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Jan. 2nd, 2007 08:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fics_by_mapleWithin You, Without You -Chapter Nine - Carry That Weight
~^~
Harry’s feet felt heavier with every step he took, and every breath required conscious effort.
Mrs. Bentley had convinced them to return to the cottage and Floo to St. Mungo’s, rather than Apparate - which was probably very wise.
The rest of the world seemed to be in slow motion while Harry was flying fast. He wanted to slow down and prolong whatever heartbreak was about to occur.
“We’re nearly there, I think.” Ginny’s voice sounded distant over the rushing in his ears, and the contact of her hand on his was the only thing that made him feel connected to the planet at all.
He couldn’t even summon the effort to be annoyed by the looks and whispers from people as he passed and certainly couldn’t be bothered to nod acknowledgement like he usually did.
“Okay, I think this is the right ward,” she said. Harry didn’t know what to do with himself. Usually this feeling of dread and panic was accompanied with the dire need to fight and flee. Now there was nothing to be done; he had no task to focus on.
After walking through the doors, it was obvious they were in the right place. Ron and Hermione were down the hall. They were embracing each other and he could see her shoulders quaking while Ron’s face was buried in her hair.
Percy was a little further off, shaking his head while he looked down at the floor.
George’s angry words echoed in his mind:
“He was tortured and he’s dying, and it’s all your fault! They were after us, because of you! My dad, my brothers; how many times are the people I love going to risk death because of helping you? Even your own parents died because of you!”
Harry had thought he could get away from it, live down the cruel accusation, but he couldn’t. Harry froze, unable to face them again.
Ginny turned and moved in close to him.
“Whatever it is, we’ll be okay, Harry,” Ginny said, softly rubbing his ribs.
“I can’t, Gin. What if it was because of me? I just got George talking to me again – I can’t.”
“You stop it right now!” Harry was startled by her tone, and he actually focused on her face. “Did someone ever promise you that life would be all ‘Felix Felicis’ after you killed Voldemort?” Harry’s eyes opened wide. Not many people ever spoke so bluntly about that. He opened his mouth to respond, but had nothing to say, so he closed it again.
“No,” Ginny continued. “Life is bloody difficult for everyone: the young and the old and magical and the Muggles. No one gets a free flight, do they?”
Harry shook his head again.
“Now you just pull yourself together. We will have to shovel through shite from time to time, and I need the man in my life to be able to cope with it. Can you?”
Harry nodded. He took a deep breath and Ginny kissed the back of his hand and her countenance softened.
“Together. Come on, love.”
Harry still had to fight the urge to turn and run with every step forward, but he squeezed Ginny’s hand and felt her return the gesture. As long as she doesn’t let go.
As they approached, Ron and Hermione looked up; both had red, watery eyes. Only they weren’t crying, they were … laughing.
“Oh, you’re here!” Hermione squealed, letting go of Ron to hug Harry.
“Of course. We came as soon as we got the letter. What’s going on?” Ginny demanded.
Hermione stood back, wiping her eyes and looking at Ron with a partial smirk but showing some hesitance.
“Don’t look at me, Hermione,” Ron protested. “I can’t even begin to say it.”
“You better explain what the hell has happened!” Ginny fired off. “Your letter said Dad’s hurt. Now what is so funny?”
“I’m so sorry, Ginny,” Hermione said. “I wish I hadn’t sent that. You see, your mum had owled Bill and Fleur, who Floo called the rest of us. Bill had already sent their owl with a note to Charlie and asked me to send one to the two of you. The Healers didn’t let us know what happened until just a little while ago.” Hermione and Ron exchanged knowing glances again, smiling. “Your dad is fine, for the most part,” she continued. “He took a nasty fall and has broken some bones, that’s all.”
“A fall? Must have been some fall!” Ginny said skeptically.
“Yes. Well, it seems that they may have been, ah, creatively using the first floor banister, you know? And it gave way, and they fell.”
“… You’re joking!” Ginny demanded.
