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Author: Robert Owen Story: Invictus Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 3 Words: 146,488
A story to solve the mystery of what happened to Harry and the gang during their sixth year at Hogwarts based on the clues left by IMOGEN in ALPHA & OMEGA, Book 2 of the Carpe Diem Universe. This story is dedicated to two people: Imogen, Whose writing at Elenarda and Gryffindor Tower inspired me to get off my sorry you-know-what and reach for the stars again. & Jennie, Who reminded me that while reaching for the stars, it's good to stop and be a kid again sometimes. Disclaimer: I own nothing. Author's note: It is my goal to take the clues left by Imogen in Alpha & Omega and solve the mystery of Year Six in the Carpe Diem Universe. Readers should be forewarned that I do not write in a normal style of natural progression, but rather develop random sections which I then piece together. Thus, assuming that Imogen likes what I plan on doing in her universe, updates will be random and may vary greatly in size. Our story begins on Wednesday, August 14th, 1996, the day before RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Slam! Pop! Molly Weasley walked out from the kitchen in time to find her eldest son Bill offering a helping hand to Harry as he got up from the floor where he'd slid on exiting the fireplace. Harry, after a quick glance to make sure that his Hogwarts trunk and Hedwig's cage had arrived safely, glanced over at Bill, who had Apparated instead of Flooing, and grimaced. "Why is it that I have to get all dirty and you get to just pop over?" Bill slapped a handful of soot from Harry's back and grinned. "One of the perks of age, my boy. Don't worry, this time next year you'll be able to start studying for your Apparition license." "Harry!" Harry turned and found himself enveloped in a massive bear hug from Molly Weasley that threatened to crack at least two ribs. He always marveled at how one woman could harbor such strength. "Harry. I'm so glad to see you! Bill, please take his things up to Ron's room and be sure to open the window so Hedwig can get in." "Right away, Mum," and Bill disappeared upstairs with the cage in one hand and using his wand to levitate Harry's trunk with the other. "Now dear, even though supper will be ready in an hour, I you want to come right in here to the kitchen and I'll fix you a sandwich. You must be starving after that long trip and…" She stopped and stared at Harry for a moment, looking him up and down, with an ever-increasing frown. "Dear, I know I shouldn't speak ill of your relatives in front of you, but I swear, if I ever have the chance to say a few words to your Aunt and Uncle, I will! You look as though they starved you to death all summer. I swear you had more flesh on you last June when I saw you at Platform 9 ¾ then you do now! If anything, I suspect Hermione's father seriously understated the problems you were facing in his letter!" She paused and smiled. "Well, you're here now, safe and sound, and I'll get some meat back on those bones before you head back to school." "Oi, Harry!" came a duet of voices from behind him. He turned to greet Fred and George, aspiring entrepreneurs and the recipients of Harry's Tri-wizard Tournament winnings, who stood wearing identical bright orange tee shirts which said "I have stepped out to find myself. Should I show up before I return, please keep me here until I do." "I though you two would be at Diagon Alley, working on getting your shop opened." "Nah, couldn't on account of having to knock off early," answered Fred. "It's a holiday, old bean. Wouldn't be right to work late on a holiday," was George's explanation. "All right, I'm afraid to ask, but exactly what holiday is it?" The two crown princes of practical jokes looked at each other and shook their heads. "Such a sad thing," said Fred. "You're absolutely right, mate," answered George. "You'd think that he'd manage to remember this holiday!" Harry turned to Bill, who had entered the room, and pointed to the twins. "Do you have any idea what they're blathering about?" Bill grinned and adopted a poise of casual innocence. "I have absolutely no idea. Mum, do you know what they're talking about?" Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley and found her trying to stifle a giggle. She finally gave up and pointed at the twins. "All right, you two, go ahead and tell him." George grinned, "Well, since we missed your real birthday two weeks ago, we decided to declare today as Harry Potter Day!" "Which means," Fred chimed in, "that today is your very merry un-birthday mate!" "My what?" Bill now stepped in to explain. "Your un-birthday. You only get one birthday a year but you get 364 un-birthdays and so today is a holiday in honor of your un-birthday party! Ginny found the idea in a Muggle book Dad used to read her as a child and thought you might like it." Molly gave a slight cough and, with a twinkle in her eye, gave Bill an innocent look and asked, "Speaking of which, where is Ginny? I would have thought she'd have been down by now." Bill grinned as he replied. "She was taking a nap in her room when I went upstairs. I stopped and told her we had visitors downstairs." "WHAT?" The twins chorused. "You mean you ruined the surprise? We were all set to go and toss Harry into her room and see how long it took her to snog him senseless!" Molly shot them both a disapproving look. "I think not, you two! You just leave your sister alone or else I'll…" A soft, quiet voice came from the stairwell. "Harry, is it really you?" Harry looked up and stared at the vision in white