Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter, Jo Rowling does. I also don't own the song Inisheer. I don't know who owns that one. The version I have is done by a band called Buttons and Bows with the accordian and the piano. I only own the plot, Merriment Chocolates, and the song you see later on.
A/N: And now, the sequel to Just Breathe. Make a Wish takes off where Just Breathe stops but they're two completely different stories that happen to be along the same course of life. Reading them in order is not required to understand each story because they stand alone just fine, but it is preferred...for me. Written pre-HBP. Enjoy. Please leave me a little something behind to remember you by...preferably in the form of a review :)
Make a Wish
Chapter 1 : Mum's the Word
"Stupid prat," she muttered angrily under her breath as she stomped down the stairs of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The dreary burgandy, peeling wallpaper matched Ginny Weasley's mood perfectly at the moment. She wanted to hex her brother, Ron, for being such a stupid idiot but Hermione wouldn't let her. "Should have hexed him anyway," she mumbled spitefully.
I shouldn't have left her alone with him, she berated herself for allowing it. Ron was a mental git on a fairly regular basis but this time he had gone too far. Ginny knew he fancied Hermione, even if he didn't know it himself, but he certainly had an odd way of showing it. Ginny had managed to convince Hermione to give into her own feelings for Ron and tell him flat out once and for all. And then he went stupid and messed up the whole plan.
Hermione had broken if off with her absent boyfriend, Viktor Krum, a star quidditch player for the Bulgarian team who had not been around for over a year now. He was a perfectly nice guy but absent just the same. Not being allowed to visit him, and not wanting him to visit her at the headquarters of the war against the Dark Lord Voldemort, Hermione had written him a letter. She felt bad about it enough...she didn't like the idea of not doing such a thing in person and didn't want to hurt his feelings in any way.
Apparently Ron got the wrong impression and thought she was sending him fan mail. Fan mail of all things! Ginny knew it was only jealousy spewing forth with his accusations of Hermione's silly fan mail and love notes. But despite his verbal vomit brought on by a serious case of loving jealousy, he was being stupid and ridiculously rude to Hermione and she didn't deserve it...not after what she did for him.
After a loud row with Ron and calling him for what he was, Ginny had stormed from the room and stalked off to the bedroom that she and Hermione shared. Hermione, however, overheard the shouting match between the two siblings and had stayed behind to try to talk to Ron after Ginny angrily stomped her way to their bedroom. She didn't know exactly what happened after that, but a short time later Hermione came back to their bedroom, furious and crying.
Though still in love with him, her frustration with Ron had been pushed to the limit and she didn't want to have to deal with it anymore. Ginny wasn't really sure why that decision had been made but she had been in the middle of frantically talking Hermione into staying at the house when Ron, having the nerve to look pitiful, knocked on their door. Ginny had tried to talk Hermione into letting her hex him, but Hermione allowed Ron to step inside, regardless of how much of a prat he had been.
And that was the last Ginny knew of it. Now headed away from the bedroom where Ron and Hermione were most likely fighting again, and cursing him for his insolence, Ginny continued down the worn staircase and to the first landing where she almost squealed with delight.
A dripping wet Harry stood at the front door with Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, who were equally drenched. She practically bounded down the rest of the stairs to greet him but stopped short of plowing into him when she noticed his current appearance.
"Harry, you're soaking wet," she whispered, pointing out the obvious. "Not raining out is it?"
"It is now," Harry answered in an low voice as a well timed round of thunder rumbled past the house. He shook out his hair like a dog that's just had a bath and sprayed Ginny with cold rainwater.
"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Ginny asked in an excited whisper.
"C'mon you two, don't want to wake the hag," Lupin jerked a thumb at the portrait of Mrs. Black that hung on the wall only a few feet away. Leading the way down the basement stairs to the kitchen, he found Mrs. Weasley with her head bent down and watching a carrot be murdered by a very sharp knife. "Hello, Molly," he greeted pleasantly, taking her attention away from the chopped carrot, "we're back."
