Chapter 7: Full Circle

June 9, 2001

Harry slouched down further on the bench that was hidden in the shadow of a large tree, and watched the stars appear in the early evening sky. He reached up and slowly pulled his tie loose and undid a few of his top buttons. Feeling a bit less like a stuffed shirt, he took a long swallow from his glass of whisky.

"Are you going to share that, Mr. Potter?"

He glanced down at the young woman who was sharing his hiding spot in the large backyard of the Burrow. Harry smiled at her, and pulled her tighter to his side, handing over the half-full glass.

"Of course, Mrs. Potter. After all, what's mine is yours now, right?"

Ginny chuckled and took a sip from the glass, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Harry wrapped one long strand of her bright red hair around his finger, lazily twirling it as he enjoyed the relative peace they'd found here away from the loud wedding tent.

He was surprised they'd been able to escape from the crowd. His feet ached from the number of dances he'd had to endure, and his hand was a little sore from all the pumping handshakes. But somehow, they'd both been able to slip away after the cake was cut, and they'd made their way back to this little grove of trees just on the edge of the Weasley's orchard. A small well-worn garden bench sat beneath the tree, and they'd found their refuge there, enjoying the time alone together without a hoard of redheads offering their congratulations, suggestions, and occasional unwelcome bouts of advice.

Harry chuckled a bit as he remembered George's comments, and how his lovely bride responded to them.

"What are you laughing at?" Ginny asked. She reached up and ran a hand down his jaw, turning his head slightly so she could kiss his chin.

"George. You know, I almost wish I could see his face tomorrow morning when he wakes up," Harry responded.

Ginny's grin turned a little gleeful as she sighed happily. "Don't worry. I got Angelina to agree to take some pictures. She said she'd hide the prints from George until we got back from our honeymoon."

Harry laughed loudly at that, and marveled at his wife's ability to trick the professional prankster.

"Where did you find that charm, Gin?"

"Oh, it wasn't just the charm. I had Hermione slip a little potion in George's drink when I was yelling at him, and the charm is set on a dual delay. The first part was what you saw earlier, but the rest of it will kick in sometime late tonight, and the potion will set in soon after. Hermione found both of them in some musty old book she dragged out of Grimmauld Place a few years ago," Ginny said.

"Hermione found it in a book? You don't say," Harry said sarcastically. An elbow to his gut cut off his laughter, but he could see Ginny's shoulders shaking as she held in her own chuckles.

"Be nice, Harry. She's helping us get back at George, after all."

"I just can't believe that Hermione accidentally 'found' a charm that makes breasts grow out of your back, and a potion that makes your forehead flash different colors."

"Oh, who knows. You know Hermione, she probably found some spells and tweaked them to fit her own purpose. I have no idea what she gets up to down in the bowels of the Ministry and I don't think I want to know," Ginny said. Harry had to agree with that – Hermione's range of spells had only increased in amount and oddity since she'd started working with the Department of Mysteries.

"Just how big will they get, anyway?" Harry asked as he reached over for the glass.

"Supposedly they'll be about the size of a small watermelon. Personally, I'm hoping they get so big he has to cart them around in a little wagon."

"And the first charm you cast?"

"Oh that one should cycle through about a dozen different insults. I think they'll look rather nice set into his forehead against the flashing colors."

Harry's shoulders shook with repressed laughter as he downed the last of the whisky in the glass. Setting it to the side, he pulled Ginny closer, leaning down to nuzzle into her neck.

"Are you trying to start something, my dear husband?"

"Well," Harry murmured as he placed small kisses on her bared shoulders. "I was going to suggest we keep up our tradition and skip out of here a little early."

Ginny arched her neck and moaned quietly as Harry's hand moved up to cup her breast. He watched her face as he dragged his teeth lightly over the skin of her shoulder and ran his thumb over the nipple he could feel getting hard through the bodice of her dress. Ginny's hand clenched on his thigh, and Harry turned his body more towards hers as he slid his hand down. He reached for the end of her long skirt, and slipped underneath, caressing her leg as he moved back up.