standing on the lowest stair. Ginny stood there in a simple cotton summer dress, her hair hanging loosely down her back, looking even better than he could have imagined. In spite of Ron's letters and Hermione's reassurances, he had refused to allow himself to fully believe that Ginny had finally recovered from her near death experience the previous spring. He'd been too afraid of having reality step in and take away the one thing that mattered to him more than anything else did. Now, staring at Ginny, he knew that dream was a reality and he let out a long breath before slowly walking over to his girlfriend and pulling her into an embrace every bit as tight as Molly Weasley's had been. Ginny returned the hug and whispered in his ear. "I've missed you so much, Harry." Harry relaxed his arms and looked down into chocolate brown eyes that were moist with tears. "I was worried sick about you all summer." "So was I." Harry grinned and then, conscious of the rest of the Weasleys watching them, he leaned forward and gently kissed Ginny on her forehead. Then he took her hand and pulled her over to the kitchen table so she could join him there. Molly watched the scene and smiled at the slight flush, which had crept into her daughter's cheeks. Harry nodded his head in thanks as Molly placed a large ham and cheese sandwich in front of him, then turned with a smile to Ginny. "Hungry?" She smiled back. "Starved!" and grabbed half of his sandwich in one smooth move. "Hey!" Harry gave a half-hearted protest as the rest of the boys laughed. A new voice piped up from the doorway. 'One day, Harry, you'll learn that if you give Ginny an opening, she'll take you for everything you've got!" Harry jumped up, his sandwich forgotten and raced around the table to grip Ron's outstretched arm with his own. "Oi, good to see you mate! How you been?" "Tolerable, considering the two maniacs I live with." "Hey, we resent that remark!" "Resemble it is more like it," came Harry's swift rejoinder as the twins left the room and Bill Apparated back to the Leaky Cauldron to return the Ministry car he'd borrowed earlier. "Heard from Hermione lately?" "No. Not since her last owl three weeks ago." Ron then quietly whispered, "You know, not since your visit," and glanced towards Ginny. Harry quietly whispered back, "Does she…" Ron shook his head slightly. "Merlin, no! You and I both know she'd have gone spare if I had told her." Ginny by now had finished her purloined snack and noticed the quiet whispering going on. She gave a loud snort and watched as both boys turned to her with guilty looks. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Harry? Or should I just hex you both right now on general principles?" "What! Can't we have a private conversation without you getting suspicious?" "Not when the two people in question are my brother and my boyfriend. A girl might think you're up to something. But seeing as you're busy, Harry, I guess I'll just make sure this sandwich doesn't go to waste." And with that, she picked up the remaining half of Harry sandwich and started to eat. Ron turned to Harry with a resigned look on his face. "See, I told you last year that nothing was safe around her!" Molly, who had watched the exchange from the sidelines, now placed another sandwich on the table and pointed at Harry. "All right, that's enough of that. Here's another sandwich, Harry, and don't YOU even think of touching it, Ronald Weasley! Now, tuck in before one of the other vultures in this house steals it!" Harry looked sideways as Ginny, who was licking her fingers as she finished the last of his original sandwich, and grinned as he bit into the new one. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the last quiet moment that he'd get with Ginny that evening. The twins and Ron seemed to make it their personal mission in life to prevent him from being alone with Ginny for more than a few seconds at a time. Dinner was a raucous affair as first Ron, and then the twins, filled Harry in on all they'd been up to for the past six seeks. It seemed that the twins were almost ready to open but a pipe had burst earlier in the day and they'd had to leave so the repair crew could come in and clean up the mess. Fortunately, none of the stock had arrived and so the damage was mostly physical, which could be repaired easily enough. He also discovered that the boys had been putting him on about the birthday party. Oh, there would be one, and that it would be a un-birthday party was true, but the actual party wouldn't be until Hermione got there later in the week. Molly smiled at the look of disappointment on Harry's face as he found out he would have to wait for his presents. "Cheer up, dear, it's only a few days and I know that it will be much more fun with Hermione here." Then she leaned in conspiratorially and whispered in Harry's ear, "Besides, she'll give Ron somebody else to fight with besides Ginny." Harry could only grin and smother the laugh that threatened to escape. That night, the boys played chess by the fire while Arthur, Molly, and Ginny relaxed in the living room. Bill had gone back again to Diagon Alley and the twins were upstairs in their room, plotting more mischief and mayhem if the sounds occasionally heard were any indication. Harry soon found it impossible to concentrate on the game as his focus kept shifting to the vision in white seated a few feet away. He marveled again at how good she looked and smiled to himself as he saw the firelight reflect off her bright red hair, which now reached down almost two-thirds of her back. Even more importantly, every so often, he would catch her eye as she surreptitiously