’t there. She stood at the spot for a whole minute. Where was he? Why wasn’t he there? What if he was never there? “Baby, please be true”, she whispered.
She shook her head trying to get rid of the thought of the alternative and turn around, opening the bedroom’s door wide open and running out in the hallway. She stopped for a second trying to decide what to do or where to look, when the door of the nursery opened.
“Hey, honey, the baby…” but Harry’s words were muffled, when Ginny run and hugged him tightly, burring her head in his chest and almost knocking all air out of his lungs. “Gin, what’s wrong?” Harry asked her alarmed by the sobs that escaped her lips.
“I thought…I woke up and…and you weren’t there…and…and…” she mumbled through her tears.
“Oh”, Harry said as he understood. “I’m sorry, Gin, the baby started crying a while ago and I went to check on her. I didn’t want to wake you”.
“I thought I had dreamed everything…or that I was delusional”, she whispered as her sobs became silent, but tears kept running from her eyes.
“Ginny…” Harry whispered hardly knowing how to go on, so he hugged her tighter, stroking her hair. After a few minutes she stopped trembling. Harry couldn’t remember a time in their life together, when he had seen his wife so broken and it hurt knowing that it was for him that she was like this. He let go of her and cupped her face, looking straight into her eyes. “Baby, I’m here, I’m real”, he said wiping away her tears.
She nodded staring at the floor instead of him. Harry knew that Ginny hated it when she couldn’t control her tears, so now chance was that she was terribly embarrassed with what happened. He smiled, thinking how he would have reacted in a similar situation; he couldn’t say that he would have been any different.
“I’m sorry”, she mumbled, but Harry shook his head taking her face in his hands again and making her look at him.
“Don’t be sorry”, he told her. “I’d probably be twenty times worse if I had been in your place”.
A smile craved upon her lips.
“Twenty?” she said. “You wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom without you”.
Harry laughed and then his eyes fell on her left arm and he laughed harder.
“What?” she asked and he took her arm.
“Gin, honey, if you really were delusional then how do you explain the love bites I gave you last night?” he asked.
Ginny gasped seeing the bites on her arm.
“Oh, God, I have to make those disappear before the kids wake up and see them!”
“And you have a hickey on your neck”, he pointed out touching the red skin on the side of her neck. She gasped again covering it with her hand.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Potter! What are you fifteen?” she exclaimed, hitting his arm, but he kept laughing. She rolled her eyes and run back inside their bedroom, banging the door.

