Title: Birthday Wishes
Author: Corking Mad
Summary: I've decided to revitalize this fic, in honor of Harry's Sweet Sixteen and the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I've edited and revised, so all is well again! Enjoy.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not much is mine. I've stolen several things from several people actually, namely JKR. I've also stolen one of Harry's gifts, but I don't remember where I read it first, so I give credit to everyone who has this in their story. I'm not stealing it (HA!), just borrowing for my story, that's all. The one thing that I DO own is Ginny's talent, as you soon shall discover.
Setting: Summer after OotP, a real birthday at the Burrow.
CHAPTER ONE: TRAIN RIDE
Ron sighed as he looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, gazing at the fast moving scenery. He then quickly began searching for something in his knapsack. Right when he appeared to have found whatever it was that he was looking for, Ginny entered the compartment which Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sharing in companionable silence.
"Er," Ginny began, not wanting to interrupt the thoughtful, almost sorrowful, silence the three friends were sharing, "Ron, I just came to see if you wanted to turn in your certificate for tomorrow. Besides the twins, Percy is also turning in his, and Bill and Charlie are coming for a few days, so I wanted to see if you were going to use yours now, or later. Mind you, now is fine, you'll just have to be out of your room earlier than usual because I'll have more people this time."
All of this was said extremely fast, and it certainly sparked the interest of Harry and Hermione, as they had no idea what certificate Ginny was talking about.
Harry leaned forward in his seat and said, "What certificate, Ginny?"
Ginny smiled shyly, and replied, "It's, well, it's hard for me to explain, actually. It doesn't embarrass me, but it does make me feel a little silly sometimes, so if you want to know, have one of my brot - "
Ron suddenly exclaimed, "Whew! Thought I'd lost that little bugger for a minute there!"
Ginny continued, "If you'd like to know, kindly ask one of my insufferable brothers, who will gladly explain one of our Weasly traditions. Ron, you can give that to me when we get home, alright?"
"Right-o," replied Ron, as Ginny left. "So, Harry, would you like to know what all this certificate business is about?"
Both Harry and Hermione replied, "Of course!"
"Well, here goes," began Ron. "Ginny, well, she just knows. She knows - do you understand what I'm trying to say? Anyway, all this started when Percy was nervous about being a prefect. So, Ginny made his bed and wrote him a letter. The whole thing just kind of grew from there, really. Now, whenever she gives us a birthday or Christmas present, it's always a certificate for One Week of Bed-making and Letters. It's really special, really touching. Like I said, she just knows. She knows exactly what to say to you, knows exactly what you need to hear. And now it's a Weasly tradition, and it really brings all of us closer to her. Mum reckons it's so special because of the letters, but I think - "
"What sort of letters?" said Harry, with a somewhat confused look on his face, was feeling even more confused on the inside. What he wanted more than anything at that moment was a family to have traditions with.
"Oh, well, after Ginny makes our beds, she places a letter she wrote to us on our pillow. We get one letter for every day she makes our bed, and the first day is always a thank-you letter. The last day is always a 'Why you're special and why Ginny loves you' letter. The five letters in between are sometimes funny memories that she has of us, or something a little lighter in spirit than the other letters. It's actually a funny sight, really, to see most of us guys crying because of what our little sister wrote us, but she really does know what you need to hear," explained Ron.
Harry and Hermione nodded.
"So, as I was saying, Mum thinks its so special because of the letters, but I'm not too sure if that's the only reason its special. See, if Ginny makes you bed in the summer, it feels cooler, and in the winter, cozier. Not only does she know the inside you, but she must have some type of magic touch," Ron finished his account of what the tradition means to him.
"Oh, I almost forgot the best part. After we get our letters, Ginny's always doing something to give us time to think it over. Throughout the day, we all take turns talking to her about what she wrote, or sometimes just hugging her and a good cry. It's one of those unwritten rules - we MUST reply in some way to her letter. We usually talk to her, but I wrote her a letter once, when I didn't think I'd be able to talk. Fred and George usually sit in front of the bathroom door until she gets out of the shower, and the make a big production of fighting over who gets to talk to her first. And there have been times when we haven't had a certificate to use, but needed one of her letters. Again, she knows, and she somehow manages to sneak in and make our bed, leaving a letter, but always stealing a few day's worth of socks."
Harry smiled, and remarked, "Ron, your family will never cease to amaze me."
All three sat in thoughtful silence, again. Though this time it was not to brood on the year's untimely events, but to wonder at the beautiful tradition the Weasly family shared.
After an hour, which only felt like a few moments, the three friends felt the train come to a stop.
After they gathered their belongings, and made their way out of the platform into King's Cross Station, the turned to one another to say their good-byes.
Hermione, of course, hugged and kissed Harry. Ron also hugged him, as odd as it was, but said to him with a note of sadness in his voice, " Harry, Dumbledore won't let you come to stay the entire summer, but I promise you that you'll have a proper birthday this summer, at the Burrow. I promise." Ron let go, and as Harry began walking towards his aunt and uncle, Ron turned to Hermione. Harry turned around to see his friends embrace, holding on as if either one let go, all would be lost.
Harry smirked to himself, thinking, "While this summer may be a hard one, it will definitely have some interesting developments, that's for sure. And, I've got something to look forward too - a real birthday."
