Chapter One

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A warm summer's breeze drifted in through the Weasley's open windows and brought with it a drowsy state to one occupant that was in the Weasley household – Ron Weasley. The other two in the room with him were none other than Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.

They sat together on the twin bed opposite Ron's and talked quietly about recent events and what they thought about the days to come. Ron sat propped up against his headboard with his head lulling on his shoulder. His bright red, shaggy hair drooped over his closed eyes, which seemed to grow even wilder over the summer. He was belting out a loud snore every so often and then receded back to soft rattles that he made in his throat. Ginny was nestled in between Harry's legs, with her back leaning against his chest, and one of her hands in his.

Harry smiled as he watched her wrinkle her nose at a thought she was voicing which caused her freckles to bunch up together. He looked over at Ron, all the while keeping a listening ear to Ginny's chatter. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as Ron let out a thunderous snore that interrupted Ginny's speech. She shook her head and let out a small laugh, "He's always interrupting me, one way or another." She released Harry's hand and stood, giving him a wink as she headed towards Ron's bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just down to see what mum's up to, she's been rather quiet the past hour or so. It's scary when she's quiet, really scary," she said with a serious expression. Harry snorted as she left. However, he couldn't push aside the feeling that she was right. Mrs. Weasley usually was one to be lively.

Harry sat on the bed for a few minutes, unsure what to do with himself. He dare not wake Ron – Ron was always a monster when he was forced to wake. He got off of the lumpy mattress and went to stare out the window. It was a beautiful summer's day. Everything seemed so calm and quiet outside – it seemed normal. He was still adjusting to feeling what it was like to have a normal day, a boring day. The past seven years of his life had been nothing but chaos, constant trouble that never seemed to slow. Now that those years had passed and a mellow life ensued, it caused him to feel anxious, unsettled.

Slowly his thoughts poured out of the container he tried sealing them in. It seemed only yesterday that he defeated Voldemort. It seemed only moments before that he gazed upon Remus Lupin and his wife, Tonks, lying peacefully in Hogwarts' Great Hall. Their marriage had been so short – they were robbed of so much. He recalled the image of Fred Weasley, also placed in the Great Hall, and the grief stricken look upon his twin brother's face. They had all lost so much and he felt to blame.

He heaved a sigh and cast a guilty look over towards Ron who was deep in slumber. They all reassured him that none of it was his fault. It was Voldemort that had done the evil deeds. Voldemort who had taken away things they held dear. They told Harry that he prevented further suffering, he preserved their world before things got any worse, before it fell back into darkness like it had in the previous war when Voldemort was at the height of his power. They were grateful to him for being so courageous that night when he stormed out of the castle alone, facing his fears, facing death, sacrificing himself so the battle inside would cease and finally overcoming the one who had brought so much terror and cruelty to the world.

However kind their words, however true their statements, he still felt he was partially to blame. He felt there was something he failed to do, something he should have acted quicker on – perhaps it would have spared the lives of so many.

A hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his thoughts. He turned quickly to look who the hand belonged to. "Ginny," he said, "What is it?"

"I tried calling from the doorway but you didn't respond," she looked at him, concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "I'm fine," he lied. "What do you need?"

Ginny gazed into his eyes for a minute before settling with his answer. "Post has come for you and Ron – from Hogwarts."

"…Hogwarts?" he asked incredulously. "Why would they be sending us letters?"

She beamed, "There's only one way to find out!" she rushed over to her brother and shook him awake. He responded with a grunt and glared at her. She interjected before he could complain, "Hogwarts letters have come for you and Harry."

He stared at her dumbly.

A moment of silence passed as Harry and Ron both looked at each other, mirroring each other's puzzled expressions. Ginny cleared her throat, "Well come on you two! Let's go see what those letters are all about," she rushed out the door and disappeared down the staircase.

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Harry and Ron found their way into the kitchen, where Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were already seated at the table, whispering about the letters that sat a few inches in front of them. Their whispering ceased when Harry and Ron each took a seat across from them. Ginny had already opened her letter, which contained a list of the new spell books she would need for her final year at Hogwarts. Harry reached out and took his letter slowly, cautiously, as if it were about to explode. Ron did the same. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sat and watched in anticipation as Harry began to open his mail. Ron stared at the front of his letter and leaned over to Harry, "That does say Ron Weasley, doesn't it?"

"Oh honestly, Ron! Don't be silly, just open it already!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. He followed orders and quickly tore open the letter. By the time he achieved that, Harry had already reread his letter through at least three times to make sure he was not mistaken.

