Order of the Phoenix
End of the World
By Ruskbyte
Chapter Twenty Two
~ End of the World ~
Red and gold banners seemed to almost entirely cover the Quidditch pitch. It was now mid-April and the last game of the season, a rematch between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, had just drawn to its
end.
Understandably the Slytherins had raised something of a fuss over the fact that the match was going to be replayed. Malfoy in particular had made voluble and, unfortunately, audible complaints about the matter. He claimed that since the match was already forfeit the two teams should not be allowed to continue.
"Stupid, ingrate git," grumbled Ginny, looking over towards the morose Slytherin section of the stands. None of their protests had amounted to anything, and in the end they had been unable to do anything but sit back and watch Gryffindor play to victory.
Silly house arguments aside, Ginny beamed with delight as Harry stepped up onto the podium and accepted the Quidditch Cup from Dumbledore. A roar of approval rose from the crowd, a mix of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Public opinion of Harry had been riding high since the attack on the school and nobody, except the Slytherins, failed to show their appreciation for the Boy-Who-Lived.
Even as Harry lifted the Cup high over his head in victory the crowd of students was going wild. All around Ginny the various Gryffindors she had been sitting with were jumping and screaming in delight. Ron had grabbed hold of Hermione and was spinning her around in his arms, her laughter bubbling forth despite her protests.
Lowering the Cup and cradling it in the crook of one arm, Harry waved Fred and George as well as the three Chasers up onto the podium to join him. As the five oldest members of his team stood arrayed before him Harry presented the massive trophy to them with a flourish.
Loud cries of approval rang out as Fred and George took the Cup in hand, one on either side, and raised the gleaming gold prize. Angelina, Alicia and Katie were bouncing around the two Beaters in seeming delirious joy, waving their arms and screaming and squealing ecstatically.
It's their last year, agreed Ginny silently. They deserve it.
Harry watched their antics with amusement before turning to shake hands once again with Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall, in a surprising display of emotion, came forth and swept him into a congratulatory hug before backing away, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
Having released Hermione from his grasp, Ron grabbed Ginny by the arm and pulled her up onto the stage with him. The rest of the reserve team, Seamus, Moira and Gareth, were right behind them and quickly joined in the celebrations.
Ron grabbed Harry's hand and began shaking it wildly, yelling his congratulations over the noise of the crowd. Before Harry could do or say anything Seamus came up and grabbed his other hand, also shaking it fiercely. Moira had run up to Fred and George and pulled them both into a hug to rival one of their mother's and was alternating kisses between them and occasionally screaming something in Gaelic.
"We won! We won! We won! We won! We won!"
Ginny turned at the repeated victory chant, smiling as she saw Dobby bouncing around. Alongside him were easily three dozen other house-elves, but they were celebrating with more restraint.
Harry has created a monster or two.
*He's good at that.*
Just then Ginny felt a pair of strong arms slip around her waist and spin her around. She found herself being pulled into a close hug with Harry, who was beaming do at her. She smiled back and rose up onto the tips of her toes to kiss him. One of Harry's hands slid sensuously up her spine to cradle her head as they leaned against each other and deepened the kiss.
The cat calls and wolf whistles from the twins only lasted long enough for Fred and George to hand the Cup over to Ron and then sweep their own girlfriends into, perhaps overly dramatised, kisses. After that the hoots and whistles came from the crowd as the twins were now busy.
Harry pulled away slightly, ending the kiss. Ginny moaned at the sudden lack of contact, finding it difficult not to wantonly press herself against him. They stood close, still wrapped in each others arms, and resting their foreheads together.
"Now this is a proper celebration," murmured Harry, kissing her affectionately.
"Much better than last time," she agreed, thinking back to how Fred and George had interrupted them after the game against Hufflepuff.
He grinned and trailed his one hand slowly down her back to her hips. His bemused words echoed her own thoughts just a moment earlier. "I think they've learnt that interrupting us tends to be hazardous to their health."
