reA.N: Yah yah JK Rowling own's HP, we all know that by now, she's a
talented author, all props to her. Ok so yah, but this story is mine. Enjoy
and review it if you like, or if you hate it.
Harry Potter was a changed man since the defeat of the long time villain Lord Voldemort. Everyone who was close to him saw the change sweep over him; some saw it better then others. It had been five long years since Harry Potter, the boy who lived, had become a murderer. Every single person who belonged to the wizarding world praised him for what he had done though; he had killed Voldemort in his 17th year. The poor boy was aged well beyond his years him being only 23 but looking well into his thirties. The years that had been added onto his short life gave him a distinguishable face that many girls were still swooning over. Always being rather on the thin side, Harry Potter had finally grown into his body now reaching just above 6 feet in height and having an athletic build from all his years of playing quidditch. Only weeks after having graduated from Hogwarts Harry had been recruited by hordes of Europe's finest teams. He had accepted the Chudley Cannons offer to become their seeker; the Cannons hadn't lost a game since.
The new and more depressed Harry entered a very downtrodden pub, The Leaky Cauldron. It may have looked dingy in appearance but every witch and wizard who resided in Britain knew of its fame, and had probably stopped in once or twice for a butterbeer or a shot of fire whiskey. Slumping into the nearest unoccupied stool, Harry put his elbows on the counter and his face into his hands, sighing in a moody sort of way.
"Tom I'll have ale please," Harry said to the waiting bartender. Tom gave him a toothy grin then ducked behind the counter. A minute later a tall glass of ale was sitting in front of Harry who eyed it wearily. After another heavy sigh Harry pulled the glass to his lips and took a long drink. After a few more sips, the glass was empty.
"What do I owe you Tom?" asked a weary Harry. He shuffled a bit to retrieve a dark leather pouch from inside the folds of his robes.
"Ah Mr. Potter, this ones on the house," said Tom with another toothy grin. Returning the grin with a half-smile that more resembled a grimace, Harry got up from the stool and exited the pub.
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Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks in the alley behind The Leaky Cauldron; if a muggle had been around they would have passed out for the wall, or rather where it had been, had been transformed into an enormous doorway, which Harry quickly entered. The street that Harry was now on was one of the most amazing and well-hidden secrets of the wizarding world, Diagon Alley. Hands in pocket and face down Harry walked slowly through the busy world that lay before him. He was stopped a few times by young boys asking for his autograph (him being a world famous seeker and murderer of course) he grinned sheepishly at the thought of anyone wanting his autograph. As he was walking along the road, heading towards his flat, Harry bumped into someone he hadn't seen in almost 3 years, Ron Weasley.
"Oh pardon m- RON?!" Harry said bewildered, his face brightening slightly.
"Harry! Good God mate I haven't seen you in ages! How ya been?" Ron said in an animated voice.
"Oh, not to bad, you know working a lot, if you could call it that." Harry fumbled over the words as if he didn't know what to say to his long time no see best friend. Ron didn't buy it.
"Mum was just talking about you the other day, mental she is. She kept blabbing on and on about her missing son and all." Ron blushed as he recounted the rest of his mothers' quite gushy spews about missing Harry. Harry nodded politely in the right places, but his attention was waning. His eye caught a glint of something gold on Ron's left hand ring finger. Harry grinned and interrupted Ron who had been gushing for nearly a quarter of an hour.
"So when did you and Hermione finally get hitched?" a mischievous grin spread onto Harry's worn face.
"Wha? Oh. why do you assume it's Hermione I married?" Ron asked, a furious blush overpowering the freckles that still spotted his face.
"Oh c'mon now Ron, one Hermione hinted it MANY times in her letters, and two, I always knew it'd happen." The grin on Harry's face was genuine and quite mad looking now.
"Oh, well we actually," gulp," eloped." Ron said while blushing, if possible, even more furiously.
"I was wondering why I didn't get an invite," Harry muttered in mock disappointment.
"Now Harry." Ron began, but Harry chided in.
"I was only fooling Ron, I wouldn't expect one, not after how I've avoided everyone for three years." The smirk was wiped off Harry's face which quickly became clouded with anger and remorse.
"Harry mate, we all miss you, but no one hates you for staying away. We would of invited you if it were going to be anything worth seeing." Ron went on trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Yah, well Ron I really have to be going. quidditch practice you know." Harry tried to slip away then, but alas, it was to no avail.
"Oh, alright Harry, say why don't you stop by the Burrow this Friday, I'll have mum cook you up something special and we'll make a right party of it eh? Just like old times?" Harry would have protested if it weren't for the look Ron gave him, which clearly stated there was no getting out of this one.
"Alright Ron, you've got me cornered," sighed Harry.
"Great, come around 6, I'll tell mum and everyone. See you Harry!" Ron called as he headed down the street.
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Shaking his head, Harry opened the door to his humble one bedroom flat that was located towards the middle of Diagon Alley. Slumping down onto his well-worn couch (not that he couldn't afford a new one) Harry placed his head in his hands with a sigh. He was thinking over possible excuses of how to get out of the dinner party with the Weasley's, but nothing came to mind that would work. Sighing once again, the weary man laid down on the couch and let his mind wander to the past.
