In the Spotlight
I cautiously stepped out of the Burrow, peering around the door.
"Miss Weasley!"
"There she is!"
"Look! It's her!"
"Miss Weasley, can you comment-"
I quickly pulled the door shut, my eyes blinded from the camera flashes. This was getting ridiculous. Everyday this week there had been a crowd of reporters situated outside my house. I'd started apparating directly from the Burrow to my destination, but I was longing for fresh air and some sunshine. Unfortunatley, hiding from reporters also meant being confined inside.
The situation with the press had escalated slowly over the past 4 months. Immediatley after the Battle of Hogwarts, they hardly approached me, keeping a respectful distance as my family and I grieved. Of course, we did get a lot of questions initially, but once Mum had yelled at them, they backed off. Somewhere between May and August, it had escalated. First it was people recognizing me when I did some shopping in Diagon Alley. Then it was reporters recognizing me and asking for a first-hand account of the war. Next, Rita Skeeter, asking for inside scoop on Harry to put in her biography of him. Of course, I refused to say anything, and used the Bat-Bogey Hex on her for good measure. I haven't seen her since, so it obviously worker. Too bad I couldn't hex the whole crowd of reporters currently outside.
I knew it was much worse for the others.
Ron and Hermione, having actually gone on the wild trip with Harry earlier this year, had been harrassed straight away. They, like me, refused to say anything. Now they were stuck in the same situation as me, confined indoors until we all returned to the safety of Hogwarts next week.
Harry, being, well, Harry Potter, was sort of used to the attention, but he had it way worse than any of us. He did press meetings and conferences occasionally though, which kept most of them off his back. He'd spent most of the last 4 months chasing remaining Death Eaters around the country with the Aurors. They'd caught most of them now, though, and he'd arrived back home last week.
To be honest, I was hurt that he hadn't come and seen me. We'd hardly seen eachother since the battle, though I wasn't blaming him for that. I do understand that he has a whole lot of duties to perform now that he's the saviour of the wizarding world. Truly, I do. The few times we have seen eachother, we haven't really discussed the next step in our relationship. We'd got as far as determining that we were officially dating before being overwhelmed by our, ah, hormones.
That was probably part of the reason the press were so persistent with me. The whole wizarding community now knew that I was Harry Potter's girlfriend, as it had been published in both the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly last week. That's what started this onslaught of press. Sighing, I headed back into the kitchen. I don't know why I'd even bothered to look outside.
"Ginny, dear, how many times must I remind you to not go outside?" My mother scolded, placing a plate piled high with bacon, eggs and toast in front of me. I grimaced at her, but tucked in anyway.
"I know Mum, I'm just sick of being stuck inside!" I grumbled, helping myself to a glass of pumpkin juice.
My mother turned to look at me.
"You return to Hogwarts next week, and you'd do well to remember that! I can't take much more of your grumbling." She said, turning back around and waving her wand at the dishes, so that they started to magically wash themselves.
After I'd eaten, I headed back upstairs to my room. It was early in the morning, and Mum and I were the only ones awake. Dad had already gone to the Ministry, and Ron would sleep for another 2 hours, at least. Harry was also staying here until we went back to school, sleeping in Ron's room. I swear I could hear the snores from two stories down.
Hermione was in my room. I half expected her to be awake, but upon entering my room, I was disappointed to see she was sound asleep. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a stack of my books and headed back downstairs to the living room.
All four of us were now in our 7th year at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been given permission by McGonagall to finish their schooling. I, like all the other students, hadn't had to sit end of year exams this year, so I was automatically in 7th year. We hadn't really learnt a hell of a lot in the past year, which meant that we had a lot of reading for the summer holidays, and a lot of catching up to do this year in order to pass our N.E..
I spent about an hour or so reading my new textbooks. We'd gotten how last ever Hogwarts letters a few days ago, and Mum had gotten all our books for us yesterday. Hermione had been made Head Girl, which wasn't really a surprise, although she was shocked.
I felt someone sit down next to me, so I put down Advanced Potions and turned to face them.
"Hey Harry." I said, smiling warmly at him.
"Good morning." He replied, smiling back.
He leaned in to kiss me gently, and I didn't object. I smiled at him he drew back. He, however, looked slightly nervous.
"Harry, what is it?" I asked, my tone instantly changing so that I sound much more like my mother.
"Uh..." He said, dragging his hand through his hair.
"Harry..." I said warningly. Our eyes met.
"Gin, I know you and Hermione are set on going back to Hogwarts for seventh year...but..." He trailed off, seeing my face.