Ginny teasingly ground her hips against him, causing Harry to groan deep within his throat and tighten his grip on her. She smiled and looked at him coyly. "Even if they haven't, we're going to be getting away from them tonight, aren't we?"
"If you keep that up," gasped Harry in a strained tone, "I'll die before then."
"What? This?" She smiled wickedly and repeated the action, eliciting another groan and a flush of bright red to Harry's cheeks. As his breath left him in a long sigh a heartfelt plea managed to escape his lips.
"Help."
***
Relentless teasing. That was what Ginny was doing to Harry. And unless something happened to stop her, he was going to go out of his mind. Not that he minded really, since having her tease him like this was definitely enjoyable, if occasionally uncomfortable.
Unfortunately no end seemed to be in sight, since the couple were going out for a private victory celebration. Harry had proposed the idea to Ginny the week before, immediately after his release from the infirmary. After a week in the Hospital Wing (three counting the two spent unconscious) getting away undisturbed with Ginny was Harry's idea of paradise.
Since it was their first official date, Ron had protested half-heartedly about it, Harry had decided not to pull any punches. He fully intended for the evening to be one Ginny would never forget. As such Harry had been pulling more strings behind the scenes for this one date than he had while preparing Hogwarts for attack earlier in the year.
Sirius had almost had a heart attack when Harry had owled him about his plans. But Harry had been persistent and had, after much cajoling, managed to convince both his godfather and Professor Lupin to consent. After that he had taken his proposal to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and secured their permission as well.
Everything had been planned and considered to the last detail. Harry had even sent a letter to Arthur and Molly Weasley, asking for their permission. He had half been expecting a Howler from Mrs Weasley, but had been pleasantly surprised by a return letter conveying their blessings.
Lastly Harry set about making reservations at the restaurant, making absolutely certain that Ginny did not have any idea where they were going. With the table booked and a discreet means of transport arranged, everything was finally ready.
Letting Ginny tease him mercilessly, for the duration of Gryffindor's victory party, would only add to everything that was to follow.
It had better, because she's coming very close to driving me mad here.
*Mad with desire, Harry?*
I am so glad I can shut the door on you people and get some privacy, thought Harry, grabbing a bottle of Butterbeer from one of the snack tables set up in the common room. I know I would certainly never get through the night sane if I had you lot making lewd comments about everything that happened.
*We'd never do that.*
*Of course we would. There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.*
*What's wrong with being childish? I like being childish.*
Bye bye, Harry gave his voices a mental wave, I'll see you in the morning. Don't wait up.
*Just have her back by midnight and don't scratch the--*
Harry sat down in one of the comfy armchairs by the fire and sighed. Thank the bliss that is silence.
The victory party had lasted from the end of the match through most of the afternoon. Spirits were high and the noise level even higher. It was now nearly dinner time, and a few students had departed for the Great Hall. Most of the others, however, were content to remain in the common room and continue to celebrate with the bounty of sweets and whatnot that Fred and George had managed to acquire from the kitchens.
Harry and Ginny however would be joining neither the dinner in the Great Hall nor the continuing party in the Tower. About an hour ago they had both excused themselves from the common room and gone upstairs to shower and change. Harry had only just come back down, dressed in black trousers and a dark green shirt that matched his eyes. He was waiting for Ginny to come down, enjoying a last Butterbeer before they left.
"Harry, mate!" a hand clapped down on his one shoulder. Harry twisted his head to see George standing behind him.
"Good to see you, skipper!" another hand clapped down on his other shoulder and Harry saw that Fred was also standing behind him.
He smiled up at them both and set his Butterbeer down on the floor beside the chair, "Fred, George. What can I do for you?"
The twins leaned in on him, obviously trying to look menacing. "You're going on a date with our little sister," rumbled Fred, scowling heavily.
George grimly nodded his agreement. "You do anything underhanded, and we'll make sure you regret it till your dying day."