*Her eyes were so beautiful in the moonlight, so beautiful. They were
such a magnificent blue that it was hard to look away from them. The young man of 17 sighed as he walked with a beautiful red headed girl; hand in hand they made their way around a very familiar lake.
"Gin." whispered a raven haired boy.
"Shh. don't spoil the moment Harry," the pale beautiful girl said as she touched her fingers to his lips.
The boy swept the girl into his arms and the two were lost in a passionate kiss. After a moment of heated kissing, Harry took Ginny's hand and looked around frantically, the two could be seen running into the very beginnings of the forest.
"Harry. what. are. you. doing.?" Asked an out of breath Ginny.
"Shh. Gin, don't spoil the moment." Said Harry.
"Wha?" Ginny started, but Harry's mouth was already over her own. The young lovers got swept up into the night, and soon they were lying next to each other, bodies spent, their breath ragged.*
Harry played that moment over and over many times in his mind. In his sleep, he smiled as he thought about the way her mouth had curled into a smile afterwards, and how her damp body had felt against his.
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Before he knew it, Friday had rapidly approached, and the clock must have been playing tricks on him, for it already said 5:58. No backing out now thought Harry to himself. Without a second thought to what he was wearing, or his blasted hair, Harry apparated into the sitting room of the Weasley's tipsy house, the Burrow. At once, the aged Mrs. Weasley swept Harry into a tight embrace. Harry nervously patted her back, he hadn't seen her in more then 3 years. Mrs. Weasley looked much the same except for the gray hair that crept into the bright red that the Weasley's were so famous for.
"Oh Harry, we've missed you so," the old woman said with a pained look in her eyes.
"Yah, erm, I've missed you guys too," Harry was only half lying when he said this. He did miss his favorite family of wizards, but depression and work kept him too busy to care much about his social life.
Before either of them could get out another word, the women that had been haunting Harry's dreams came bounding down the stairs. Harry gasped softly at a face that had grown, if possible, more beautiful over the years. A slight blush crept into Ginny Weasley's face as she saw Harry stare at her the way he had not so many years ago.
"Harry, oh how good to see you," stiffness was in the voice that greeted him. With the same forced politeness, Harry greeted his once true love back.
"Ginny, you haven't changed a bit." Her eyebrows raised as he said this.
"I'd like to think I've grown up a bit since then," she said, challenging him. Harry didn't say anything knowing how bad of a temper she could have. Instead, he gave a slight chuckle and shook his head, while Ginny all the while glared at him. Sensing the tension (as most good mothers can), Mrs. Weasley invited Harry into the kitchen for a before supper tea.
It didn't take long, only two cups of tea in fact, before the whole Weasley clan had arrived. Mr. Weasley, his bald spot becoming more noticeable, came into the kitchen wearing a worn look, but brightened up as soon as he saw Harry. Ron, Hermione, and quite to Harry's surprise, a little redheaded toddler came into the kitchen and then the chaos of hugs began. Pretty soon, Fred, George and Percy were added to the now very full kitchen, each one of them giving Harry a hearty handshake and grin. Bill and Charlie were last to arrive, and when they did, Mrs. Weasley shouted at them all to leave, for she could hardly walk, so that she could finish supper. Hermione stayed behind to help her. The older boys went outside to set up picnic tables, giving Ron and Harry some time alone to catch up a bit more.
"So Ron, erm. is she yours?" Harry chuckled nervously.
"Yah." Ron gazed at his daughter fondly.
"Congratulations, a bit late I'd say, but better late then never." Harry had no idea how to keep conversation with his best friend. They had certainly lost touch over the past few years, not that a certain red headed boy hadn't tried to remain his friend.
"Yah. we named her Lily." Harry felt his eyes sting as he heard this. His friends obviously cared for him, a lot, why had he pushed them so far away?
"Thanks," Harry managed to choke out. Ron didn't say anything; he just clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder in a boyish sort of way.
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Pretty soon, supper was ready and everyone was herded outside by an over anxious Mrs. Weasley Sr. and Jr. respectively. The two picnic tables groaned under the large amounts of food the Mrs. Weasley's had been able to conjure up. Soon, all the plates were filled, emptied, refilled, and yet again emptied. All of the adults sat back in a satisfied way, while young Lily Weasley decided to nap on her fathers lap. Not wanting to break the mood, Harry was not the one to strike up the conversation. Mrs. Weasley politely asked about work, while the boys all excitedly added they had been following the games. Ron was grinning madly because for once in his sad career as a Cannon's fan, they were actually winning. Ginny had not spoken once during the supper, but she had had her eyes on Harry the whole time. He could feel her eyes staring into him, into his very soul. Only one person knew Harry better then himself, and that person was Miss Virginia Weasley. He looked over to her and was not at all surprised at the look on her face which said "What-the-heck-do-you-think-you're-pulling-Potter?" She could see right through all the false answers Harry had been giving everyone (except about work) and it scared him.
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Around 9:30 that night Harry declared to everyone that he had to leave, he made a few loose promises to stay in better contact from here on out. If truth be told, he had missed them, all of them, even Ginny, but he didn't feel like part of the family anymore. He knew that all of them, well maybe not Ginny, would have welcomed him back with open arms, but he wasn't ready for it yet. His thoughts zoomed back to the last time he had seen Virginia Weasley as he walked into his bedroom. He slumped down on his bed as the sad memory unfolded in his mind.
