Fic ~ Storm Clouds
Title: Storm Clouds
Epilogue ~ June 21, 1996
Word Count: 2,160
Rating: PG-13; some language
Disclaimer: JKR owns, no profit, etc., etc., etc.
Crystal Clear Skies ~ What's A Girl To Do ~ Express Train ~ School Days ~ Divining Quidditch
Hogsmeade ~ Questions & Answers ~ The Phoenix ~ Sleepless Nights ~ Clipping The Eagles' Wings
Vision Quest ~ Holiday Cheer ~ For Love Or Money ~ Stand & Deliver ~ Spring Fever
A Little Touch Of Harry ~ As The OWL Flies ~ Battle Cry ~ The Eye Of The Storm
“Your clasped hands symbolize the unity of your hearts, your minds, your bodies and your souls,” the priestess intoned as she wrapped a silken cord about Morgan and Lupin’s joined hands. Harry felt his grin widen at the joy on their faces. He heard a sniff behind him and turned around just in time to see Ron surreptitiously wipe a tear from his cheek. As he turned back to face the priestess he caught Ginny’s eye, and she smiled shyly at him. He gave her a small wink before giving his full attention to the ceremony.
Sirius stepped forward to speak to the assembled guests on Morgan and Lupin’s behalf. He was smiling widely, but there was a telltale catch in his voice. “Its almost unbelievable that this day ever arrived,” he began. “I’ve known Remus since we were eleven. We shared a boat across the lake when we arrived at Hogwarts, and despite many obstacles we’ve held fast to that friendship ever since.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.
“But I always knew that Morgan was a special case for Remus. I remember the first time he saw her; we were in our sixth year, watching The Sorting of a gangly, dark-haired girl with blue eyes so big they almost swallowed her face.” Those gathered all laughed at that image, and Sirius grinned before continuing. “When the hat announced Gryffindor for her she stumbled over to the house table and took the first seat she came to. It happened to be right in between James and Remus.” Morgan flushed suddenly at Sirius’ words, but Lupin whispered in her ear, causing a wide smile to cross her face. “When she swung her leg over the bench to sit down she almost kicked Remus in the head, she knocked James’ hat off and spilled the nearest pitcher of pumpkin juice. A memorable moment, to be sure.” Sirius grinned at Morgan; she stuck her tongue out at him.
“I remember how Remus smiled at her, that very nervous and clumsy first year, and made her feel better and more at ease. And if anyone is still not sure who I mean that gangly, dark-haired girl was Morgan.” A few laughs floated on the air. “I suppose it was meant to be for Remus and Morgan, but to have come through all that they’ve suffered. . .” Sirius paused to steady his voice, and Harry felt his own eyes start to sting. “Well, suffice it to say that their future will be that much brighter, and their bond that much stronger. And now to seal that commitment. . .”
And with a nod from the priestess Harry and Ginny stepped forward to stand on either side of a pile of stacked logs. They glanced at each other and pulled their wands.
“INCENDIO!”
Flames burst in to the air, bright orange against the violet sky of sunset. When the pyre was burning steadily and embers were flying into the air everyone took a step back. Lupin squeezed Morgan’s hand, and with one last look in each other’s eyes they ran forward and leapt over the flames. The train of Morgan’s robes didn’t quite clear the fire, and Lupin had to stamp on it to put it out. She didn’t seem bothered by it, though. “It means we’ll never lose the fire of love,” Harry heard Morgan say to Lupin in a tone reminiscent of Professor As the cord Trelawney. He rolled his eyes and grinned.
“You have each given and received a ring, and your hands, hearts, minds and souls have been joined, and you have passed through the fire to seal your vows to each other,” the priestess continued the ceremony, unwrapping the silk cord from their hands. As it fell she stepped back from Morgan and Lupin with a smile. “All that remains is to kiss the bride.”
The gathered guests began to applaud and hoot and holler. Lupin was blushing, but he held Morgan close and lowered his mouth to hers in slow motion. When their lips touched the flames on the pyre shot high enough to clear their heads.
“The old gods have sanctioned and approved your match,” the priestess said. “May you have infinite happiness with each other for all lifetimes.” She then touched one hand each to Morgan and Lupin’s foreheads, providing one last blessing. Only when this was done did everyone else come forward, offering hugs, kisses on the cheek, pats on the back and hearty congratulations. Harry came in for his fair share as well, since most of the guests knew the truth about his and Morgan’s relationship.