Harry was just about to slip a finger under her knickers when he heard the grass rustling from nearby.

"Dammit," Ginny groaned quietly as Harry pulled his hand back out from under her dress, smoothing the silky fabric down to cover her legs. She turned her head towards him and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Soon," Harry whispered.

"Better be very soon," Ginny groused, and then she straightened up a bit as he wrapped his arms more securely around her.

Harry looked over towards the approaching interloper, and saw Ron and Hermione walking towards them hand in hand.

"Oy, Mum's been looking for you," Ron said. "We told her we'd make sure you hadn't run off again without telling anyone."

Harry glanced down and shared a wry grin with Ginny. Ah well, it was a nice escape while it lasted. Standing up, Harry reached down a hand for Ginny and helped her to her feet. She snagged her heels from the bench, and wrapped her arm around his waist. Harry slung an arm around her shoulders, and they started back to the party, Ron and Hermione falling into step beside them.

"So, has Mum seen George yet?" Ginny asked.

Ron's loud guffaw resounded across the grassy field. "Oh yeah, she saw him. Mum was all set to go off until Angelina told her what he said. Then Mum just swatted him across the head and said he deserved it."

Harry laughed along with Ron as they drew closer to the tent that was erected in the Burrow's backyard. It was getting later in the evening and there were far fewer guests still dancing and chatting, and Harry was hoping that he and Ginny could make a quick exit.

"There you are! Goodness, I can't believe you two wandered off like that at your own wedding," Molly Weasley said as she hurried over. Harry heard Ginny sigh next to him, and he glanced down and laughed at the put-upon look on her face.

As his new mother-in-law hustled them off to greet yet another family member, Harry wondered if he'd have the energy after all this to finish what he started earlier. Catching Ginny's eye, he shrugged and followed along behind.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ginny trudged down the Burrow's winding staircase, holding her skirt up and grumbling under her breath. She couldn't believe her mother had held them hostage for that long talking to relatives she didn't even remember having. It was only the threat of "unladylike behavior" involving a bush and some napkins that allowed her to escape to the loo. Ginny regretted leaving Harry there alone with her Mum and some aunt or another, but she really couldn't take another second of not-so-subtle hints about red-headed, green-eyed grandbabies.

Just as she reached the landing that held her old bedroom, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her in as the door slammed behind her, missing her head by mere centimeters.

"Bloody hell!"

"Shhh… they'll hear you!"

Ginny looked up and saw Harry's head and arm floating in mid-air, the rest of him completely hidden beneath his cloak.

"You brought your cloak? To our wedding?" Ginny asked, incredulous.

"Er. Yeah. Thought it might come in handy."

"And you're using it to hide in my old bedroom, in the dark, from my Mum and aunts?" Ginny fought the grin that was trying to take over her face.

"Um… yes?" Harry's sheepish expression, with his hair even more mussed up from the cloak, made Ginny's heat beat double time. Merlin, he's too cute to be allowed sometimes.

Ginny finally smiled widely and stepped closer to him, reaching out to find the cloak's edge. "You're absolutely brilliant, love. Let me in."

Harry opened his cloak and huddled her close to his chest, enfolding them in the shimmering fabric until they were invisible to the outside world. Ginny wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled against him, reaching up to undo several buttons so she could feel his skin.

"Mmm… so, now we're both hiding at our own wedding, from our own wedding guests. How are we going to escape?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione and Ron are running interference for us. They said they'd gather up our gifts and drop them off at the flat tomorrow," Harry said as he ran his hands up and down her back, leaving chills shivering through her legs and into her groin. They really, really needed to get away. Soon.

