When the boy was very young, he would follow his mother everywhere. He would watch her as she prepared the family supper or when she worked in the garden, a straw hat protecting her head. He would watch her as she combed her hair before bedtime, the silver of the brush handle dipping in and then out of the auburn tresses that shone so bright to him that he almost couldn�t see afterwards. He loved the smell of her hair as she leaned over him, to kiss him goodnight. It was lilacs and vanilla, summer and light all rolled into one. It was intoxicating and arousing.

But the boy was soon banished from his mother�s rooms. The older he grew, the more kept away he was. She stopped kissing him goodnight and his father would yell at him to stop his watching. The boy didn�t understand. He just wanted to be next to his mother, next to the beauty of her red hair. He wanted to touch it and feel it flow through his fingers like silk. He would sneak into her bed chamber and try to snatch a few stray hairs from her brushes, hoping he would one day have enough to use for his own, indescribable pleasures.

His mother would watch him, sometimes, a small frown on her face whenever she caught him looking at her, or worse, whenever she caught him someplace where he wasn�t supposed to be. The boy didn�t understand that he wasn�t supposed to be infatuated with his own mother. He only knew one thing, and it was love. He didn�t understand right from wrong, only that he knew he needed to be close to her.

His parents sent him away when he was old enough and even though his father told him it was because he needed to be trained the right way, the boy knew it was because his father was jealous of the attention his mother still gave to him, even though the father had told her not to encourage him. The boy knew his mother secretly enjoyed the way he watched her. That she was flattered by the attention. She would sometimes take down the pins in her hair as she walked by his doors and he would catch a glimpse of the curls cascading down her back. His mouth would become dry and he would ache in places that were new to him. Sometimes he would find her brushes in odd places, places where she knew he would find them and he would sleep with them, sometimes, a smile on his face as he dreamed of brushing her hair for her.

His father kept him away from home as much as he could, but it didn�t matter any longer. The boy had learned how to conjure up the image of his mother any time he wanted. He had learned what he could do with the collection of hair he still kept. He had done what his father had asked him to do; he had become trained in the right way. But he had also discovered how to do so much more.

But then the boy met the girl that would replace his mother in his affections. For three years he watched her and coveted her friendship. He put himself in her life and he waited to tell her how much he loved her. But it never seemed as though it was the right time and so he waited. And he watched and bided his time.

He knew he would have to impress her with his powers, if he were going to keep her for himself. He wouldn�t let her get away from him, not this time. Not like he had allowed his mother to do. He knew he would have to make his move at the right time.

The right time had finally come.

�I will be the answer at the end of the line

I will be there for you, while you take the time

in the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground.

I will hold the balance if you can�t look down.

If it takes my whole life, I won�t break, I won�t bend

It�ll all be worth it... worth it in the end.

Because I can only tell you what I know-

that I need you in my life,

when the stars have all gone out,

you�ll still be burning bright.

Cast me gently into morning,

for the night has been unkind

take me to a place so holy

that I can wash this from my mind-

the memory of choosing not to fight.

If it takes a whole life, I won�t break, I won�t bend

It�ll all be worth it, worth it in the end.

Because I can only tell you what I know-

that I need you in my life,

And when all the stars have all burned out

you�ll still be burning so bright....�

Chapter Eleven: Coming Home

Dexter Eoghan made his way to work in a haphazard fashion. First, he had to talk with the landlady of his flat building, not for any good reason, but it helped to flirt with the management every now and again. Then he made his way into to the heart of the city and had a bit of breakfast, because he couldn�t face the day on an empty stomach. Then he stopped to buy some early blooming roses for his office mate. Mostly because he was already making up for being late all this last week and he reckoned that she was pretty much getting cross at him at the drop of a hat lately.

Which meant one thing and one thing only- things weren�t going well in the relationship arena for his young co-worker. Something that Dexter couldn�t help but enjoy. Not because he wished her unwell, but because it meant he still had a chance.

He arrived at the Ministry of Magic the old-fashioned way. Took the phone booth down and said hello to a couple of witches from the Automatic Quill pool, got his wand weighed and his flowers checked and then made his way to Level Two.

�Morning, Eoghan,� a portly wizard wheezed at him as he passed, �Your office mate is in a bit of a tizzy this morning. There�s been some excitement in Diagon Alley. They�ve arrested an old family friend, apparently.�

Dexter raised his eyebrow and hurried to their offices, right past Auror Headquarters, nearly missing three Interdepartment Memos that went zooming by his head.