*"Harry, what the hell is the matter with you?" Asked a confused Ginny.
"Gin." Harry was shaking and there was blood covering his robes. "Gin I
need to go away, I don't think we're going to work out. I'm sorry, I love
you, I'm so sorry." Harry had a look of intense pain as he said this. He
kissed the now ashen faced Ginny one last time then backed away from her.
"Dammit Harry!" Ginny called, she flung a small ring after him, but he
was already gone. The poor girl then burst into tears. *
Harry sighed as the memory repeated itself inside his head over and over until he was forced into a tormented sleep. Waking at 5:30 am in a sweat, Harry decided he had had enough sleep for one day. Getting groggily out of bed and into the shower. Turning the water on full blast he let the cold-water run down his skin, thoughts of last night on his mind. He felt bad about making promises he didn't intend to keep, but he figured the Weasley's would understand, after all, they had the last for the last 3 years. After 15 minutes or more of thinking, Harry got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed into the living room. A loud crack came out of nowhere, and suddenly Harry found himself tumbled on top of someone with strikingly red hair.
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"Ginny!" Harry gasped, "why are you here?" he inquired.
"Get the bloody hell off of me and I just might tell you Potter!" her reply was harsh.
"Oh, sorry." Harry quickly got off and extended his hand to help her up, which she rather rudely declined.
"Err Gin, why don't I go change into something more, erm, decent," a nervous chuckle escaped Harry's throat as he said this. He hadn't lost any of the feelings he once had for her, she was still the only woman he'd ever loved.
"Harry, don't give me that, I was your fiancé once, I've sure as hell seen you in far less then that." Harry was surprised at how bitter Ginny had become, but he blushed none the less as she said this to him.
"Well, erm, is there a reason you're here, or are you just anxious to see me?" A bit of a smirk came on Harry's face as he said this.
"Cut the bullshit, of course I have a reason for being here." The smirk vanished.
"Enlighten me if you would." Harry was starting to feel rather annoyed.
"Fine. I don't know what the hell you were trying to pull with all that bullshit about staying in touch, but you really need to cut it Potter. I don't give a damn if you hurt me, God knows you have already," Harry shifted uncomfortably here, "I don't want you hurting my family anymore Harry. You've already given them plenty damn 'nough to be heartbroken about, so, in other words; unless you can keep your slippery promises, don't go making them." Ginny was very riled up by the end of her obviously rehearsed speech.
"Gin. I never wanted to hurt you." Harry changed the subject a bit.
"Leave me out of this. Just swear to me you won't hurt my family again. Mum cries about you at least once a week. I hate seeing her get so emotional over a bastard like you, but then again the poor girl considers you her son." Ginny didn't take any pains to be nice.
"Gin, I'm sorry 'bout what happened between us. Can't we be friends again at least?" Harry had reached out to touch her cheek as he said this, she flinched under his touch.
"Dammit potter, just swear you'll leave my family alone and I can be on my way!" Ginny yelled.
"Fine Ginny, I won't hurt them again. I promise." Harry looked hurt as he said this.
"Good, well I better be off then," Harry's hand was still holding her cheek as she said this. Flustered and quite angry, Ginny Weasley apparated under Harry's touch causing him so drop his hand to his side. He had almost forgotten how soft her skin had felt. Almost.
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Harry immersed himself in quidditch that afternoon, trying, though not succeeding, to get a certain red head out of his mind. After having thought it out weeks in advance, Harry had decided to resign from the Cannons, it had only been 4 years since he had been put on the team, but he felt as though not even quidditch could make him feel better anymore. This thought temporarily put Ginny out of his mind. He didn't even know why he had decided to practice today; perhaps he needed a good flight to sooth his rumpled feathers. Practice was over much too soon in Harry's opinion. Almost regretting the decision he had made, Harry stuck around afterwards wanting to speak to the coach. His coach listened patiently, made two futile attempts to keep Harry there (a bigger salary raise, and then another even bigger salary raise) but Harry assured him he had enough money for two lifetimes. After seeing there was nothing he could do, Harry's coach shook his hand and told him he was always welcome back on the team, that is, unless he suddenly gained about 50 pounds. Sighing, Harry walked around that quidditch field for the last time.
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Not being able to get the meeting with Ginny out of his mind, Harry kept true to his promise and wrote to Mrs. Weasley first thing when he got home. He thanked her again for having him, and included a little note to Mr. Weasley saying he had some plugs for him. Chuckling to himself about Mr. Weasley's plug obsession, he tied the note to Hedwig who was becoming rather lazy (seeing as she hadn't had a job all summer long). The owl gave him a rather hard, the loving, nip at his finger as if to reprimand him for forgetting her. He gave her a hurt look, and as if saying "ok fine, you're forgiven" flew off, nipping his finger one more time, only a little gentler this time. He had decided not to include the part about resigning from the Cannons in his note. With a heavy sigh, Harry wondered what he would do for work. He, and most of the world, knew that he could live off his Cannons paychecks from the last 4 years for his entire life, not only that, but people from high up in the ministry often slipped him bags of galleons. Apparently, being a murderer had it's compensations, not that Harry wanted, nor felt better about being paid for the thing that caused his mood to worsen every day. When he could think of nothing that would suit him for a job, he took out yet another piece of parchment and began a letter to one very old friend.