"Oh, Remus, Tonks," she wiped her hands on the sides of her apron and smiled widely, "you're just in time for supper. Harry, how nice to see you again!" She pulled him into a tight embrace but immediately backed away from him as her clothes soaked through with rainwater, "Oh, Harry, you're soaking wet! Come, sit by the fire and get warm. Haven't eaten yet, I hope? Go on, tuck in everyone." Mrs. Weasley sat a plate in front of Harry and ladled out the vegetables, as she did for Lupin, Tonks, and Ginny. "Ginny, where's Ron and Hermione?" she asked, just noticing the table was much quieter than it normally should have been.
"Upstairs," she answered simply, a spoon poised precariously to her mouth.
"Well go and fetch them, girl. They'll be wanting to know Harry's here and maybe they'll stop sulking everywhere now."
"Okay, Mum," she easily agreed. "Come with me Harry."
Harry stared at his plate longingly, "But I just got here."
"Come with me Harry," she said more forcefully and looked sternly at him, much like Mrs. Weasley did when there was no room for argument.
Getting the point that he had no choice, Harry took a huge bite of stew and stood up to leave with Ginny. "What's up?" he asked around the chunk of potato he had quickly inhaled as they went up the staircase and into the hall.
"Mum's making me go back up there and I'm afraid to go alone. I think I'm going to need your help on this one, Harry. Goodness knows they won't listen to me. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you but I will anyway." They started up the stairs toward the bedrooms.
Speaking in a low and quick whisper, she explained the situation. "Hermione's in love with Ron. Hermione broke it off with Krum. Ron got the wrong idea and starting acting like a total git. Hermione had it out with Ron and he made things even worse. Just before you came, Ron went to talk to her and that's the last I know of it. If this conversation is half of what the first row was, then I think you're going to have to be the one to talk some sense into those two. I wanted to kill him myself…" Her voice trailed off as they reached the dark and very silent hallway.
"A bit quiet isn't it?" Harry read Ginny's mind. "Are you sure they're in there?"
"That's were I left them… Oh, I hope Hermione hasn't actually gone away." Harry looked to her to explain what this meant, but instead, she pressed an ear to the door, straining to hear inside. "It's too quiet, I can't tell." She sighed in defeat and backed from the door, trying to decide what should be done to find out for sure if Hermione and Ron hadn't killed each other already. She put a hand to the door handle shaped like a snake and slowly turned.
Inside, the two candles sitting on the bedside cuboard cast a dim orange light across the dark room and they peered inside to search for remaining signs of life. Finally, Ginny tugged on Harry's sleeve and drew his attention to the far side of the room by the wardrobe where they saw Ron and Hermione kissing at length, oblivious to the world around them. Ginny looked to Harry with wide eyes to make sure he was seeing the same thing. He confirmed it by looking back at her with equally wide eyes, then both looking back at the sight.
Feeling as though he had just invaded their privacy, Harry motioned for Ginny to close the door. "Well, I wasn't expecting that but it's about time they got it over with anyway."
"I think she forgave him," Ginny laughed. "Did you and Cho kiss like that?"
Harry's green eyes became saucers again and hastily shook his head, making his damp hair stick up in strange places, "Not like that, no! Let's go back downstairs, they'll be fine and I'm starving." The rumble in both their stomachs agreed with that notion and they set off back to the kitchen.
As they came down the stone steps they could hear Tonks complaining about how they needed a new driver for the Knight Bus. Harry sat back down in his seat by the warm fire and began stuffing down his stew once again.
Ginny was about to take her seat across from Harry when Mrs. Weasley spoke up. "Well, did you talk to them? I bet they were glad to see Harry."
"We um—didn't get a chance to talk to them, Mum. They were…er..." she looked to Harry and gave him a cheeky grin, "...preoccupied."
Mrs. Weasley, being the mother of seven—two of those being the most mischievous twins in all of history—didn't miss the smile Ginny was blatantly advertising. "What's going on?" she asked suspiciously, looking back and forth between them for an answer.
"It's not us," Harry blurted out and shot Ginny a furtive look of his own, causing the two to burst into unconcealed sniggers.
"What do you…?" Mrs. Weasley's voice trailed off as she suddenly had a realization and gasped with a hand to her mouth. She wasted no time in making her way across the tiny kitchen toward the doorway.
