Good Things Come In Three's…
"That was a great practice!" Ginny complimented Harry, sitting on the cold ground and taking off all her guards.
"You all were great; I have no idea what got into you guys, but keep it up and at the end of the month we will be all over Ravenclaw." Harry leaned against his broom, trying to stall for some time to make sure Hermione made it back to the Common Room with Samantha.
"'Course we will! It's Slytherin for the cup we have to worry about!" Dean agreed and headed towards the changing rooms, the team straggling after him. Most of the team followed, but Ron and Ginny hung back as Harry opened the ball box again.
"You coming in?" Ron asked, his voice making small white puffs of smoke in the cold morning air.
"I think I'm going to fly a bit. Join me?" Harry asked, throwing up a Quaffle and catching it quickly.
"Sure, nothing better to do. Ginny?" Ron turned to his sister who hesitated.
"No, thanks. I want to go get a shower and start some homework before I go visit the babies. Thanks anyway." Ginny winked at Harry as Ron turned around and she turned towards the changing rooms, trotting after Dean.
"So," Harry asked after they had mounted their brooms and were tossing the Quaffle back and forth, "Any idea when you are going to ask Samantha?"
"Well, we actually talked a bit when I went to her dance, she wanted to know if there were a lot of Wizards and Muggle marriages; I told her about Seamus' parents and a few others, saying that they seemed to work out; you just weren't sure if your children were going to have magic or not." Ron stretched his arm out, feeling the Quaffle brush off his fingers. He tore after it, spun around and threw it back to Harry, who caught it expertly.
"Well, that's a start."
"Yea, gives me a bit more confidence that she will actually say YES."
They flew around the pitch for another half hour until they began to get cold and then seeing the sky gray up was their clue to pack it in. As they walked with out changing, up to school, Harry had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling. Ron had no idea Samantha was coming; he thought they were all going to Hogsmeade for his birthday…little did he know.
As Ron was ranting about Friday's DADA class, Harry gave his coin a tap while in his pocket, mentally thanking
Hermione for the idea to use what she had invented for Dumbledore's Army two years ago. Now her coin would get
warm, she had charmed his to "talk" to only hers. She now had about 10 minutes to get in the Common Room and
Samantha upstairs. They all knew Ron would go upstairs immediately to shower, change and go to lunch…and Samantha would
be waiting upstairs.
Ginny was just running interference in the Common Room, calling anyone over that shared a room with Harry and Ron for some "Prefect" information.
As the pair walked through the castle, many younger girls turned to stare at them; they made a formidable pair…very tall, broad, red headed Ron and a shorter, dark haired, agile Harry…both in their Quidditch robes, pants and boots which, if the boys had been paying attention, girls drooled over. Parvati had tried to stop Ron and talk to him, but Harry gently pried him away saying they were going to change and have lunch then needed to go to a meeting.
As they trudged up the stairs towards the portrait hole, Harry wondered if Ron would actually come down for lunch, being alone in his room with Samantha. Ron had made the remark after Valentine's Day that they were both a little freaked out that her parents were in the same flat as them, so they didn't do much of anything; her parents made them sleep in separate bedrooms and he had promised Samantha to not use Magic in the house, so he couldn't even cast a Silencing Spell.
"There are my men in their uniforms!" Hermione said playfully as they walked through the hole. Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione came over and wrapped herself around Harry.
"Maybe we should wear these more often!" Harry kidded to Ron who was heading up the stairs.
"I'll wear mine to the next school dance!" Ron joked and headed up to the top of the stairs, turned the corner and opened his door. Letting out a big sigh, he kicked it shut, propped his broom up in the corner and started to undo his leather arm protectors, anticipating the warm shower.
"I'll do that for you," came a voice near his bed and he about collapsed to the floor.
"Who…? Samantha! What are you doing here?" he caught her as she ran over and gave her a twirl.
"Happy Birthday! Didn't you wonder what your friends were going to get you as a gift?" She kissed him before he could answer and he toppled onto his bed, holding her to him.
"Not really; I thought we were just going to Hogsmeade. They set this up?" he smiled at her and ran a hand through her hair, liking how it was almost to her shoulders.