"What does it say, Harry?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It says…" he trailed off and skimmed through the elegant writing that always accompanied a Hogwarts letter. "It says: Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Due to past circumstances that were out of anyone's control, we have come to the decision to invite all students back to Hogwarts that were unable to complete their seventh year. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall," he let his arm drop loosely to his side, letter still clutched in his hand.

Mrs. Weasley stood up abruptly from the table, knocking over the vase of flowers that sat upon it. "This is wonderful!" she cried, rushing over to throw her arms around Ron. Ron smiled sheepishly and looked from Ginny to Harry.

"This is unbelievable," he said.

"You're telling me," Harry said quietly.

Ginny walked over to Harry and he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her in a hug, she squeezed back. He released her and met her gaze, "You know what this means?" she asked him playfully.

"What?"

"It means we'll be in some of the same classes!" she squealed. He beamed at her, he'd never heard her let out a sound like that before. "You must be really excited," he said with a laugh.

Ron chimed in, "No snogging in between classes you two!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled her wand out of her pocket, aiming it in Ron's direction. Ron jumped back, "I was just kidding!" he shouted. She shook her head and waved her hand quickly, "Reparo!"

The vase righted itself and the flowers flew back into their places. Mrs. Weasley smiled at Ginny, "Thank you dear," she said. "Well, I can't wait to tell everyone the news. Imagine the look on their faces!" she grinned and turned towards the counter. "I'm going to prepare a big dinner for you boys. This is cause for celebration," she began to drag food out of the refrigerator. "Ginny, come help me, dear."

Ginny groaned and with a final look at Harry and Ron, went over to help her mother. Ron turned his attention to Harry, "Do you think Hermione got her letter yet?" Harry shrugged and found his thoughts shifting to Hermione yet again. He'd been thinking about her almost everyday since she left for her trip. She embarked on a trip shortly after the funerals had taken place for their fallen comrades. Hermione left with a goal of finding her parents and recovering their memories. Now that things were safe, she missed them terribly and desired to have them around again.

As much as Harry and Ron insisted they go with her, she refused their help. Her reasons were that Harry deserved a nice long rest, and Ron should be staying and helping support his family. It made them both very uneasy letting her go on a potentially treacherous journey by herself, so they went to seek Hagrid's help. After listening to their story, Hagrid refused to let Hermione go without him, and there was no possible way to refuse Hagrid once he volunteered his help, this she knew. It had been two months and three letters later since Hermione's departure. Her most recent letter arrived a week ago, describing her adventure so far, and reassuring them that she was unharmed. She said that she was hot on the trail of her parents, that a few residents of a small town had spotted her mother and father leaving the town the previous day and were headed east. They seemed to be traveling the world on a very lengthy vacation.

This pleased Hermione, for it confirmed that her charm was successful in ensuring their safety. Harry and Ron had yet to respond to her letter, fearing that Pig, Ron's owl, wasn't up to making such a long journey yet. The last trip they sent him on to deliver their letter took him nearly three weeks before returning home in a terrible state. His feathers were ruffled and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Ron figured it was the wind that gave him a rough time, considering the owl was miniature and was easily pushed around.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked a few times and readjusted his glasses, he looked at Ron. "What?"

"Is there something on your mind, mate? You've been standing there looking baffled for the past few minutes. As much as I like standing here, looking at you as a statue, I propose that we do something. I'm getting rather bored," he gave a lopsided smile.

"Very funny," Harry looked around at Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. They both had their hands full, as well as their wands, preparing dinner. "Alright, let's go find something to do."

Mrs. Weasley stopped them before they went out the door, "Ron, dear, do ask that lovely girl Luna over for supper, would you? She would like to join us for dinner, I'm sure."

Ron sighed.

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"Do you think Pig's up for the journey to find Hermione yet?" he asked Ron as they stepped out into the evening rays of the setting sun. The sky was a blur of orange and pink, and the breeze that had put Ron to sleep earlier was beginning to cool.

Ron stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Dunno, we'll have to check up on him when we get back. Hermione's probably wondering where our response is, you know how she gets."

They walked for a while in silence as Harry reflected on his own owl that had been lost the previous year. He turned to gaze up at the sky that was starting to darken as the night drew closer. He missed Hedwig. She had been his owl for his all his years at Hogwarts and was always there when you needed someone to talk to. It would be odd going to Hogwarts without her accompanying him. He wished she were here now, she was always reliable when it came to delivering letters. Harry knew that Hedwig could find Hermione in half the time it took Pig to discover her.