Ginny, who was closer to the doorway than her mother was, blocked the way through. "No, Mum. You can't go up there."
"But—but—" Mrs. Weasley stammered with wide eyes, still trying to get past her daughter.
"You don't want to go up there right now, Mum," she insisted firmly, still blocking the doorway.
"But—but—what if—" she continued to stammer.
"They're behaving themselves. Just let them alone for a while. And you two," she pointed a finger at the twins, "leave them alone as well. I don't think we were supposed to have seen."
"Furthest thing from our minds," answered Fred but had to nudge his brother in the ribs, who hastily nodded in agreement.
A bit pale faced, Mrs. Weasley traveled heavily back to her chair and sat with a tired plop. "But Ron and Hermione?" she thought aloud. "Oh, goodness, I never even thought about it…although it certainly does explain a lot. Of course it all makes sense now that I think about it, but I guess…Well, I suppose," she looked at Harry guiltily, "I'd always thought it would be iHarry/i and Hermione."
"Everybody seems to think that," Harry interjected dryly, stabbing at a potato.
"Sorry, Harry dear," she shrugged her shoulders helplessly, "you two just seemed to get along better is all. Ron and Hermione are bickering all the time. Oh. Never mind, it explains that too," she hastily shook her head, trying to rid herself of whatever thoughts had managed to creep into her protective mind. "So Harry, tell us about the trip, was it okay?" she tried awkwardly to change the subject.
"About as well as a ride on the Knight Bus could be. Ernie still can't drive."
"I was just telling Molly about that," replied Tonks, who stabbed rather forcefully at whatever vegetable was unfortunate to befall her pointed utensil.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Ginny asked bluntly. "I thought you were supposed to stay at your aunt and uncle's."
Harry laughed loudly, "Nice to know I'm wanted."
"You know what I mean," she lightly slapped his arm as she came back around to take her seat at the table.
"Got the boot again. Not really surprised though," he shrugged. "Lasted about as long as I usually do. I sent Hedwig with a letter saying what happened and fifteen minutes later Tonks and Lupin Apparated to collect me. The Knight Bus dropped us off a couple of blocks away and we walked the rest of the way in the rain, started pouring down rain just as we came to the street."
"Did you get our presents?" Ginny asked eagerly.
Harry swallowed his bit of carrot. "Yes, I did thanks. I love the wand servicing kit you sent," causing Ginny to beam proudly.
Several minutes of such dinner conversation later, they heard footsteps coming down the flight of stone steps. Hermione and Ron had decided to grace them with their presence, holding hands.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked the instant she crossed the threshold and saw him sitting at the table. "What are you doing here? What—"
She was sharply cut off by Ginny, "Never mind Harry. What's this?" she indicated the two holding hands. There was a tense silence between them all before Ginny finally demanded, "Well?"
Hermione's cheeks successfully blushed pink and Ron's ears turned red, but Hermione answered. "Um...we…" well, she tried to answer but stammered instead and her cheeks flushed horribly with embarrassment.
"We're a couple now," Ron blurted gracelessly, "as if Ginny hasn't already told you what was going on."
"Oh, how wonderful," Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly, as if this was the first she'd heard of it. "Ginny told us isomething/i but we didn't know you had decided to be a couple though," she said truthfully as she got out two more plates and filled them with stew. "Sit down you two, you must be starving."
Hermione's blush darkened as she and Ron sat and Mrs. Weasley thrust plates in front of them. True to their word, neither Fred nor George had said a word to help embarrass their brother. Instead, they talked between themselves about something they had covertly named "Plan B."
"Harry, you haven't told us why you're here!" Hermione said excitedly.
Ron didn't say anything as both his cheeks were stuffed with food but he managed to nod his head.
"They chucked me out," he answered vaguely.
Ron didn't bother swallowing first, "'Gan? I 'ow?"
"Er, Hermione," Harry started cautiously and shifted uncomfortably in his wooden seat. "You know those chocolates you gave me? Dudley—" Hermione stopped glaring at Ron for his rudeness to gasp and put her hands to her mouth. "He found them in my room and you know how I told you he's supposed to be on a diet…"
"Oh, no, he didn't!"
