Birds, Blokes, and Invisibility Cloaks

by OxWiCkEdOnExO

A glance inside the lives of Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione as they deal with book signings, marriage proposals, saying 'I love you', finishing up their Auror training, and that blasted Invisibility Cloak. postDH

1. Them Birds

TITLE:

"Birds, Blokes, and Invisibility Cloaks"

AUTHOR:

XoWiCkEdOnEoX

CHAPTERS:

1) "Them Birds" ((Hermione and Ginny's POV))

2) "Those Blokes" ((Ron and Harry's POV))

3) "The Invisibility Cloak" ((Omniscient))

SUMMARY:

A glance inside the lives of Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione as they deal with book signings, marriage proposals, saying 'I love you', finishing up their Auror training, and that blasted Invisibility Cloak..

SETTING:

Two years after the Battle of Hogwarts

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing. At all. Woo. JK Rowling's amazing. Everything belongs to her. Duh.

--

"

"The course of true love never did run smooth." – William Shakespeare

CHAPTER ONE: THEM BIRDS

The sun was beginning to set on another beautiful day as Ron and Hermione walked hand in hand in the sand, looking out at a vast stretch of ocean. They were the only people for miles and Hermione wore a long, thin, purple silk dress that billowed behind her in the wind. Ron wore a half-way buttoned blue shirt that showed off some of his masculine chest.

"Ron, where are we?" She asked softly, listening to the sound of the waves gently crashing to shore and occasionally tickling the edges of their feet.

"Paradise." He replied and she smiled contently. It had been the perfect evening. Ron had taken her out to a romantic dinner and surprised her with a dozen red roses. He had not stopped showering her in kisses and compliments, repeatedly announcing that he loved her. After dinner they had stopped by one of Hermione's favorite book stores and Ron had agreed to buy her any book she wanted. They had then come to this quaint beach where they had laid their things in the sand, not worried about anybody taking them, and decided to take a walk.

"Why have you gone through all of this trouble for tonight?" She asked and he stopped walking but continued to smile down at her.

"Because, my darling, I have something very important to ask you." He said taking both of her hands in his and squeezing them.

"Really? What is it you wanted to ask me, Ronald?" Hermione asked not daring to think what she had been secretly hoping for. Yet, just as she had always imagined, Ron got down on one of his knees, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

"Oh Ron!" She gasped and felt her eyes begin to water.

"Hermione Jean Granger… 'My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite'." He said poetically and Hermione felt her heart flutter.

"Since when did you know Shakespeare?" She asked pleasantly baffled.

"A man in love will go to any lengths to impress the woman he adores." He said and kissed the top of her hand.

"Ron…" She breathed as he opened the velvet box to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring.

"Hermione, will you BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

Hermione Granger awoke with a start at the sound of her alarm clock. She quickly hit the snooze button and waited till her eyes adjusted to the still dark bedroom. Ginny was lying in the bed next to her still sleeping soundly. Hermione sighed as she kicked off her sheets. She slid out of her bed and stretched before moving towards the opposite wall where a calendar hung next to the light switch. She flicked the switch and the room was suddenly bursting with light. Ginny did not wake up at this; she merely rolled over onto her side. Hermione smiled and turned to look at the calendar.

June 1.

That meant her, Ron, and Harry had been living in Fred and George's old flat in Diagon Ally for exactly two years now. After the war was over they needed a place to stay, and George had generously allowed them his old flat while he and Lee moved into a new flat in Hogsmeade. Ginny had moved in with the trio over a year later, and she ran the joke shop in Diagon Ally that they lived above.

Hermione walked into the bathroom that was in her and Ginny's room. She tried her hardest not to think about the dream she had been having as she stepped into the shower and began to wash her hair. She had been dating Ron ever since the war ended (with a few potential break ups here and there) and he had yet to say "I love you". There had been moments when Hermione thought he was about to say it but simply seemed to lose his nerve. For the most part that was the only flaw in their relationship (besides their constant bickering) but it was what bothered her the most. She was positive that Ron loved her just as much as she loved him and was fully prepared to marry him. She had never confessed these feelings to Ron, however, thinking that it was his job to say the "L-Word" first. Hermione stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, magicked her hair dry within seconds, and left the bathroom to find Ginny waiting to enter it.

"Good morning, Ginny." Hermione said as she walked towards the bedroom door.

"Good morning." Ginny replied, stifling a yawn as she took her turn in the bathroom. Hermione walked across the hallway, past the other bathroom, and towards the second bedroom in the house. She opened the door quietly and walked in on tip toe. She moved towards the bed nearest the door and bent over the sleeping form, snoring loudly.