“I’m afraid not,” Percy said, strolling up to them, looking both chagrined and annoyed. “Trying to explain what happened to the Ministry without either exposing – ahem, alluding to - what happened or disparaging the condition of their house has been no easy task.”
“Thanks for being careful with that, Percy,” Ron said. Percy nodded with a smile, looking pleased to get Ron’s appreciation.
“Un-fucking-believable,” Ginny muttered. “I can not believe them. Is it really so difficult to do it in a bed like normal people?”
The other three all maintained neutral expressions, but Harry knew they were forming the same question about them.
“Excuse me,” a young mediwitch interrupted. “Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are accepting visitors now. You can go in.”
“I have to get back to work,” Percy said quickly, already walking backwards down the hall. “Please let Dad know that his office isn’t expecting him for a few days and I’ll bring any mail he has from the office later. Good day!”
The remaining four watched Percy’s hasty retreat and then turned to each other.
“Shall we go on then?” Hermione asked. She turned to the doorway, and Harry followed her, though Ron and Ginny didn’t move at all.
“What’s the matter with you two?” she asked them.
The siblings looked at each other, both wearing the same wary expression.
“Erm, we’ll just wait here. You two go on,” Ron said, shifting slightly.
“You know what? Ron and I will go to the Burrow and see if anything needs to be cleaned up. Maybe fix the banister,” Ginny suggested, putting her hand on his arm and beginning to pull him down the hall.
“Yeah! We’ll repair the banister – and maybe strengthen the kitchen table too,” he added, chuckling.
They were both red in the face and backpedaling quickly.
“Right, you just give them our best and we’ll meet you later, okay?” Ginny said, before they both turned and fled just like Percy had.
“Rotten cowards, the lot of them,” Hermione muttered, taking Harry by the elbow. “You know, they all left. Fred and George had already come and gone before I got here. Bill left right away. How could they let embarrassment stop them at a time like this?”
Harry just shrugged. He hadn’t been able to speak a word yet. He’d gone from abject dread, to relief, to trying to fathom the absurdity of the humor of the situation, and he just didn’t trust his voice with any of it.
When they entered the room, Mr. Weasley was tucked into bed, propped up on his side a bit, and Mrs. Weasley was pouring tea.
“Oh, hello, kids,” she said, putting the teapot down. She and her husband smiled sheepishly at each other before looking at them. “Down to just the two of you, is it?”
“Everyone sends their best wishes. They were all just, very, busy today,” Hermione said in an attempt to sound casual.
“That’s all right, dear. We know our children.”
“Harry, are you all right?” Mr. Weasley asked. Harry jerked his head vaguely and wasn’t quite sure what to say or how to look, but before he even realized he was doing it, he lunged at Mr. Weasley and hugged him round the neck.
“Nothing can happen to you,” Harry muttered into the older man’s shoulder. “You have to stay safe.”
Harry pulled himself to standing again and sniffed, unable to the look his future father in law in the eye.
“I’ll be just fine, son. Don’t worry about me.”
Harry managed to twist his face into a weak smile, and then slowly, all of them had a laugh.
~^~
A few days passed before life settled down again, though a heightened feeling of change still hung in the air. The family was thrilled with their engagement. Most nights were spent with Ginny joining Harry at Ron and Hermione’s house.
“Oi! Ron, you there?” came the annoyed voice of one of the twins from the fire.
Ron got up from the dinner table and knelt down to the fire to see which one it was.
“George? ‘S going on?” he asked, using a napkin to wipe his mouth.
“You’re eatin’? Sorry, but there’s a titchy little kid here who won’t get lost. I’ve tossed him out twice now, but he keeps coming back. Insists on talking to you.”
“To me?”
“Yeah, and-” George glanced over his shoulder and then lowered his voice. “I dunno, but - he looks kinda scared. Kinda like Harry used to.”
“Hey!” said Harry, protesting George’s remark and kneeling next to Ron. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
George’s face widened into a grin, appearing pleased to have caused an unintentional insult.