Harry shot a glance to the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitories just in time to see Ginny descending into the common room. His breath hitched at the sight of her, and he was dimly aware of the twins, and everyone else, turning to look. Swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat he mumbled softly, "If I live that long."
Even her overprotective brothers would have to admit, Ginny was looking beautiful beyond description. She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant, midnight blue evening dress. It hung from her shoulders by thin spaghetti straps and the cut was tantalizingly low. Her hair was a fiery halo that framed her face and fell to her shoulders. Harry was pleased to see that she was also wearing the silver and ruby necklace he had given her for Christmas.
"Better take a stick with you," muttered Fred, looking at his sister in a mix of awe and worry.
"Yeah," agreed George, "you'll be needing it to beat off all the other blokes."
With a delighted smile on his face, Harry rose up from his seat and left the twins behind, not bothering to answer or comment. He crossed to where Ginny was standing at the foot of the stairs, waiting for him with a mysterious smile.
"You look..." He stood before her and shook his head, almost at a loss for words. "Truly beautiful. I should take you out more often."
"That you should," she told him, still smiling slyly. Linking her arm with his they made their way to the portrait hole, saying their goodbyes as they slipped out.
"So now that our date has actually started," said Ginny as they walked down the corridor, "are you going to tell me where we are going?"
"It's a surprise," revealed Harry, wondering why she was smiling with what looked like secret satisfaction.
He quickly found out the reason for her smile as Ginny leaned close to him. "Well, I have a surprise for you as well." She leaned in closer and whispered into his ear.
Harry drew back in complete shock and stared at her, utterly dumbstruck. His disbelieving eyes raked up and down her slender form, snugly encased in the blue fabric of her dress. His mouth tried to form a coherent sentence, "You - you - you don't... you don't... you're not... nothing at all?"
"That's what I said," purred Ginny, obviously pleased by his reaction.
"Well, after a revelation like that…" Harry blew out a breath and looked at her. "I suppose it's the least I can do to tell you where we're going."
Ginny grinned and wrapped her arm around his waist, holding him close. "So?"
Wondering how he was going to survive their date now that he knew her dress was pretty much the only thing Ginny was wearing, aside from her shoes and the necklace, Harry bent his head down to kiss her lightly on the cheek.
"We're going to the end of the world."
***
Reality twisted around and then suddenly slammed to a halt. Ginny almost fell flat on her face, but Harry grabbed her by the elbow and steadied her. The inconspicuous leather wallet, which was in fact the Portkey that had brought them here, dropped to the ground. After making sure that Ginny was standing firmly on her own two feet, Harry bent over and scooped it up.
Until the Order's power, though steadily rebuilding, returned to the levels it had held before the battle against Voldemort, Harry had decided to forgo Apparition. With the Order's power it would have been fairly easy for him to Apparate the two of them through Hogwarts' wards and to their destination, but Harry wanted to fully recover before drawing on the power once again.
Still unsteady from the Portkey's disorienting means of travel, Ginny looked around at her surroundings. If she was not mistaken Ginny realized that they were now somewhere in London. She had seldom been to the city, aside from Flooing to Diagon Alley, but she did recognise one to two of the landmarks.
She grinned at the realization, thrilled by the fact that Harry was obviously putting to a great deal of expense and effort into their date. She had originally been envisioning spending the evening in one of the restaurants or public houses down in Hogsmeade. A trip into London was not only a great deal better, but much more exciting.
Enthralled by the glittering lights of the city, reflected on the river they had arrived beside, Ginny almost jumped as Harry traced his hand softly across her left shoulder blade. Gathering her wits about her Ginny turned to face him.
Liquid fire seemed to be burning in his eyes as he looked at her, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He was definitely looking pleased with himself.
Leaning in close, Harry gently took Ginny's lips into a soft kiss. Her eyes threatened to drift shut, but she could not break away from his intense gaze. Harry sensuously trailed his hands along her sides, pulling her closer to him and pressing his body against hers.