It took over ten minutes for Harry to get free from the crowd surrounding the bride and groom. He had been smiling and saying “Thank you.” for so long that his mouth was dry and his lips felt like they were cracking. He went straight to the refreshment table and opened a butterbeer. He couldn’t suppress the sigh of contentment as the cool liquid slid down his throat.
“That good, huh?”
Harry jumped and spilled a large quantity of butterbeer down the front of his dress robes. Morgan grinned. “Scourgify,” she said, cleaning up the mess.
“Thanks,” Harry said, setting the bottle down on the table before he could spill anymore. He smiled at his aunt. “I was starting to think my mouth was going to fall off my face from all the smiling I had to do while talking to people.”
Morgan laughed. “You? What about Remus and I?” She sighed then. “I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’m exhausted.” She picked up Harry’s half-empty butterbeer and took a long swallow. “After this past month I feel like I need to sleep for a week."
Harry silently agreed. It had been a whirlwind; the attack on Hogwarts, Sirius’ trial, preparing for the wedding. . . It didn’t seem possible that he had taken his O.W.L.s just over a month ago. It felt like years. And within a week he would be back on the Hogwarts Express with his friends, going back to the Dursleys.
But even that thought wasn’t as bad as in years past. At least now he understood why he had to be there for part of each year. Morgan had explained to him that when his mother sacrificed her life for his it had set in motion a complicated chain of magical events, culminating in his aunt’s decision to accept him into the house at Privet Drive. Lily’s blood continued to protect Harry through his Aunt Petunia. Now that he knew the whole story he felt that he could tolerate life in Little Whinging with a bit more equanimity.
And Morgan had promised to put in an appearance at Privet Drive, in order to, as she put it, “Put the fear of God” into the Dursley family. Harry had laughed out loud at the thought. In a quick glance his aunt greatly resembled her brother, and he could well imagine the reactions of all three Dursleys to the sight of such a “ghost” in their house. Plus his early removal from Privet Drive to either the Burrow or to Hogwarts to stay with Morgan and Lupin had been guaranteed.
All in all his summer wasn’t looking too terrible, and he even found himself anticipating it. Lupin had promised DADA practice if he came to Hogwarts early, and Morgan had hinted at inducting him into the Order of the Phoenix. Of course, coming to Hogwarts early would take him away from time at the Burrow. . . .
Even as that thought crossed his mind he saw Ginny walking across the grass towards him. Her eyes were downcast and she looked tired. She was still recovering from her recent experiences, so Harry took a few quick steps forward and offered his arm. She took it with a grateful smile.
“Thanks,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I could make it to a chair on my own.”
“Gin, there aren’t any chairs, and I don’t think I could conjure one,” Harry said. “I guess you’ll have to settle for a patch of grass.”
Ginny grimaced, casting a glance at her pale blue dress robes. “Mum’ll kill me if I mess these up, but I don’t have much choice.” She looked around at the wedding guests. “Can we at least get away from this crush?” she asked.
Harry gave the area a quick once-over and spotted a rise in the field about twenty yards from where they currently stood. He tightened his grip on Ginny’s hand where it rested on his arm. “Think you can make it over there?”
“I’ll have to, won’t I?”
They started to walk, Ginny leaning against Harry. He was somewhat surprised at how pleasant the sensation was; he wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Ginny tended to make almost anything better. Getting to know her as he did now was a positive thing. It made almost everything in life better. He felt in the pocket of his trousers for the small box that rested there.
“Knut for your thoughts.”
Harry shook himself out if his reverie. “I was just thinking about how hard this must be, having Morgan and Lupin’s wedding today,” he lied, not wanting to reveal his true thoughts about Ginny.
“What about today?” she asked as they reached the top of the knoll and she sank onto the soft grass.
“Well,” Harry began as he sat beside her, his arm brushing against hers. “It is your birthday, after all.”
Ginny tried to look surprised at that information, but her grin (which made her look disturbingly like Fred and George) gave her away. “I’ve been waiting for a sign that someone - anyone - remembered that fact. Thank you, Harry.”
He shrugged. “They’re probably surprised you managed to come to in time, although why I can’t imagine. Ron says you always milk birthdays and holidays because you’re the youngest. . . ‘ Ginny began play-slapping Harry on the shoulders. “OK! OK! I give!” He smiled at her and she scowled back. It didn’t last long, however. Harry reached into his pocket and removed the small box he had kept nestled there all day.