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Summer melted away into autumn, and Ginny Weasley was almost in shock to see that Harry had kept his promise to her very faithfully. Not only did he write atleast once every 2 weeks, but also he would surprise the whole family with a visit on occasion. Ginny liked these visits, though she hated to admit it. She still hadn't forgiven the boy who lived for what he had done for him, and she would be surprised to hear he hadn't forgiven himself either. After 4 rounds of pleasant visits, (where Harry got out of his dark mood for once), Ginny began to loosen up around him and not worry about a constant attack on her emotions. *Maybe people can change * she thought to herself one afternoon, but quickly shook that thought away. She knew Harry, she knew that this whole promise would turn into yet another broken promise; yet the poor girl couldn't blame him, too much that is. Harry had a tendency to push those he loved away, as if afraid of their love. This had happened much after his seventh year at Hogwarts. Nothing had been the same between him and Ginny after Voldemort fell, not even their love. It seemed too good to be true to Ginny, and it was; two years after Ginny had graduated, and Harry had already proposed, their relationship began to falter. The engagement was broken off, and Harry made as much distance from the family as possible, expecting them all to hate him. Quite the contrary though, only Ginny could make it in her heart to hate him, causing her to become a bitter woman beyond her years. Though the Weasley family, and Hermione too (though she was now a Weasley), had tried to remain in contact with their favorite son and brother at heart, Harry, who had sunk far into depression, pushed them even further away. * Oh well, let him be alone, if that's what he wants. * Thought a very bitter Ginny. She still had feelings for him to be sure, love like theirs couldn't be broke that easily, but her anger at him seemed to out weigh the love she felt for him these days.
As if connected by some special bond, the two once lovers seemed to be thinking about each other at the same time. It would have been quite ironic if one of them had only had the nerve to speak to the other. Harry sat in his room, not bothering to turn on the lights; he liked it when the room reflected his mood, thoughts of Ginny Weasley were pouring in and out of his mind. There was something about that girl that drove him so damn crazy that he wanted to scream, rip out his hair, and make wild love with her all at the same time. When they had been together before it hadn't been like this. Both cared about the other, and both showed that in a sweet, almost story book kind of way. It was too good to be true, yet completely devoid of any control over his emotions, Harry found himself falling for her, hard, just the same. Before he knew it, he was head over heels in love with this girl, and she with him. It was a little too much for him to handle, and very soon, Harry found himself pushing her away. Farther and farther away until there was nothing left but anger between them. Harry looked back on what he had done to Ginny, how he had hurt her, and regretted it all every time he thought about it, which was quite more often then not. Out of respect, no one ever mentioned the break up when in the presence of either, and also out of respect, no one ever bothered to mention that both were still in love with the other. It was as plain as day, but neither bothered to see it, both were still to hurt, angry, and. well, bitter. As Harry thought of the state his horrible relationship with her was in, he only managed to sink further into depression. Clearing his mind of any unpleasant thoughts about a certain slender young woman, Harry went back to what he was doing earlier, packing.
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Early in September, the visits from Harry had stopped, and Ginny thought she could finally prove him wrong and have a good reason (other then the reason) to be mad at him. However, much to her fake disappointment, his owls continued, almost daily it seemed. Curiosity overcame Ginny Weasley one day, and she found herself asking her mother about Harry's appearance, or rather, lack of. She was rather annoyed at herself for being curious, but she had (though not that she would ever admit it) grown once again accustomed to his presence, and couldn't help letting her thoughts wonder to how well he looked even with all premature growing he had done. His face had grown out of its boyish cuteness into a more subtle and mature handsome. Remembering why she was there, and desperately wanting to be spared of embarrassment, Ginny tried to make the conversation with her mother as casual as possible.
"Mum." the red head beauty said softly.
"Mmmm dear, is there something you need?" Inquired an aging Mrs. Weasley as she looked up from the dough she was kneading.
"Well, I was just curious, I mean, well, it seems a bit strange that Harry would show up over the summer and then soon as autumn hits, bam he's gone. But then again, he never was one to keep promises." Ginny found herself rambling on and blushed quite furiously when she caught site of her mothers bemused expression. Anger flashed up inside of her not wanting her mother to suspect anything, because there was nothing, right? Ginny made a lame excuse.
"Oh I was just curious. Ron was asking me about it the other day." after her mother answered her, she knew she had given herself away.
"Oh, well dear, Harry's gone off to his new job," her mother replied in a very nonchalant way.
"Where mum, if you don't mind?" Ginny was getting annoyed now; she knew exactly what her mother was playing at. "Hmm well he went to teach at Hogwarts of course, but why would Ron be needing to know? He was the one who first told me," Mrs. Weasley's eyes had a devilish glint in them as she said this.
"Oh! Right." a very dazed Ginny walked out of the kitchen, much to the amusement of the older woman.
Ginny let herself sink down to the ground as she sat in the hallway of the second floor corridor in the very tipsy burrow.