Oh, I've really got him worked up tonight.
"Surprise," he whispered, drawing back.
"That it is," Ginny agreed breathlessly. After a moment or two she smiled. "I hate to tell you this, but London is not the end of the world, Harry."
Harry grinned broadly. "The city isn't. The restaurant certainly is."
Ginny puzzled over his meaning for a second, until Harry turned her away from the River Thames and towards the building standing behind them. Then his little joke and play on words became perfectly clear to her.
It was clearly a wizarding establishment, she could tell that easily enough just by looking. From the outside it did not appear particularly imposing, in fact it gave the impression of being rather cosy indoors. Being a magic building however, it was likely to be considerably larger when viewed from the inside.
More than anything else it was a restaurant. And not just any restaurant, but one that Ginny had heard very much about. A restaurant she had never believed she would ever see the inside of, not unless something of a miracle occurred.
Obviously it just has, Ginny thought in amazement. She was not even aware that her jaw had dropped until Harry reached out a hand to push it closed, chuckling at her reaction.
The Ragnarok.
It was the most exclusive magical restaurant in the world. The Ragnarok catered for only the wealthiest, most powerful and famous witches and wizards. Reservations for a table had to be booked months in advance and often included a substantial fee. Even the Malfoys, before Lucius' dark arts dealings had been revealed, had probably been forced to wait months for the opportunity to dine here.
That Harry had apparently been able to secure a table for the two of them in less than a week was something unheard of. In fact Ginny knew of only two other wizards that were on the approved list for immediate service: Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge. Ginny had no doubt that Draco Malfoy would have a seizure upon learning that Harry had brought her here.
This is incredible. None of the girls at Hogwarts will believe me when I tell them.
"Mr Potter," greeted the doorman as the two teenagers walked up to the entrance. He was a tall and almost imposing figure, but carried himself in an only slightly threatening manner. He was dressed in what Ginny recognised as a Muggle tuxedo, which fit tightly across his broad shoulders and athletic frame. He gave a familiar nod of his head to Harry. "It is good to see you again. We have been expecting you."
"Thanks, Drew. This is Ginny Weasley, who will be dining with me tonight," said Harry, motioning at Ginny. He turned to Ginny and indicated the doorman. "Gin, this is Andrew. He guards the entrance here at the Ragnarok."
Andrew smiled warmly at Ginny and presented her with a short bow before waving them towards the door. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Weasley. If you will follow me, I will show you to your table."
***
Ragnarok's cuisine was the finest in the world, and one of the many reasons why the restaurant was so highly renowned. Of course, as far as Harry was concerned, they could have served gruel and Bubotuber pus, and neither he nor Ginny would have complained, if they even noticed.
Ultimately the two young lovers were perfectly content merely being in each others' company. No doubt discovering this would send the chef into a state of high dudgeon, but there was no need to worry about it. The meal was truly delicious and by the time they were finished, not a morsel would be left on the plates.
Still, it did say something positive about Harry and Ginny's budding relationship that they were more interested in each other than the food set before them. It was also a great relief for Harry, and Ginny as well he suspected, that they could talk so readily to each other. Considering Ginny's reactions to him when she was younger and Harry's own inherent shyness, it was something of an accomplishment that they had progressed so far so quickly.
Slowly the night wore on and soon the pair found themselves finished with their desert, a treat that had been specially done up for them by the chef. Neither Harry nor Ginny had the faintest idea what it was exactly, other than it consisted of ice-cream, lots of chocolate and something minty.
"No! You didn't!"
Harry smiled at Ginny, sipping on his after-dinner coffee. For the past half hour they had been talking about his first year at Hogwarts, filling her in on all the juicy bits Ron had not told his family.
"Of course I did!" he confirmed. "I was only eleven. How was I supposed to know how to fight a full grown mountain troll?"