"Ron… wake up." She whispered and shook him gently. He grunted in reply and continued snoring.

"Ron Weasley, wake up right now!" She demanded and this time she pulled the covers off of him and gave him a much rougher shake. He awoke and looked up at her groggily.

"What?" He said not completely focusing on her.

"I said 'Wake up', Ron. It's time to go to work." She said and he nodded. She turned to leave the room but he grabbed on to her hand and pulled her back over to him. She fell ungracefully onto the bed and Ron laughed at her.

"Shut up! You'll wake Harry." She scolded half-heartedly, trying her hardest not to smile with him.

"Good morning to you too." Ron said and gave her a kiss on the lips. Hermione pulled away quickly, knowing that they both had to finish getting ready for work.

"Good morning. Now get ready." She said and walked out of the room as Ginny, who was already fully dressed, walked in. Ron stood up and stretched before heading towards the shower in the bathroom across the hall.

Hermione went back into her bedroom and began to get dressed. She picked out a pair of light purple robes and matching shoes. She pulled her long, less bushy, brown hair into a ponytail tied with a purple ribbon and smiled at her reflection.

She exited the room to find Ginny and Ron (who was still in his bathrobe) already cooking breakfast. Hermione sat down as the two red heads sent the food to the table. They sat down on either side of her and they began to eat in silence. Harry joined them five minutes later, also wearing his bathrobe. Hermione and him had discovered Ron's hidden skills as a cook soon after they had moved into the flat and he had been in charge of meals ever since. Ginny, too, seemed to have inherited her mother's cooking skills and helped Ron out in that department.

The group ate in silence, as was their custom. When Hermione finished eating she looked at her watch and stood up from the table, carrying her dish to the sink.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ron asked as he repeated her actions.

"I'm going to work, of course." She snapped at him.

"You've got another ten minutes to get there! We don't have to be there until seven!" He exclaimed heading towards his and Harry's bedroom but still managing to continue his conversation.

"Well excuse me if I like being punctual and dedicated to my job!" She said in a huffy voice.

"Showing up to work ten minutes before you have to be there is not being punctual and dedicated, it's called being 'a suck-up and annoying'." Ron told her and as Harry passed her on his way to the bedroom she could hear him stifling his laugh.

"You are such a prat!" She shouted and turned on her heal and Disapparated to the Ministry.

Usually Hermione would be upset by any fights with Ron but the Morning Fight in which he made fun of her for going to work early and she scolded him for doing so had become part of their routine and no longer offended her.

She went about her business and hurried towards the Lifts and was taken to Level Two, where she found herself amongst the familiar throng of cubicles. Harry, Ron, and she had been taken in by the Ministry only weeks after moving into their flat. Kingsley had been the one to take them on as Aurors-in-Training and promised the three of them that only two years of training would be necessary since they had already proven themselves to be more than adequate in defeating dark wizards. Their two years was almost up and the three of them had been hard at work for the last few weeks leading up to their induction as full-time Aurors.

Hermione found her small cubicle and sat at her desk, taking out all of the paperwork from her in-tray. She began to sort and organize all of the papers and her mind began to wander.

Two years of living in a flat with Harry and Ron… Two years of dating Ron… Two years of Auror training… One year of sharing a bedroom and living with Ginny… Six months of writing her book.

Hermione's thoughts drifted towards the final copy of her book "Harry Potter and the Dark Lord: The Journey for the Horcruxes and the Battle of Hogwarts" which now rested with Dean Thomas who was making a few illustrations for it. She had gotten the idea to write a book about the adventures of their seventh year soon after the war had ended. Harry and Ron were not too keen on the idea of her writing a book about it but she had made a very good argument for it. She had told them that it was better than hearing the story from someone like Rita Skeeter and that if the two of them would write their own excerpts the book would tell the whole, true, real story to the wizarding world. After almost a year of planning it out, convincing Ron and Harry to write part of it, and trying to make herself believe that she could do it, she began writing the book. It turned out to be much harder than she had first thought, considering she had to take into account all of the previous years of clues and knowledge. More than once Ron had suggested she just write seven different books, one for each year they were at Hogwarts. Hermione had been quick to dash that idea, telling Ron that nobody in their right mind would want to read seven books on their adventures.

