I'm not brilliant. Therefore, I'm not JK Rowling, and I don't own her work.
Times were hard when he left a little over a year ago. The mood of witches and wizards from different families was of despair and loss of loved ones after he was defeated. Mother's wept over their children's bodies. Husbands mourned over the death of their better halves. Kids. Kids tried to think of what their lives would be like after their parent's have been tortured and killed. The atmosphere was terrible, if not worse than months before final battle in the war occurred.
And he left, trying to recollect his thoughts. Trying to get over the images that flash in his mind every time he blinks. His nightmares never fully going away. The atmosphere hasn't changed much since he left. He took a deep breath and pushed open the doors of the Leaky Cauldron, the bell above the door tinkling as he walked through.
The pub was dimly lit, the fire slowly dying away. A wizard sat in the very back at a small table, not bothering to look up as he continued to read the most recent Daily Prophet. He walked over to the empty bar and took a seat, dropping his trunk down on the stone floor.
He waited patiently for Tom, the innkeeper, and idly played with a piece of string hanging off the sleeve of his deep blue sweater. Several minutes have passed by and still no sign of Tom. He leaned over the bar, looking at all the bottles of firewhiskey, butterbeer, and wine, curious if maybe Tom was out.
"You haf'ta ring the bell."
Startled, he turned and looked back at the wizard, who was still transfixed on the news. "Pardon?"
The man pointed at the wall next to the bar. There, underneath a picture of Daisy Dodderidge, was small, circular black button. He stood up and walked over to the button, pressing it. He was expecting to hear a loud bell, but instead it was complete silence. Wondering if he pressed it hard enough, he pushed it again. Just then, a loud bang came from stairs, a girls voice calling down. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
He could hear footsteps hurrying down the stairs, and then suddenly the girl's voice spoke so quietly he thought he might need an Expandable Ear.
"Harry? Harry Potter?"
He turned from looking at the picture of Daisy, and looked at the girl who spoke. Her long blonde hair was in disarray and her cheeks flushed as she finished trying her pale pink robe closed. "H-Hannah? Wha-what are you doing here?" He asked, a little shocked.
"Um, I… well, I run it now." She stated as she tried to flatten her hair. She quickly walked over to him, giving him a quick hug. "I thought you were in Australia training."
"Well, I was," Harry broke their eye contact and followed Hannah as she walked around behind the bar. He took his seat once more and focused on a cigarette burn in the wood. "Hermione and Ginny finished their seventh year at Hogwarts."
"Oh, that's right. The party at The Burrow," Hannah nodded. "I should have guessed." She bent down behind the bar and came back up with an overstuffed book. She opened it towards the end, muttering to herself. "I really need to get a new one. Tom's never thought of investing in one…"
"So where is Tom, exactly?" Harry asked, looking up. He watched as she began to fill out the guest book, writing down his name.
"He's retired. Moved in with his son. I'm… sorry, Harry, but you'll need a single, right?"
"A.. a single?"
"A room. That's why you're here, right?"
"Oh, yeah."
"How long?"
"A week, at least."
"Okay," Hannah closed the book and walked over to a box hanging on the side. She ran a finger over a small lock and Harry heard it click. When it opened, she pulled out a key with the number three on it. "Room three, Harry," she offered him the key. "How… how have you been?"
"Okay," Harry nodded and accepted the key as he stepped off the bar stool. "Been better. Will you be there this weekend?"
She nodded, her cheeks going slightly pink. "Neville's invited me."
"How is he?"
He could tell by the smile that suddenly appeared on her face that she was holding something back when she said, "Good."
She walked around the bar and pulled out her wand, pointing it at Harry's trunk. "Wingardium Leviosa!" With a swish and a flick, his trunk raised to the height of her wand, and Harry followed her up the stairs. Hannah stopped in front of a large, wooden door and held out her hand.
Harry looked at her for a minute, wondering if what she wanted was a tip, but suddenly realized she was staring at the key in his hand. He handed it to her and she accepted it, placing it into the old fashioned doorknob.
With a click, the door opened wide to a large room, with pale blue walls and a double sized bed in the middle. There was, he noticed, a chestnut bureau next to another door on the right, and a writing desk just underneath a window.
"I'm slowly trying to revamp all the rooms," Hannah spoke softly waved Harry's trunk to rest on the floor at the foot of his bed. "Tom wasn't much on making people feel at - home."
"It's nice," Harry announced. "I've only stayed in room eleven. It was nothing quite like this."
"Well, the higher numbers are more for guests who are staying over for just a night. You said at least, so I figured I give you one with it's own loo."
Harry just simply nodded and unbuttoned his cloak, throwing it over the back of the chair at the writing desk. "Thanks, Hannah. I'm sorry for waking you."
"It-It's oo-ooka-y." Hannah smiled as she stifled a yawn. "I'll you see you tomorrow morning, Harry. Goodnight."
Harry wished her goodnight, closing the door after she turned and left. Locking it, he turned and leaned against the door and sighed. "Training…" he shook his head. He didn't leave for Australia for training. That's was just the story.