Ginny leaned back against his arms and looked up at his shadowed face. His fringe was falling into his eyes as the cloak pressed down on his head, and she reached up and swept it away then cupped his cheek, feeling the scratchy stubble after their long day. Harry closed his eyes, and turned his head to brush his lips against her palm, then leaned down to draw her into a kiss that had her panting and scrabbling at his back to pull his shirt out from his trousers.

"We need to get the hell out of here, Harry. Now," Ginny said as she caught her breath.

Harry nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Yeah… we need to make it past the anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards, though."

"Bloody wards," Ginny said grumpily.

"Better the bloody wards than the bloody journalists that would've shown up if we didn't have them. C'mon," Harry responded, and turned her around until her back was cuddled up to his chest. "Just hold your skirts up and we'll sneak out the front door."

They stumbled out the door, finding it difficult to keep completely covered with both of them and Ginny's voluminous dress under the cloak. Just as they managed to make it to the kitchen, giggling and whispering like teenagers, they heard the back door creak open.

Harry's arms clenched hard around her waist, and Ginny looked down anxiously to check that their feet were covered.

"Ginny? Harry? Are you two in here? Merlin, I thought I heard voices in here," Molly Weasley's voice rang out through the room, as she peered around the kitchen and glanced up the staircase.

Ginny clenched her jaw shut, trying to silence the hysterical laugh that wanted to burst out. It was ridiculous that she and her husband were hiding under an invisibility cloak from her own mother, in an effort to escape their wedding reception. She could feel Harry's silent shaking laughter behind her.

"Mum? Hermione wants to know where the rest of the gifts are," Ron said as he stepped into the house. Ginny watched him glance around furtively, and promised herself she'd thank her brother later.

Ron's comment got her mother rushing back outside, and he held the door open a moment longer as he peered into the apparently empty room.

Ginny chanced a quick peek of her head out of the cloak, and whispered a "Thanks!" as Ron shooed them away with his hands.

They hurried out the front door and ran as fast as they could, hampered as they were by cloak and clothing, until they reached the edge of the wards.

"Okay," Harry said, breathlessly. "Grab on, and I'll apparate us out of here."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him and held on through the tight squeeze of apparition. They landed with a slight crack and she opened her eyes, feeling a cool breeze flowing around her dress. She looked up to see a beautiful green coastline, the sea reflecting the bright moonlight.

"It's beautiful here, Harry. Where are we?" Ginny asked as she stepped back a little, pulling the cloak off of them.

"We're on the coast of Ireland. Just north of Cork, actually," Harry said, grabbing her hand as he tugged her along. Ginny looked ahead and saw a small cabin tucked into the slight rise of a hill.

They made the short walk, and Harry opened the door with a muttered spell, then ushered her inside. He waved his wand at the dimly-seen hearth, and soon a warm fire was blazing in the fireplace. It flickered soft light, showing Ginny a small, but cozy sitting room with a large couch, and what looked to be an actual bearskin rug on the floor. To the other side was a kitchen and roughly made wooden table, and a door on the back wall led to what she assumed was a bedroom and loo.

It was perfect.

Ginny smiled up at Harry as he bit his lip, obviously waiting for her approval.

"It's wonderful, Harry."

He grinned down at her and wrapped her in a hug. "I know it's rather small, but it's quiet, and completely warded against everyone but us. No one knows where we are except for Kingsley. The ice box is stocked with food, and our bags are in the other room."

"Just us, alone here, for a week. That's brilliant," Ginny said, as she used her wand to undo the magic holding her hair in place. It fell down in a thick tumble around her shoulders, and she shook her head, sighing in pleasure at being free of the French twist Hermione had put it in that morning.

"I love your hair," Harry mumbled, threading his fingers into it and burying his face in her neck.

Ginny arched her neck, and quickly finished unbuttoning his dress shirt, drawing it down his arms and tossing it to the side as Harry nipped and kissed along her bare shoulders. She reached for his belt buckle and was unzipping his trousers as she felt his hands fumbling to open the many buttons that held up the back of her dress. Ginny quickly slipped out of her shoes, kicking them to the side as she rose up on her toes, arching her hips into the hardness she felt pressing against her.