“Sorry ‘bout that, mate. But it’s true. When you were a kid, you always had that pissed off beaten puppy look about you. Same thing with this one.” He jerked his head behind him.
“You know, George, could he just be, uh -” Ron scratched the back of his neck, and colored. “Just a - Quidditch fan?”
Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, who blushed even worse, but George spoke up.
“I thought of that, but he hasn’t even mentioned Quidditch. Said he wanted to talk to ‘Harry Potter’s friend.’ Will you just shift your arse and get over here and deal with the kid. I’m trying to close up here.”
~
“You coming then?” Ron asked after the Floo flames burned out.
“’Course,” Harry answered. “’Cause if this is just about getting a Cannons’ jersey autographed, I’m never gonna let you forget it.”
Ron rolled his eyes.
“You two want to come along?” he asked Ginny and Hermione, shoving several more bites off of his plate.
They looked at each other plainly for a moment before looking back at Ron.
“I think I’d rather stay,” Hermione said.
“No thanks, Ron. I’ve lived through the King Weasley worship once; I don’t need to see it again.”
Hermione stifled a giggle, while she clasped the hook on Ron’s robe. “Hurry back,” she whispered and kissed him.
“I’ll be back soon,” Harry muttered into Ginny’s ear when he kissed her goodbye, a tingling hint of promise in his words.
They took their usual route to Diagon Alley, Apparating outside of the Muggle entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. They both pulled their hoods low and moved quickly and quietly through the pub, which was already getting loud with patrons leaving work for the day.
The joke shop was closed, but they released the magical lock. As they entered, George saw them and silently used his wand to indicate a small boy sitting on the counter. He had dark blonde curly hair and clutched a worn out Quaffle in his hands. When he saw Ron, he squeaked and jumped off the counter.
“Mr. Weasley!” he piped, looking fit to burst.
“Yeah,” he answered cautiously, approaching the boy who seemed even smaller as he stood on the floor.
The boy noticed Harry approaching and gasped. “Mr. Potter.”
“All right now,” Ron said, pulling the boy’s attention from Harry. “Hey, I know you, don’t I? I signed that Quaffle, yeah?” The boy nodded.
Harry remembered the boy as well. He was one of the group who had fawned over Ron in Quality Quidditch Supplies, but this little one had passed along a ‘thanks’ to Harry, something which he hadn’t forgotten.
“What’s your name again, kid?”
“Gordon Whitby, sir,” he said in a breathless sounding voice.
“That’s right. Enough with the ‘sir’ bit now, Whitby. I’m Ron; this is my mate, Harry.”
“Hey, Gordon,” Harry said, with a cheery grin, hoping to look less intimidating.
Gordon gave them a courteous smile, but it didn’t extend into the troubled look in the boy’s darting eyes.
“Did you need something, kid?” Ron asked gently. It was now apparent to them that the boy was upset. He nodded in response to Ron’s question, still gawking at Harry.
Ron looked back at Harry, smirking that the boy seemed so star struck. He shifted on his knee so that he was blocking Harry from the boy’s view.
“Kid?”
The boy swallowed and had to clear his throat.
“There’s a bad man in the Leaky Cauldron tonight.”
“There’s a lot of dodgy folks there, Whitby,” Ron answered. “What were you doing over there tonight, anyway? Shouldn’t you be home?”
“My mum works there now. She cleans the rooms.”
“I see.”
“She works a lot since Dad was killed by-” The boy shot a nervous glance in Harry’s direction. “By them.”
Ron stiffened and took a breath. Harry couldn’t breathe at all.
“By Death Eaters, you mean?”
George had finished his work behind the counter and was now standing close by, listening intently. He had already quit the store of its usual blinking and noisy displays, and discussing Death Eaters was exceptionally eerie in this surrounding.
“It happened when I was little,” Gordon said, gripping the Quaffle. The three men all exchanged quick knowing glances at the boy referring to being ‘little’ in the past tense. “I was hiding when they came to our house, but I heard all of their voices. That man is in the Leaky Cauldron right now, sir.”