The book had finally been finished though, and each of them had their own bit of story telling to do. Harry had written about his encounter with Voldemort and his attempted sacrifice that ended up protecting all of his friends and destroying the Horcrux inside of him. Ron had written about what happened to him after he left the two of them, about the chaos going on in the world outside, and about destroying the locket. It had taken a lot of provoking and many, many kisses from Hermione to get Ron to write down what had really happened when he opened the locket but when he finally wrote it down he would not let Hermione read it until the book was published.

"But how I am supposed to correct your writing if I can't even read it?" She had asked.

"You can give it to Harry. He'll correct it. It's not like I don't know proper English, Hermione. It's not that bad!" He had insisted and Hermione still did not know what happened when Ron opened the Horcrux.

"I'll find out soon enough." She thought to herself as she finished up her paperwork. The book would be going on the shelves next week and the Daily Prophet had already made a big deal about its debut. This unveiling did nothing to help Hermione's nerves since she was now trying to cope with finishing her Auror training, getting Ron to say "I love you" and possibly commit for real, pushing Harry towards settling down with Ginny, and making sure they made enough money to meet their rent every month.

Hermione spent the rest of her morning, afternoon, and evening working with her trainer and reviewing what she had learned over the last two years. When she had finally finished her review it was past six o'clock and she thanked her trainer before Disapparating back to Diagon Ally. She walked along the almost empty street and found her way into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Hey Ginny!" She called as Ginny stood at the register, where a teenage boy was buying some Puking Pastilles.

"Hey Hermione! Harry and Ron are already upstairs and I think they have a surprise for you." She said and gave Hermione a wink. Hermione smiled and rushed up the stairs to where the flat was located. She entered a small corridor and made her way over to the door. She tapped the handle with her wand, saying the password: Albus. Hermione entered the living room to find Harry and Ron both sitting on the couch pouring over a large, brand new book.

"Are you two reading?" She asked loudly and the two turned to look at her with broad grins on their faces.

"Always the tone of surprise." Harry said with a smirk and Ron chuckled next to him. Ron held up the book for Hermione to see. Across the dark purple binding, in shining green letters it read:

"Harry Potter and the Dark Lord:

The Journey for the Horcruxes

And

The Battle of Hogwarts"

By: Hermione J. Granger

With additional writings from

Harry J. Potter and Ronald B. Weasley

"Oh no!" She cried and ran over to the pair, grabbing the book from Ron's hands.

"Oh yes. It looks wonderful, Hermione. Look at Dean's pictures! They're really, really good!" Ron said as she sat down next to him. She opened the book and saw the first picture. It was of Ron, Harry, and Hermione each looking up at the reader with a look of utmost determination and pride on their faces. Ron was holding onto the sword of Godric Gryffindor, Harry held the Elder Wand, and Hermione held a book close to her chest. She continued to flip through the pages finding more pictures of the Weasley family, Dumbledore, the tent they had stayed in for so long, Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, Hermione's beaded bag, Dolores Umbridge, the Deathly Hallows, the Horcruxes, the Order of the Phoenix, and even a very dark, heavily shaded picture of Lord Voldemort.

"Oh, these are absolutely wonderful! We'll have to thank Dean as soon as we can!" She exclaimed after viewing all of the pictures within the book.

"He'll be coming to the book signing so you'll be able to thank him then." Harry said casually, standing up walking towards the kitchen.

"What book signing?" Hermione asked looking from Ron to Harry and back again.

"Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you." Ron said with a small smile still lingering on his lips. "An employee from Flourish and Blotts came to visit Ginny at the joke shop today and told her that they would be having you, Harry, and me signing copies of the book the day they go on sale. He gave her a letter from the manager explaining everything." He finished looking satisfied at the shocked expression on Hermione's face.

"They want us to do a book signing? And people are actually going to come?"

"The letter said that they had been receiving letters ever since you announced the title of the damn book demanding that they hold a book signing. They said that you're book signing will give Gilderoy Lockhart's a run for its money." Ron assured her, putting his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze.

"But… but…" Hermione couldn't even find words to express her surprise. How could people who hadn't even read the book yet want her to sign it? Why did people suddenly seem to like her?