"Forgot how long of a walk this was," Ron stated.

"At least it's a nice night for it," they turned left and began to head up towards the steep slopes and hills that hid Luna's house. It took a good twenty minutes before they arrived at her doorstep.

Luna and her father, Xenophilius, had redesigned their house since the explosion last year thanks to the Erumpent horn that Mr. Lovegood mistook for the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Their house was now five stories tall, still very narrow, and angled every which way. It resembled a giant tree house. It seemed only a matter of time before it collapsed to the ground or toppled over. They had painted it a brilliant yellow with blue shutters, reminding Harry of a sunny day.

"Bloody hell," spat Ron as he gazed upon the odd shape of the house. He grabbed the door knocker which was shaped like a Q and swung it forward a couple of times with a loud bang. Harry figured it stood for Mr. Lovegood's outrageous magazine, The Quibbler. Although he had to give him credit for publishing his true account of the night Voldemort returned, it definitely turned things around for him at Hogwarts. However, now that things were back to normal and Mr. Lovegood's memory erased, due to Hermione's Obliviate spell late last year, he had once again started publishing stories about Nargles and an assortment of creatures Harry had never heard of before.

After fidgeting around outside for a few minutes, Harry and Ron heard the soft sound of footsteps coming to the door. "It's about time," Ron said. The door creaked open and there stood Luna, looking as airy as ever. She had her hair cut shorter this summer, to her shoulders. Her big blue eyes still held the dreamy look that they always held and she curved her lips up into a small smile when she saw them.

"Harry Potter," she addressed him in a soft voice and then turned to Ron, "And Ronald Weasley." Harry and Ron shot each other looks out of the corners of their eyes and beamed at her. She waved them inside and once they stepped in, a strong smell of peppermint sat waiting to greet them.

Ron let out a cough and looked around the room for the source of the smell. They saw a grey haze billowing out of the kitchen and assumed that whatever was cooking in there created the odor. Luna started to head for the kitchen and before disappearing into the cloud of smoke, she turned to them, "Would you boys like some tea? I made it myself," she smiled.

"Oh, uh, well Luna –"

"We'll take some," Harry said before Ron could burst out with a lame attempt at a refusal. Ron glared at him and clenched his jaw before looking at Luna with a forced smile.

"Love some," he said weakly.

Luna grinned at them and wandered into the grey cloud. Ron drummed his fingers on his jeans and peered around the room. "Hasn't really changed much in here, has it?" he said. Before another word could be said, Luna emerged with a tray of cups containing her concoction. She placed the tray upon the table that sat in front of Harry and Ron.

"Here you go boys," she said with a smile. Luna took her own cup and sat in a bright blue armchair across from them. She gazed at them with that dreamy look.

They returned her gaze for a minute before registering that they were expected to take their tea. Harry and Ron quickly reached for the cups and bumped into each other's arms. They fumbled around for a second and finally took a cup. Luna sat sipping her tea in amusement. An awkward silence passed between the three, the only sound came from Luna drinking her tea. Harry took a taste of his and immediately regretted it. It tasted like a pair of sweaty gym socks. He puffed up his cheeks and swallowed hard as the hot substance trickled down his throat. He set his cup back down on the tray and looked at her, "Very good," he said with a poor excuse for a smile.

"Really?" Ron asked in surprise. Harry shot him a look of disapproval. He frowned and took a swig of his tea. Harry heard him choke and sputter and tried covering up the ruckus he was causing.

"So, Luna, how's your father doing?" he asked.

She seemed blissfully unaware of the fit Ron was throwing. "He's doing well. He's back to working on the Quibbler full time. Although I had a bit of trouble when I tried explaining what had happened to our house and why there was a massive hole in it," Harry felt a twinge of guilt. "Are you boys enjoying your summer?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, yeah we are. I meant to tell you, Ron and I got invited back to Hogwarts; apparently all the seventh years that didn't finish get to go back. It's unbelievable isn't it? I thought they had made a mistake," Harry said as he cast Ron another look. He was still having trouble trying to swallow the big gulp of scalding tea all at once.

"Oh, that's wonderful. I wonder who else will return…" she said with a whisper.

Finally managing to swallow, Ron gasped for air, his face bright red. "That tea is really hot," he said shocked. Luna giggled at him. Ron let out another cough and rubbed a hand through his messy hair, once again reminding Harry of his father. "By the way Luna, we're having dinner at my place to celebrate our return to Hogwarts. Thought you might like to come, my mum would love to see you again," he said.

Luna turned a shade of pink and nodded, "I'd like that."

