A Dark Time For The Light

Life Goes On...

Like it does....

Hermione applied herself to study as the Autumn drew on, she was doing four ‘A’ levels on-line. She was determined to re-apply to uni as soon as she could.

****

The Feather’s Ladies Snooker team won the inter-London cup for the first time ever, and Ginny was mainly responsible. Less than half way through the season and she had many offers from professional teams to peruse. One night after a particularly grueling match, she decided to walk part of the way home, Hermione at her side. As they walked across the river, Hermione paused, digging into her capacious bag, and consigned lockpicks and all of her other burglary tools to the depths of the Thames.

****

Dean and Seamus left Joe’s employ and re-opened the Leaky Cauldron, opening it to Mundanes and Magicals alike. The Mundanes could see the back yard but not the reconfigured arch in the wall, so Diagon Alley was still a Magicals only location. They installed electricity and had bands and open mic comedy nights and soon became known as the best mixologists in South London. They hired Belinda as their head barmaid.

****

Terry went to work for Tony in his bike customisation workshop, now he was a more than competent mechanic and discovered artistic skills he never knew he possessed doing the custom paint jobs.

****

Colin moved out of the House in the Autumn into the flat he and Jonathan had rented together. He squatted a unit in Diagon Alley and set up a Magical photographer’s studio, delighted to be producing Magical pictures again, but it also gave him space for a Mundane photo lab for his other work at which he excelled. He was on every Society mother’s wish list as the photographer for the weddings that featured in the Tatler and the Lady.

****

With Hermione’s and George’s help, Minerva and Hortense took over Flourish and Blott’s, renaming it, ‘Williams’ and McGonagall’s’ with a handsome sign out front that Terry created for them and sought Alice’s advice on stock. They took up residence in the spacious rooms above the shop.

****

George moved back into his flat above Weasleys Wizard Wheezes with Caroline. They still did their usual jobs in the daytime, but Diagon Alley was so quiet and removed from traffic noise. There was no problem with the House as Hermione and Ginny were still there along with Neville and his boyfriend plus Pansy and Tracey from Manchester.

****

Poppy Pomfrey left her job in Aberdeen and took over the Apothecary’s shop in Diagon Alley, enlisting Severus’ help with the many and varied array of Potions required. He now had a lab in the basement. It felt quite like old times, she thought, but with a much more cheerful and happy Severus around.

****

As promised, Severus and Remus returned to teaching, but only on a part-time basis. Remus’ energy levels were still low at times and he was prone to bouts of depression, but he soldiered on enjoying his work. Severus took an on-line qualification in Adult Education. The lessons at the Bunker continued with a broader curriculum that included Potions and Herbology, taught by Hagrid. Severus was a Potions Master again and had never been happier in his life. Their little flat was fine and they stayed there, Severus planting beds of herbs and other ingredients in their garden alongside the love of his life and they shared unseasonally warm autumn nights stretched out together in the hammock that Severus treated them to, kissing as the light died. Any extra time Severus had was spent with Tony as they assembled his new hi-fi. At half-term, they took their honeymoon in Venice, arriving back happy and relaxed, and more in love than ever.

****

Ron and Blaise wasted no time and were married by the end of September, Harry and Draco acting as best men. The ceremony was quiet but the party afterwards was a blast. Ginny offered to look after little Freya while her brother went on his honeymoon, but they insisted on taking her with them. They visited Blaise’s family for a short while, then ended up at Disneyland just outside Paris, trying to convince themselves that Freya would love it, but during the day, she was in the creche as the boys screamed on all of the fastest and scariest rides.

****

Hagrid, Filius and Alastor took over the Guest House and lived quite peacefully side by side as confirmed bachelors until sometime in early October, Olympe Maxime came out of hiding and she and Hagrid renewed their relationship. Alastor had his pension coming in and the others all held classes at the Bunker and lived off the donations. Olympe taught wandcraft, being extremely proficient herself, sharing classes with Filius. They created a flat on the ground floor for a little privacy but all shared meals. It was a very satisfactory way to live

****

Narcissa and Jenny had their work cut out rearing a very lively little boy, as intelligent as her son, as lively as his, now, ex, wife. As she had not divorced Lucius before his death, she counted legally as his widow. Once Gringott’s functioned again, she had every intention of dividing up the Malfoy fortunes and had promised Ginny a handsome sum as a divorce settlement. Malfoy Manor was ‘plotted’, then sold to become a conference centre and hotel. She split the money with her son. The two women opened a little homewares shop in Knightsbridge selling hand embroidered cushions and quality crystal vases and the like. The shop always smelled delicious due to the discreet bowls of pot-pourri placed around and they were soon featured in the upmarket lifestyle magazines. They made sure that Reuben was regularly in touch with both of his parents and had little play-dates with Freya Zabini-Weasley which mainly consisted of them either fighting or ignoring each other as is the wont of small infants.

