A/N:  Welcome to the first fic I've written after reading and re-reading OOTP!  Having read it, I've come to the conclusion that the only possible way forward is H/G R/Hr (which is lucky as I already thought that), and this is my attempt at writing Harry's sixth year.  I've deleted all my other fics, so anything posted by me now will be post-OOTP. Warning to anyone who hasn't yet read it (is there anyone?), this contains one major spoiler and a couple of little ones. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm not JK!

Chapter One: Harry's Return:

"Ron, he hasn't talked about it for the whole of the time he's been at Privet Drive!" Hermione's voice was shrill and outraged, "It's not healthy for him to be bottling things up inside like that!"

"Hermione, Harry won't want to talk about it!" Ron's voice was also raised in the heat of the argument.

"Of course he will, we're his best friends," Hermione was more indignant now, "if he keeps everything inside for any longer, it won't do him any good."

"Well thank you, Dr Granger," Ron's voice was laden with sarcasm, "but you know that Harry doesn't like to talk about things like that, and we have to respect that.  It's bad enough that he has to come back to Grimmauld Place!"

Downstairs, directly underneath the spot where Ron and Hermione were currently engaged in a discussion, Ginny Weasley found that even placing both hands over her ears failed to drown them out.  Ever since Hermione's arrival at Grimmauld Place a week ago, the pair had had more and more fights over Harry's wellbeing.  Namely, Harry sent the required amount of letters to members of the Order, and even wrote to Ron and Hermione, but his letters were short and numb.  Hermione insisted that they had to try and get Harry to talk about his feelings, but Ron thought Harry would talk when, and only when, he was ready.  Neither wanted to back down, and Harry was due to arrive the next day.

"Another lovers tiff?"

Ginny jumped as a loud CRACK signalled the arrival of Fred, holding one end of a pair of Extendable Ears.

CRACK

George appeared seconds later, shaking his head morosely.  "We were going to use these, but there's no need.  It really does ruin the blackmail material if everyone knows it already."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Now, sister dear, we have a proposition for you."  Fred draped an arm around Ginny's shoulder and beamed at her in an innocent manner.

"And what would that be?" Ginny asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well, we couldn't help overhearing Ron and Hermione's little, ahem, 'discussion' upstairs and it really set me and George thinking." Fred's face was now painted into an expression of concentration, and George took over the narrative.

"Yes, that's right, it did.  As our benefactor, young Harry holds a special place in our hearts," George paused and clutched a hand to his heart, "and we wondered what would cheer him up the most.  Lots of thoughts came to us.....turning Malfoy into a house elf and using him as a personal slave."

"Allowing him to test our exclusive new range of stock."  Fred added.

"Dyeing Snape's hair blonde." George snorted with laughter, and a wistful expression came over his face. "Making a virtual girl follow him around everywhere, only wearing a bikini."

"However, we have neither the means or skill to carry out any of these, so we had to start all over again," Fred had now taken over, "and that got us to wondering what Harry likes the most.  Then it struck us…Quidditch.  Harry was banned last year, so will be out of practice.  And, as luck would have it, I have just learnt a beautiful little spell that changes any room into a Quidditch pitch for an hour."

"And that's where you come in." Fred and George were both looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Why?" Ginny asked, genuinely confused, "you've got it all worked out."

"Mum," George said, with the air of someone being condemned to death, "she wants no noise or mess in the house.  And we need you to ask her for us."

"Why me?" Ginny asked, remembering Mrs Weasley's lectures she had handed out in the holidays.  She had been affected greatly by the death of Sirius (mainly because they had disagreed more than once), and had taken it upon herself to make sure his house was treated with the utmost respect at all times.  That meant no running in the corridors, lots of cleaning, and no noise.  Even the painting of old Mrs Black had to be treated with respect.  Ginny didn't see how turning a room into a Quidditch pitch complied with any of these rules.

"Because you're the baby," Fred answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Ginny scowled at him, "you can get away with anything, especially when it's for Harry."

"Yeh, Mum loves him more than us! Go on, Ginny."

Rolling her eyes once more, but realising that it was worthwhile trying if it meant there was a small chance it might cheer Harry up, agreed.  Getting up, she proceeded in the direction of Mrs Weasley.  Fred and George remained behind, sharing the Extendable Ear eagerly.  Exactly ten minutes later, they let out a whoop of happiness and raised their hands in celebration of Ginny's success.

*          *          *

Harry arrived early the next morning by Portkey, escorted by a guard of Lupin, Tonks and Moody. The death of Sirius had affected Lupin greatly, and the already high amount of grey in his hair had doubled, and he had the air of one old before his time.  Even Tonks was less bouncy than usual.  Harry himself looked more detached than anything, it looked as though he was looking around at his surroundings, but not taking anything in.  His face was held rigidly in the same expression, and the overall expression was that he was numb.  When he smiled in greeting, it didn't quite reach his eyes, which were glassed over.

"Harry!"  Hermione had bounded down the stairs at the noise, and immediately tackled Harry into a hug. "How are you?"

Harry, who had stiffened at the hug, drew back and nodded at her reassuringly.

"I'm fine." he replied, but his voice sounded hollow and no one in the room was convinced.

Ron the clapped Harry on the back in welcome, and Mrs Weasley crushed him in another motherly hug.  Ginny grinned at him.  Harry smiled back, but once again, it didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Throughout the day, Harry remained quiet and withdrawn, as if he felt nothing.  Ginny, who remembered his anger of the summer before, found herself wishing that he would explode again, because at least then that would show emotion, would show that he felt something.  All Harry did was move around politely, looking at them with hollow eyes and only speaking when he was spoken to.   By the end of the day, Ginny had an urge to shake him hard, or slap him around the face, anything to get a reaction.  At the sight of Kreacher (who was now bound to serve Harry, as Sirius' godson he had inherited everything), Harry stiffened but continued in the same polite, detached manner.

At only nine o'clock, Harry put down his dinner things and announced that he was very tired, so would be going to bed.  Without waiting for a reply (Hermione looked like she was going to open her mouth in protest, but was silenced by a glare from Ron), he got up and left the room.  Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried look, and an awkward silence filled the room.

"Poor boy," Mrs Weasley said at last, levitating Harry's dishes into the kitchen with a flick of her wand, "I don't want any of you boys pestering him."

Everyone nodded; even Fred and George looked subdued.

Much later, Ginny finished a game of chess with Ron (not surprisingly, Ron won), and made her own way up the stairs to the bed.  As she passed Harry and Ron's room, she saw that the door had been left half open by Harry.  Looking inside, she saw that Harry was laying fully clothed on his back on the camp bed, staring at the ceiling.

He didn't even see her.

*          *          *

A/N:  That's the first chapter done!  Yes, this will be an eventual H/G fic, but I think that Harry's much too down at the moment to have a romance with anyone.  Besides, I don't think he's good enough friends with Ginny yet.  Be patient, and it will come!  This will probably be a fairly long fic, but I'll try to update it regularily.

Reviews/opinions/questions are welcomed.