“Did you see the man’s face at all?” George asked.
“No.” He shook his head. “They wear those masks, don’t they?”
That was enough for Harry to be convinced. As much as he wanted to deny George’s early snipe about this boy’s expression bearing resemblance to him, there was something about this boy that made him believe Gordon’s claim.
“Please, sirs, I’m telling you the truth. I’ll take Veritaserum if you want me to. He’s there right now.”
Harry chuckled. “No one’s gonna make you take a potion, Gordon. I appreciate the offer though. Now listen, can you describe him?”
“I can show you who he is, Mr. Potter. I - I’m not afraid.” That last bit was the first thing the boy said that Harry didn’t believe, but he did have an idea.
~
The four of them were in the small courtyard between the main of Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. George had taken an aging potion and transfigured his robe that had been a peacock green into a dingy brown. He patted Gordon on the head before entering the pub.
“You ready to do this?” Ron asked, pushing his hood off of his head. And opening his cloak, he revealed his Cannons practice t-shirt.
“Yeah. I hate doing this kind of shite though,” Harry said, pushing his own hood off of his head and brushing his hair back off of his forehead. “You come along in a few minutes, yeah?” he said to Gordon.
“I’m ready, Mr. Potter.”
“Harry,” he corrected. Gordon just beamed.
Ron sniggered as they walked towards the door and muttered as they pushed it open, “Smile pretty for the people now …”
As the two made a great production of their entrance, the pub erupted with shouts of ‘Three cheers for our heroes!’ They accepted the drinks shoved at them and shook hands, accepting their accolades with bright smiles, playing the part.
“Tell us the one with the giant squid, Ron!” somebody shouted.
His ears blazed red, but he hopped up and sat on the bar and recounted the tale of dueling with a Death Eater; the fight had been cut short when the lake’s resident cephalopod curled its long tentacle around the Dark Wizard and pulled him under.
Ron was expanding on the heroics and hilarity of the incident quite a bit from what Harry remembered. But more importantly, he knew that from Ron’s vantage point on top of the bar, he could see over the heads when little Gordon Whitby finally entered.
“ … And so I said, ‘Harry, just send ‘em all my way. I think the sodding squid fancies me!’” Ron was winding up the crowd, and they loved it.
Harry laughed in all the right places during Ron’s story, but his eyes were on the curly blond head weaving through the crowd.
Gordon tossed his old Quaffle up in the air repeatedly as he maneuvered through the mass of grown bodies in the room. When he rounded a table near the back, he quite purposefully missed his catch, and the Quaffle crashed onto the table, knocking glasses onto the patron who sat conspicuously not participating in the merriment surrounding them.
“Wretched whelp,” the man snarled. He stood and aimed his wand at the boy, though he quickly lowered it again.
“Sorry, Mister,” Whitby apologized, and he managed to brilliantly knock over the remaining pitcher of ale as he retrieved his errant Quaffle. He backed away from the table and then ran up the back stairs. The boy exchanged a quick smile with Ron from across the pub, and rounded out of sight.
Using his wand to clean the splatter from his own robes and pulling the hood of his robe low over his head, the unknown man left the pub. George, now appearing as an aged man, shuffled out the doorway after him.
Ron and Harry made eye contact, acknowledging what had occurred; now they both just had to hope that George could follow the man, unnoticed – especially if he really was a Death Eater.
Another round of drinks had been tossed back before they were able to thank Tom, who refused to accept any payment, and they bid a final farewell to everyone.
“Bloody hell - seemed like we were in there forever,” Ron grumbled, clasping his robe again.
“Yeah, but you were really on back there. People want that ridiculous squid story every time,” Harry mused, shaking his head.
“Well, it’s a good story.” Ron chuckled, but it was a forced effort, just like the rest of the conversation, because neither was really thinking about the words they spoke. They were looking ahead of them for some sign of George.