"Well before you get too big headed you should know that Rita Skeeter has just written an article about her thoughts on the book." Harry said, re-entering the room with a copy of The Daily Prophet in his hands. "She's trying to discredit you in any way she can! She says: 'it's sure to be just another glossed over version of the controversial story surrounding Harry Potter and the Dark Lord's death. It would also do well to remind readers that the book's author, Hermione Granger, was known to have a fling with Harry Potter himself and proceeded to break the poor young man's heart. Needless to say this book will probably play as her apology note to Potter, a shameless plea for him to forgive her for throwing his love away, by portraying the troubled youth in a heroic light.… Potter and his best friend Ronald Weasley are also said to have written part of the book. This obviously proves that Hermione Granger has not completely given up on winning back Mr. Potter's fancy's while making him jealous by dating Mr. Weasley on the side... This journalist, personally, cannot see what kind of human being would want to read any story written by such a heartless, and overbearing author who will, no doubt, hide all of the details her readers deserve to know, which is why I, Rita Skeeter, have decided to write and publish my own book about the story of Harry Potter entitled: "The Madness, Mayhem, and Melancholy of Harry Potter" which should be released sometime next month. This book, including personal interview with Mr. Potter will not exclude the crucial details Ms. Granger has left out of her own account…' and blah… blah… blah." Harry finished reading off of a back page of The Prophet.

"That woman's seriously loosing it! It's not like anybody even reads her column anymore." Ron said even though Hermione could sense something else lingering behind his eyes.

"And that whole thing about me trying to win Harry back is absolute rubbish! We've never even dated! We've never even thought about dating! I'm dating you because I like you, Ron, not to make Harry jealous!" Hermione exclaimed knowing very well what Ron's look had meant.

"Yeah. I think she's lost her touch. The story doesn't even make me angry, it just makes me want to call up St. Mungo's and tell them that they might want to reserve a space for Rita because she's about gone off her rocker." Harry said and the three of them began laughing. Harry tossed the paper to the side and told them he was going to go downstairs and help Ginny close the shop. When he was gone Hermione and Ron sat in silence for a moment.

"So..." Hermione started. Perhaps now would be the time to get him to confess his love for her.

"You can't be serious?" Ron said suddenly and for one mad second Hermione thought he had read her mind.

"Excuse me?"

"You are seriously telling me that you've never once, in the nine years we've known him, even thought about dating Harry?" He asked his ears turning red and he had removed his arm from around her shoulders. Maybe tonight wasn't the time to get him to confess his love.

"Oh, Ron! Don't be ridiculous! You know that I've never had feelings for Harry-"

"That doesn't mean you've never thought about it! Come on, Hermione, he's one of the most famous wizards of our generation, an excellent Qudditch player, and he's not exactly disfigured! You can't be telling me that you've never had a nice little fantasy about you and him strolling along the beach, hand in hand-"

"Enough!" Hermione cried standing up and staring down at him infuriated. Little did Ron know that it was him she had always dreamt about walking down a beach with, holding hands. "Sure, if you really want to know, I might have once thought about what it would be like to date Harry Potter. I was also eleven years old at the time!" She shouted now in a full out rage.

"So you admit it! You've always had feelings for him and you liked him for far longer than you liked me!" Ron shouted back also standing up and glaring at her.

"You are such a moron, Ronald! I said that I thought about dating Harry one time… not that I ever liked him! And I was only eleven at the time! Back then dating was like holding hands and that was all! Back then you didn't even like me! You went around telling everybody what an insufferable, know-it-all I was!" She shouted taking a step closer to him so that they were only inches apart and yelling in each other's face.

"Well not much has changed then! You're still an insufferable, know-it-all so why shouldn't you still be in love with Harry?" He demanded.

"I am not in love with Harry! He's my best friend!"

"So was I but you're dating me! Then again since he was dating Ginny I guess you didn't have much of a choice, did you? You had to settle for the boring sidekick, the other best friend-"

"Yes, Ron, that's exactly it! That's what I've been thinking since I was thirteen years old! 'Boy, it looks like Harry is too good for me so I should just settle with the oblivious idiot who is apparently incapable of falling in love with me!' Way to go, Ron! You've discovered my plan! Maybe I should go downstairs right now and tell it all to Harry! What do you think, Ron? Does that sound good to you?" She was furious now. She couldn't even believe that he would stoop so low as to call her a know-it-all after all these years, then to say that she didn't even love him….

"You… you're… I…" Ron obviously knew that he had been overreacting but it was far too late to take it back now.

"And while I'm at it, I think I'll go write to Victor! You remember Victor Krum don't you? He's my ex-boyfriend, isn't he? Oh yes and we still write to each other every now and again. He's very interested in what I'm up to and how my love life is going although I've told him time and time again that I wouldn't exactly call it a 'love life' considering the boy I've been dating for two years can't even get up the courage to say he-"

"I'm not a boy!" Ron exclaimed using the only comeback he could apparently muster.