She came down after a while, as Harry knew she would, unable to keep herself away from him for much. She found him in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone, cooking however in a Muggle way, as he always did, whenever he did. She shook her head and approached him.
“Why don’t you let me do that?” she asked, taking the pan from his hands.
“I don’t cook and you say I do nothing, I cook and you don’t like the way I cook”, he said in a fake wound up way. She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. “James is such a bad influence on you”, Harry commented.
“Maybe I’m a bad influence on him”, she shrugged. “Makes more sense”.
“Oh, no the Ginny I married wasn’t nasty like that”.
She turned around with her eyebrows raised.
“Oh, yeah? Well, the Harry I married…” she started looking him up and down, but then stopped and let out a dramatic sigh. “Never mind, you haven’t changed one bit”, she added turning to her breakfast again.
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked her folding his arms. She shrugged with a smirk on her lips. He grunted and grabbed her from behind, folding his arms around her waist. “So, is it a bad thing?” he repeated kissing her right beneath her ear. She leaned behind on him, but shrugged again. He slipped one hand down her hip.
“Okay, okay, you were amazing and you still are!” she yelled as his other hand slipped beneath her shirt. “Now stop it, before our kids come down and see us!”
“Fine”, he smiled placing his arms around her waist again and kissing the top of her head. She exhaled and turned around to be face to face with him.
“Coming to think about it, it’s way too early for any of our kids to wake up yet”, she said and he smirked letting her kiss him. She climbed on the counter and he kissed her deeply as she buried her hands in his hair, his own hands going to her hips again.
Pop!
“Hey, guys….OH MY GOD!” Ron exclaimed and run to the living room, covering his eyes.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other, both bewildered by Ron’s sudden apparition into their kitchen. Then they both burst into laughter. They were still laughing as they entered the living room, to find Ron sitting on the couch with his arms folded and with an evil glare on his face.
“I thought I was done seeing things like that!” he growled.
“That’s what you get for apparating in our house at six in the morning with no warning!” Ginny retorted.
“It’s six thirty”, Ron corrected her. “And what if one of your kids came downstairs?”
“Oh, come on, Ron, we weren’t doing anything”, Harry said dismissively.
“Yeah, plus, Albus is always the first one up and that’s around ten”, Ginny shrugged. “What do you want anyway?” she asked then.
“Well, I have news”, he said. “Big news actually”.
“Hermione is pregnant?” Ginny shrilled.
“Hell no!” Ron exclaimed.
“What is it then?” Harry asked, before Ginny could start guessing again.
“Well, Hermione decided that she wants to leave the Auror Department”, Ron said.
“WHAT?” both Harry and Ginny exclaimed.
“Why would she do that?” Harry asked incredulous.
“Because she says that she needs a break from all the madness and because she wants to explore new aspects of the Magical Law”, Ron repeated exactly his wife’s words. “In the mean time I decided that I want back to the Auror Department”.
“WHAT?” Ginny exclaimed this time and turned to Harry to see why he didn’t have the same reaction. He nodded at his friend with a big smile on his face.
“I always knew you’d want to come back one day, mate”, Harry said.
“Yeah, which means we’ll get to work together again!” Ron said excitedly making Ginny frown.
“But Harry hasn’t gotten his job back”, she said turning to her husband, who looked back at her sheepishly.
“Actually Gin…um…this came with the morning mail”, he said taking an envelope out of his back pocket. “They’re calling me back on duty”.
“Oh”, she said and Harry was certain that he saw her face fell, but then she rearranged her features and smiled. “That’s great!”
“Did they say if you’ll be Head of the Department or not?” Ron asked him.
“I will”, Harry nodded, still looking to see Ginny’s reactions. She smiled and hugged him, but he rather thought that she found the idea of him going back to work so soon, awful. He stroked her face when she let go of him, but she turned away, murmuring something about her breakfast and before he even knew it she had made a quick getaway in the kitchen.
“So Hermione thinks she’s gonna ask the Minister to transfer her in some other Department”, Ron said oblivious to anything. “We really don’t have a good timing the two of us; when one comes back the other one leaves”.
Harry turned to his friend with a grin upon his face.
“Yeah, well, at least it’s working perfectly for me”, he said.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m always stuck with one of you”, he said.
“Right”, Ron chuckled. “Anyway, I should be heading back”, he added as he stood up. “Don’t go groping my sister in the kitchen again, Potter”.
Harry rolled his eyes as he followed his best friend in the kitchen, where Ron grabbed a piece of toast in his hand and apparated giving Harry and Ginny just a nod. The moment he left Harry bore his eyes into Ginny’s back, as she was engulfed into making breakfast again, purposely avoiding looking him in the eye.
“Gin…” he started, but she sighed and turned to look at him.
“I think I would make something special for breakfast, so we can tell the kids that you got your job back and celebrate it. What do you want me to make?” she asked with a big smile curved upon her face, but Harry couldn’t be fooled.
“Gin…”
“Is it gonna be weird not working with Hermione though?” she went on in a hurried way. “I don’t suppose Ron is gonna be big help; that man is such a menace that I really don’t understand how…” her babbling was muffled though as Harry proceeded and kissed her full on the mouth, for like the seventh billionth time this morning.
“What was that for?” she asked pouting when they broke apart. He smirked.
“It was the only way to shut you up”, he said. She narrowed her eyes and started saying something again, but her words were muffled again as he took her face into her hands and stared at her eyes.
“Gin, what’s wrong?” he asked. She shook her head in his hands.
“Nothing”, she replied.
“You don’t want me to go back, do you?” he asked. She sighed defeated taking his hands off her face and into hers.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to go back to work, I know it makes you happy and when you’re happy, I am happy. It’s just…I don’t know…you’ve just been back and this story has just ended…what I don’t want is you going off risking your head again, when our family still hasn’t gotten over the shock of losing you and then having you back again”, she said with one breath, taking it all out.
Then she looked up to see his eyes. He seemed troubled. Ginny shook her head. She didn’t want him to feel bad for going back and she didn’t want him to think that she couldn’t do a few hours away from him; she couldn’t, but that was another story.
“Do you want me to drop off?” he asked her.
“What do you mean?” she asked back.
“Not accept the offer, not go back”, he explained and she just stared blankly up at him.
It would be so easy. To just say yes. To tell him that she didn’t want him to save the world anymore, that he had saved enough. To stop him from leaving, to tell him that he didn’t need to work, they had enough money. So easy and yet so extremely selfish. She thought back when she had to give up professional Quidditch, when she got pregnant with James and how much she missed that time of her life. True, she had gained so much more, that she wouldn’t trade a day of her life now for years of her life then, but still she missed Quidditch, because it was what she knew to do best. And what Harry knew how to do best was to help people and she just couldn’t take that away from him. She sighed and shook her head.
“No”, she replied. “I would never let you do that and you know it”.
“But, I thought…”
“Harry, is not that I don’t want you to work”, Ginny said. “It’s just so soon that I can’t really…I can’t really bring myself to stay away from you”, she admitted.
“Ginny”, Harry shook his head. “I can’t even imagine how it must have been for you when you thought me…dead…but now everything is over. We are together, the kids are safe and the threat is gone. It’s not like the moment I step in the Auror office some new upcoming power will raise! And it’s not like we can be together at all times and not a moment apart from each other…”
“I know that, baby, but…”
“Gin, I’m here, okay?” he said taking her hands in his again. “I’m not going anywhere, honey, I’m here, I’m real and I’m not leaving”.
She looked up at him, a real genuine smile trembling upon her lips. She cupped one side of his face with her hand and kissed his lips tenderly.
“I know, I’m sorry”, she said then. “I’m just gonna need a little time getting used to the idea”.
“We have as much time as we want”, he said hugging her tightly. She sighed and relaxed in his chest, as he stroked her hair. “Brownies”, he said after a few moments.
“What?” she asked baffled, getting out of his hug to gaze up at him.
“You asked what I wanted for breakfast”, he smiled. “Brownies”.