Pushing himself up off the door, he walked over to his trunk, waving his wand as it suddenly popped open. He knelt down and rummaged through it, pulling out a pair of sweatpants. He undressed himself and pulled them on, feeling slightly more comfortable than he was before. Still awake, he sat himself by the window and looked outside, his eyes fixed and bright, fully moon. An unsettling feeling formed at the pit of his stomach as he watched a dark cloud slowly pass by it. He tried to clear his mind, but his thoughts kept focusing on a child that would be over a year old at this time. He was one reason why he's come back.
Harry's childhood was well known to be very unpleasant, and even though he knows the child is in well care of Andromeda, Ted Lupin was after all his godson. He wasn't going to let his ghostly past get in the way of that. He grew up with barely knowing Sirius before he died when he was fifteen. He didn't want Teddy to go without him.
He flicked his wand and suddenly a parchment, quill, and ink bottle came soaring from his trunk and landed on the desk. He uncapped the ink bottle, dipping the tip of his quill in the black substance. His quill hovered over the blank piece of parchment for a moment, before he finally decided to just write what was on his mind after a droplet of ink fell on to it with a messy blotch.
Dear Andromeda,
How are you? I hope you and Teddy are doing well. I'm writing you because I'm in town, and I'd like to get together with you. I'm currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the time being. If you need anything at all, let me know.
Best wishes,
Harry Potter
He folded the piece of parchment in half and wrote "Andromeda Tonks" on the front. He capped his ink bottle back up, and placed everything off to the side. He'd have to mail off the letter tomorrow morning at the post office. Knowing it was going to useless just sitting there in the moonlight, Harry stood up and walked over to his bed, pulled back the covers, and got in.
He took off his glasses, placing them on the nightstand, and gazed at the ceiling. Teddy wasn't the only reason he returned. He's spent countless of letters writing to his best mates, getting updates from Hermione about Hogwarts and her last year and Ron giving him updates on how things are with the family and the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Then there was Ginny, just writing because she wanted to talk to him. To see how he was doing. To make sure he was okay. To say Happy Christmas, Goodnight…
It's been over a year since he's seen her. He wasn't sure if he could possibly wait until Friday to see her again.
The sun was setting slowly over the horizon, casting shades of pink and orange across the clear sky. Stars were beginning to shine, dully in the pale blue, the moon beginning to show its shadow. She didn't tear her eyes away from the dirty window, and instead kept her eyes focused on the green mountains passing by. She could hear Luna Lovegood turning the pages of The Quibler in the background quietly, not making any effort of talking. She never really did. That was one quality she loved about her. Luna knew when to talk and when not to.
Sleeping next to her, his head on her lap, was Neville Longbottom. He was snoring lightly, and if she didn't know better she thought she felt little drops of drool on her leg. As gross as it was, she wasn't going to wake him.
They graduated today. The three of them, four if you include Hermione Granger, who left the compartment to make rounds. There weren't a lot of students from Neville and Hermione's year who decided to finish school. They felt that after the war, they had all the training that they needed. Hermione was the only Gryffindor girl, and Neville and Seamus Finnigan the only two Gryffindor boys. Seamus was out making rounds well. No one from her year wanted to be Head Boy or Head Girl.
Her eyes didn't move from the window, as they continued down the railroad tracks, now moving across a bridge over a large lake, taking in what was left of the sun's glistening rays. She head the doors of the compartment slide open and a few seconds close, someone sitting across from her and someone standing behind her. She didn't look away from the window as they were beginning to pass a long wheat field. She knew who it was.
"Ginny? I expect we'll be getting there soon…" a girl's voice spoke softly.
Ginny nodded. She recognized it as Hermione.
"The train's slowing, you might want to change."
"Or perhaps wipe your leg," a males voice said in front of her, his Irish accent not as strong as it was years before. That was Seamus.
Finally, she turned away and looked down at her leg. There was drool dripping down her leg, more than before, edging towards her angle. She couldn't help but smile. "I don't want to wake him."
"He'll be alright," Hermione sighed and got to her knees, shaking the boy slightly.
Neville stirred.
"Neville? It's time to get up…"
"Mmm whasamatter?" Neville shot up suddenly, alert and aware as he looked around. There was a red blotch on his cheek that matched the red blotch that was now on Ginny's thigh.
"We're almost at King's Cross," Hermione alerted him, getting up from her knees and now sitting next to Neville's other side.
Ginny grabbed the edge of her sleeve and rubbed furiously at her leg, cleaning up the Neville saliva that trickled down.
"Oh," Neville nodded sleepily, and looked around. His eyes stopped at Ginny's leg and he suddenly wiped his mouth, his cheeks crimson. "Sorry, Ginny…"
"That's okay," Ginny smiled up at him. "No harm done." She got up from her seat and asked Seamus to help her bring down her trunk from the luggage rack. He happily obliged and once it was now on the floor, she kicked Seamus and Neville out before popping it open and rummaging in her trunk for clothes.