"Good," said Ron, "Now then, let's Apparate back, I really don't feel like walking all that distance again, I'm starving."

Harry and Luna nodded in agreement.

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A loud crack rang over the grounds as Ron, Luna, and Harry appeared in front of the Weasley's house. Harry immediately noticed the arrangements Mrs. Weasley had set up in their absence. A large white tent was now in the center of the garden, emitting a soft glow. Harry turned and looked at Ron and Luna and they wore the same expression of shock. Mrs. Weasley worked fast.

The three of them wandered inside of the tent and were quickly greeted by all of the guests seated at the large table that was in the center. Two chandeliers levitated a few feet above the table, illuminating all of the food that was upon it. Harry beamed as he spotted the entire family of Weasley's. Lee Jordan, Mrs. Tonks, Teddy Lupin, and Fleur had also come to join in the celebration.

"I had no idea so many people were coming," Ron said in disbelief.

"Your mum's really outdone herself this time," Harry said. Ron, Harry, and Luna wandered over to fetch themselves a seat.

Harry took a seat beside George who was chatting merrily to Lee Jordan about new inventions and ideas. He turned to beam at Harry and Lee Jordan poked his head out in front of George's shoulder to grin at him too. "Harry! I bet you're thrilled to be returning to Hogwarts," George nodded.

Harry shrugged, "A bit, yeah."

Lee chimed in, "George and I have been working non-stop on new jokes. You really ought to stop by when you're in Diagon Alley. We'll give you a discount!" he exclaimed while raising his pointer finger in the air.

George let out a small laugh, "We've just invented this new type of sucker, Harry. It's bloody brilliant," he said proudly. "When you suck on it, it turns your hair different colors, keeps changing as the sucker gets smaller, finally goes back to normal once it's gone," he said matter-of-factly.

"My hair turned rainbow just yesterday," Lee said with a snort.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Lee with rainbow colored hair. Ron was piling his plate full with all sorts of food that Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Harry stared in awe as he examined the table full of dishes. He looked down at his empty plate and thought it best to fill it. "Good plan, there mate," George said as he began to dish food out onto his own plate.

Mrs. Weasley was listening intently to Fleur's discussion of baby names for her future child. Bill tried acting ignorant of the conversation by staring at his soup. Fleur was three months pregnant and kept telling everyone how she hoped it was a girl; she had so many family heirlooms to pass down and things to teach her. Mrs. Weasley nodded along to Fleur's constant chatter and threw in her own suggestion every once in a while.

Mr. Weasley was busy conversing with Charlie and Percy about the Ministry and how some heartbroken witch had put a tongue-tying charm on her ex-boyfriend who happened to be a muggle and seeing another woman right under her nose. "I can't blame her, really. But none the less, she had to be brought in," Mr. Weasley said with a bit of a frown.

Ginny and Luna seemed to have forgotten all about the dinner and were busy making over Teddy Lupin, Remus' and Tonks' son, and Harry's godson. Andromeda Tonks, Tonks' mother, was smiling and informing the two girls about how Teddy had started to walk. Teddy glanced up at the girls once in a while to ensure they weren't about to snatch his mashed potatoes, which he happened to be covered in.

Harry chuckled as he watched his godson smear more potatoes on his face and throughout his hair and saw Andromeda shake her finger disapprovingly. He looked at Ginny, who caught his eye and gave him a warm smile. He grinned back and wished he could leave with just her in tow and go somewhere where they could be alone.

Ron stuffed a large piece of roast beef into his mouth and turned to Harry, "Too 'ad 'Ermionesh not hur. She wouldave enshoyed thish," he said through a mouthful.

Harry stared at him, "Could you repeat that?" he asked, "In English?"

Ron swallowed hard and grinned, revealing a piece of beef stuck between his teeth. "It's too bad Hermione's not here, isn't it? She would've enjoyed this," he said sadly. Harry could tell Ron missed her terribly, but refused to come out and say it. He had been a great help to her while Voldemort was alive and after his defeat. Ron made sure Hermione stayed safe during the fight at Hogwarts, constantly keeping a vigilant watch on her, making sure no Avada Kedavra's were headed her way. He protected her, and she was grateful. Although Hermione was a far better wizard than Ron was at the time, she still appreciated having him close by, it made her feel safe.

Hermione returned the favor by staying close to Ron's side during the funeral for Fred. She supported him, made sure he was okay, and helped him get through the rough patches. Harry thought Ron became more mature with Hermione constantly assisting him, but he seemed to revert back to his old self after she left, much to Harry's relief. He was a bit of a snob when he was trying to impress Hermione.