"He did. Locked the door and ate the whole box alone in his room in one sitting."
"Oh, no!" Hermione gaped at him, horror-struck. "Harry, that was enough to last you about a straight month! I can't imagine what the whole box would do! Oh, Harry, I am so sorry!"
"What's so special about chocolates?" Ron asked with a mouth slightly less ful of food. Having not eaten much in two days he was already stuffing down another plate of vegetables.
Ginny answered for him, "They were Merriment Chocolates. Pre-filled with laughter potion."
"When Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon found him laughing uncontrollably, the only thing he could squeak out was my name and they automatically thought I had done something to him. Of course, being who they are, they wouldn't listen to me and told me to get out, even Aunt Petunia because I'd hurt her poor Duddykins."
"Harry, I am so sorry," Hermione apologized again. "I never imagined he would get a hold of them."
"Don't apologize, Hermione. It was the best fun I'd had all summer, completely worth it. He was still laughing hysterically when I went out the door. If you ask me, you couldn't have given me a better birthday present." He smiled broadly as he reflected on the sight of the red-faced, fat lump collapsed on the floor in a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
Hermione managed a small smile but felt bad for causing Harry to be kicked out again when he was supposed to be staying at home.
~*~
Stuffed full, the four of them manually heaved Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage from its spot on the wet rug in the entryway, up the stairs, and into Ron's bedroom. They sat on the two beds breathing like mad, having carried an over-stuffed trunk up two flights of stairs without magic. Hermione collapsed beside Ron on his bed while Harry sat next to Ginny on the other bed that would be Harry's for the rest of the summer. They spent the next hour talking and laughing as though they had never been separated and Harry did an impression of Dudley under the influence of chocolates.
"Fred and George would be proud of you, Harry," said Ron. "I remember hearing about the ton-tongue toffee they slipped him. Wish I'd stayed to see it."
"So when exactly did this all happen?" Harry asked indicating how close Ron and Hermione were sitting.
"Just tonight," answered Ron grabbing Hermione's hand and smiling stupidly.
"It's about time," said Harry. "I was wondering when you two were going to get around to it."
Ron looked shocked. "What? You knew?"
Harry ignored him. "Just so you know, Hermione, I was this close to telling Ron for you if you didn't tell him flat out this year." Hermione glared dangerously at Harry. "Don't give me that look; you know very well we don't speak 'female.' You have to tell us straight off or we don't have a clue. I don't know how you expected Ron to pick up on it when I couldn't even figure out Cho."
"Obviously you picked up on it."
"Yes, but I wasn't the one you were aiming for."
Hermione, for once, had nothing to say to this and laughed at the irony of it. Ron, however, continued to stare at Harry as though he were a traitor for not telling him about Hermione's interest in him.
There was a tense silence after that, each trying to avoid an unpleasant subject that couldn't be avoided for long. Hermione suddenly became very serious and asked the forbidden question on everybody's minds. "How are you holding up, Harry?"
Harry felt his Adams apple tighten and his heart dropped into his stomach. For the first few seconds he felt angry for Hermione's question but knowing they had his best interest at heart, he didn't stay angry for long and answered honestly, "I've been better."
He examined his fingernails and picked a bit of lint from his shirt. "It's strange being back here without him, you know. It was bad before...but now it just feels so empty. It's funny, I know he's gone but I half expected to see him sitting in the kitchen tonight when I came downstairs. I knew he wouldn't be there but I looked anyway."
"I did the same thing when we first got back," Ginny confessed, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. Harry looked at her appreciatively. He had been sure he would have been the only one to do this and was glad he was not alone, though he did not intend to tell his friends exactly how bad he'd been feeling.
He didn't like being back at this house. It felt wrong to be here now that Sirius was dead. It felt especially wrong to be in his godfather's house as though nothing had happened… being happily welcomed back into the house of the man who's death was his responsibility felt unnerving and immoral.
