On the second to last night of winter break, Harry tossed and turned in his bed long into the night. For once, it wasn't because he had company, either. In fact, for the first night in a long time, Harry was sleeping alone.
He'd given the girls plenty of attention, and tonight he wanted a break. He had other things on his mind. He'd heard all the arguments of Hermione and Pansy about which option to take. All that was left was to come to a decision.
Hogwarts was his home. He sure as hell didn't consider the Dursleys' house to be one. It wasn't until he turned eleven and arrived at that great castle that he truly felt like he belonged somewhere. It meant everything to him, to be honest, and the thought of leaving it behind… Possibly forever… Well, it made him feel like breaking down.
At the same time, things were changing. The wizarding world had changed, and so had he, coming into his own physically and magically. He had the body of an adult, but the mind of a teenager, by which he meant that he just didn't know how to use the power he now had.
Hermione wasn't wrong about Hogwarts's balanced education being valuable in normal life. And Pansy wasn't wrong when she pointed out that his life wasn't—and had never been—normal.
Scrimgeour was coming back tomorrow morning to hear Harry's answer. If Harry accepted, it would drive a permanent wedge between him and Dumbledore, a man he once utterly idolized. They wouldn't become enemies, but there was no denying that Dumbledore would be upset were Harry to join up with the ministry.
It was a lot to think about, and only right before Harry fell asleep did he feel like he reached a decision. After that, sleep was surprisingly peaceful.
LINE BREAK
"Ah, Harry. Good to see you again."
Scrimgeour shook Harry's hand with a firm—but not aggressive—grip. He led Harry to the table where they talked the first day. They each took a seat facing each other.
He'd foregone the Percy Weasley pretext this time, leaving behind the errant son of the Weasley family. It seemed Scrimgeour didn't feel the need for an excuse to visit, now that he'd already introduced himself to Harry. Alicia was there too, dressed in a lovely skirt that was JUST long enough to be considered work appropriate. Alicia smiled at Harry as she stood behind Scrimgeour. She was trying to hide it, but Harry could tell she was eager to hear his answer… as was her boss.
Mr. Weasley was loitering by the door, and Harry was sure his wife was somewhere behind him in the kitchen. Harry hadn't told them the details of what the Minister's offer included, but he thought they must have had some idea.
"I hope you've made your decision," Scrimgeour said. "I would have loved to give you more time… but that's a commodity even I have very little of these days."
"That's alright, minister," Harry said. "I've made my mind up."
"I'm glad to hear it." Scrimgeour smiled a very small, very wry smile. "Forgive me if I'm hoping for one answer, though."
Harry sighed. As of last night, he'd settled on his decision. He felt confident about it since then… up until this moment, when he felt nerves seeping back in.
"This summer, when he dropped me off here, Professor Dumbledore told me something," Harry said.
"What was it?" Scrimgeour asked.
"It honestly confused me a lot," Harry admitted. "He told me that when facing unexpected offers, I should always follow my heart. I couldn't make any sense of it. But I think now that he knew we'd have this conversation, and it was his way of urging me to turn you down."
Scrimgeour lost his smile.
"For some reason, Dumbledore has always been eager to make sure I stay a regular student," Harry said. "He never treated me any differently from other kids… Except maybe when it came to house points. I appreciate it, because I think that's the reason I was able to grow up semi-normal. But there's something he overlooked. I've grown up a lot, and I need my head to grow up as well, to match that."
"Then you mean…" Scrimgeour said.
Harry planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. "My heart is telling me to become the best version of myself that I can be, so that even if I lose my life in this war, I'll at least have done something to be proud of. I'm saying I accept your offer, minister… and that it's time for me to leave Hogwarts behind, no matter how much I love it."
A sob from the next room over confirmed that Mrs. Weasley HAD been listening in. Mr. Weasley shook his head sadly, but with a small smile, and left the living room to comfort his wife. Alicia immediately started beaming. She met Harry's eyes and bulged out one cheek with her tongue, not so subtly hinting what award awaited his decision. But by far the most eye catching reaction went to Scrimgeour himself.
The minister leaned back in his seat, slapping a hand over his eyes and letting out the heaviest sigh Harry had ever heard.
"Thank Merlin… We've still got a chance!" he said.
Harry was slightly stunned, honestly. Of course he knew how important he was as a figurehead in the war. But to see the stoic new minister, who had been a grizzled veteran Auror before this, admit that he thought Harry's cooperation was their only path to possible victory in the war, was almost enough to make Harry gape.
Scrimgeour recovered his composure quickly. He reached out, squeezing Harry's hand to finalize the deal. After that, details were drawn up.
When Harry's friends left for Hogwarts the following day, Harry would leave for the ministry. He'd live in special (and luxurious, Scrimgeour assured him) accommodations that they would specially design. He'd be able to interview tutors that he wanted to have, and even suggest other options if he wanted. They would introduce him to his new duties, including getting media training and a makeover to ensure he always looked his best. Optics were apparently more important than Harry ever realized.
Alicia would be at his side to help smooth the transition. It would be a lot to get used to, but Harry was excited. In a lot of ways, this was exactly the kind of chance he'd been waiting for.
After hammering out the details, Scrimgeour and Alicia left. It was already incredible how much time out of his day the minister had spent filling Harry in. Almost as soon as he was out the door, Mrs. Weasley called the family together in the dining room.
"Did you have to accept, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley said, still crying slightly. "It's all just too much!"
"I think I did have to, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said. "It's the best option I had."
Mr. Weasley laid his hand on the back of his wife's.
"Let him be, Molly," he said. "I know Harry's thought a lot about this. And Harry, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call on me! I know I'm not the most glamorous of them, but I am a ministry employee."