“Maybe we should hang on for a minute?” Ron said, stopping where Diagon Alley curved. “We can see in both directions from here.”
“Uhm, yeah. Sure.” Harry shifted on his feet, and looked forebodingly up at the large window over Ron’s shoulder. Ron followed Harry’s gaze and turned to face Eeylops Owl Emporium.
“Oh. Sorry, Harry. I didn’t notice. We can move on a bit,” Ron said when he realized there were a dozen pairs of yellow eyes looking down at them.
Harry thought of how Ginny’s face lit up when she pet Castor the owl. He wasn’t going to be able to avoid owls forever. “No worries,” he said to Ron with a shrug.
“Took you long enough, lads,” George said behind them, and they spun around to face him, now looking his proper age again.
“D’you lose him?”
“Little brother, I’ve been trailing people since long before you became the mighty hero – squid lover. I did not lose him. Followed him half way through Knockturn Alley before I realized who he was. That’s Byron Burke. Old man Borgin’s godson or some such.”
“Burke? And little Whitby says he’s a Death Eater?” Ron said.
“There’s only one thing for it then,” Harry said, already on the move.
~
Harry sensed an eerie déjà vu as they entered the Dark Arts shop.
“We’re closed!” a harsh voice croaked from the back of the store.
“Yeah, just had a few questions,” Ron said, lightly.
“I locked that door,” the man said accusingly as he came forward.
“Wasn’t a very good locking charm, that one,” George said. “You might want to up your security around here.”
The storeowner’s recognition of the three men was obvious, though he tried to hide his alarm.
“Mr. Burke? My name’s Harry Potter, and- ”
“I know who you are,” he said bitterly.
“Right. Well, my friends here and I have been checking on folks around Diagon Alley. Some funny things have been happening lately. You might have heard?”
Burke squinted at them as he moved behind the counter. “You ain’t been coming to Knockturn Alley. We don’t need yeh, or want your ‘help.’ Take yer leave already, why don’ yeh? I said before: store’s closed.”
“Ron, have a go at this,” George said. They all turned and found that he had a collection of shrunken heads doing a mid-air leapfrog.
“Don’t touch that!” Burke snarled.
“Funny. We could improve it though,” Ron added, and he waved his wand, making the shrunken heads begin to sparkle.
Harry inwardly admired the Weasley ability to fluster and provoke anyone in a very short time.
“I demand you stop it! Leave here!”
Ignoring the man’s mounting anger, Ron and George levitated several more trinkets to join the shrunken heads, all the while laughing and bumping into cabinets.
Harry was ready with his wand when Mr. Burke raised his own and cast a hex in their direction.
“Expelliarmus!” Harry shouted, but the man had lunged backwards and Ron and George dodged apart to avoid the flash from Burke’s wand.
George took cover behind a bookshelf, unable to risk looking back around. Ron and Harry ducked behind tables and could see each other from across the walkway. They heard Burke behind the counter, muttering spells.
Harry and Ron looked at each other with furrowed brows. The man spoke the incantation again.
“Is he Banishing things?” Ron asked in a whisper.
Harry nodded. “He’s hiding something.”
They suddenly knew there was an urgent need to stop him. They blinked in mutual understanding and stood, both risking a hex to the face.
Burke glanced up at them, but rather than defend himself, he aimed his wand at a wooden box at the end of the counter and attempted one more Banishing charm.
Ron deflected the man’s spell at the same time Harry shouted, “Expelliarmus!” causing Burke’s wand to fly from his hand. Ron then quickly turned his wand against Burke, casting an Impediment jinx. As he stumbled into the wall, Harry conjured ropes that bound him in place.
The dusty air felt thick, while the sounds of them catching breath cut through the dismal store.
“All right, mates?” George said, walking up between them. They looked at each other and nodded.
“Mr. Burke,” Harry said, moving towards him. “You have been accused of being a Death Eater under Voldemort, and are being detained by the Order of the Phoenix until Ministry of Magic officials can take you into custody.”