"Oh, of course you're not, Ronald. I just have to wake you up every morning, tell you what you should wear the night before, help you through most of your training, and remind you to do your chores because if I don't you'll completely forget! Yes, you're a real, grown-up, independent man!" She said and she could feel her face burning up.

"It's not my fault you have to be in control of everything! That's just you being bossy and a control freak!" He shouted at her, his face now livid and bright red.

"You're right, Ronald, because nothing is ever your fault! You're simply perfect but not as good as Harry of course! He's the greatest man alive! That's why I'm more in love with him than I ever was with you! It's a shame he has a girlfriend though, so I think I'll go write to Victor instead and ask him to come to the book signing. Oh! And since Ginny will be staying with Dean and Luna that night perhaps Victor can stay the night here with us! And he can sleep in her bed… you know, the one in my room. That sounds like a marvelous idea I think I'll go start that letter! Goodnight Ronald." Hermione finished in a huff and she walked out of the living room, through the kitchen, and into her own bedroom where she slammed the door shut.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning, Ginny." Hermione said happily as Ginny walked towards the bathroom door.

"'Morning, Hermione." She replied stifling a yawn. She stepped into the shower allowing the hot water to wake her up a little more. When she had finished in the bathroom, she went into her bedroom to change into a pair of jeans and a red shirt. Since she ran the joke shop, she wasn't required to wear witch's robes everyday to work and she enjoyed the fact that she could wear whatever she wanted. She pulled her long, straight, red hair into two, low ponytails and examined herself in the mirror. It was the first day of June and customers didn't start pouring in until early August when kids wanted to buy products to take with them to Hogwarts. There were always a handful of customers that came in every day but nothing to hard to handle. Ginny loved working at the joke shop and was thankful that George had allowed her to help him out after Fred's death. He didn't talk about his brother's death at all but he would never let him be forgotten. In the Diagon Ally store and in the Hogsmeade shop, there was a large poster of Fred on the back wall and behind the cash register. Occasionally Fred's portrait would shout out ideas for a new product to either Ginny or George and served as a brilliant way to communicate between the two stores.

Once Ginny had finished dressing she walked over to the boy's bedroom. Ron and Hermione had already left the room and Harry still lay in his bed sound asleep. She walked over to his window and thrust open the curtains to let the now rising sun's light pour in on them. Harry, unlike Ginny, awoke immediately from this burst of light.

"Good morning, Ginny." He said and gave her a tired smile. She returned it and gave him a kiss.

"Good morning, love." She said and walked out of the room again, this time heading towards the kitchen. After setting out all of the plates and cutlery she was joined by Ron and the two set off trying to prepare breakfast for four. Hermione joined them a few minutes later and they sent the finished meal onto the table in front of her. The three of them began eating hungrily and Harry joined them soon, wearing his bathrobe but still managing to look handsome in Ginny's opinion. The group ate in silence like they always did and once they had finished and Hermione and Ron had their Morning Fight she collected the dishes and began to wash them. As she held her wand at the self-scrubbing plates she watched and said goodbye as Ron and Harry (now fully dressed in blue and green robes) Disapparated to the Ministry. After the dishes had been washed and dried and sent back to their usual places, Ginny headed downstairs to the shop below. Once she reached the bottom landing and walked through the door behind the cash register she flicked on the lights. The store was just as large and just as cramped as ever filled with items for your every want and need. She proceeded to lift the security enchantments hanging around the store, said good morning to the portrait of Fred who yawned in reply, and at exactly 7:30 she opened the front doors.

It was almost ten o'clock when she got the first costumer of the day. When he walked in she didn't get a good look at his face and just saw a mass of blonde hair. He walked around the store for ten minutes before Ginny moved from behind the desk and walked over to him. His back was to her as he examined a set of Filibusters Fireworks.

"Excuse me sir may I help you find something?" She asked him politely and the man jumped at the sound of her voice and turned abruptly revealing a very pointed chin and extremely pale skin.

"Draco Malfoy?!" She exclaimed not daring to believe her eyes. What on earth could Draco Malfoy be doing in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?

"Oh, hi." He said nervously staring at the floor instead of up at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ginny blurted out.

"I'm here on business." Draco replied straightening up and looking down at her with all of the confidence he could muster.

"What business do you have with me?" She asked him.

"Not with you, I need to talk to… to… Ms. Granger." He told her, his confident air faltering and a fleeting look of disgust crossed his face.

"Ms. Granger?" Ginny had never heard Draco call Hermione anything but 'mudblood' or 'Granger' so what was he playing at now?

"Sorry, is she Mrs. Weasley already?" He asked not bothering to hide his disgust this time.