"Hogwarts." she said aloud, "but why wouldn't he. why didn't anyone tell me?" A little hurt at being the last to know, Ginny Weasley forgot the one logical reason no one would have told her. Harry.
Harry Potter was a changed man since the defeat of the long time villain Lord Voldemort. Everyone who was close to him saw the change sweep over him; some saw it better then others. It had been five long years since Harry Potter, the boy who lived, had become a murderer. Every single person who belonged to the wizarding world praised him for what he had done though; he had killed Voldemort in his 17th year. The poor boy was aged well beyond his years him being only 23 but looking well into his thirties. The years that had been added onto his short life gave him a distinguishable face that many girls were still swooning over. Always being rather on the thin side, Harry Potter had finally grown into his body now reaching just above 6 feet in height and having an athletic build from all his years of playing quidditch. Only weeks after having graduated from Hogwarts Harry had been recruited by hordes of Europe's finest teams. He had accepted the Chudley Cannons offer to become their seeker; the Cannons hadn't lost a game since.
The new and more depressed Harry entered a very downtrodden pub, The Leaky Cauldron. It may have looked dingy in appearance but every witch and wizard who resided in Britain knew of its fame, and had probably stopped in once or twice for a butterbeer or a shot of fire whiskey. Slumping into the nearest unoccupied stool, Harry put his elbows on the counter and his face into his hands, sighing in a moody sort of way.
"Tom I'll have ale please," Harry said to the waiting bartender. Tom gave him a toothy grin then ducked behind the counter. A minute later a tall glass of ale was sitting in front of Harry who eyed it wearily. After another heavy sigh Harry pulled the glass to his lips and took a long drink. After a few more sips, the glass was empty.
"What do I owe you Tom?" asked a weary Harry. He shuffled a bit to retrieve a dark leather pouch from inside the folds of his robes.
"Ah Mr. Potter, this ones on the house," said Tom with another toothy grin. Returning the grin with a half-smile that more resembled a grimace, Harry got up from the stool and exited the pub.
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Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks in the alley behind The Leaky Cauldron; if a muggle had been around they would have passed out for the wall, or rather where it had been, had been transformed into an enormous doorway, which Harry quickly entered. The street that Harry was now on was one of the most amazing and well-hidden secrets of the wizarding world, Diagon Alley. Hands in pocket and face down Harry walked slowly through the busy world that lay before him. He was stopped a few times by young boys asking for his autograph (him being a world famous seeker and murderer of course) he grinned sheepishly at the thought of anyone wanting his autograph. As he was walking along the road, heading towards his flat, Harry bumped into someone he hadn't seen in almost 3 years, Ron Weasley.
"Oh pardon m- RON?!" Harry said bewildered, his face brightening slightly.
"Harry! Good God mate I haven't seen you in ages! How ya been?" Ron said in an animated voice.
"Oh, not to bad, you know working a lot, if you could call it that." Harry fumbled over the words as if he didn't know what to say to his long time no see best friend. Ron didn't buy it.
"Mum was just talking about you the other day, mental she is. She kept blabbing on and on about her missing son and all." Ron blushed as he recounted the rest of his mothers' quite gushy spews about missing Harry. Harry nodded politely in the right places, but his attention was waning. His eye caught a glint of something gold on Ron's left hand ring finger. Harry grinned and interrupted Ron who had been gushing for nearly a quarter of an hour.
"So when did you and Hermione finally get hitched?" a mischievous grin spread onto Harry's worn face.
"Wha? Oh. why do you assume it's Hermione I married?" Ron asked, a furious blush overpowering the freckles that still spotted his face.
"Oh c'mon now Ron, one Hermione hinted it MANY times in her letters, and two, I always knew it'd happen." The grin on Harry's face was genuine and quite mad looking now.
"Oh, well we actually," gulp," eloped." Ron said while blushing, if possible, even more furiously.
"I was wondering why I didn't get an invite," Harry muttered in mock disappointment.
"Now Harry." Ron began, but Harry chided in.
"I was only fooling Ron, I wouldn't expect one, not after how I've avoided everyone for three years." The smirk was wiped off Harry's face which quickly became clouded with anger and remorse.
"Harry mate, we all miss you, but no one hates you for staying away. We would of invited you if it were going to be anything worth seeing." Ron went on trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Yah, well Ron I really have to be going. quidditch practice you know." Harry tried to slip away then, but alas, it was to no avail.
"Oh, alright Harry, say why don't you stop by the Burrow this Friday, I'll have mum cook you up something special and we'll make a right party of it eh? Just like old times?" Harry would have protested if it weren't for the look Ron gave him, which clearly stated there was no getting out of this one.
"Alright Ron, you've got me cornered," sighed Harry.
"Great, come around 6, I'll tell mum and everyone. See you Harry!" Ron called as he headed down the street.
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Shaking his head, Harry opened the door to his humble one bedroom flat that was located towards the middle of Diagon Alley. Slumping down onto his well-worn couch (not that he couldn't afford a new one) Harry placed his head in his hands with a sigh. He was thinking over possible excuses of how to get out of the dinner party with the Weasley's, but nothing came to mind that would work. Sighing once again, the weary man laid down on the couch and let his mind wander to the past.
*Her eyes were so beautiful in the moonlight, so beautiful. They were
such a magnificent blue that it was hard to look away from them. The young man of 17 sighed as he walked with a beautiful red headed girl; hand in hand they made their way around a very familiar lake.