looked at him and then they both would smile. "Checkmate." Harry looked down in surprise and realized that he hadn't even seen that particular move coming. He sighed and conceded the match, only then noticing that it was almost midnight. Molly shifted in her seat and noticed the clock as well. "All right you lot! Time for bed!" Harry had just started to follow Ron upstairs when he realized that Ginny hadn't stirred from the couch. He walked over to stand by Mrs. Weasley as she gazed down at the sleeping figure. Molly gave a small sigh as she gently ran a hand over Ginny's head while murmuring to herself. "She looks so peaceful when she's asleep. I really don't want to wake her but I can't leave her down here tonight." Sighing again, she absently stroked Ginny's hair once more. Harry watched the tender moment feeling a bit like an intruder and then awkwardly cleared his throat. "Err…Mrs. Weasley? Would you like me to help you carry her upstairs?" Molly looked up in surprise, not having fully realized that Harry was there. She started to shake her head and then stopped and smiled. "Thank you, dear, I'd appreciate the help. Are you sure you can manage her?" "Yes, Mrs. Weasley" and Harry gently slid his arms under Ginny, reveling in the chance to finally hold his girlfriend again even if she was asleep, and followed Molly up the stairs to her room. Molly led Harry over to the bed where he laid her down and helped Molly take off her shoes. However, as Harry straightened up he was hit by a powerful wave of emotions. In his minds eye, he again saw Ginny lying in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, her skin as pale white as the linens on which she lay, the only sign of life being the steady but slight rise and fall of her chest. He staggered back slightly and only snapped out of the shock when Molly grabbed his arm to steady him. "Harry, dear, are you all right?" The concern in her voice touched Harry deeply after his experience at the Dursleys' the past six weeks. Molly quickly steered Harry towards the chair in front of Ginny's dressing table. "Come and sit down right this instant." Obediently, he sat and gathered his thoughts, even as his eyes never left the sleeping form on the bed. Seeing that Harry appeared to be fine, Molly went over and gently pulled the covers over her daughter. Having tucked in the youngest Weasley and given her a gentle kiss on her forehead, Molly turned to Harry and motioned for him to follow her out. Rising, Harry first walked over to the bed and looked down at Ginny, confirming in his own mind that it was not a dream but that Ginny really was just asleep in her own bed and not lying limp and lifeless in the Hospital Wing. Then he reached out and gently pushed a strand of hair from Ginny's face and whispered "Good night," before following Molly out into the hall. To his surprise and relief, Molly said nothing about his gesture a moment ago. Instead, he thought he detected a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she turned and led him back down to the kitchen. Pointing to a chair, she sat opposite him with a slightly worried expression on her face. "Harry dear, what happened just now? You put Ginny down on the bed and then suddenly turned as pale as a ghost. For a second there, I thought you had almost fainted. Are you sure you're all right?" "I'm fine, really." Molly reached out and took Harry's chin in her hand and forced him to look her in the eye. "Don't lie to me, Harry! That was not a normal reaction you had just now." Her eyes softened and Harry saw the concern and love reflected there. Weighing his options, Harry finally answered her genuine concern with the honest truth. "I'm fine Mrs. Weasley. It's just that when I saw Ginny lying there in bed, for a split second, I had a vision of Ginny lying in the Hospital Wing after I brought her back last spring. It shook me up for a moment before I remembered where I was. I'm sorry I startled you." Molly jumped up and ran around the table to smother Harry in a motherly hug. "Now, now dear! I know exactly how you feel! I've had a few moments like that myself these past few weeks and I don't mind admitting to you that I've got up in the middle of the night a few times to reassure myself as well." She paused and tilted Harry's chin up so she could look him in the eye. "However, the past is the past. My baby girl is alive and well thanks to you and that's all that matters! Now, off to bed with you. Tomorrow's another day and I'm sure you'll want to spend some time alone with Ginny." "You mean her brothers are going to let me?" The sarcasm in his tone was not lost on Molly. She laughed as she pushed Harry towards the stairs. "Oh, I know they kept you two apart tonight, and yes, you're right that it was a plot. Just remember that it's all in good jest. If they really didn't want you with Ginny, they'd let you know in no uncertain terms!" She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pulled Harry into another hug. "I'm so glad you're finally here, Harry. The house just doesn't feel right without all my children accounted for." Harry
could only hug her back as the meaning of her words sank in and caused
his throat to tighten. Then, he whispered, "Good night, Mrs.
Weasley," and ran upstairs to Ron's room and jumped into bed before the
swirl of emotions threatened to overcome him. A/N: My thanks for the wonderful Beta work of Imogen, Bart, and Kathy Viewers should now read Imogen's wonderful outtake RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS before proceeding to Chapter 2. I hope you enjoy the ride!
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