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Hideaway | ||||
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Category: Elopement Challenge (2020-3) Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 5 Summary: For the elopement challenge. Why, how, and the results of Harry and Ginny eloping Hitcount: Story Total: 1304 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: This the first story I've ever tried to write. Saw the challenge, had an idea, thought I'd give it a try. A very big thanks to my son for beta reading, editing, and correcting my many mistakes. |
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Hideaway She opened the door and stepped out into a large, sunlit main room. Turning right, through the massive glass wall before her, she saw “The View”. Bright sunlight from the deep blue sky outside poured in, bathing her face in light as the many small, puffy clouds cruised by the skyline. The clouds drifted west to east with the breeze — the mighty Westerlies — evidence of which she could see from the permanently-bent trees off in the distance, though a number sporadically dotted about had dates instead of coconuts. The ground almost glowed, so intense was the reflected sunlight off the white sand. Various arid grasses grew in patches around the view, bursting up where they could around and through the neighboring sands. The air was scented with the perfume of the profusion of flowers growing all around, but with a hint of sea salt added on top. Down the hill, the surf rolled onto the shoreline of the private beach. The beach itself was sheltered between rock outcroppings that were covered in spray, where rainbows could almost always be seen. It was a beautiful location, and with the exception of the cries from the local bird population, it was quiet too. This was home. A home that was highly secret, so much so that only two people even knew it existed; or where it was. A small uncharted island, just five hundred and twenty-three acres in size, near the end of the Windward Island Chain in the Caribbean, it was big enough for the hand-built house, the out buildings, a large garden, pens for the animals, and lots and lots of nature. Warded from view, and protected by the most advanced spells currently known, it couldn’t be breached, or seen, or even photographed, not even from space. It couldn’t even be plotted on a map. Its very existence erased from human memory and all known data archives. It wasn’t connected to the Floo Network, nor did it have an Apparition point. This was their hideaway. Built large enough for a future family, but for now, it was just theirs and theirs alone. It didn’t exist anywhere, or in any record, he had seen to that. There was, however, someone else that knew — not a person, but a house-elf — who helped build, supply, and maintain the property. He was extremely loyal to them and would take the secret of its location and existence to his grave before divulging it. To the rest of the world, this place simply didn’t exist. She lived in Llaingoch Village, Wales, being close to the Quidditch club that she played chaser for, in a small Muggle flat. He lived at his home in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, near where he worked as an Auror for the Ministry. His old home having been rebuilt after the damage done during the war. Well, at least that’s what everyone else in the world believed. In reality though, they lived here. No one else knew, nor could they. Coming home every day was a reminder: something special, something pleasant, something profoundly wonderful, and yet, something deeply disturbing too. She so wished that she could tell the others in her life, but she couldn’t - not even her own family. She knew that. Doing so would ruin everything. As always, it caused her to remember a time that was seemingly long ago, yet not so long ago in reality. She had just left her final year of school, finishing behind just one other. The “War” was over and everything was wonderful, people still celebrating more than a year later. Maybe, just maybe, she could get to live her wildest dream. Well, she would at least get her chance to prove herself. She had been extended an invitation to try out for several professional Quidditch clubs, but she chose just one, the Holyhead Harpies, the only all-female club in the British and Irish Quidditch League. It was a very great honor to even be considered straight out of school to play at that level. Only a few players from a leaving class were so honored, parceled out between all of the professional clubs. But, they had to complete against all of the free agent players who had experience and were also asked to the tryouts. This was her club though, the one she had rooted for since she was old enough to understand the game. She had actually gotten to see a few matches over the years, whenever her father could wangle a couple of tickets; the rest, well, she just listened to on the wireless. To be able to play for this club, above all others, was the dream of a lifetime. And if she worked harder still, it might come true. And, if she made it, she’d rub her brother’s nose in the fact since he supported a different club. She remembered how nervous she had been that first day, even more so than leaving on the Express for school for the first time when she was eleven. And she remembered how elated she had been on her return home later that day. Though she wasn’t on the club yet, she hadn’t been cut on the first day either, as several prospective players had been. It was a great, fantastic, wonderful world after all. After months of hard and tedious work, it was official: she had made the club and as a starter no less. Almost no new player ever made that status — most were second or third string, some only made the practice squad, or even just reserve player status. All of her intense training had really paid off. When she was putting her gear away and getting ready to leave after the final day of trials, that was when things went into a downward spiral dive. The captain called all of the players, veteran and new alike, over to remind them of the club’s strict rules. While not secret, they were unspoken to others outside of the club and had to be followed at all times or the offending player(s) would be removed from the squad. Rule number one was “ALL PLAYERS MUST BE FEMALE.” That was easy — the last time she had checked, she qualified. Rule number two was the real killer though: “ALL PLAYERS MUST BE, AND REMAIN, SINGLE.” There were several others, but none as harsh as this one. She could hardly believe her own ears when that came out of the captain’s mouth. Intellectually, she knew that there had never been a married Harpy, but she had always just thought that was what it was and never really thought about the reason. Now she knew why. That one single rule certainly seemed to put a kink in their plans. Disappointed, hurt, afraid, and scared, she didn’t know how to tell him that they would have to wait, possibly for years or even longer. She headed home with the feeling of dread dampening her every step. She