He couldn't resist a smile as he read the small plaque on the outside of their door; it looked as though she�d had them re-hang it, once again.

She was always putting her name first.

Fixing a grin on his face he opened the door, expecting to see Ginny frowning at him from her desk. Instead, he was encountered with rows and rows of paper.

�Er... Weasley?�

Dexter heard a muffled sound and then a curse. He walked over to her desk and looked down in between two leaning towers of parchment and sure enough, there she was.

�About time you showed up, Dex. Where have you been? This place has been going crazy!�

�Does this mean you missed me?�

Ginny rolled her eyes and then nodded to the bouquet of flowers in his hands.

�Those for me, I take it?�

�But of course, mademoiselle.�

Ginny�s eyes softened as she looked at them and then gave him a half smile. She nodded her head.

�Put them with the rest, then. I�ve had quite a flowery week.�

Dexter looked to where she had motioned to and frowned.

�I didn�t really buy you all of these this week, did I?�

The entire back table of their office looked like a miniature greenhouse gone awry. Purple poppies and sky blue hydrangeas, followed by yellow hibiscus and a diminutive dogwood tree, in full bloom, stood out proudly against the drab Ministry of Magic wall scheme.

Dexter whistled. �And I thought I�d had a rough morning. You must have had an even rougher night.�

Ginny made a face at him and then pulled herself up off the ground. She came around her desk and took the roses from him, placing them near the one edge of the table not yet covered.

�I can�t help it. Neville works really hard on his creations. He likes to show them off. �

Dexter didn�t voice the other thought that popped into his head. Yeah, and he also knows you don�t love him.

The thought must have shown on his face, because Ginny suddenly became cross with him.

�Wipe that look right off your face, Dexter Eoghan.�

She turned back around and picked a pile of papers, thrusting them at him, now that his hands were free.

�What look?�

�The look that says you think you know all there is to know about me and Neville. You don�t, you know. Not by a long shot.�

Dexter thought to himself, yeah right, but didn�t press the matter. He didn�t feel like being under the hammer of the Weasley anger today.

�So, what is this excitement Purnsbody told me about in the hall? An old family friend in trouble?�

Ginny frowned again. �Yes. And my brothers are involved somehow. Dad�s been talking with the Magical Law Enforcement Department all morning. I�m afraid they may have actually done it this time.�

�So, what�s all this, then?� Dexter said as he nodded toward the paperwork that she�d given him, now perched perilously on his desk.

�We�re looking for precedents.�

�Hmm... right, of course. Er... precedents for what, exactly?�

�Precedents of when it was allowed that two wizarding shop owners could defend themselves against thievery and trickery, while being visited by a Ministry official, who somehow was changed into a toad.�

Dexter�s face paled. �No. They didn�t. Not really?�

Ginny shook her head grimly. �Perkins went over there, to talk with George and Fred about how their Jumping Jack Alarm Clocks keep getting into the hands of Muggle children and he ran into Mundungus Fletcher, who was right in the middle of selling my dear brothers a barrel full of illegal frog spawn.�

�Illegal frog spawn?�

�Well, these spawn can um... do tricks, but that�s not important.�

Dexter stared at her blankly. �It isn�t? What is?�

�They�re claiming they didn�t know what Dung was selling them and were trying to defend their shop from being over-run with frog spawn. They claim Perkins just got in the middle of everything.�

�And Perkins is claiming they changed him on purpose, is that it?�

�Well, no.�

�Then what-?�

Ginny giggled at him then, her face breaking into a smile. �Perkins hasn�t exactly... well... they can�t find him, Dex. He hopped into a barrel full of toads and no matter what Locator spell they use, they can�t seem to figure out which one is him. That�s where we... well, I come in. I�ve got to get over there and see if I can pick up which toad is giving off a �Perkins� aura.�

�So why aren�t you over there now? Do your bit and whallah.. no more froggy-Perkins.�

�Because, what if he doesn�t support my brothers claim? They could be in a heap of trouble if I find him and then he says they tricked him on purpose.�

�And why�d they arrest this... I�m sorry... Dung?�

�Oh that. That was for the frog spawn. Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures jumped at him for that. That�s nothing. I�m really worried about Fred and George. Mum�s already sent me two owls about them. They�re holding them on suspicion to do malice against a Ministry Official. I don�t know what Dad�s-�

Ginny was interrupted by a knock on the door. A second later, a red head very much like hers popped in and looked at them.

