Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. If it did, would I be posting crappy fanfics on a website?

Summary: It is the summer after The Golden Trio's sixth year. Harry is off in Egypt searching for an elusive Horcrux, leaving Ron, Hermione, and Ginny alone at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. There they are joined by aspiring members of the Order. Chaos ensues, laced with romance and the budding of a war.

Rating: M for language, violence, and anticipated sex. There shouldn't be too much of that in the first few chapters, though.

Warning: Spoilers for HBP.

Chapter One: The Burrow

Spells flew everywhere, ricocheting off of anything and everything. Furniture was strewn all over the once-tidy room. All but one of the lights were broken, making the already-dim room barely visible. Dodging flashes of green and red light, Ron Weasley continued running after his target. Sweat dripped down his face; his leg muscles ached; but he didn't stop. "STUPEFY!" he yelled, aiming his wand, but missing. "STUPEFY!" he screamed again, but to no avail. A third time, he howled "STUPEFY!" This time he hit his mark. His opponent fell to the floor, lifeless. Ron wiped the sweat off his brow before moving to his next victim.

Locked in a small room across the hall, Fred and George Weasley huddled together. They listened in on the other room through the keyhole. Fred leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Ahhh, spring cleaning."

George nodded. "I can't say I ever remember it being this chaotic. Mum was always one for strict order."

In fact, the proper term would have been summer cleaning. Having lived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place for over a year, Mrs. Weasley was concerned that The Burrow would fall into a state of disrepair (well, more so than it already was). When Ginny and Ron arrived on the Hogwarts train, they were whisked away to their former home. Fred and George met Ginny, Ron, Molly, and Arthur Weasley at The Burrow to find that a number of garden gnomes had apparently moved into the living room. They were currently engaged in evicting this colony.

"Bloody gnome!" Ginny exclaimed as one bit her arm.

"Watch your language, young lady," her mother snapped, fighting two adult gnomes who appeared to be protecting their child.

"Why should I? I'm almost of age, you know. Petrificus Totalus!" Two gnomes froze in attack position and dropped to the ground at Ginny's feet.

"You know very well that you've nearly a year to go before your birthday. You'd better obey your mother if you want to live to see that birthday." Ginny rolled her eyes at this. Her mother had been threatening her life for as long as she could remember.

The Weasleys looked about the room, finally satisfied. Every trace of gnome was removed and thrown over the hedge. Fred and George had even come out of their refuge and 'helped' in the form of shrinking gnomes and storing them to experiment on. The Burrow was as clean as it had ever been, and it was time to bid it farewell.

The family bid the house their last goodbyes. Ginny ran up to her room to retrieve some old clothes that she thought she could sew into something more stylish. Ron went to collect a few Chutley Cannons posters that he'd accidentally left last time he was in the house. Fred and George raced up to the attic in hopes of finding a sandy type of dust that they needed for their products. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were left alone in the kitchen.

"So, how do you think Ron will get along without Harry this summer?" Mr. Weasley asked his wife.

"Oh, I think he'll be marvelous. After all, Hermione is coming, and without Harry there…Hermione is a fine young witch, Arthur."

Arthur Weasley chuckled. "You're trying to set Ron up with Hermione, are you?" Molly blushed. "It's okay. She is a fine young woman. I just don't know if she's the type that Ron's looking for…"

"Nonsense, Arthur. Of course she is. Ron just doesn't realize what's best for him yet."

Before Mr. Weasley could argue that, Fred and George entered the room, slightly out of breath from running down four flights of stairs and looking extremely innocent.

"So. How about that weather, Dad?" George conversed.

"Yeah, Mom. It's really hot. Isn't that right, George? Dad?"

"What have you two been doing up there?" Mrs. Weasley asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" protested George. "We were barely even up there."

"And certainly not up there," added Fred.

"And by no means did we enter the attic."

"And we most definitely did not collect dust specimens."

"No!"

"Never!"

"Not us!"

Seemingly satisfied by their show, the twins went to drape their arms around Ginny, who was carrying a huge bundle of old clothes. Ron followed shortly, three rolled-up orange posters in his hands.

"All ready?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "Okay, then." She tossed Floo powder in the fireplace, stepped in, and said "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" She vanished.

The other Weasleys followed suit. Soon the room was silent, but for the squeak of an unnoticed garden gnome.