remembered sitting in the lounge waiting for him to come after a day of Auror classes at the Ministry. He was just a year older and, because of the war, had not bothered to complete his final year of normal schooling. Instead, because he was asked, he had gone straight into the Ministry training program. They had been separated during the last year of the war, the entire year after the war because the Ministry didn’t give breaks in their Auror training and she had been at school most of that time too. Even during the summers there was no reprieve from this. They had planned to get married after she finished school and he finished his training, a time that seemed to finally be in sight only six months away. Now, with this new development, they couldn’t. Her dream was shattered. She knew that they couldn’t wait and didn’t want to wait either. They needed each other. Between them, they had sacrificed so much. They deserved to be together... how could she ask him to wait? Or, how could she not play? It was the most excruciating hour that she had ever spent waiting for him to arrive. Needless to say, he was upset because of what it would mean for both of them. He didn’t want to wait. He’d had waited long enough already. If not because of her mother being who and what she was, they would have already been together at his home. But, they had to remain separate for the time being. He couldn’t ask her to quit her dream. Her happiness mattered as much, or more, to him than his own happiness did. It would be a real mess until they could come up with a plan. But they had to do it themselves — no one else could know. Even his smartest friend, as much as he trusted her and could use her enormous intellect, couldn’t know. Nor his best mate, her brother and however trusted, could know. That was where their real story began. They knew they couldn’t wait, but they knew what not waiting would mean. They didn’t need the Galleons as he had plenty and she was very well paid if she could continue to fly. But both of them wanted what they wanted, what they had worked for years towards accomplishing as their goals. So how could each of them get everything that they wanted and still keep what they each had? They could have just lived together at either of their residences, as many on the club did. But because of her mother, that was just impossible, and deadly too should she find out. They realized very early on that, whatever they did, it would have to remain secret. Both were always followed by British and international reporters when they went out. Everything they did, everywhere they went, whatever they said, ended up in print. They were news, and they hated it, but he was the boy who caused the final defeat of He Who Must Not Be Named and she was a rising Quidditch star who had already been picked to play for the English National Quidditch Club to compete for a chance in the Quidditch World Cup. For these reasons, they chose to spend as much time as possible in the Muggle world, away from the prying eyes of the Wizarding world. After much thought and argument, they finally decided that, in order to get what they wanted, they must elope and keep the marriage secret. But how would they go about actually making it happen? Once he got started, he really started to like the idea. Could they pull it off and put one over on the entire wizarding world? She was equally enthralled with the idea as it really appealed to her wicked sense of humor. They had to find a way that let them be together, live together, satisfy the club’s requirements, satisfy her mother (when she finally found out), and satisfy their own present desires and need. In the process of researching everything, they became experts in many related and unrelated fields. In many ways they had more practical knowledge, training, skills, and ability than anyone else in Great Britain. After an intensive search, he had found the place. Using multiple interlocking connections, he was able to purchase it in such a way that no one would know it was his. He built the house along with the help of his loyal house elf. He warded and protected the entire island. With the aid of the house elf, just the two of them, he and she, could actually get to the island. While inconvenient at best, it would have to do for the time being. While he built it, she decorated it, warm and homey, yet a bit modern too. After it was “done”, it still needed two final items added to the house. After months of intense study in their spare time, after as much observing as he could manage without raising suspicions, and after many, many failed experiments, they finally succeeded: by using the information they had accumulated, he had created a Vanishing Cabinet pair that worked. After the success of the first one, he created a second matched pair. One of each of the pairs were installed in their homes: one at his home in London and the other in her flat in Wales. The matching piece from each pair were installed in their home on the island. The cabinets were constructed and spelled so that they were the only two that could key their use. With this system, they could travel from their individual “houses” to the location that was truly what they considered “home”. And no one ever did know or found out. Even after they “married”, they told no one. Only their house-elf could safely pass through the wards, and then, only on their request. Together they researched the world for marriage customs, here and there, both magical and non. Finally, they chose a non-magical ceremony on a particular, small South Pacific island. Their travel plans, for boats, planes, trains, cars, portkeys, and floo connections, were purchased through many different magical and muggle agencies in many locations and were set up differently for each of them. Each route consisted of many different and mixed connections so that a straight, complete line of travel could not be traced. She started in Wales and went to London, then to the coast and across to Ghent. From there, she traveled to San Marino, Athens, Cairo, Oman, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and then finally to Kadavu Island. His travel went the other way, from London to Galway, Saint John’s, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Seattle, Maunaloa, Guam, Manila, New Britain, and then Kadavu Island. Once there, they contacted an old practitioner of the local tribal customs and had him perform the ancient Muggle marriage rites of the island. They were now married, and done so in a way that kept it secret from everyone, but one that would satisfy her mother when she found out. They could be together in their home, no one outside would know, and she could continue to fly. By following two different, but equally confusing paths, they returned home to their residences in the United Kingdom. From there, they each proceeded to their island to be alone together, consummate their marriage, and spend their honeymoon in their new home. Say hello to Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley-Potter. |
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