"Gin." whispered a raven haired boy.
"Shh. don't spoil the moment Harry," the pale beautiful girl said as she touched her fingers to his lips.
The boy swept the girl into his arms and the two were lost in a passionate kiss. After a moment of heated kissing, Harry took Ginny's hand and looked around frantically, the two could be seen running into the very beginnings of the forest.
"Harry. what. are. you. doing.?" Asked an out of breath Ginny.
"Shh. Gin, don't spoil the moment." Said Harry.
"Wha?" Ginny started, but Harry's mouth was already over her own. The young lovers got swept up into the night, and soon they were lying next to each other, bodies spent, their breath ragged.*
Harry played that moment over and over many times in his mind. In his sleep, he smiled as he thought about the way her mouth had curled into a smile afterwards, and how her damp body had felt against his.
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Before he knew it, Friday had rapidly approached, and the clock must have been playing tricks on him, for it already said 5:58. No backing out now thought Harry to himself. Without a second thought to what he was wearing, or his blasted hair, Harry apparated into the sitting room of the Weasley's tipsy house, the Burrow. At once, the aged Mrs. Weasley swept Harry into a tight embrace. Harry nervously patted her back, he hadn't seen her in more then 3 years. Mrs. Weasley looked much the same except for the gray hair that crept into the bright red that the Weasley's were so famous for.
"Oh Harry, we've missed you so," the old woman said with a pained look in her eyes.
"Yah, erm, I've missed you guys too," Harry was only half lying when he said this. He did miss his favorite family of wizards, but depression and work kept him too busy to care much about his social life.
Before either of them could get out another word, the women that had been haunting Harry's dreams came bounding down the stairs. Harry gasped softly at a face that had grown, if possible, more beautiful over the years. A slight blush crept into Ginny Weasley's face as she saw Harry stare at her the way he had not so many years ago.
"Harry, oh how good to see you," stiffness was in the voice that greeted him. With the same forced politeness, Harry greeted his once true love back.
"Ginny, you haven't changed a bit." Her eyebrows raised as he said this.
"I'd like to think I've grown up a bit since then," she said, challenging him. Harry didn't say anything knowing how bad of a temper she could have. Instead, he gave a slight chuckle and shook his head, while Ginny all the while glared at him. Sensing the tension (as most good mothers can), Mrs. Weasley invited Harry into the kitchen for a before supper tea.
It didn't take long, only two cups of tea in fact, before the whole Weasley clan had arrived. Mr. Weasley, his bald spot becoming more noticeable, came into the kitchen wearing a worn look, but brightened up as soon as he saw Harry. Ron, Hermione, and quite to Harry's surprise, a little redheaded toddler came into the kitchen and then the chaos of hugs began. Pretty soon, Fred, George and Percy were added to the now very full kitchen, each one of them giving Harry a hearty handshake and grin. Bill and Charlie were last to arrive, and when they did, Mrs. Weasley shouted at them all to leave, for she could hardly walk, so that she could finish supper. Hermione stayed behind to help her. The older boys went outside to set up picnic tables, giving Ron and Harry some time alone to catch up a bit more.
"So Ron, erm. is she yours?" Harry chuckled nervously.
"Yah." Ron gazed at his daughter fondly.
"Congratulations, a bit late I'd say, but better late then never." Harry had no idea how to keep conversation with his best friend. They had certainly lost touch over the past few years, not that a certain red headed boy hadn't tried to remain his friend.
"Yah. we named her Lily." Harry felt his eyes sting as he heard this. His friends obviously cared for him, a lot, why had he pushed them so far away?
"Thanks," Harry managed to choke out. Ron didn't say anything; he just clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder in a boyish sort of way.
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Pretty soon, supper was ready and everyone was herded outside by an over anxious Mrs. Weasley Sr. and Jr. respectively. The two picnic tables groaned under the large amounts of food the Mrs. Weasley's had been able to conjure up. Soon, all the plates were filled, emptied, refilled, and yet again emptied. All of the adults sat back in a satisfied way, while young Lily Weasley decided to nap on her fathers lap. Not wanting to break the mood, Harry was not the one to strike up the conversation. Mrs. Weasley politely asked about work, while the boys all excitedly added they had been following the games. Ron was grinning madly because for once in his sad career as a Cannon's fan, they were actually winning. Ginny had not spoken once during the supper, but she had had her eyes on Harry the whole time. He could feel her eyes staring into him, into his very soul. Only one person knew Harry better then himself, and that person was Miss Virginia Weasley. He looked over to her and was not at all surprised at the look on her face which said "What-the-heck-do-you-think-you're-pulling-Potter?" She could see right through all the false answers Harry had been giving everyone (except about work) and it scared him.
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Around 9:30 that night Harry declared to everyone that he had to leave, he made a few loose promises to stay in better contact from here on out. If truth be told, he had missed them, all of them, even Ginny, but he didn't feel like part of the family anymore. He knew that all of them, well maybe not Ginny, would have welcomed him back with open arms, but he wasn't ready for it yet. His thoughts zoomed back to the last time he had seen Virginia Weasley as he walked into his bedroom. He slumped down on his bed as the sad memory unfolded in his mind.