Ginny’s eyes lit up and her jaw dropped when she saw it. The bright blue bow on top of the box was rumpled, but that didn’t matter. She took it gently in her hands and met Harry’s eyes. He blushed furiously and pulled at the collar of his dress robes. “Its nothing big,” he said. “I found it in a shop in Diagon Alley when we were there for Sirius’ trial.” He coughed. “It made me think of you. ”
Ginny tugged on the ribbon and pulled the bow loose. When she lifted the lid of the box her breath caught. “Harry. . . .” she breathed.
Nestled in the dark blue tissue paper that filled the box was a gold and enamel brooch so delicately wrought she was almost afraid to touch it. It was a bird poised for flight and sitting on a bed of flames. The animal itself was enameled in a creamy white stone while the flames glowed red, yellow and orange. The brooch had been enchanted so that the flames flickered as if they were real.
Harry cleared his throat. “It’s a phoenix. It may have been made by a Muggle, but it was owned by a witch at some point. Morgan strengthened the spell that makes the flames move so it’ll never wear out.”
Ginny looked up and Harry’s thoughts ground to a halt. Her eyes were shining with tears. Before he could say a word she threw her arms around his neck. “Its beautiful, its perfect, its amazing, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said very fast. “I love it, Harry. Its gorgeous.” She pulled back far enough to kiss him on the cheek, and then rested her head on his shoulder, still holding the gift in her hand.
“Gin? Remember the night I had that last vision?” Harry asked, sliding an arm around her shoulders.
“Mmmmmm.” Ginny made a non-committal sound but nodded against him.
“We were talking about repeating our ‘moment’ by the lake, weren’t we?” Ginny nodded again. “But we were rather rudely interrupted.”
Ginny laughed. “I suppose you could call Voldemort rude, under the circumstances.” She lifted her head from Harry’s shoulder. “What are you aiming for, Harry?”
Harry shrugged and tried to look bored. “Just that we still haven’t repeated it, that’s all.”
Ginny hooked a finger under his chin and held his face close to hers. “Do you still want to repeat it?”
“I’m seriously considering it,” Harry whispered, lowering his lips to meet hers.
A long moment later Harry lifted his lips from Ginny’s, but pressed the tip of his nose against hers. “Happy Birthday, Gin.”
“It is now.”
THE END
OK, that's the end of the first part of the Storm Warning trilogy. I know
the_vixxmeister will be after me to get the next story posted, but she'll have to wait; only two chapters are complete.
Epilogue ~ June 21, 1996
Word Count: 2,160
Rating: PG-13; some language
Disclaimer: JKR owns, no profit, etc., etc., etc.
Crystal Clear Skies ~ What's A Girl To Do ~ Express Train ~ School Days ~ Divining Quidditch
Hogsmeade ~ Questions & Answers ~ The Phoenix ~ Sleepless Nights ~ Clipping The Eagles' Wings
Vision Quest ~ Holiday Cheer ~ For Love Or Money ~ Stand & Deliver ~ Spring Fever
A Little Touch Of Harry ~ As The OWL Flies ~ Battle Cry ~ The Eye Of The Storm
“Your clasped hands symbolize the unity of your hearts, your minds, your bodies and your souls,” the priestess intoned as she wrapped a silken cord about Morgan and Lupin’s joined hands. Harry felt his grin widen at the joy on their faces. He heard a sniff behind him and turned around just in time to see Ron surreptitiously wipe a tear from his cheek. As he turned back to face the priestess he caught Ginny’s eye, and she smiled shyly at him. He gave her a small wink before giving his full attention to the ceremony.
Sirius stepped forward to speak to the assembled guests on Morgan and Lupin’s behalf. He was smiling widely, but there was a telltale catch in his voice. “Its almost unbelievable that this day ever arrived,” he began. “I’ve known Remus since we were eleven. We shared a boat across the lake when we arrived at Hogwarts, and despite many obstacles we’ve held fast to that friendship ever since.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.
“But I always knew that Morgan was a special case for Remus. I remember the first time he saw her; we were in our sixth year, watching The Sorting of a gangly, dark-haired girl with blue eyes so big they almost swallowed her face.” Those gathered all laughed at that image, and Sirius grinned before continuing. “When the hat announced Gryffindor for her she stumbled over to the house table and took the first seat she came to. It happened to be right in between James and Remus.” Morgan flushed suddenly at Sirius’ words, but Lupin whispered in her ear, causing a wide smile to cross her face. “When she swung her leg over the bench to sit down she almost kicked Remus in the head, she knocked James’ hat off and spilled the nearest pitcher of pumpkin juice. A memorable moment, to be sure.” Sirius grinned at Morgan; she stuck her tongue out at him.
