Lily's Boy

| Chapter One Hundred Nine

Election Day had arrived in Magical Britain, and the whole country was buzzing with anticipation.

Harry and his family went to the Ministry early to cast their votes, sending sympathetic glances to the team of harassed-looking Ministry clerks who were dealing with all the votes coming in by owl and floo.

It was as simple as pressing his wand to Amelia's name on the ballot card, and watching it vanish in a flash of gold light.

They stuck around for a bit afterwards, helping Susan with her last-minute campaigning for her aunt — not that the Hufflepuff needed their help, as terrifyingly competent as she was — and then afterwards went over to Longbottom Manor in anticipation of the victory party. Sirius and Charlie swung by the Pottery to pick up the Forrester kids — just one last check away from being their kids. The couple had been frantically getting Grimmauld Place ready for the last week, planning on moving over there with Amy and Tahan after they'd seen all the other kids off to school.

They brought Frankie with them too, of course, and Harry was not remotely surprised when the Slytherin boy made a beeline for Remus and Snape.

If that boy wasn't officially their ward by the end of the school year, Harry would streak through the whole of Hogwarts.

Neville was in fine hosting form, much to his grandmother's pride. More and more people were coming through the floo as the day passed — all the usual crowd, the ones who had worked so hard to make this day happen.

Harry left his boyfriend chatting with Tonks, wandering through to squeeze in beside Ginny on an oversized armchair in the much quieter conservatory. "Hey, you," he greeted, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "How's it feeling, today?"

The day before, they had snuck out — or rather, Ginny had snuck out, and Harry had left the house with enthusiastic encouragement from his godfather — to meet Charlie's tattoo artist friend for their promised date. Ginny had gained a gold ring through the brand new cartilage of her magically regrown ear, which had earned her mother's ire but was a great decoy to draw away from the bar through her left nipple, which Mrs Weasley definitely did not know about.

"Not too bad; healing spells are a marvel." Ginny grinned at him, wiggling her eyebrows. "How about you?"

"Hardly even feel it." His new tattoo, a golden snitch fluttering just at the base of the right side of his ribs, was fully healed and moving already.

"And how does Draco like it?" Ginny leered, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he joked in the same tone. Draco was definitely a big fan of the tattoo, even if he did roll his eyes at the seeker puns Harry made. "How does Nev like yours? Has he seen it yet?" He still remembered the shade of red Neville had turned when they discussed it.

"Not yet. I mean, he knows it's there, obviously," Ginny said, running a finger gently over her new earring. "But he hasn't seen it." Then she smirked wolfishly. "But I'm staying the night here, so..."

Harry laughed, rubbing the fuzz on the side of her head. She wasn't growing it out, even though there were potions that would do it in an instant. Harry was glad; he liked this new look on her. She looked older, and with another Weasley growth spurt and her muscles from playing quidditch, she looked like a girl you didn't want to mess with.

"Y'know, I'm gonna kind of miss our little dorm arrangement from the summer," he confessed. "Though I won't miss hearing you and Neville when you forget your Silencing charms."

Ginny cackled, unrepentant. "I know what you mean," she agreed, curling into him slightly. "It was nice. Our little escape from the world. Miles better than my usual dorm mates." She made a disgruntled face; due to her solid friendships with most of the year above, Ginny wasn't very close to the other Gryffindor girls in her year. They were jealous of her friendship with Harry, for one.