She quickly changed out of her Hogwarts uniform and pulled on a pair of black capri pants and a yellow tank top. She pulled out a black hooded jacket incase it was cold, and slammed her trunk shut before opening up the compartment door and announcing that Neville and Seamus could come back in.
Luna put her magazine away and tucked her wand behind her ear. Hermione was now standing, her arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the compartment door. Neville and Seamus brought down the rest of the trunks and sat down, waiting.
Ginny put her foot on her trunk and leaned against her knee, her eyes focused once more outside the window. The sun was nearly gone by the time they pulled up into the station, the skyline out of sight. Outside the compartment door, she could hear students outside the hall all clambering out of the doors, anxious to see their families and to be home.
Ginny wanted nothing more than to be off the train and to see the person whom she loves. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen. Not tonight. Once the crowded halls lightened, Ginny turned from the dark window and looked at everyone in the compartment. "Hard to believe, isn't it? That it's over?"
"I think," Luna spoke softly. "That it's been over for over a year." Her voice was soft, and dreamy just as it always was. She met Ginny's eyes for a split second before she got up. "But, things wont change as long as we stay friends."
Ginny just smiled at her and nodded, getting up at the same time as Neville and Seamus. Hermione slid open the compartment door, and everyone grabbed hold of their trunks, each filing out. Hermione, Neville, and Ginny walked through the barrier after Seamus and Luna, only to stand by the entrance and exchange hugs with everyone before the five of them made their way towards the exit of King's Cross, where families were waiting.
Ginny caught site of several redheads, taking note that not just her parents were there, but all her brother's as well. Neville's grandmother was not to far from them, talking adamantly to Luna's father. From the looks of it, his grandmother was getting quite angry. Then she stopped in her tracks, and pulled on Seamus arm. He stopped walking and turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Where's your mum?"
Seamus eyes darkened. "At home, I guess."
"Everything okay?"
"Excellent," Seamus said sarcastically. "Great. I'll see you around." Crack.
Just like that, he was gone.
"He just… left?"
Ginny looked up, her eyes looking into a pool of warm blue eyes. "George." Ginny walked up to him and immediately wrapped her arms around him. After a few minutes she stepped back to take a good look at him, ignoring the fact that his right ear is missing. She took note on the weight he's lost, and his skin paler than it was. She spoke the words she didn't want to say without thinking. "How are you doing?"
"Gin, please," George's eyes grew dark and he broke eye contact with her, looking down at the ground. "He was your brother too. How are you doing?"
Ginny looked at him for a minute, then smirked.
"Ginny! Are you coming or what?"
Ginny peered around George to see that Neville and Luna had left with their family already, and that her's and Hermione's parents were waiting patiently. She nodded at them and then nudged George as she began to walk towards them. "How's the store?"
"It's running good," George nodded. "Ron's really helped out."
"Think you'll need another helper?" She asked, almost hopeful.
"Well, I think I'll need an extra hand since Ron's probably leaving…"
"Wait-what?" Ginny stopped walking, wanting an answer but they were already with her family, and she could feel the warm hugs from both her parents and brothers.
George put his fingers to his lips, indicating she should say anything, and walked out the door. The rest of them followed and they each climbed into a cab. Ginny found herself in one with Ron and Hermione, not too thrilled to spend the ride home with them snogging.
But they were and when she's yelled at them several times to stop, she gave up and out of the window again and up in the sky, where the stars were starting to shine brightly. She spotted Sirius right away and wondered if at this moment, he was starring at it too.
Then she looked away and cursed herself before turning to curse at Ron and Hermione once more. She will not let him cross her mind. Not tonight.
It wasn't long before Ginny was comforted by the surroundings of her home, her brother's playing a game of Exploding Snap, Hermione curled in an oversized arm chair reading a book in front of the fire while Crookshanks was curled in her lap, purring. Her parents were in the kitchen talking with Hermione's parents, and from what she could hear, her dad was pestering them profoundly about stoves.
She stayed there in the family room, watching everyone. Charlie, Billy and Percy were there for the week, as well as Hermione and her parents. The family seemed almost complete… except for him. He was absent. She had wrote him the day school ended, inviting him to stay. She assumed he would have gotten the answer by now.
But his lost laugh amongst the boys stood out, and she couldn't help but think about him the rest of the night.
Ahhh this is my first attempt at a not so fluffy story. As you can see, this chapter is longer than I normally go for, annnd I kind of like it. I hope you guys do, too, and please review so I know if I should continue. I'm trying very hard to stick to what JK Rowling has stated happened to the charaters later on. Such as how Hermione was the only one out of the trio who finished her seventh year... and how Ron helped George keep up with the shop before he quit.
So what George is talking about should be no surprise to what people have learned. I will say, though, if there are some mistakes and some things I've missed, I wont change to follow JK's story. One, because I'm not writing to follow exactly what she's said, and two I'm sure I've missed some things. But as I said, I'm trying very hard to keep up with it. So if you know anything that I might not know, let me know.
Adios,
Tricia