“You haven’t got any proof.”
“No?” Harry said, feeling emboldened by the thought of little Gordon Whitby hiding while he listened to this man utter the curse that killed his father. Grabbing the bound man’s wrist and pushing the sleeve up, he pressed the tip of his wand against Burke’s forearm. “Show yourself,” he muttered.
A bright white light flashed, and a pink scar where the Dark Mark had once been burnt shone on the man’s skin.
“Deny that, will you?” Harry challenged.
“I’m not ashamed of it! I’d do it again, after what you did!”
“What’d we ever do to you, Burke?” Ron asked, moving closer.
“It’s what you did to my uncle, and to the reputation of this business.”
“You mean Borgin?” Harry questioned. “It was because of him that Dumbledore- ”
“-All he did was do what he was told. Let them use the store to get to that school. But Scrimgeour hauled him off and let him die in prison, didn’t he?”
“So you became a Death Eater?” George asked incredulously.
“Everyone had to pick a side. Mine sure wasn’t going to be with you lot.”
“What were you so eager to hide in here?” Harry asked, looking around. “What’d you Banish?”
“Nothing. I dunno what you’re talking about.” The man looked blankly past them, rather like a pouting child.
“Well he didn’t get rid of it all,” Ron said. “I blocked that last one; I’m positive.”
Burke’s eyes darted to the side, suddenly looking nervous.
“Was it this here?” George asked, tapping casually on the shiny wooden box on the counter. Harry joined him, and they used several unlocking spells on the small trunk before it finally clicked and the lid lifted.
Inside was a collection of an odd assortment of items, which might have seemed normal in a store such as this, but these weren’t Dark objects. Most weren’t even magical: a child’s doll, a lady’s handkerchief, a candle. There was a parchment roll that drew Harry’s curiosity. Unrolling it, he read the first line:
George,
I know you’re angry but I’m going to write to you every week if I have to. I can’t tell you how sorry I am about what happened to Lee.
Harry stopped reading there. This was the last letter Hedwig had been carrying when she was killed.
As realization was slowly dawning on Harry, George made a choked sound and he reached into the box. He held up a thin leather necklace with a small stone pendant on it. Harry would never have remembered the thing, but seeing it dangling from George’s hand, he recognized it now.
“Is that-? Is that the one Lee used to wear?”
A blur of ginger passed by him, and all of a sudden George was holding Burke around the throat with a fist clenched in front of his face.
“You did it, didn’t you?!” George demanded. “You took this off Lee after you hurt him!” Burke didn’t have the chance to answer before George punched him in the face, which caused his head to snap back into the wall.
“I - I was after you and that freak brother of yours. Read that news article where the two of you was braggin’ about all you did to help Potter defeat the Dark Lord.”
“But Lee Jordan was just a business man. He didn’t do anything! You almost killed him, you sick fuck!” Another dull smack sounded as George punched him again.
There was frantic ferocity in George’s voice; he sounded wild.
“George,” Ron pleaded, grappling him from behind to pull him away. He continued to shout obscenities while striking Burke, who was shouting out in pain. Ron managed to pull his brother away from the restrained man, but that’s when Harry had the opening.
With the image of Hedwig’s poor broken body stuffed into that box, her delicate head twisted cruelly to the side, Harry flew at the man.
“She was a helpless animal!” Harry yelled, sinking a fist into his stomach.
“Just a bloody bird, but it stung you, didn’t it?” Burke antagonized.
“Harry – damn it!” Ron yelled and pulled Harry back, only to be replaced by George again.
“Fuck all,” Ron growled, struggling to hold Harry back with one arm. He aimed his wand at Burke. “Protego!”
George’s blows were suddenly deflected, no longer making contact.
Ron flung Harry in George’s direction, and the two of them steadied each other as they stumbled backwards.
“Come on, fellas, don’t make me the heavy here,” Ron said, standing in front of Burke. “He’s gonna have a trial and be sentenced and we have a whole box full of evidence now, don’t we? He’s just confessed even. I don’t have to disarm you two, do I?”