He turned, and walked away.
Author: Corking Mad
Summary: I've decided to revitalize this fic, in honor of Harry's Sweet Sixteen and the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I've edited and revised, so all is well again! Enjoy.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not much is mine. I've stolen several things from several people actually, namely JKR. I've also stolen one of Harry's gifts, but I don't remember where I read it first, so I give credit to everyone who has this in their story. I'm not stealing it (HA!), just borrowing for my story, that's all. The one thing that I DO own is Ginny's talent, as you soon shall discover.
Setting: Summer after OotP, a real birthday at the Burrow.
CHAPTER ONE: TRAIN RIDE
Ron sighed as he looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, gazing at the fast moving scenery. He then quickly began searching for something in his knapsack. Right when he appeared to have found whatever it was that he was looking for, Ginny entered the compartment which Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sharing in companionable silence.
"Er," Ginny began, not wanting to interrupt the thoughtful, almost sorrowful, silence the three friends were sharing, "Ron, I just came to see if you wanted to turn in your certificate for tomorrow. Besides the twins, Percy is also turning in his, and Bill and Charlie are coming for a few days, so I wanted to see if you were going to use yours now, or later. Mind you, now is fine, you'll just have to be out of your room earlier than usual because I'll have more people this time."
All of this was said extremely fast, and it certainly sparked the interest of Harry and Hermione, as they had no idea what certificate Ginny was talking about.
Harry leaned forward in his seat and said, "What certificate, Ginny?"
Ginny smiled shyly, and replied, "It's, well, it's hard for me to explain, actually. It doesn't embarrass me, but it does make me feel a little silly sometimes, so if you want to know, have one of my brot - "
Ron suddenly exclaimed, "Whew! Thought I'd lost that little bugger for a minute there!"
Ginny continued, "If you'd like to know, kindly ask one of my insufferable brothers, who will gladly explain one of our Weasly traditions. Ron, you can give that to me when we get home, alright?"
"Right-o," replied Ron, as Ginny left. "So, Harry, would you like to know what all this certificate business is about?"
Both Harry and Hermione replied, "Of course!"
"Well, here goes," began Ron. "Ginny, well, she just knows. She knows - do you understand what I'm trying to say? Anyway, all this started when Percy was nervous about being a prefect. So, Ginny made his bed and wrote him a letter. The whole thing just kind of grew from there, really. Now, whenever she gives us a birthday or Christmas present, it's always a certificate for One Week of Bed-making and Letters. It's really special, really touching. Like I said, she just knows. She knows exactly what to say to you, knows exactly what you need to hear. And now it's a Weasly tradition, and it really brings all of us closer to her. Mum reckons it's so special because of the letters, but I think - "
"What sort of letters?" said Harry, with a somewhat confused look on his face, was feeling even more confused on the inside. What he wanted more than anything at that moment was a family to have traditions with.
"Oh, well, after Ginny makes our beds, she places a letter she wrote to us on our pillow. We get one letter for every day she makes our bed, and the first day is always a thank-you letter. The last day is always a 'Why you're special and why Ginny loves you' letter. The five letters in between are sometimes funny memories that she has of us, or something a little lighter in spirit than the other letters. It's actually a funny sight, really, to see most of us guys crying because of what our little sister wrote us, but she really does know what you need to hear," explained Ron.
Harry and Hermione nodded.
"So, as I was saying, Mum thinks its so special because of the letters, but I'm not too sure if that's the only reason its special. See, if Ginny makes you bed in the summer, it feels cooler, and in the winter, cozier. Not only does she know the inside you, but she must have some type of magic touch," Ron finished his account of what the tradition means to him.
"Oh, I almost forgot the best part. After we get our letters, Ginny's always doing something to give us time to think it over. Throughout the day, we all take turns talking to her about what she wrote, or sometimes just hugging her and a good cry. It's one of those unwritten rules - we MUST reply in some way to her letter. We usually talk to her, but I wrote her a letter once, when I didn't think I'd be able to talk. Fred and George usually sit in front of the bathroom door until she gets out of the shower, and the make a big production of fighting over who gets to talk to her first. And there have been times when we haven't had a certificate to use, but needed one of her letters. Again, she knows, and she somehow manages to sneak in and make our bed, leaving a letter, but always stealing a few day's worth of socks."
Harry smiled, and remarked, "Ron, your family will never cease to amaze me."
All three sat in thoughtful silence, again. Though this time it was not to brood on the year's untimely events, but to wonder at the beautiful tradition the Weasly family shared.
After an hour, which only felt like a few moments, the three friends felt the train come to a stop.
After they gathered their belongings, and made their way out of the platform into King's Cross Station, the turned to one another to say their good-byes.
Hermione, of course, hugged and kissed Harry. Ron also hugged him, as odd as it was, but said to him with a note of sadness in his voice, " Harry, Dumbledore won't let you come to stay the entire summer, but I promise you that you'll have a proper birthday this summer, at the Burrow. I promise." Ron let go, and as Harry began walking towards his aunt and uncle, Ron turned to Hermione. Harry turned around to see his friends embrace, holding on as if either one let go, all would be lost.
Harry smirked to himself, thinking, "While this summer may be a hard one, it will definitely have some interesting developments, that's for sure. And, I've got something to look forward too - a real birthday."
He turned, and walked away.