Harry saw Ron gobble down the last crumb of food on his plate and quickly reached out to dish seconds onto it. He grinned; Ron always had a big appetite. A soft tap on a glass sounded throughout the tent and grasped everyone's attention. Mr. Weasley was beaming as he looked upon everyone, a wine glass held firmly in his grip.

"Well, I'd just like to thank everyone for coming," he said, tilting his glass to all the guests, even though most were his own family. He took a sip of the crimson wine and cringed as he swallowed down the strong liquid. Mr. Weasley placed his glass back down upon the table and cleared his throat. "I'm proud of you both – Ron, Harry. Although many students who did not complete their final year were invited back, they declined the invitation. One can hardly blame them after all of the atrocities that took place there," he said slowly.

"However, these boys, and Ginny as well," he pointed to Ron, Harry, and Ginny, "These three remain strong and ready to take on the world again. Mrs. Weasley and I couldn't be more proud of you three. It takes quite the strong mind to brave back into Hogwarts, overcoming all of the bad memories. But you three are devoted enough to your education, to further your career possibilities, to overcome any obstacle I think," he said with a proud smile. "After the fight all of you put up though, and this goes for everyone sitting at this table tonight, after the fight we all put up, we're lucky this many of us made it here tonight. I'm happy to be looking at all of you."

"Let's take a moment of silence to remember those that couldn't be with us to celebrate tonight. Sirius Black, Ted Tonks, Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Tonks, I'm sure they all would have loved to be here to celebrate your triumphant return to Hogwarts, and to share this time together," Mr. Weasley bowed his head and the rest followed suit.

Harry spoke up, "Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, and Dobby as well, Mr. Weasley," he said.

Mr. Weasley nodded at Harry with a fond look in his eyes, "Yes, thank you, Harry my boy. Let us all remember those we loved and those we lost."

Silence fell over the tent as each person seated at the table bowed their heads in respect. Even Harry's godson, Teddy, was quiet as a mouse. He seemed to understand the situation, even though he was only eight months old.

"Now then, shall we get down to desert?" Mr. Weasley said, clapping his hands together. Everyone let out a small laugh and with a wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley had cleared out the dinner plates and in their place were dishes of deserts.

"Oh boy," Ron said, taking a slice of chocolate cake and setting it on his plate. "Mum's really outdone herself this time," he said grinning.

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As the night wore on, Harry's thoughts became more and more focused on Hermione. He was lying on the bed opposite Ron's, staring at the ceiling, wondering where she was and how she was doing. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, deciding that when they were in Diagon Alley, he was going to get a haircut. He used to keep his hair longer to hide his scar, but there was no reason to hide it anymore. Everyone already knew who he was, and he felt that now, more than ever, he should be proud of his scar.

Harry turned restlessly on his side and looked out the window at the starry night sky. He had been aching to see Hermione again. And every day that passed without her, the ache spread to another part of his body. He frowned as he wondered why he felt this way. Was this normal to feel this way about a friend? He didn't ache to see Neville, or Seamus, or Dean, he missed them all, but there was no ache, no desire. Desire?He stared blankly at the window ledge. Surely Ron felt the same way that he did.

"Ron has an excuse, he's dating her," he said softly. Harry groaned and closed his eyes, trying to welcome sleep. But sleep did not come, only more thoughts of Hermione poured into his brain, tormenting him. He missed her so much, and he wanted nothing more than for her to walk through Ron's bedroom door and throw her arms around him. He smiled at this thought but quickly shook it off once he realized how selfish his thoughts were. Ron probably missed her ten times as much as Harry did. He had no right to be thinking this way about a dear friend, his best friend's girlfriend.

The thoughts of her continued to overwhelm him – she had stayed with him through the entire journey to find the horcruxes. She had supported him, even when he had no idea what he should be doing. She was there when he visited his parents' grave; she was there to hold his hand, to make him stronger. Hermione knowingly put herself in danger for him. Harry knew that he couldn't have done what he did without her.

He also knew that the same could be said for Ron. If Ron hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been able to destroy one of the horcruxes at all. Harry rubbed his eyes and finally forced himself to clear his thoughts of Hermione.

Sleep enveloped him instantly.

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I don't own anything associated with Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling! I'm just writing this for fun. Chapter two may be up soon, depends on how motivated I get to continue this story. We'll see how it goes! Big thanks to Tyrtsu for bringing a few matters to my attention! I've edited them, so thanks much!