A small part of Harry appreciated Ron’s ability to keep his head. This wasn’t the first time he’d been able to think clearly while Harry had run off on pure adrenaline and emotion.
Another part of him still wanted to cause Burke more pain.
“You okay, George?” Ron asked, and Harry looked at the older brother. He was pale and shaken. Looking at Ron with almost no expression, he blinked, and a single tear streamed down his face, which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand.
“I have to go. … have to go home now.” He looked down at the necklace clutched in his bloodied hand.
“Yeah, all right,” Ron said consolingly, as though he were afraid George might burst into flame. “You do that, then. We’ve got this.”
Harry wanted to say more, but his throat was still constricted and Ron seemed to say all that was necessary anyway.
George nodded, looking uncharacteristically somber, and made to leave. He stopped and turned half way back to them.
“Harry, the letter. I’m sorry.”
Harry braced a hand on his shoulder for a moment. George nodded solemnly and then left.
~^~ Continue to Chapter Ten
A/N: I’d like to thank PhoenixAnkaa and KJCP who helped with this chapter, and especially Belovedranger, who patiently turns this into something worth reading. Betas really deserve more recognition and praise!
I am very thankful to those who have been following this story. If you are interested, I have begun writing the George/Lee relationship in this story line, in much simpler and condensed style, which can be found on my Live Journal. Thank you for reading!
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-10 07:18 am (UTC)It's too late at night for me to compose a proper review, or even to think rationally about the story, but I know I couldn't stop reading and I know I enjoyed myself.
I've never read anything of yours before. I generally tend to stay away from NC-17 fics, although my friends Antosha_C and St Margarets have written some individual NC-17 chapters that I think are very beautiful. Usually I'm afraid that all I'm going to experience is titillation (not necessarily a bad thing, but not primarily why I read fiction). In the case of this story, though, the love and the developing relationship predominates and the sex is one of the pigments with which the picture is painted.
Your H&G are satisfyingly generous to each other, but insistent (perhaps Ginny is a bit more insistent than Harry) on truth and strength. I may have missed it, but I don't think Harry has told Ginny about Shannon yet, I think he's going to have to tell her eventually, and I'm pretty sure she'll be unhappy when he does -- especially given that he doesn't want to have sex with her until they're married, the fact that he did it with someone else is going to be hard for her to understand. (Oh, I do understand it, but it's going to seem to her that she's been put on an impossible pedestal, and not treated as if she's real.)
The whole George-Lee thing is intriguing because you have made it painfully clear why George fears coming out to his brothers. That scene with the whiskey (very hard to withstand, really, because they were so brutally insensitive to the feelings of a husband, a fiancee, a sincere lover) made it seem agonizingly plain that the brothers are far from accepting his identity. I wonder what the reality will be like.
The theme of danger and loss that keeps surfacing over and over with the death eater attacks on Hedwig (so sad!), Lee, etc. are a very interesting counterpoint to the love story. It came to a head this chapter, in which Ginny had the opportunity of showing Harry that love means strength, and means facing the terror of life together.
Okay, so I've written more of a serious review than I meant to.
My own fiction tends to be a bit more of the angst-with-moral-uplift variety (think high tragedy), and is mostly archived on SIYE (where I write as kschneyer. One of my stories, Counting to Five Thousand, was a "featured story" on Mugglenet FF (where I write as Rhetor last month. A few of my pieces are on my LJ page, but I haven't yet organized it as well as yours.
Anyway, thanks for this story. I look forward to the rest of it.
~Ken
no subject
Date: 2007-01-11 12:01 am (UTC)I make no bones about my enjoyment of reading and writing NC-17. I do enjoy the 'titillation' as you put it. lol However, I don't write UST ships like the random Harry/Pansy or something like that, simply for the purpose of writing dirty sex. The characters in my ships always love each other, and I like seeing their love making as a part of the whole relationship and the whole part of the story.