Before she lost her head completely, Ginny used the wand that she still held clenched in her hand to cast the contraception charm, then tossed it onto the couch. She'd worry about finding it again later; there were other things that needed her hands attention right now.

Ginny curled her fingers into his belt loops and started walking backwards, drawing him with her as his kisses moved up to her ear. Gasping, she finally felt the cool wood of the door against her back, and reached back quickly to open it. They fell into the room, hands and mouths roaming over bared skin until she felt the edge of the bed. Ginny bent her arms back to finish opening the last few buttons Harry had missed, and then yanked his trousers down where they pooled at his ankles.

She pushed back from Harry a little and let her dress drop to the floor. Watching his eyes widen, Ginny looked down to see his arousal tenting his boxers. She smiled, then sat down on the bed and scooted backwards until she reached the pillows. Seeing Harry still staring at her, Ginny reached behind and unhooked her lacy bra and flung it at his head.

"C'mon Potter! Get those clothes off and get up here. You promised me soon, and it's been far too long," Ginny said with a laugh.

Shoes, socks, trousers, and boxers went flying as Harry hastily disrobed. He crawled onto the bed, his hands and mouth trailing chills up her legs to her stomach. Harry kneeled over her, straddling one leg as he unhooked the clips holding her stockings up.

"Merlin, these things are sexy," Harry breathed out as he rolled the stocking down her leg.

Ginny rose up on her elbows, watching as he removed the other one and slid back up her body, placing soft kisses on her calves and thighs as he went. Her breathing was getting ragged by the time he made it to her stomach, and her knickers were wet with arousal. Lifting her hips up, she felt him remove her knickers, his hot breath against her curls making her close her eyes and groan.

"God, I love doing this," Harry mumbled, and it was the last coherent sound she heard as his tongue slid into her folds.

It wasn't long before Ginny shattered, chanting his name over and over as she orgasmed, her fingers clutching his hair and her hips rising up to meet his mouth. She'd barely begun to recover, when Harry moved up and slid inside her.

He leaned his forehead down against hers as he slowly thrust his hips, his hands twining with hers on the pillows over her head.

"Ginny, look at me," Harry whispered, his voice rumbling into her ears.

Ginny pried her eyes open and stared up at him as he thrust harder into her. Every movement of his hips sent delicious spikes of pleasure through her overly sensitive flesh.

"Promise me," he said.

"Anything."

Harry smiled. "Promise me it'll always be like this."

Ginny laughed breathily, her heart racing as she felt the first curls of heat in her stomach and groin. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rose up to meet his thrusts, reaching for the edge as she felt him moving faster.

"I promise, Harry," she said, groaning. Her eyes fluttered shut against her will, and she clenched her fingers against his as his teeth bit down lightly on her lower lip. Drawing him into a deeper kiss, Ginny felt him let go, moaning into his mouth as heat flooded inside of her. Harry ground his hips into her pelvis, and with one last thrust she finished with a cry, dimly registering the feeling of his weight come down on her in his exhaustion.

Harry rolled them over, pulling her leg over his hip until they were wrapped around each completely. His hands moved softly down her back, the light touches almost tickling her and sending little shivers down her spine.

"Love you," Harry whispered into her hair.

"Mmm… love you, too," Ginny mumbled, her lips pressed against his chest.

"Always?"

"Always," she said, smiling into his skin.

"We'll have to make a pact on it."

Ginny laughed lightly, pulling him tighter against her. His breathing became heavier against her hair, and she sighed happily, letting his steady heartbeat carry her into sleep.

The End

A/N: And here's the end to my little story. Thank you to everyone who has read, and especially to those that review. You guys are what kept me writing. Thanks to EE and M for betaing this for me. You two are the best – of course, you knew that already, didn't you?