I was glaring at him expectantly, my eyes narrow. I pretty much knew what was coming, but I didn't like it.
"Ron and I-we think we should stay here, help Kinglsey round up the Death Eaters...Kingsley says he can get us straight into the Auror training program, without N.E., so we don't really need to go back..." He looked up at me, waiting for my reaction.
I hesitated for a moment. A part of me had always known he wouldn't come back to Hogwarts. I mean, the Ministry was hardly going to demand that Harry Potter sit his N.E. so he could become an Auror, he was already more than qualified. Also, the honorable, heroic side of him was telling him to help round up the Death Eaters, which I also understood. Eventually, I smiled at him. I wasn't thrilled that he wasn't coming back with me, and I was worried about what this would mean for our relationship, but I put those thoughts to the back of my mind. As long as Harry was happy, I would be happy.
"So, what do you think?" He asked me, clearly apprehensive.
"It's fine with me." I said, smiling at him. He smiled back, clearly relieved. I laughed at his expression, and hugged him.
"Thanks Gin." He said, releasing me.
"Now I just have to tell your Mum." He grimaced.
I laughed again.
"Just think of what she'll say to Ron!" I said, and we both grimaced.
Just then we were joined by both Ron and Hermione, Ron looking incredibly relieved.
"Did you tell her?" He asked, plonking himself down on the couch opposite Harry and me.
"Yep." Harry replied smiling. I wrapped my arm around his waist, earning a glare from Ron, which I ignored.
"Thank Merlin that part's over." Ron said, leaning back into the couch. Hermione looked at him incrediously.
"Ron, you still have to tell your mother." She said pointedly.
I laughed as Ron's face turned white, then purple, then red. He looked at Harry helplessly.
"Don't look at me for help, mate, I'm in the same boat as you." Harry shrugged.
Hermione and I looked at eachother, a brief flash of understanding showing in her eyes. Hermione wasn't entirely thrilled with their desicion either, but she, like me, wasn't showing it. I smiled slightly at her, to show her that I understood, and sympathised. We both knew there wasn't anything we could do to stop them going on this journey. They wanted to be Aurors, and they could. Hermione and I needed our N.E., meaning that we would be split up, again.
"So, Ron, you're going with Harry on his Death Eater hunt, then?" I ask, just to break the silence.
Ron glances at Harry, then back at me, hesitating. Hermione and I look at eachother, confused.
"Err...no..I'm not. Actually, I'm going to work in the shop with George for a while, to get things back to normal...you know..." Ron trailed off into silence, looking at the floor.
Oh. So he wouldn't be going with Harry. I feel relieved, which is odd since I hadn't noticed I was jealous that Ron was accompanying Harry. Hermione, however, was not relieved.
"What? Ron, I thought you were not going back to Hogwarts for an actual reason, not because you, you cant be bothered!" Hermione's voice was shrill.
Harry and I looked at eachother, and simultaneously got up and went to the kitchen, the sounds of their argument following us into the next room.
"That's not why I'm not going back! Auror training will start soon anyway, so I figured there wasn't much point going back for a month or so-" Ron was yelling.
I didn't hear anymore, because Harry shut the door. He helped himself to some breakfast. Thankfully, Mum had disappeared from the kitchen, so we were alone. I pull open a copy of the Daily Prophet that's lying on the table, reading the headline.
'Harry Potter to Train as Auror'
I look up at Harry, my eyebrows raised.
"Um, you and Ron will have to tell Mum your plans soon, coz I think she'll figure it out pretty soon, thanks to the reporters." I say bluntly, showing him the headline.
Harry rolls his eyes at the paper, turning back to his breakfast.
"She doesn't believe what they print." He said.
I stared at him. It was true; we had all learned to not trust the papers. However, there was a lot of logical sense behind this article, despite the fact that it was true. Mum wouldn't see through it that easily.
Harry looked at me, and interpreted my facial expression correctly.
"Don't worry; we're planning on telling her today. We're just waiting for the right time."
I snort at this. With Mum, there's never a 'right time' to break bad news. And this news would mostly definetly be classified as bad in her eyes. Though I expect she'll come round and be happy for Ron and Harry eventually, since they're basically Aurors now, but initially, she would explode. Per usual.
Thankfully, Hermione and I weren't there to witness Mum's explosion. We heard it though; we were both upstairs, studying, when Harry and Ron deemed the time was right.
I hear footsteps, accompanied by two very grumpy voices. Hermione and I look at eachother, and put our books down. Once the boys came in, we wouldn't be able to study.