*"Harry, what the hell is the matter with you?" Asked a confused Ginny.
"Gin." Harry was shaking and there was blood covering his robes. "Gin I
need to go away, I don't think we're going to work out. I'm sorry, I love
you, I'm so sorry." Harry had a look of intense pain as he said this. He
kissed the now ashen faced Ginny one last time then backed away from her.
"Dammit Harry!" Ginny called, she flung a small ring after him, but he
was already gone. The poor girl then burst into tears. *
Harry sighed as the memory repeated itself inside his head over and over until he was forced into a tormented sleep. Waking at 5:30 am in a sweat, Harry decided he had had enough sleep for one day. Getting groggily out of bed and into the shower. Turning the water on full blast he let the cold-water run down his skin, thoughts of last night on his mind. He felt bad about making promises he didn't intend to keep, but he figured the Weasley's would understand, after all, they had the last for the last 3 years. After 15 minutes or more of thinking, Harry got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed into the living room. A loud crack came out of nowhere, and suddenly Harry found himself tumbled on top of someone with strikingly red hair.
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"Ginny!" Harry gasped, "why are you here?" he inquired.
"Get the bloody hell off of me and I just might tell you Potter!" her reply was harsh.
"Oh, sorry." Harry quickly got off and extended his hand to help her up, which she rather rudely declined.
"Err Gin, why don't I go change into something more, erm, decent," a nervous chuckle escaped Harry's throat as he said this. He hadn't lost any of the feelings he once had for her, she was still the only woman he'd ever loved.
"Harry, don't give me that, I was your fiancé once, I've sure as hell seen you in far less then that." Harry was surprised at how bitter Ginny had become, but he blushed none the less as she said this to him.
"Well, erm, is there a reason you're here, or are you just anxious to see me?" A bit of a smirk came on Harry's face as he said this.
"Cut the bullshit, of course I have a reason for being here." The smirk vanished.
"Enlighten me if you would." Harry was starting to feel rather annoyed.
"Fine. I don't know what the hell you were trying to pull with all that bullshit about staying in touch, but you really need to cut it Potter. I don't give a damn if you hurt me, God knows you have already," Harry shifted uncomfortably here, "I don't want you hurting my family anymore Harry. You've already given them plenty damn 'nough to be heartbroken about, so, in other words; unless you can keep your slippery promises, don't go making them." Ginny was very riled up by the end of her obviously rehearsed speech.
"Gin. I never wanted to hurt you." Harry changed the subject a bit.
"Leave me out of this. Just swear to me you won't hurt my family again. Mum cries about you at least once a week. I hate seeing her get so emotional over a bastard like you, but then again the poor girl considers you her son." Ginny didn't take any pains to be nice.
"Gin, I'm sorry 'bout what happened between us. Can't we be friends again at least?" Harry had reached out to touch her cheek as he said this, she flinched under his touch.
"Dammit potter, just swear you'll leave my family alone and I can be on my way!" Ginny yelled.
"Fine Ginny, I won't hurt them again. I promise." Harry looked hurt as he said this.
"Good, well I better be off then," Harry's hand was still holding her cheek as she said this. Flustered and quite angry, Ginny Weasley apparated under Harry's touch causing him so drop his hand to his side. He had almost forgotten how soft her skin had felt. Almost.
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Harry immersed himself in quidditch that afternoon, trying, though not succeeding, to get a certain red head out of his mind. After having thought it out weeks in advance, Harry had decided to resign from the Cannons, it had only been 4 years since he had been put on the team, but he felt as though not even quidditch could make him feel better anymore. This thought temporarily put Ginny out of his mind. He didn't even know why he had decided to practice today; perhaps he needed a good flight to sooth his rumpled feathers. Practice was over much too soon in Harry's opinion. Almost regretting the decision he had made, Harry stuck around afterwards wanting to speak to the coach. His coach listened patiently, made two futile attempts to keep Harry there (a bigger salary raise, and then another even bigger salary raise) but Harry assured him he had enough money for two lifetimes. After seeing there was nothing he could do, Harry's coach shook his hand and told him he was always welcome back on the team, that is, unless he suddenly gained about 50 pounds. Sighing, Harry walked around that quidditch field for the last time.
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Not being able to get the meeting with Ginny out of his mind, Harry kept true to his promise and wrote to Mrs. Weasley first thing when he got home. He thanked her again for having him, and included a little note to Mr. Weasley saying he had some plugs for him. Chuckling to himself about Mr. Weasley's plug obsession, he tied the note to Hedwig who was becoming rather lazy (seeing as she hadn't had a job all summer long). The owl gave him a rather hard, the loving, nip at his finger as if to reprimand him for forgetting her. He gave her a hurt look, and as if saying "ok fine, you're forgiven" flew off, nipping his finger one more time, only a little gentler this time. He had decided not to include the part about resigning from the Cannons in his note. With a heavy sigh, Harry wondered what he would do for work. He, and most of the world, knew that he could live off his Cannons paychecks from the last 4 years for his entire life, not only that, but people from high up in the ministry often slipped him bags of galleons. Apparently, being a murderer had it's compensations, not that Harry wanted, nor felt better about being paid for the thing that caused his mood to worsen every day. When he could think of nothing that would suit him for a job, he took out yet another piece of parchment and began a letter to one very old friend.