-Angie-

I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Harry is back! The family is together!
I laughed so hard when Ron walked in on them!
I am so proud of Ginny
BROWNIES!!!!!!!
I am sad and happy Happy they are together but sad that it has to end
PAMS PAMS PAMS PAMS PAMS
-Leslie

Oh I just love Harry and Ginny!!!!!!!!!! I found this chapter well amazing!!!!! The part with the hickey was really really funny!!!!!!!! And I laughed so hard when Ron walked in on them!!!!! Poor James though he shouldn't blame himself, it's all over now....and poor Ginny it must be hard to convince herself that Harry is really there....
Ugh, I don't want it to end.... but still I'm so happy that everyone is happy!!!!!!
PAMS!!!!!!!!!!
*Kate*

AWWW! So brilliantly written, i love it !

so sad its the end now :-(

xLillyx

Hi Angie. Great post! I'm thrilled that everything is semi back to normal. It couldn't be back to normal for a while I wouldn't think. I can't wait to see what you have waiting for us in your 2 part Epilogue! I loved every bit of your story and I'm sure I'll love the Epilogue also. I do have a question I've been wondering about, if you don't mind me asking. What became of Harry's wand? Did he still have it when they apparated him out of the fire, (the bad guys) or had he dropped it when he was being overcome with the smoke and flames? And also, I loved this part. I don't think he would have attecked someone imperiused. He didn't when Stan S. was chasing him on his broom. And he didn't when he killed Voldemort. The Expelliarmus isn't an attack, it's a disarming spell. So, in my mind he wouldn't have been able to attack her either, but on the other hand I think he would have done something. he is my hero after all.
I can't believe the ministry is calling him back all ready. He deserves a chance to have his body heal, and recover fron being tortured all that time.
Everything is well written and very good reading. I'll be watching for your Epilogue post. (part 1)

Yeah, I know I actually did thought about it, 'cause Ginny didn't have her wand either, but in my mind's eye Hermione or someone just Accio them back to them. Artemis had taken both of their wands, so they were somewhere in the castle......I wanted to actually write about it but it just didn't fit...thanks for asking though so I could get it straighten out .

Thank you all for posting!!!!! I'll have a new post up as soon as I can

-Angie-