�Hey, Gin, Dad says you need to get down to the shop, pronto. He can�t hold it off any longer. Oh, hi Dex.�

Ron smiled at him and opened the door a bit. He reached out and Dexter shook his hand.

�Bit of a morning for you Weasley's, eh?�

Ron rolled his eyes. �You could say that.�

Dexter watched as Ron looked down at something in his hand and then cast an apprehensive glance at Ginny again. Whatever it was, Dex thought it looked familiar, but he couldn�t see enough of it to place it.

Ginny however, was already grabbing her robes. �Alright, I�ll get down there. Next they�ll be saying Dad dragged his feet because it was his own two sons. Dex, do us a favor and go through that batch of papers for me? It was just the last bit I hadn�t gone through yet. I don�t expect you to find anything, but, you never know.�

�Consider it done, Miss Weasley. My detective skills are at your disposal.�

Dexter bowed and Ginny laughed and then followed her brother out of the office.

Dexter shrugged off his outer robes and then sat down at his desk, already reading through the parchments Ginny had given him. Never let it be said that Dexter Eoghan wouldn�t do his part for a damsel in distress. Especially one as lovely as Ginny.

After five years of not being at sea, Harry was realizing that he was not a wizard that was meant to travel long distances. His stomach was up and down with the waves and he was sure it was turning him green.

Or maybe that was because he was finally returning home.

He was excited, yes, and it was undoubtedly time that he return to the things he�d left behind him, but he was also nervous and he had always hated that feeling.

You shouldn�t have sent that letter! a voice screamed out in his head.

But he couldn�t help it. Something had just compelled him and truth be known, some small part of him was glad he had done it. Maybe for once in his life, he would be able to start things off on the right foot.

Harry had decided that he wanted to be loved. Not by everyone, just by one special, particular person.

He went over the letter from Ron in his head, trying to pinpoint any hidden meaning in it and couldn�t. Pulling it out of his robe pocket, he smiled as he read Ron�s shaky scrawl. The letter had obviously been written on the go.

�Mum sends her best, by the way- she took two seconds out of her nagging about me and Hermione getting married- to say she wishes you a fast trip and she can barely stand it, she�s so excited to see you again. Expect lots of food, mate. Of course, you coming home puts a crick in my marriage excuses. Before I could fend her off with a �But Mum! I can�t get married without my best man around!� and she�d smile and start talking about you. Now with you home, I reckon she�s going to come up with yet more devious ways of getting me hitched. Not that Hermione doesn�t have her own ideas on the matter...

Harry laughed and could just imagine that the double team of Hermione and Mrs. Weasley would be a bit too much to handle. Smiling at the thought, he continued reading.

�Anyway, about your question, Harry. Ginny is fine. She�s working at the Ministry and she�s really doing well. They started a new department for her! Madam Bones and her office were really impressed with Ginny after she helped them out with a case awhile back. I reckon the time she spent traveling with that Miracroix woman was really good for her. As to the rest of question, well, Harry... you�re just going to have come back and find out. No, she isn�t married, although Neville has really tried to change that. But sometimes I get the feeling that Ginny isn�t really ready to settle down there, yet. Plus, there�s... well... I�ll just wait till you�re back. Can�t wait, mate. Hermione and me will be on that dock with huge smiles....�

Harry smiled once again and re-folded the letter. Yes, sending a letter to Ginny, through Ron, had been the right thing to do.

He didn�t want to just show up on her doorstep and shock her or surprise her. He wanted her to know that he was coming back to be with her. Or at least, try to be with her.

There was still the matter of Neville, but the fact that Ginny hadn�t married him yet, gave Harry a surge of confidence. He knew it was fairly lousy of him to come back, expecting Ginny to take one look at him and realize that she loved him more than anything. He knew it was also fairly terrible of him to come back into their lives and attempt to woo her away from a man he�d known for most of his life.

But all�s fair in love and war, right Harry? If she truly loved Neville she would have married him by now.

That was what the voice in his head kept telling him. Harry hoped it was right and that there was nothing else keeping Ginny away from him. He�d had a sense for awhile now, ever since he had decided to come back, that he was finally, coming home.

And he couldn�t wait to see her.