"But sticking your wand up its nose?" Ginny asked incredulously.
He shrugged. "That was an accident. Really. I think I was aiming for its eyes."
"'Arry?"
They both turned to look at the woman standing by their table. Harry blinked in surprise and then rose from his seat in greeting, "Fleur! This is a surprise."
The beautiful young woman nodded and suddenly grabbed Harry by the shoulders. In his surprise Harry almost blew a hole through her midriff, but froze stiff as a board when Fleur leaned in to kiss him enthusiastically on both cheeks.
"Ah!" exclaimed Fleur as she pulled away from Harry, leaving him in shock, and turning to face Ginny. The youngest of the Weasley children was looking very much as if she would be perfectly happy to blow the hole through Fleur that Harry had failed to. That is until Fleur pulled her into a tight hold and repeated the kissing action, "And zis must be your friend Ron's sister, oui?"
Harry sank into his seat, noting that Ginny was looking almost as shell-shocked as he felt. He knew Fleur had a softer side, ever since he had 'rescued' her sister Gabrielle from the lake. This open display of affection towards him, however, was somewhat out of character.
Of course I barely exchanged a dozen words with her last year, he thought, looking up at Fleur, who was smile benevolently down at them. I don't really know enough about her character to judge. Besides, I was one of her opponents at the time; we weren't supposed to talk with each other.
He caught Ginny's eye and was somewhat surprised to see her smirk at him. Clearly whatever threat she had felt from Fleur's arrival had dissipated. The French girl clearly had no designs on Harry beyond simple friendship.
"So, Fleur," he said after catching his breath, "what brings you to London?"
"Ah," Fleur waved a hand expressively, "as I told you last year, after ze tournament, I ‘ave been looking for a job, 'ere in England. I 'ave been speaking wiz Professor Dumbledore and will be taking ze post of professor of Ancient Runes next 'Ogwarts school year."
Ginny chuckled appreciatively. "I imagine attendance rates for Ancient Runes will climb higher than a dragon."
Fleur grinned amiably at her. "Oui. Ze Veela charm assures zat I will 'ave my students' full attention."
Somehow I think their attention will be on their teacher rather than their lessons.
"So Professor Jones is retiring?" asked Harry. "I hadn't known that."
"Oui," confirmed Fleur, "'E wishes to begin field work translations for ze Gringotts Goblins in Cairo. I am just waiting 'ere in London until ze end of term. Zen I will be at 'Ogwarts preparing."
"Ron will certainly be pleased," observed Ginny with a wry smile. "I imagine Hermione is going to have to hit him upside of the head quite a few times."
Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. "You seem to have developed a taste for physical violence where your poor brothers are concerned."
Ginny glowered introspectively for a moment. "After being on the receiving end of their pranks and teasing for fourteen years, I think turnabout's fair play."
They prank you, so you put them in the Hospital Wing. That makes sense.
"You 'ave a lot of brothers, do you not?" asked Fleur. At Ginny's nod Fleur gave her a commiserating smile and shrug. "I fortunately am blessed with only Gabrielle, who is hardly ze demons I believe your brothers are."
"How is Gabrielle?" asked Harry, wondering after the little girl he had pulled from beneath the lake, during the second task.
Fleur grinned impishly at him. "Very well and quite taken by you, 'Arry. I think she will be 'eartbroken to 'ear you ‘ave already taken a lover."
Ginny, who had been quietly sipping her coffee, choked and gaped up at Fleur with wide eyes and a cacophony of sputtered protests. Harry took satisfaction that his own blush, which was burning his cheeks, was not nearly as noticeable as his date's.
Lovers? Thank the heavens Ron didn't hear that. He'd be out looking for a unicorn before either of us could even begin to protest.
Harry smiled as Ginny, still gasping for breath, and tried to feebly protest Fleur's statement.
At least, for the time being, he won't have an excuse to kill me after finding one.
TBC...