You wrote sex is one of the pigments with which the picture is painted and I really liked that. It just feels more 'honest' for me when I write, to put it all out there, than to just 'fade to black' and pretend like whatever happens in the bedroom doesn't affect the rest of the characters life, because I think it does.
I just wanted to respond to that because no one has brought that up with me before, I found that interesting.
I may have missed it, but I don't think Harry has told Ginny about Shannon yet
Do you mean in regards to the sex, specifically? Yes, Ginny knows enough. Particularly because in the second chapter flash back scene when Hedwig is found dead, she talks with R and Hr and discovers that he has spent the night at her place. Then when he turns up, his hair is wet and Ginny appreciates that he has 'washed her smell' off of himself. ;) There will be more to the premarital sex issue coming up. It's an effort from Harry to 'do the right thing' and show more respect for Ginny than he feels he showed for Shannon.
I am SO relieved to hear you say that you understand George's hesitation to come out to his brothers. I'm trying to portray this bunch as an oversexed bunch of women worshippers, which leaves George feeling very 'wrong.' I'm having a lot of fun exploring his dynamic.
From the beginning when I started this I set out to write all aspects that felt right to me, including the sappy romantic stuff, to the over-the-top comedy, to violence and loss and sex. I just didn't want any limit based on 'genre', I wanted to be honest with all of it.
I really appreciate the time you took to discuss this. It means the world to me. I will look for your name and writing in the future. :)
~Maple
no subject
Date: 2007-01-16 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-18 05:32 am (UTC)Did you know this was nominated for a Harry/Ginny award? I am thrilled to bits!
Great Story
Date: 2007-02-01 01:48 pm (UTC)Att
Monica-Natalia (naty)
Re: Great Story
Date: 2007-02-04 06:15 pm (UTC)I have taken a bit of a break because I have other writing and challenges that I am in, but I think it's good for me because I'm starting to get really exciting about writing the next chapter. ... And it will be much better if I'm patient with myself, rather than trying to force it out.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the future!
no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 04:56 pm (UTC)It will probably be another month before the next chapter because I'm writing for the
I appreciate you telling me it made you laugh and that you think it's tasteful. Good to hear. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-02-06 12:56 am (UTC)Of course, I don't know what you have outlined to finish it off, but I like to think that issues will be resolved soon, questions will be answered, and George will finally confess to the family.
And because of you, Shari and Shoc, even if this is a H/G story, I'm reading between the lines with H/R in this story as well. I think I missed it the first time because I just get really excited when a new chapter is posted, but back in the fourth chapter, I think?, when Harry and Ginny were in his room starting to get busy when Harry is moaning and then calls Ron's name...yeah...slick aren't you? Sneaking that in for those real H/R shippers like myself!
Again Maple, you are doing a fabulous job with this story and take all the time you need to finish it right. I will patiently await! Kinda....
no subject
Date: 2007-02-08 03:36 am (UTC)I'm so intrigued by what you say about 'where I may be going with this story' - hee - now I want to know what you think!
Yes! There's plenty of H/R through the lines because its sort of become of joke and Shoc nails me on all of it. It's great! Hee.
Thanks so much, babe!
no subject
Date: 2007-02-11 11:21 pm (UTC)I am really enjoying this, I love how you are writing the characters. I also sat up last night and read your Lee/George smutlets which (although not usually my cuppa tea) complement this so well and gives great background to the George angst side of things.
*waiting with baited breath for more* (I'm so glad I discovered LJ!)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 01:20 am (UTC)I really appreciate that you have read this and especially excited that you were tolerant of reading the George/Lee series as well. I never expected to write a slash rare pair, but once I started the web of this story, it all just fell into place naturally, and now I love them. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-03-13 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 01:23 am (UTC)I am absolutely going to finish it. I'm writing chapter 10 right now. I've written several fics since the last chapter, so I have been 'around' and writing but I had other obligations and my brain space was occupied. I'm back at it again because I really do want this story to be done before Deathly Hallows comes out.
Thank you!!