"Harry and Hermione did; apparently on the train back to school they came up with the idea. I'm here until tomorrow evening." She sat back and gazed down at him in his uniform.
"You look very nice in that," she stretched out next to him and he turned on to his side and looked at her.
"Thanks. I was about to change and shower."
"Congratulations on becoming an Uncle," Samantha felt his hand trace her cheek, watching his face break into a smile.
"Thank you; they are so small though. Don't know how they will ever get bigger."
"They will and it will be fast for sure," she closed her eyes as his hand rubbed her neck.
"That's what mum said," Ron leaned in and kissed her, feeling her arms wrap around him as she responded with an unusual intensity that made him pull away and look at her concernedly.
"What's wrong?"
"I just missed you that's all." Samantha ran a hand down his arm, feeling the slippery material of his robes.
"A lot I gather; me too…it gets harder to be away each time we are together, you know," Ron felt her hand go to the front of his robes and begin working the tie.
"I do know. I'm glad you are done in three months," Samantha said with an unusual quietness in her voice causing Ron to pull back a bit.
"Are you sure that's it? You are acting very…very…non-Samantha," Ron stilled her hands on his robes, and held them in his own.
For some reason she couldn't look him in the eyes and stared at his chest.
"I was so excited when Hermione said I had permission to come and once my parents said OK I was counting down the minutes to get here. I couldn't sleep last night, but as soon as I saw you walking through that door in those robes I felt something I have never felt..," she let her voice trail off and now, genuinely concerned he sat up and shifted so he could see her better.
"What was it? Did I do something wrong?"
Samantha smiled at him, reached out and touched his face. "No, in fact you have done everything right; the moment you walked in that door and I saw you for a brief second in your world I wondered if I was what YOU wanted."
"What?" Ron stood up and stared at her. "Of course you are. Just because I live like," he waved his hand around the room and tugged his robes, "this, doesn't mean I live in a glass bowl looking for girls that can do magic too! We talked about this!" He didn't mean to, but he was getting angry.
"I know we did, but we are in such different worlds. Do you think you could love someone and spend the rest of your life with someone who can't do what you do? I drive a car, you apparate wherever you want to go; I have to cook and clean by hand, you don't. I feel like I might drag you down."
Samantha was standing up at this point, looking up at him and seeing the anger and confusion on his face. "I love you, Ron and just need to know if you know what you are in for."
Ron looked down at her, into the deep brown eyes and saw she was genuinely concerned. He reached out and pulled her to him.
"I do. I have thought and thought; I would not have gone to your dance if this relationship was something I didn't want," he propped his chin on her head and his gaze rested on his trunk. Without thinking he pushed her away and told her to sit.
"I have something for you, maybe it'll convince you."
He grabbed his wand and muttered "Alohamora", bent down and rifled through his trunk. Samantha let her gaze wander over the dorm room as he stood back up and shut the lid. He walked over and sat next to her. She looked at him, raising her eyes to meet his.
"Don't be mad at me; I didn't mean…," she started then her gaze looked down as he made a motion with his hand and there sitting in his hand was a black velvet box, opened to reveal a diamond ring with an intricate design around the band.
She stared and stared, not comprehending what she was seeing. She reached out and touched it, feeling Ron's hand close over hers and she watched him set the box down, take the ring out and hold it between his two fingers.
"I knew I was going to get this before Christmas and picked it up the week before your dance, waiting for the right moment to give it to you," he pulled her hand into his lap.
"I think this may be it," Samantha whispered, her eyes still glued to the ring.
"I want to marry you, Samantha. I knew from the moment I first met you that you were special, I didn't feel like I had to try and be someone else in front of you, I felt I almost knew you, maybe because I knew Hermione, but the past few months I have really thought about you …a lot and I can't see me coming out of school and not being with you," he cupped Samanatha's chin and looked at her, "do you understand what I am saying?"
Samantha saw the seriousness on his face, flung her arms around him and kissed him so hard she was climbing into his lap.
"So, if I asked you to marry me…?" Ron said in between assaults on his mouth.