“I remember how Remus smiled at her, that very nervous and clumsy first year, and made her feel better and more at ease. And if anyone is still not sure who I mean that gangly, dark-haired girl was Morgan.” A few laughs floated on the air. “I suppose it was meant to be for Remus and Morgan, but to have come through all that they’ve suffered. . .” Sirius paused to steady his voice, and Harry felt his own eyes start to sting. “Well, suffice it to say that their future will be that much brighter, and their bond that much stronger. And now to seal that commitment. . .”
And with a nod from the priestess Harry and Ginny stepped forward to stand on either side of a pile of stacked logs. They glanced at each other and pulled their wands.
“INCENDIO!”
Flames burst in to the air, bright orange against the violet sky of sunset. When the pyre was burning steadily and embers were flying into the air everyone took a step back. Lupin squeezed Morgan’s hand, and with one last look in each other’s eyes they ran forward and leapt over the flames. The train of Morgan’s robes didn’t quite clear the fire, and Lupin had to stamp on it to put it out. She didn’t seem bothered by it, though. “It means we’ll never lose the fire of love,” Harry heard Morgan say to Lupin in a tone reminiscent of Professor As the cord Trelawney. He rolled his eyes and grinned.
“You have each given and received a ring, and your hands, hearts, minds and souls have been joined, and you have passed through the fire to seal your vows to each other,” the priestess continued the ceremony, unwrapping the silk cord from their hands. As it fell she stepped back from Morgan and Lupin with a smile. “All that remains is to kiss the bride.”
The gathered guests began to applaud and hoot and holler. Lupin was blushing, but he held Morgan close and lowered his mouth to hers in slow motion. When their lips touched the flames on the pyre shot high enough to clear their heads.
“The old gods have sanctioned and approved your match,” the priestess said. “May you have infinite happiness with each other for all lifetimes.” She then touched one hand each to Morgan and Lupin’s foreheads, providing one last blessing. Only when this was done did everyone else come forward, offering hugs, kisses on the cheek, pats on the back and hearty congratulations. Harry came in for his fair share as well, since most of the guests knew the truth about his and Morgan’s relationship.
It took over ten minutes for Harry to get free from the crowd surrounding the bride and groom. He had been smiling and saying “Thank you.” for so long that his mouth was dry and his lips felt like they were cracking. He went straight to the refreshment table and opened a butterbeer. He couldn’t suppress the sigh of contentment as the cool liquid slid down his throat.
“That good, huh?”
Harry jumped and spilled a large quantity of butterbeer down the front of his dress robes. Morgan grinned. “Scourgify,” she said, cleaning up the mess.
“Thanks,” Harry said, setting the bottle down on the table before he could spill anymore. He smiled at his aunt. “I was starting to think my mouth was going to fall off my face from all the smiling I had to do while talking to people.”
Morgan laughed. “You? What about Remus and I?” She sighed then. “I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’m exhausted.” She picked up Harry’s half-empty butterbeer and took a long swallow. “After this past month I feel like I need to sleep for a week."
Harry silently agreed. It had been a whirlwind; the attack on Hogwarts, Sirius’ trial, preparing for the wedding. . . It didn’t seem possible that he had taken his O.W.L.s just over a month ago. It felt like years. And within a week he would be back on the Hogwarts Express with his friends, going back to the Dursleys.
But even that thought wasn’t as bad as in years past. At least now he understood why he had to be there for part of each year. Morgan had explained to him that when his mother sacrificed her life for his it had set in motion a complicated chain of magical events, culminating in his aunt’s decision to accept him into the house at Privet Drive. Lily’s blood continued to protect Harry through his Aunt Petunia. Now that he knew the whole story he felt that he could tolerate life in Little Whinging with a bit more equanimity.
And Morgan had promised to put in an appearance at Privet Drive, in order to, as she put it, “Put the fear of God” into the Dursley family. Harry had laughed out loud at the thought. In a quick glance his aunt greatly resembled her brother, and he could well imagine the reactions of all three Dursleys to the sight of such a “ghost” in their house. Plus his early removal from Privet Drive to either the Burrow or to Hogwarts to stay with Morgan and Lupin had been guaranteed.
All in all his summer wasn’t looking too terrible, and he even found himself anticipating it. Lupin had promised DADA practice if he came to Hogwarts early, and Morgan had hinted at inducting him into the Order of the Phoenix. Of course, coming to Hogwarts early would take him away from time at the Burrow. . . .