Ron quickly changed the subject, "Now look, your birthday's tomorrow so be prepared for a party. Mum never lets a birthday go uncelebrated. She's the first one up and making breakfast and then there's the party later. Eight birthdays a year and she hasn't missed a one as far as I can remember. Well, except her own which she tends to forget and we have to bake a cake and everything. Can you see six brothers in one kitchen who know nothing about actual baking? It's not funny, Hermione, the cake is usually lopsided, icing dripping off, and there's always a food fight. You don't leave the kitchen without being covered in flour and egg in your ears. Then Dad brings home one of those muggle candles that doesn't blow out!"
"Thanks for the warning," Harry chuckled.
"I can't wait, I just love birthday cake," Hermione said.
"Get ready for a Weasley birthday, mate," Ron said while rubbing his hands together eagerly, as though warming them from non-existent cold.
Hermione let out a great yawn, "Oh, I think that's my cue to go to bed. You coming, Ginny?"
"Yeah," Ginny nodded, not really all that sleepy, "be there in a minute."
As Hermione stood up, Ron followed and offered her his arm, "Shall I walk you to your door my love?"
"You shall," and she stood up on her tiptoes to reach him for a kiss. "See you tomorrow, Harry."
Ginny and Harry watched the two of them leave arm in arm and she couldn't stop herself from declaring dryly, "That's going to get old really fast."
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, but for the time being, they aren't bickering."
"Enjoy the piece while you have it. I give them three days before it's gone."
"You think it'll be that long? I'm going for tomorrow morning. But they've got a lot of missed time to make up for, I think we can stand a little mushiness for a while. Four years is a long time."
"Yes it is," she said softly, then immediately brightened. "It's good to have you back, Harry."
"Good to be back," he replied as he smiled back at her.
Ginny suddenly stood up, making the mattress bounce a bit. "Guess I better get to bed, too!" Harry noticed she was blushing slightly but pretended not to notice though he wasn't sure what he had done to make her blush. "Lots of juicy gossip to go and collect."
"Share it with me tomorrow?"
She shook her head, "Sorry, Harry, but that is confidential information released only to other girls."
"See how you women expect us to understand you when you never tell us anything?" he smiled widely.
"Forget it, Harry," Ginny giggled. "Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't be very interested in what we talk about behind your backs anyway."
Harry was about to inquire on this further but she said goodnight and left the room. Ron soon replaced her lost presence in the room, a sappy grin on his face.
~*~
Hermione and Ginny laid under their covers, sitting up on their elbows; a single candle was lit on the bedside cupboard between them.
"So details," Ginny demanded.
"He's a really good kisser," Hermione answered dreamily.
"Ew, Hermione, please, he's my brother! I meant what did he say to you?"
Instead of answering, she said, "Are you sure he's never kissed anyone before?"
"I'm sure you'd be the first to hear if he had."
"Good point, you're probably right."
"I wonder if Harry's a good kisser," Ginny wondered aloud.
"You know," Hermione grinned cheekily, "there's only one way to find out." Ginny flushed scarlet and hit Hermione with her pillow. "Still, I wonder, if Ron's a good kisser already, without previous experience…I can't wait till he's had a bit of practice!" Hermione's eyes widened at this realisation and sent both girls into hysterical laughter.
"So what's it like?"
"Kissing? You never kissed Michael when you were with him?"
Ginny shrugged her shoulders, embarassed, "Never got around to it."
"Well," she thought a moment, "it's hard to explain. It's kind of wet," she said thinking about what Harry had said about this kiss with Cho, but then saw Ginny begin to giggle and quickly added, "but a good wet. It was passionate and hungry, yet gentle and tender at the same time," she said in a dreamy voice. "He was strong, and fiery, and vulnerable, and safe, and warm, and electrifying…and…and…amazing," she finished breathlessly dramatic.
"You can't feel all that at once, you'll explode!" Ginny said laughing.
"Mmm. Yes, but it's a good sort of explode." She shivered at the memory, making Ginny laugh all the harder. "Oh, Ginny, I shall have a restless sleep tonight."
"Yes, well keep your dreams to yourself while you sleep." Ginny leaned over and blew out the nighttime candle light. "I still see him as the brother who shoots milk out his nose when he laughs if you time it just right."
"Now there's a nice image just before bed."