"I will, Mr. Weasley," Harry said.
He really meant it. In fact, Harry was already thinking about how much pull he might have in the ministry down the line, and about ways to leverage it to improve Arthur Weasley's position. Scrimgeour had immediately promoted him when he took power, after years of Fudge keeping the Weasley patriarch in a minor role due to his Muggle fascination. But who knew, maybe Harry could push him into an even better position?
"If I can't convince you not to go… I can at least send you out on a full stomach!" Mrs. Weasley declared. "Alright, everyone! We're going to eat until we can't eat anymore!"
That got a positive reaction, especially from Ron, who was basically cheering.
Pansy was in such a good mood that she actually smiled most of the afternoon. After one vacation around the Weasleys, she was already starting to let her walls down. At times, she was almost warm and friendly. It was stunning how much she could change that fast.
The only person who seemed truly upset (because Mrs. Weasley seemed to mostly be feeling bittersweet) was Ginny. The youngest Weasley was frowning for most of the day, and excused herself after only eating a small portion.
Harry had to stay a bit longer considering this was basically a sendoff dinner just for him. But as soon as he found the time to, he managed to duck away, going after Ginny.
He found her in her room. Without Hermione and Ginny there yet, it was just Ginny, laying on her stomach reading a copy of Quidditch Monthly like she was trying to burn through it with her eyes.
"Hey," Harry said.
"You don't have to talk to me," Ginny said. "I'm fine. Why don't you go find Pansy."
"This isn't about her," Harry said. "Don't blame Pansy for my choice."
Ginny glared at him over her shoulder. "She changed you!"
"Yes, she did," Harry said.
Ginny was temporarily floored at how easily he admitted it, instead of arguing.
"Pansy taught me to be more ambitious," Harry said. "Tracey helped with that, too. It's the same way Susan Bones taught me to be more compassionate, and that everyone has their own reasons to fight. Luna taught me that appearances can be deceiving… she's not actually spacey at all. She's a true Ravenclaw, with the mind to back it up, and no amount of nargle chasing is going to change that. And you, Ginny, taught me that…"
Ginny perked up, eagerly awaiting what he had to say.
"...Weasley women are completely insatiable."
She threw a pillow at his chest, which hit him and fell to the floor.
"That's it!?" she demanded.
Harry laughed, walking over to her.
"No, that's not it," he said. "You also taught me that when I want something… I need to go after it. Just like I'll be doing with the ministry. The point is, Ginny, I have changed. But that's not a bad thing, alright?"
Ginny suddenly found it difficult to meet his eyes.
"I just don't want things to end," she muttered. "I'm happy when it's just you, me, Hermione and my brothers around. I like hanging out at the Burrow. I want to go to Hogwarts together. Now you're going to go to the Ministry… and forget me."
"Impossible," he said. "There's no way I'd forget you. You're a member of Dumbledore's Army, one of my Quidditch teammates…"
He noticed she wasn't really listening anymore, already sinking back into her depressed thoughts. So he decided to make sure he had her attention.
"...and of course I couldn't forget this ass."
Ginny squealed as Harry slapped her ass, groping it through her thin cotton pants.
"There's plenty of women," she said. "I'm sure some of them have better butts than mine."
"Maybe," Harry said. "But they wouldn't be THIS ass. And this ass? It's mine."
He began kneading Ginny through her pants, using both hands. As he felt her soft flesh give under his fingers, Harry bent over, rubbing his face on the back of her pants.
"Stop!" Ginny said half-heartedly. "That's embarrassing!"
But Harry was starting to slide her pants down, and she didn't tell him to stop doing THAT.
He moved her panties down too, revealing the perky cheeks of Ginny's tomboyish ass. Harry kissed the cheeks, then began to bite them. Ginny moaned.
"Tonight will be for the two of us," Harry decided. "I've got plans for this ass."
He kneeled on the bed behind Ginny, not even bothering to take his clothes off. He just unbuttoned his pants, pulled his erection out, and went to work.
He grabbed Ginny's smooth hips, holding her in place as he gave her backshots. Ginny buried her face in her Quidditch Monthly magazine to stifle her moans.
As he fucked her, Harry slid his hands from her hips onto her ass cheeks, pulling them apart. he spat on the tight hole that was revealed, then slid a thum inside. He heard paper crinkle as Ginny bit her magazine to keep from screaming with pleasure.
It was hot, going at it wearing so many layers. Harry felt himself growing sweaty quickly. They would both need a shower. Fortunately, he'd promised her the whole night, so there was no reason not to move this sex session to the bathroom when the time came.
Harry twisted his thumb, causing an almost instant orgasm. As Ginny moaned, bathing his dick with arousal, Harry popped his thumb out and leaned down, placing his mouth next to her ear.
"I won't forget about you," he whispered. "You're crazy if you think I'm giving this up. I won't be around as often… But you're still MINE. Now and forever."
Ginny yanked her face up from the magazine.
"Prove it!" she gasped.
Harry didn't bother asking how he was supposed to do that.
He wrapped his arms around Ginny's neck, placing her in a headlock, cutting off just enough of her air to feel. His body was pressing down on hers from above, large and muscular. The next time he thrusted, Harry poured his seed into her womb.
It was a bit risky, but this was what Ginny was always chasing. Weasley women were insatiable when it came to creampies. That probably explained Ginny's status as the family's sixth child.
On this occasion, it was more than a kink, though. It was a promise. Harry was telling her that he wouldn't forget her. He was even willing to take risks in order to give her what she wanted.
As soon as Ginny felt the creampie, she orgasmed so hard that her body shook. For the first time since the morning, she smiled. It was a dopey one, high on pleasure.
"Mine," Harry whispered again.
And this time, Ginny had no choice but to believe him.
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