Even as that thought crossed his mind he saw Ginny walking across the grass towards him. Her eyes were downcast and she looked tired. She was still recovering from her recent experiences, so Harry took a few quick steps forward and offered his arm. She took it with a grateful smile.
“Thanks,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I could make it to a chair on my own.”
“Gin, there aren’t any chairs, and I don’t think I could conjure one,” Harry said. “I guess you’ll have to settle for a patch of grass.”
Ginny grimaced, casting a glance at her pale blue dress robes. “Mum’ll kill me if I mess these up, but I don’t have much choice.” She looked around at the wedding guests. “Can we at least get away from this crush?” she asked.
Harry gave the area a quick once-over and spotted a rise in the field about twenty yards from where they currently stood. He tightened his grip on Ginny’s hand where it rested on his arm. “Think you can make it over there?”
“I’ll have to, won’t I?”
They started to walk, Ginny leaning against Harry. He was somewhat surprised at how pleasant the sensation was; he wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Ginny tended to make almost anything better. Getting to know her as he did now was a positive thing. It made almost everything in life better. He felt in the pocket of his trousers for the small box that rested there.
“Knut for your thoughts.”
Harry shook himself out if his reverie. “I was just thinking about how hard this must be, having Morgan and Lupin’s wedding today,” he lied, not wanting to reveal his true thoughts about Ginny.
“What about today?” she asked as they reached the top of the knoll and she sank onto the soft grass.
“Well,” Harry began as he sat beside her, his arm brushing against hers. “It is your birthday, after all.”
Ginny tried to look surprised at that information, but her grin (which made her look disturbingly like Fred and George) gave her away. “I’ve been waiting for a sign that someone - anyone - remembered that fact. Thank you, Harry.”
He shrugged. “They’re probably surprised you managed to come to in time, although why I can’t imagine. Ron says you always milk birthdays and holidays because you’re the youngest. . . ‘ Ginny began play-slapping Harry on the shoulders. “OK! OK! I give!” He smiled at her and she scowled back. It didn’t last long, however. Harry reached into his pocket and removed the small box he had kept nestled there all day.
Ginny’s eyes lit up and her jaw dropped when she saw it. The bright blue bow on top of the box was rumpled, but that didn’t matter. She took it gently in her hands and met Harry’s eyes. He blushed furiously and pulled at the collar of his dress robes. “Its nothing big,” he said. “I found it in a shop in Diagon Alley when we were there for Sirius’ trial.” He coughed. “It made me think of you. ”
Ginny tugged on the ribbon and pulled the bow loose. When she lifted the lid of the box her breath caught. “Harry. . . .” she breathed.
Nestled in the dark blue tissue paper that filled the box was a gold and enamel brooch so delicately wrought she was almost afraid to touch it. It was a bird poised for flight and sitting on a bed of flames. The animal itself was enameled in a creamy white stone while the flames glowed red, yellow and orange. The brooch had been enchanted so that the flames flickered as if they were real.
Harry cleared his throat. “It’s a phoenix. It may have been made by a Muggle, but it was owned by a witch at some point. Morgan strengthened the spell that makes the flames move so it’ll never wear out.”
Ginny looked up and Harry’s thoughts ground to a halt. Her eyes were shining with tears. Before he could say a word she threw her arms around his neck. “Its beautiful, its perfect, its amazing, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said very fast. “I love it, Harry. Its gorgeous.” She pulled back far enough to kiss him on the cheek, and then rested her head on his shoulder, still holding the gift in her hand.
“Gin? Remember the night I had that last vision?” Harry asked, sliding an arm around her shoulders.
“Mmmmmm.” Ginny made a non-committal sound but nodded against him.
“We were talking about repeating our ‘moment’ by the lake, weren’t we?” Ginny nodded again. “But we were rather rudely interrupted.”
Ginny laughed. “I suppose you could call Voldemort rude, under the circumstances.” She lifted her head from Harry’s shoulder. “What are you aiming for, Harry?”
Harry shrugged and tried to look bored. “Just that we still haven’t repeated it, that’s all.”
Ginny hooked a finger under his chin and held his face close to hers. “Do you still want to repeat it?”
“I’m seriously considering it,” Harry whispered, lowering his lips to meet hers.
A long moment later Harry lifted his lips from Ginny’s, but pressed the tip of his nose against hers. “Happy Birthday, Gin.”
“It is now.”
THE END
OK, that's the end of the first part of the Storm Warning trilogy. I know
the_vixxmeister will be after me to get the next story posted, but she'll have to wait; only two chapters are complete.