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Summer melted away into autumn, and Ginny Weasley was almost in shock to see that Harry had kept his promise to her very faithfully. Not only did he write atleast once every 2 weeks, but also he would surprise the whole family with a visit on occasion. Ginny liked these visits, though she hated to admit it. She still hadn't forgiven the boy who lived for what he had done for him, and she would be surprised to hear he hadn't forgiven himself either. After 4 rounds of pleasant visits, (where Harry got out of his dark mood for once), Ginny began to loosen up around him and not worry about a constant attack on her emotions. *Maybe people can change * she thought to herself one afternoon, but quickly shook that thought away. She knew Harry, she knew that this whole promise would turn into yet another broken promise; yet the poor girl couldn't blame him, too much that is. Harry had a tendency to push those he loved away, as if afraid of their love. This had happened much after his seventh year at Hogwarts. Nothing had been the same between him and Ginny after Voldemort fell, not even their love. It seemed too good to be true to Ginny, and it was; two years after Ginny had graduated, and Harry had already proposed, their relationship began to falter. The engagement was broken off, and Harry made as much distance from the family as possible, expecting them all to hate him. Quite the contrary though, only Ginny could make it in her heart to hate him, causing her to become a bitter woman beyond her years. Though the Weasley family, and Hermione too (though she was now a Weasley), had tried to remain in contact with their favorite son and brother at heart, Harry, who had sunk far into depression, pushed them even further away. * Oh well, let him be alone, if that's what he wants. * Thought a very bitter Ginny. She still had feelings for him to be sure, love like theirs couldn't be broke that easily, but her anger at him seemed to out weigh the love she felt for him these days.
As if connected by some special bond, the two once lovers seemed to be thinking about each other at the same time. It would have been quite ironic if one of them had only had the nerve to speak to the other. Harry sat in his room, not bothering to turn on the lights; he liked it when the room reflected his mood, thoughts of Ginny Weasley were pouring in and out of his mind. There was something about that girl that drove him so damn crazy that he wanted to scream, rip out his hair, and make wild love with her all at the same time. When they had been together before it hadn't been like this. Both cared about the other, and both showed that in a sweet, almost story book kind of way. It was too good to be true, yet completely devoid of any control over his emotions, Harry found himself falling for her, hard, just the same. Before he knew it, he was head over heels in love with this girl, and she with him. It was a little too much for him to handle, and very soon, Harry found himself pushing her away. Farther and farther away until there was nothing left but anger between them. Harry looked back on what he had done to Ginny, how he had hurt her, and regretted it all every time he thought about it, which was quite more often then not. Out of respect, no one ever mentioned the break up when in the presence of either, and also out of respect, no one ever bothered to mention that both were still in love with the other. It was as plain as day, but neither bothered to see it, both were still to hurt, angry, and. well, bitter. As Harry thought of the state his horrible relationship with her was in, he only managed to sink further into depression. Clearing his mind of any unpleasant thoughts about a certain slender young woman, Harry went back to what he was doing earlier, packing.
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Early in September, the visits from Harry had stopped, and Ginny thought she could finally prove him wrong and have a good reason (other then the reason) to be mad at him. However, much to her fake disappointment, his owls continued, almost daily it seemed. Curiosity overcame Ginny Weasley one day, and she found herself asking her mother about Harry's appearance, or rather, lack of. She was rather annoyed at herself for being curious, but she had (though not that she would ever admit it) grown once again accustomed to his presence, and couldn't help letting her thoughts wonder to how well he looked even with all premature growing he had done. His face had grown out of its boyish cuteness into a more subtle and mature handsome. Remembering why she was there, and desperately wanting to be spared of embarrassment, Ginny tried to make the conversation with her mother as casual as possible.
"Mum." the red head beauty said softly.
"Mmmm dear, is there something you need?" Inquired an aging Mrs. Weasley as she looked up from the dough she was kneading.
"Well, I was just curious, I mean, well, it seems a bit strange that Harry would show up over the summer and then soon as autumn hits, bam he's gone. But then again, he never was one to keep promises." Ginny found herself rambling on and blushed quite furiously when she caught site of her mothers bemused expression. Anger flashed up inside of her not wanting her mother to suspect anything, because there was nothing, right? Ginny made a lame excuse.
"Oh I was just curious. Ron was asking me about it the other day." after her mother answered her, she knew she had given herself away.
"Oh, well dear, Harry's gone off to his new job," her mother replied in a very nonchalant way.
"Where mum, if you don't mind?" Ginny was getting annoyed now; she knew exactly what her mother was playing at. "Hmm well he went to teach at Hogwarts of course, but why would Ron be needing to know? He was the one who first told me," Mrs. Weasley's eyes had a devilish glint in them as she said this.
"Oh! Right." a very dazed Ginny walked out of the kitchen, much to the amusement of the older woman.
Ginny let herself sink down to the ground as she sat in the hallway of the second floor corridor in the very tipsy burrow.
"Hogwarts." she said aloud, "but why wouldn't he. why didn't anyone tell me?" A little hurt at being the last to know, Ginny Weasley forgot the one logical reason no one would have told her. Harry.