"No, no. She's still Ms. Granger; I've just never heard you refer to Hermione like that. What do you want to see her for?" Ginny was very curious now and wasn't about to tell him where Hermione was until he told her what he wanted with her.

"It's not any of your business, is it?" Draco snapped at her.

"I think it is my business and I'm not telling you where she is until you tell me what you want!" She said. Living with six brothers had toughened her up greatly and she learned not to take 'no' for an answer.

"Well if you must know-"

"Oh, I must." Ginny interrupted and he gave her an annoyed glare.

"I've been sent to ask Ms. Granger if she is available for a book signing the day her book goes on sale at Flourish and Blotts. I work there, you see, and I've been sent here to ask if she will attend along with … Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." He finished and it seemed that with every word spoken it became harder and harder for him to keep his face straight. Ginny looked him up and down and decided that he was telling the truth (she had always been really good at judging that kind of thing).

"Alright. Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley will all be available to attend this book signing." Ginny told him using her politest, most business-like tone.

"Thank you. Here's a letter that will tell them all of the details like what time to show up and what time to leave. If they have any questions feel free to contact me at the store and I would be happy to answer them." He said and now he was speaking through gritted teeth.

"We sure will. Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Now, if that's all…?" She inquired, taking the letter he had handed her.

"Yes. Goodbye." He said and headed for the door as quickly as possible.

Ginny spent the next few hours reviewing this encounter in her head. She was unsure if she should tell Harry that Draco Malfoy had stopped by the shop or if she should lie and tell him that the owner of Flourish and Blotts himself had stopped by. She was still undecided when eleven o'clock rolled around and Neville arrived. She was quite glad to have someone to talk to in order to get her mind off of it.

"Hello Neville!" She said brightly as he rushed over to where she stood.

"Guess what?" Neville said excitedly.

"You've been elected Minister of Magic?" Ginny guessed and Neville blushed and shook his head.

"No, no. Like that could ever happen!" He said. "I've got a job interning with Professor Sprout this year at Hogwarts! She wrote me a letter telling me that she wouldn't mind having some extra help around since all of the teachers are still working so hard to rebuild the castle! Isn't that great?" He asked taking a hold of her hands and practically jumping for joy.

"Oh Neville! That's wonderful! Congratulations!" Ginny cheered and she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I told Hannah and she was really excited about it." Neville said and his cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink. His recent girlfriend, Hannah Abbot, had just recently asked Neville to move in with her and he had accepted gladly. The two were an odd couple yet surprisingly perfect for one another. Neville had been working at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for a few weeks already, helping Ginny prepare for the onslaught that was sure to occur when August came around.

"Well, you can go get to work and I'm going to head out to lunch, alright?" Ginny asked and Neville nodded vigorously.

"Don't forget to tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione about it incase I don't see them today!" Neville called after her as she exited the shop.

"Hello, love."

Ginny screamed when she heard the voice speak so close to her ear as she left the shop. She turned quickly, almost loosing her footing, to see Harry laughing at her and taking off the Invisibility Cloak.

"That was not funny, Harry! You don't use that stupid thing to scare people like that especially not your girlfriend!" Ginny scolded in a very Hermione-ish way and gave him a punch in the shoulder.

"Ouch! Sorry, but it was pretty funny." He said with a broad grin that she couldn't help but return.

"What are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be at work?" She asked as he took her hand in his own and the two began walking down the street.

"I took an early lunch break. Besides, all I'm doing today is reviewing what I've learned over the last few years. It's all quite easy." Harry told her and they turned into the Leaky Cauldron.

"But Ron and Hermione have been complaining about how hard it is for days!" Ginny said as the two took a seat at a table towards the back.

"Yeah, I know, but they're just taking it too seriously. Actually, let me rephrase that, Hermione is taking it way too seriously and therefore she has convinced Ron that he should too." Harry said and Ginny giggled.

"I honestly think Ron would wear a dress everyday if Hermione told him it was the right thing to do and that she would like it." She said and it was Harry's turn to giggle.

"He's a man in love! We all do crazy things." He said and leaned forward to give Ginny a kiss. She smiled at him as he moved back into his seat and briefly left to go grab two butterbeers and two soups.

"Thank you." She said as he placed the soup and butterbeer in front of her.

"You're welcome. So did anything exciting happen at the store today?" He asked as he began to sip his soup. Ginny paused for a moment before deciding on how to answer him.

"Yes, actually, Flourish and Blotts wants you, Ron, and Hermione to do a book signing next week when Hermione's book goes on sale." She said casually.