"Yes," Samantha breathed, smiling and crying at the same time. She felt him take her hand and slip the ring on and holding her hand they both looked down at the beautiful ring on her finger.
"A million times, yes," she grabbed his robes and pulled him down, kissing him all the way.
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Harry glanced towards the stairs as Hermione reached for the ties at the top of his robes, her lips caressing his neck. They had been having an intense session on the sofa, partly aware that Ginny was doing homework in the corner. Silently, Harry stilled Hermione's fingers and nodded towards her stairs. Smiling, she stood up and he chased her up the stairs making her squeal as he grabbed her at the top. The last sound Ginny heard, before he kicked the door shut was Hermione reprimanding him for putting his cold hands in a certain spot.
Shaking her head, Ginny bent her head down to her work only to find a pair of hands come over her eyes. Dropping her quill she sat straight up, a bit of a smirk on her lips.
"How many times have I told you to not do that, Dean!"
"Very funny Weasley," Ginny turned towards Draco and grinned at him. His hands rested on her shoulders and he glanced around at the deserted Common Room.
"How did the surprise go?"
"Well… great, I am suspecting, since he is still upstairs with her and Harry just chased Hermione up to her room. She has a thing for Quidditch Robes I think."
"Hmmm…really? Do all girls?" He sat next to her, forcing her to shift sideways to talk to him. Ginny remembered seeing him at the last match against Hufflepuff and a smile lit up her face.
"Oh, I think most of them, yes." Draco raised an eyebrow at her then changed the subject.
"I just received some interesting news, or rather I should say an interesting proposition."
"Really? From whom about what?" Ginny could see a slight smile play at his mouth, which for him meant he was immensely pleased.
"Dumbledore called me into his office to confirm that Professor Snape was indeed retiring and it seems that he, Snape, asked Dumbledore to replace him with me."
Ginny stared at him, not being able to grasp what he just said.
"So, I said I would like to but would have to think about it; if I said "yes" it would make me your Potions teacher for next year." Draco looked at her, just staring at him.
"Bloody hell, you would be a great Potions Teacher," Ginny shook her head a bit as if to clear it. "Then, did I just hear you right that you would be MY teacher next year?"
He nodded and Ginny felt her heart sink a bit. He could sense her hesitancy on the last thing she had repeated to him.
"I know," was all he said and Ginny took a deep breath and let it out. He was getting good at reading her, whether it was always Legilimens or not, it helped that she didn't have to voice her thoughts aloud all the time.
"Besides getting my mother's thoughts about teaching, which is something I never really thought about until an hour ago, I wanted to hear yours," he touched her knee lightly to get her attention and she lifted her head and looked at him, smiling.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for you and you would be foolish not to take it," Ginny grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
"You do understand my hesitation don't you?" Draco asked his thoughts out in the open for her to read as she met his eyes.
"I do; I know Dumbledore, the Heads of Houses and everyone else frowns upon teachers and students being involved…though when was the last time that happened?" Ginny mused, thinking of the age of the teachers at Hogwarts. Draco shrugged and looked at her.
"I have until the end of April to decide."
Ginny nodded, getting the feeling that slowly her life was beginning to take a new road with everything that had happened in the past few months. She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed it, feeling a headache coming on.
"Also," he said quietly and she dropped her hand to look at him, "For July and August I would need to come back here and take a few courses, learn some things from Professor Snape. A crash course of sorts." Ginny closed her eyes, feeling that his life might be moving in a different direction too, just not the same one as hers.
"Ok, but it's early March so we can deal with the summer later. I think you should talk to your mother about the teaching position; I think you should take it because you would be great," she forced herself to smile then an image popped into her head, "Then you could tutor me, privately of course." Draco threw back his head and laughed, a sound she loved to hear since it didn't happen very often.
"For a fee of course," he leaned in smiling and she met him half way, putting all her emotions from the recent conversation in the back of her mind, for now.