****

The Manchester cadre opened the building they were in as the new Hogwarts and were able to board seventy students with a basic curriculum of Magical instruction. Very soon they had Ibrahim, Davey Macmillan and the two Soames children amongst the pupils. Fees were by donation and several of the Liverpool cadre moved to help with teaching duties. The Liverpool cadre had now closed and Nymphadora Tonks was on the teaching roster. There was no House system and no prefects. The Cheadle Bunker was still retained as the northern Adult Ed. Centre. There was a large rockery in place now, to one side of the wide lawn at the front of the school building. What only the staff knew, was that there were over forty Death-Eaters fertilizing the plants.

****

Kilmarnock missed the income after Neville left along with the contents of his poly-tunnels. He engaged Pomona Sprout as his right hand woman and re-started operations in Bunker 2 half-way through October. Of course the Scottish cadre missed the income, but their organic veg and fruit production was in full swing and many of their products were supplying the best restaurants and hotels in Britain. They were doing all right. Families continued to grow, more kiddies arriving that were to be the future of the re-vamped school.

****

Justin and the band in Leeds had their first gig supporting a more famous band at Sheffield Uni. They went down a storm. There was a talent spotter in the audience and they were invited to support the Black Eyed Peas on the British leg of their upcoming World tour. They were ecstatic and folk from the other cadres came to see the gigs as and when they could. They cut their first album and released it just before Bonfire Night. They were no longer squatters but shared two huge Victorian semis, knocking the cellars together and building a proper studio and rehearsal space.

****

Due to the hold-ups, not to mention chunks of the balcony falling down, nearly killing two people, the theatre restoration project was over time and well over budget, but they had an ecstatic opening night. Draco let himself be interviewed, now he knew the Lestranges would not be requiring his services and filmed as part of the follow-up show. The programme would not be broadcast until after Christmas. He had an even more important occasion to celebrate before then.

Harry and Draco married at their local registry office just before Christmas, the room crammed with all of their friends. Hermione and Blaise acting respectively as the best man/woman. Narcissa gave her son away with pride while Jenny held Reuben. Aunt Marge had bought a handsome new suit to give Harry away in, Reginald held Snapper on his lead. Remus was a little put out, he’d wanted to give Harry away, but, hey, family is family, and he was glad that Harry had at least a tenuous connection to his relatives, someone who actually seemed to like him and Marge looked suitably awestruck at the people around her, but acted with total decorum looking pleased for Harry.

The grooms kissed as if their lives depended on it to cheers from the assembled company. Draco whispered, “Fuck, Harry, I could hammer nails with this hard-on”. Harry chuckled and gently bit his husbsand’s ear, “Well you’re going to have to wait, Mrs Black-Potter”. Draco pulled away until he saw the evil glint in Harry’s eyes, then the love and pulled him into another bone-melting kiss. They composed themselves enough to sign the register, Colin’s camera clicking all the while.

They shipped everyone over to the restaurant they considered their favourite. The one that they had first visited what seemed like so long ago, where Sev and Remus’ wedding breakfast had taken place. They were now regular patrons and the staff went all out serving a truly sumptuous wedding feast. Speeches were made, Ron making Harry blush with a few pithy tales. Blaise did the same to Draco, both recalling embarrassing incidents from schooldays which made everyone laugh, but keeping it clean, after all, Draco’s mum was here as well as Harry’s auntie. Hermione rose and added a few tales of her own, then led the salutations to groom and groom, who responded graciously. There were plenty of pictures taken of the cutting of the cake, then the gang were off to the only space that would hold all of them. Bunker 7.

They had considered renting out the upstairs of a pub or something, but Harry reasoned, “Yeah, it’s posh and everything, but we can’t smoke weed or snort charlie in a place like that and I find the two go awfully well with beer”, then he’d leaned in for the clincher, “Besides”, he purred, “If I get the urge to fuck you, then we can always go up on the roof, cast a warming charm, conjure soft blankets, you know the sort of thing”.

They managed to slip away later, after several toasts and several lines and blunts, a dance or several and hugs galore. Some noticed them slip away and they left to low cheers from a few folk. The day was cold but they had Magic now. Night, always early at this time of year, would fall soon. Harry pulled Draco to him as soon as he stepped off the ladder and looked deep into his eyes. Draco bit his lip under the scrutiny but kept his eyes on Harry’s. Then Harry laughed aloud, “Fuck, Dragon, I’m really yours. It’s official”. Draco joined in the laughter, holding his Harry tight around the waist, “And I’m yours, forever baby”, then as they twirled he sunk his mouth to Harry’s neck. They stilled and kissed.