"Really? That's… odd. It'll be a good opportunity for Hermione though. She'll get to show everybody that she's not some 'heartless and overbearing author who-'"

"Who the hell said that?" Ginny demanded outraged by this comment.

"Rita Skeeter. She had a column in the Prophet today trying to discredit Hermione's book and advertise her own." He told her.

"She's writing a book about the war too?" Ginny asked cringing at the thought.

"Oh no. She's writing a book about me. It's something insane like 'The Madness, Malice, and Murky-ness of Harry Potter'." He said and Ginny laughed at him.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, you are quite the murky one." She joked.

"I try my hardest to live up to her expectations." Harry said and the two of them laughed for a while. Ginny proceeded to hand Harry the letter from the Flourish and Blotts owner and tell him all about Neville's internship with Professor Sprout.

"You know, I was thinking about where I want to live-" Harry started suddenly.

"You've already got a flat." Ginny reminded him.

"Yes, I know that. I'm just saying, I was thinking about where I want to live after I leave the flat. Not that I'm planning on leaving anytime soon!" He said catching her confused gaze. "But I do have to leave eventually. We can't live there all of our lives." He finished.

"That's true. So where would you want to live?"

"I was thinking somewhere along the sea, some place like Shell Cottage, where you can hear the ocean all day and smell the sea breeze." He confessed.

"I know what you mean. Whenever I leave I want to live somewhere near the sea as well. I don't want to live in a house like the Burrow either. I want a big house with plenty of room and no chickens." Ginny explained and Harry seemed to be paying very close attention to her answer.

"But do you want a big family like you had?" He asked and he seemed to be forcing the casualness into his voice as he stared down at his almost empty bowl of soup.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I'd be able to pop them out as much as Mum did but I do want a big family. I think four kids would be nice." She explained noting his attentiveness.

"I totally agree. A bigger family would be nice. I know I would want to have one since I never got to grow up with any brothers and sisters… just a Dudley." Harry said laughing louder than he usually would.

"Yes but I think Dudley counts as at least three people." Ginny said and he let out another unnaturally loud laugh.

"That's true…. True…" He said and went back to staring at his soup bowl.

"Harry, is there something wrong?" Ginny asked him after a long moment of silence.

"No! Nothing's wrong! Listen, I have to go but I'll see you back at the house. I love you." He said hurriedly and placing some gold on the table, gave her a kiss and left the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny stared after him for a moment longer before shrugging and returning to the shop. The rest of the day went by without much excitement and Ginny couldn't stop thinking about Harry's odd behavior at lunch. She was just beginning to fantasize the home Harry and she would live in with their four children when Harry entered the shop at around 6.

"Good evening sir, what can I do for you?" She asked but then noticed that Ron had entered behind Harry and all thoughts of a romantic interlude were dashed from her mind.

"We're just passing through today, ma'am but look what we've got here!" Harry replied and kissing her as he held up a lumpy package in his hands.

"What's that supposed to be?" Ginny asked.

"It's Hermione's book. Dean just gave us the finished copy, complete with his illustrations. Hermione's going to love it!" Ron said with a large grin.

"Don't tell we have it though, Gin. We want to surprise her." Harry said and Ginny nodded.

"You're secret's safe with me. You'd better hurry up and get upstairs though before she gets here!" She reminded them and they nodded before heading up the staircase. A gawky teenage boy came up to the register and handed Ginny a box of puking pastilles for her to ring up. As she began to do so, however, Hermione entered the shop.

"Hey Ginny!" Hermione called from the doorway, making her way towards the register.

"Hey Hermione! Harry and Ron are already upstairs and I think they have a surprise for you." Ginny said and gave Hermione a wink. Hermione looked confused for a moment but then smiled and rushed up the stairs where the boys had been moments before. The gawky boy ended up being the last customer of the evening and around seven o'clock Harry came back down the stairs.

"I thought I'd help you close the shop." He told her and she smiled up at him.

"That's very considerate of you. But I could have sworn that the only time you ever helped me close the shop was when Ron and Hermione started fighting." Ginny said slyly as she moved towards the front door and tapping it with her wand, locked it.

"Well they aren't fighting now." Harry told her but just as he spoke they could hear raised voices coming from upstairs. Ginny turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow accusingly. "Well they weren't fighting when I left them." He said defensively and she laughed. The two proceeded to cast the usual defensive charms around the store. The yelling from upstairs had reached its peak now and Harry and Ginny were trying their hardest not to listen in.

