Going Away

After all of the Horcruxes had been found and Voldemort destroyed, Harry Potter decided to go abroad to test his new found freedom. He had always dreamed of traveling and meeting new places, but couldn't for school, being underage, not to mention being almost annually attacked by Voldemort.

Harry told his friends and his adoptive family, the Weasleys, not to worry about him. He explained to them how much he needed this break, and how great was his urge to get away at least for awhile.

Two days before leaving, Harry decided to have a little talk with Ginny. It was mid-summer and the sun was shining brightly. She had just finished washing the dishes when Harry came up to her. Deeply in her heart, Ginny feared this conversation. She knew that sooner or later Harry might want to say good bye to her in private. Her eyes prickled with tears, but she managed to hold them back.

They decided to go to the back of the house to speak privately. Once outside, the pair sat beneath the oak tree that was closest to the small lake. Both of them were avoiding each other's gaze. While looking towards the lake, Harry began talking. "Ginny, I…" he said trailing off. He sighed and tried again. "I know you must think me a coward." Ginny tried to interrupt but he stopped her. "No, let me finish. Going away like this must seem drastic and not very heroic either. But, I just want you to know I'm not going away for good. It will only be for a few months so I can find some peace, and rest from everything that's happened. It would be cruel to ask you to wait for me. But I hope we can at least remain friends." Harry looked up at that to gather her response and found her with a sad smile on her face.

"Why do I feel like I've heard that little speech before?" she said. Harry felt his face redden in memory of their talk during Dumbledore's funeral. He agreed with her. This speech wasn't to far off from the one he gave her that time. He was about to apologize, but Ginny beat him to it. "It's ok. I don't mind." She took his hand and squeezed it. "You deserve this time off more than anyone, Harry. And of course we can still be friends. We have been for awhile, haven't we?" He nodded and interlaced his fingers through hers. "But, I will only let you go on one condition." They both smiled at that. "You have to promise you're going to owl me, alright?" He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I promise… every week" he said.

The day of his departure arrived, and Harry was feeling both sad and anxious. He was sad because he was going to miss everyone, but was very excited for his trip. An entire crowd joined him at King's Cross station to see him off. Remus, Tonks, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, the twins, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were all there to see him leave.

He first said good bye to Remus and a very pregnant Tonks. Remus gave him a hug and even ruffled his hair a bit. "You know, that doesn't help my looks Mr. Moony" teased Harry. Remus laughed. "Well, it's not like your hair is going to get worse than it already is." He extracted something from his cloak and gave it to Harry. "Here, I think this might help somewhat" said Remus. It was a red baseball cap with a golden snitch at the back and with golden letters at the front that read 'Prongs Jr.' Harry smiled and put it on immediately. "Thanks Remus" he said. "The snitch will move around if you tap it with your wand" said Remus. "And look what happens when you tap the inscription on the front" said Tonks. Harry did just that. The letters transformed into a stag that resembled his father's animagus form. Harry smiled sadly. "I love it. Thank you" he said.

Next, Harry shook hands with Mr. Weasley. "Be a good lad and take care of yourself," said Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley, who had tears in her eyes, gave him one of her famous motherly hugs. It left him breathless as always, but he welcomed her warmth. "Oh, Harry. Now, you take care of yourself. Don't forget to eat your meals. I don't want you losing any weight. Don't hesitate in owling us if you need anything. Remember to put some wards before going to bed. One can never be too safe, you should know that. And…" She was interrupted by Ron, who groaned out loud. "Mum, stop mothering him. He took down Voldemort, he can manage on his own." Molly glared at Ron but stopped giving further instructions and gave Harry a final kiss.

"Harry, our lad, here are some tokens from our shop" said George. "For the road, of course" said Fred with a wink. "And some propaganda as well" said George handing Harry some flyers. "To give to any wizards you meet in your trip" said Fred. "That might pursue the path of a true Marauder" finished George with mocked seriousness. Everyone in the group was laughing wholeheartedly. Except Mrs. Weasley who was not amused at all. "Fred and George Weasley! How inconsiderate of you. Harry does not work for you, for goodness sake!" said a fuming Mrs. Weasley. Her husband took her by the hand and kissed her cheek to sooth her. "Molly, it was just a joke. You know how they are."

Still laughing, Ron and Harry shook hands. "Take care Ron," said Harry. "Yeah, you too mate" said Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, you two are such BOYS. Honestly!" she said exasperated and flung herself at Harry. After a second, she pulled Ron close by his t-shirt. He got the idea and joined the hug. Both Harry and Hermione put an arm around Ron and made a perfect 3-way hug. Hermione sniffed and both boys tightened their arms around her. "I'll really miss you guys" said a very quiet Harry. Hermione leaned to kiss Harry's temple and said "We love you, Harry." Then, she smacked Ron. "Ow! Oh, yeah. We love you, mate." He sniffed. "Ron, are you crying?" asked a sobbing Hermione. "No" he said in a cracked voice. This time it was Harry who leaned and kissed both Hermione and Ron's temples. "I love you too. Both of you" sniffed Harry. They parted and noticed the rest were also either wiping their eyes or sniffing.

Ginny came last. Harry took her hands in his and pulled her into a hug. "I wish you'd come with me," he whispered in her ear. "I can't leave my apprenticeship with Madam Pomfrey" she said rather stiffly. "I know," henodded. There was a loud whistle signaling that passengers were to aboard the train. Ron waved his wand to make Harry's trunk trail after Harry and picked up Hedwig's cage. He followed Harry to the train gate. "See you mate," Ron said. Harry nodded and took Hedwig's cage from Ron. A final whistle sounded and the gates closed. Harry stuck his head out from a window and waved back to his family and friends.

End of chapter one…