"I can't believe she threatened to take my wand off me!" Ron cried, throwing open the door, and immediatley flopping down on Hermione's bed. Harry took a slightly subtler approach, sitting on the edge of my bed.
"I know, mate. At least she didn't." Harry said, trying to be helpful, but failing miserably.
Ron was getting steadily angrier, his face going from red to purple.
"It's not even up to her! I'm of age; I can do whatever the hell I want! It's not like I'm running away to raise Pygmy Puffs, I'll be helping George, and then I'll become an Auror! That's pretty worthwile!" Ron yelled.
The rest of us cringed. All Weasleys had a temper, and none of us wanted to stand in the way of it. I mean, look at Rita Skeeter, who'd ended up with bats on her face after crossing me. We Weasleys got really, really mad very quickly.
None of us said anything, and Ron continued to rant for a full ten minutes. Finally, when he had blown of all his steam, he stood up, looking slightly embarrassed, his ears red.
"I need to go fill out my Auror application." He mumbled, shuffling out the door. Hermione quickly followed, always the loyal girlfriend.
That left Harry and I alone. I was suddenly hyper aware of him, sitting merely a foot away from me. On my bed.
I felt him glance at me. Slowly, I looked up to meet his gaze. I wasn't sure, but I felt that this was the right moment to discuss our future. I mean, the fact that he will be in London and I at Hogwarts has to be discussed at some point before next week, right? I opened my mouth, intending to address that problem. Harry, however, beat me to the punch.
"Ginny, I know it shocked you when I said I won't be going back to Hogwarts." Harry said, looking back down at the bed again. I sat silently, waiting for him to continue.
"I know that it complicates things between us. But I hope you understand that I have to, that I need to do this."
I looked up at him, his words sounding familar. What he was saying was very similar to what he'd said to me at Dumbledore's funeral, before he went off to find the horcruxes. If this conversation took that same road...no. I can't think like that. He won't end it with me, not after everything we've been through. Everything he's been through. I watched him warily as he continued.
"Ginny," he said, looking up at me earnestly, "We've waited for a long time. If I'd been less of an idiot, we would have had more of a shot before the war, but I screwed that up. Now that it's all behind us, I want us to work. I really do."
I smiled at that. Thank Merlin, he wanted this, me. I'd been getting worried there.
"This year, I'll be in London. Probably working round the clock. You'll be busy with N.E.. As much as I want us to work, I don't really know how it can, with those obstacles. Sure, we can write letters, but-"
I stopped listening. What the hell had he just said? Of course we could overcome these obstacles! We beat Voldemort, what could be harder than that?
"Harry!" I cut in, making him stop in the middle of his sentence. He looked at me, worry clear in his eyes.
"We can make this work. I know you have this whole issue with us, not wanting to hurt me and all that. As far as I can tell, this is another chapter of that whole saga. You don't want me to get hurt by a long distance relationship, or some other garbage like that. But, you don't get it. Distancing yourself from me will hurt me more than anything else. This past year was agony. I know it was necessary, but I'll always wish that I could've gone with you. I can't help it, as much as you can't help wanting to protect me. We just have to learn to compromise."
I looked at him, hoping my point was clear. He looked doubtful.
"But, Ginny, what if it doesn't work?" He asked, biting his lip.
"We'll make it work!" I said, with determination worthy of any Weasley.
"Stop worrying. Everything is good, Voldemort's dead, you're rounding up the Death Eaters, and you're becoming an Auror. I'm going to get my N.E.. We'll see eachother for Hogsmeade weekends, maybe Quidditch games if you can come, though I'm not expecting you too. Harry, you just have to believe in us, and we will work." I said, feeling very much like an inspiration leader.
Finally he seemed to believe me. Leaning in, I kissed him gently. He was quick to deepen it, but at that moment the door was flung open.
"Harry, I don't know what to put for education-" Ron was saying, stopping when he saw us.
Harry and I sprang apart, and I felt my face go red. Thankfully, Ron seemed incapable of yelling, as he was gaping at us like a dying fish. I giggled at the expression on his face, which unfortunatley seemed to help him find his voice.
"Ginny! You...Harry...snogging...Harry!" Ron said, flabbergasted.
Hermione came to the rescue, dragging Ron out of the room once she'd figured out what she'd missed. Harry followed, going to help Ron with his application. I returned to my books. We really did have a mountain of holiday homework, it simply wasn't fair. I guess it will only get worse as this year progresses. Fabulous.