"We should probably head up there soon. They've just hit they're peak and Hermione should walk out on him soon." Harry predicted. He had put up with nine years of their fighting and had become quite good at predicting the outcomes. Ginny nodded but before they went up the stairs she turned to look at the poster of Fred on the wall. He had just re-entered the portrait and looked at Harry and Ginny with a large smile.

"I was hoping I would catch you two before you went up! I was just stopping in to say goodnight. That and George wants you to know that he'll be stopping by the book signing next week with Lee." Fred's portrait told them.

"How does George know about the signing already?" Ginny asked.

"I wrote to him and invited him to come down." Harry explained and Ginny nodded.

"Well, goodnight Fred. Ron and Hermione are finishing up their argument so we'd better get up there to console them." Ginny said and Fred laughed.

"Oh, the loving couple." He swooned. "Goodnight Harry." He added and Harry said goodnight back before the two of them headed upstairs and Fred left his portrait and headed towards his painting in Hogsmeade.

When Harry and Ginny reached the top landing they could hear the end of the fight drawing near.

"It's not my fault you have to be in control of everything!" Ron was shouting. "That's just you being bossy and a control freak!" Harry was shaking his head at Ron's stupidity. How could he not realize that insulting Hermione never ended well for him?

"You're right, Ronald, because nothing is ever your fault!" Hermione screeched and Ginny heaved a sigh. She had heard that line too many times to count. "You're simply perfect but not as good as Harry of course! He's the greatest man alive! That's why I'm more in love with him than I ever was with you!" At this line Harry and Ginny stared at each other and then back at the closed door.

"It's a shame he has a girlfriend though, so I think I'll go write to Victor instead and ask him to come to the book signing. Oh! And since Ginny will be staying with Dean and Luna that night perhaps Victor can stay the night here with us! And he can sleep in her bed… you know, the one in my room. That sounds like a marvelous idea I think I'll go start that letter! Goodnight Ronald." She shouted and Harry heard her stomping out of the room. He raised his eyebrows at Ginny and she nodded. He tapped the doorknob with his wand and whispered the password. When the pair entered the apartment they found Ron standing in the middle of the living room looking utterly bewildered.

"I'll take him, you take her." Harry muttered and Ginny nodded. She said goodnight to the two boys and walked into her and Hermione's bedroom. She opened the door quietly and shut it without making a sound. Hermione's back was to her as she sat on her bed but Ginny could tell that she was crying.

"Hermione…" Ginny started moving towards her but Hermione suddenly straightened up and brushed away the tears from her face.

"I'm fine." She said in an unnaturally high voice.

"Hermione, we heard you and Ron fighting. Please don't pay any attention to him! He's a complete git!" Ginny said sitting down next to her on the bed and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, I know but that doesn't give him any excuse to call me names like that!" She said fiercely.

"Of course it doesn't." Ginny agreed.

"But he sits there and accuses me of being in love with Harry! And I know that he's just jealous of Harry but why does he have to take it out on me? He should know that I love him by now! He won't tell me that he loves me though, oh no, because that would make too much sense! He's completely oblivious to everything!" Hermione ranted, jumping up and beginning to pace around the room.

"You're telling this to the girl who has lived with him for eighteen years."

"Did you know that I've been dreaming about him going the next step for almost a month now?" Hermione demanded, flinging her arms out.

"Um… I don't think I'm the right person to talk about those kinds of things with, Hermione. He is my brother after all." Ginny reminded cringing a little at the very thought of her brother going "the next step".

"Oh God! Not that next step! We've been dating for two years Ginny; we've passed that one already. I meant that I've been having dreams of him asking me to marry him!" She exclaimed finally collapsing back onto the bed.

"Really? That's so wonderful!" Ginny said trying to ignore the fact that Hermione and Ron had gone that next step already but the look in Hermione's eyes said differently.

"How is he ever going to propose when he can't even say that he loves me?" Hermione asked and another tear ran down her cheek.

"Hermione, don't cry… it's not worth it. We all know Ron loves you. He's just… dumb and that's all there is to it. Someday he'll figure out that he can't keep those feelings inside anymore and he'll let you know when he's ready." Ginny said and secretly took pride in herself for giving such good advice.

"Those blokes… they don't know what they're doing half of the time! Today at lunch Harry started asking about how many kids I wanted and where I wanted to live and he is still completely unaware that I want to have kids with him and live in a house by the sea with him. Ron and Harry were cut from the same cloth. They're oblivious, helpless, handsome, and worst of all… men."

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