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Samantha showed off her ring at lunch, a late lunch for all of them, and Ginny felt herself crying again. Her brother was getting married and he was so happy, as was Samantha. She could see Samantha glancing down at her ring every so often, a secret smile coming to her face; they had decided to floo to The Burrow that evening and tell his parents while Ginny stayed behind, catching up on work after going to make her visit to her nieces. She hadn't had the chance to tell her friends about her talk with Draco before lunch, just a few hours ago.
Next to Ginny, Hermione was excitedly telling Samantha, in detail, their wedding plans and where they would like to go in America. Ginny happened to glance up and saw Hedwig leading a slew of other Owls in through the windows and she flew straight at Harry, then soared back up. He quickly opened the note and read through it while eating his sandwich.
"Dumbledore wants to see me. I'll meet up with you all later." Harry stood up, draining his water and heading the familiar path to Dumbledore's office.
Once Harry was inside and seated, he wondered why he was here? Maybe something with Samantha and Ron?
Dumbledore came down his stairs and greeted Harry, going around his desk and sitting down.
"I hear congratulations are in order for Ron and Miss Granger."
"Yes, sir. Another happy couple," Harry smiled a bit, thinking of how Ron came running down the stairs yelling, "SHE SAID YES!"
Then running back up and pulling Samantha down after him.
"Onto a different topic, Harry; your future. Have you decided if you are going to become and Auror or work for the Ministry?" Dumbledore let his pale gaze rest on Harry who shrugged.
"I haven't really thought any further about it. I was entertaining the thought of Quidditch, but Hermione doesn't seem to keen on that."
"Well, I have something that may interest you, and Hermione as well, seeing that it doesn't involve you flying," Dumbledore smiled along with Harry. "Seeing as you are a very talented wizard and managed to teach a rather large group of students Defense Against the Dark Arts and started it successfully as a 14 to 15 year old, I wanted to offer you the position that Professor Sunnyvale occupies now. She will be leaving at the end of June."
Harry was stunned into silence and stared at Dumbledore, waiting for the punch-line.
"This is a joke right? I mean, I figured she wouldn't last another year, but you ARE joking right?" Harry stared forever at him, waiting for the smile and nod, but it never came.
"It's no joke Harry." Professor Dumbledore leaned forward and set his clasped hands on the desk. "You are one of the best students when it comes to that class; you are a great role model to the younger students and if you think about it, you have experience in teaching already. You don't have to let me know right this moment. We won't be making anything official until the end of April, so you have another month, a little bit over actually, to think about your decision and to discuss it with your future wife." Professor Dumbledore smiled a bit as Harry flinched at the word "wife" and looked down, his heart hammering in his chest.
"I don't know anything about teaching, let alone having a bunch of first years listening to me and actually doing what I ask, for a whole 10 months! I wouldn't even know where to begin!"
"That is where we come in. Do you think I would throw you in there without any guidance? You would have to come to Hogwarts over July and August, with time off for your Honeymoon of course, for some training and some classes. We would ask that you would devote your time to Hogwarts over the summer, so Hermione wouldn't be able to be with you until you had a break between courses…so that is something to consider." The Headmaster looked at the astonished look that settled over Harry's features, his eyes seemed to be a brighter green as he mulled the possibilities over in his head. Dumbledore pushed himself up from his chair, ran a loving hand over Fawkes who made a cooing noise at him then came and stood by Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Promise me you will just think about it? No hard feelings if you choose not to; you have six weeks to make your decision. The one thing we require is that you would have to live near or on the grounds. Considering you are to be married, Hogsmeade might be an option for you."
Harry nodded, still confounded by what was just asked of him. He stood up slowly, shook hands and walked in a daze, much like after he heard his Godfather's Will and managed to find himself in the hall staring at the house points in the huge hourglasses by the front door.
"Harry!" Parvati came up and looked at him oddly. "You ok?"
"Yea, Parvati. I'm fine." Harry said still in a daze. "Hey, have you seen Hermione?"
"She went to the library I think; at least she was headed in that direction with a pile of books under her arms," she touched his arm and looked at him. "You sure you are ok? You look…strange."
"I'm fine; I just need to run to the library. Thanks," Harry gave her a quick smile and retraced some of his steps, heading towards the library, trying to form the words in his mind to tell Hermione what he just experienced.