Long and sensually. As they emerged, Harry growled, “Let’s make that bed. I fancy some music, too”. A moment later saw them both searching the roof with lit wands, hunting up small stones that they could Transfigure and in short order had a mattress covered in blankets and pillows, an invisibility charm wrapped them, with a silencing charm laid inside of the invisibility bubble then Harry pressed his lover to him. Draco waved his wand and spread warmth in the bubble they had created, then Harry murmured a spell over Draco’s shoulder and their favourite tracks emerged out of thin air.

They gazed, wide eyed and amazed, at each other, then laughed like loonies holding each other close, then kissed again, lust pouring between them. They started to strip each other of clothes, kissing where bare skin was revealed, then kissed again as they slid against each other naked, dancing to the track on their personal hi-fi, heard by no-one else, pressing their cocks together in urgent need. And they danced and they kissed and they pushed towards each other until Harry caught an ankle around Draco’s knees and felled him, falling on top. Breath left lungs in both cases but neither cared as tongue met tongue again, then lips closed around lips and someone groaned aloud. They pulled away to admit air to snog-starved lungs, then kissed again, sloppy, demanding, eyes open. Draco murmured, “I want to lick you all over, then I want you to take me”, Harry stretched provocatively at this suggestion, baring his belly which his husband fell upon with lips and tongue and gentle teeth making Harry moan and arch.

Then Harry growled and rolled them over and repaid the compliment, then pressed them both together for more heated kisses as he prepared his beloved for him and dove in in one fluid slow move making Draco arch up against him and fling his legs around Harry’s back and arse to pull him in closer. Harry obliged and was buried balls-deep and panting. Draco murmured, “Sod restraint, Harry, fuck me, fuck me hard”. So he did, lifting Draco’s arse into his lap for deeper penetration and leaning over him. Draco strained his face upwards for a kiss as he was rammed into, then Harry leaned up on one hand and grasped Draco’s cock with the other, timing his strokes to his thrusts and trying to keep some semblance of control. It was when Draco thickened in his hand and clenched around his cock that Harry sped up lunging harder and faster, his balls tightening, Draco’s head thrashing around below him. With a low moan he emptied himself deep into Draco to feel an answering splash of warm stickiness over his fist. They collapsed together giggling, a sweaty sated mess and just lay together murmuring sweet nothings and cuddling. With the last line still buzzing in their heads they resisted sleep and eventually parted, dressed, reconfigured the bedding back to small pebbles and re-joined the party.

“Where have you two been as if I need to ask?”, they were greeted by a grinning and inebriated Hermione. The both turned and as one crooned, “Up on the roooof”, to the old Drifter’s tune. This made her and Ginny howl laughing. Draco nudged Harry, “Look, Alice has the mirror out again. Shall we?”, they drifted off in her general direction. “Tart”, muttered Harry as Draco led him by the hand.

“Hey, the bride and groom return. Wanna line?”. They settled in with Severus , Remus, Alice, Tony and Steve.

There was dancing and drinking and snorting and smoking and carousing all night long. There were the now customary cans and clattery objects tied to the back bumper of the boys’ taxi as it departed.

Christmas that year, they spent on a private island in the Carribean being waited on hand and foot, living on fresh fish and fruit and each other for two blissful weeks. They returned before New Year’s eve which was spent at the House at another raucous party. Harry was going to take a two-month sabbatical from work to spend with Draco at his next job, a chateau on the Loire before the final work on the rebuilt wing of Windsor Castle began in the Spring. As a craftsman, Draco was really going somewhere along with his colleagues.

****

Alice sat alone on the roof of her Bunker. The last of the partiers had finally left, her husband bundled into one of the mini-bus taxis heading to the East End. She cast a warming charm inside the old blanket she wrapped herself in and sat looking at the few stars visible through the orange glow over London. She pulled hard on her joint. She was thinking, raising the can to her lips on automatic pilot a slight smile playing with the corners of her mouth.

She cogitated on friendship and Magic and love and weddings, a tear slid from her eyes as she recalled her own wedding day, then her mood darkened as she thought on the two fathers that she had either killed or had a hand in killing as a grim smile took the place of a frown.

She had her supplier moving in almost next door, she had mind-reading abilities beyond the rest of them. She licked her lips, pressing them together. She could taste the Power there. There were other ways of ruling, not by subjugation and violence, but by having the best damned drugs around, having the best parties, the most plentiful supplies of much needed books and certainly better whisky than that vile firewhisky stuff. Oh yes, there were other ways to rule.

“Soon, people, Soon”, she murmured, her breath clouding out the words, then the steam from her lips evaporated in the chilly night.

“Soon you will see that I am truly my Father’s Daughter”. And laughed aloud into the cold air.

The Absolute End

A/N - Many thanks to all of you who have read this and commented, pointing out all the glitches and posting horrors that I made!! This version is for all of you! - If there are still glitches then please feel free to let me know.

Happy New Year to you all -

please leave reviews and/or stars.

Thanx, The Squig xxxx

31/12/10