Harry Potter

After the aftermath

Chapter 2

As Ginny lay there on the floor, Harry was stricken with guilt. If he had only restored the protective wards on his house as he promised Hermione, this wouldn't have happened.

After muttering some incantations over Ginny, Harry was puzzled as to why she hadn't opened her eyes yet. Indeed his magic had grown stronger and developed since the war, but that spell couldn't have killed her, surely not. Closing his eyes to think for a minute, trying to concentrate on the incantations as he performed them again, he felt a sudden impact against his cheek. "You idiot!" screamed the voice of Ginny Weasley. "What the fuck do you think you were playing at?"

After hours of pleading forgiveness and explaining that there were no protective wards on his house to inform him of a dark presence, Ginny had finally calmed down and began to explain what she was doing there.

"Everyone has been concerned lately Harry. You don't come to dinner much any more, we hardly see you at ours and when you do write to us, you don't put anything convincing in your letters. I was merely checking in with Kreacher to make sure you were ok. Do you not think that we would have bombarded your house otherwise? He has been our source of information with regards to your well being. I knew you would be out at the Ministry of Magic and didn't expect you home for a while. "

"How the bloody hell have you been getting information out of my House Elf? You don't have his loyalty!" Harry was now livid that the elf had revealed information about him. What else had the elf told the Weasleys or anyone else what had been happening? After all, the Order of The Phoenix was now using his house for their meetings again, it was just different now, they were no longer a secret society because of the well informed newspaper article about them.

Ginny explained to him that as she lived in his home, Hermione was able to give orders to the elf also. She rarely did that because of S.P.E.W, the elfish welfare group she had set up, so naturally, harry had forgotten that the elf would remain loyal to her too. She had ordered Kreacher to inform the Weasley family that he was ok, should they come and ask. Kreacher was only following orders.

"Gin, you should know I would be fine, I'm just stuck here, trying to cram in as much information as I can, because, as you might not have noticed, Hogwarts need a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. Minerva has asked me to teach the DA and anyone else in 5th year or above whilst remaining in school one final year to catch up on the work I missed whilst hunting down Toms fragments of soul, and to take my NEWTs too."

This meant a lot to Ginny, not only was she going to be taught Defence against the dark arts by the Handsome Harry Potter, but she would be able to see him every day at school as well. She smiled that wicked smile that she normally wore when she was up to something. Harry knew it was now or never.

"Ginerva Weasley. You are by far the most gorgeous witch on the face of the planet and I know I said that I didn't want you in the public spotlight, but I had a thought on my way home today. If I am in school most of the coming year, with the added protection to the place and ministry officials checking everyone that goes in and out of the gate, I wouldn't technically be in the public spotlight would I? So that means that... well what I'm trying to say, I mean ask, Oh bugger, I have lost my train of thought now" He went quiet for a moment whilst he tried frantically to muster up the courage and the words in his head.

"You were never good at making speeches. Actually, you are by far the worst speech maker in the history of the world, thank goodness you have your looks and celebrity status going in your favour, not to mention the extraordinary power you possess and a personality to die for, otherwise I wouldn't give a shit about you let alone LOVE you with all of my heart".

Harry was taken aback, he thought she would have needed persuasion to take him back after being a bit of a git to her by dumping her so he could carry on fighting. He had more butterflies in his stomach now than ever before. Although he was exceedingly nervous, he decided it was time to move in on her. With that, he leant over and kissed her passionately on the lips.

Still kissing for what only felt a couple of seconds, Harry felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of his head. "Do you have to do that with my sister in front of me?" Harry walked over to his best friend and shook his hand. This man had been through everything with him and he was the most loyal friend a bloke could have, but, something told him to proceed with caution as far as Ginny was concerned. "Took your time getting here, I have already casted a spell at Gin and revived her and talked and snogged her brains out. Doesn't that clock your of your mothers work anymore?" Instead of reacting in the way Harry expected, Ron's face turned rather serious and he said to Harry "I need to speak with you about something , in private if I may." Looking rather worried, Harry looked at Ginny who said "I need to go let the parents know that I am ok anyway, I shall come back if I may Mr Potter." with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Harry nodded his approval and led Ron up to his New study. In no way did he want to imitate Dumbledore, but at least if he had a study he could put all his books and magical artefacts in, he could always find them should he need to.

He decided not to sit at his desk, because he wasn't a teacher yet and after all, Ron was his best mate in the whole world. Sitting down on a nice armchair, with Ron sitting opposite him, Harry conjured two glasses of Fire-whisky and said "So mate, what's on your mind? If it's women, don't ask me anything, you know I too am pretty much bloody useless with the creatures. Oh and don't tell your mother I have given you Fire-Whisky, I don't want her to think that I'm a bad influence on you."

"Jesus, get a grip man, nothing could spoil my mothers' impression of you, you are like her wonder boy or something. As for women, I wouldn't ask you anyway, look at your track record, you chase after the birds like you do a sodding snitch!"

"That's not true you git! I'm only chasing your sister and I plan to keep it that way" Harry grinned.

Turning as red as a beetroot, Ron grew more serious, but wore a look of fear, or at least something similar on his face. "Mate, I don't know how to ask you this, but you know that when we were hunting for them bloody Horcruxes? Well it was just the three of us wasn't it. I was kind of thinking that I liked living like that for months on end, it really was great, and I know I can't get any privacy in my house, what with me and Hermione being together now. I guess, in short, I was wondering if..." Harry waved his hand as if to silence the red head bloke sat across from him. "Ron, listen, you are my best friend in the whole wide world, being so, you are more than welcome to come and live here with me an Hermione, I just have one question to ask you."

"Go for it." Ron replied. "Okay, now this is a sensitive issue, but, will you be wanting a room of your own, or are you and Hermione still at it like rabbits?" With this, Harry went into hysterical laughter and Ron punched his arm, glowing bright red at the same time. "Seriously you bloody idiot, what made you think you needed to ask?! As long as you do your fair share around this place, which, considering Kreacher does almost everything in this place, isn't a lot, then I say Go home and pack your stuff, I will prepare a room and let Hermione know".

Ron smiled and was yelling something Harry couldn't understand, probably because Ron was already running down the stairs to floo himself home. Harry decided that it would be best to inform Hermione of Ron's pending arrival at Grimmauld Place, and him calling it his home, before Ron and Ginny returned. Using a fake gold Galleon, that was used to inform members of the DA of meeting times, Harry decided to inform Hermione that there was an issue at home that he needed to talk to her about. Obviously he didn't think using the coin through properly, because all of a sudden, 3 people burst through his front door, muttering spells like "Homenum Horribilis". Running down the stairs Harry saw Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood and the trustworthy Neville Longbottom performing some extraordinary protective spells over his home. "Guys, Guys, listen, when I said there was an issue at home on the coin, I was meaning that I needed to talk to Hermione about this place and something that's happening here, maybe I have had one glass of Fire-Whisky too many. Sorry for wasting your time, but I tell you what, go and make yourselves comfortable in the drawing room, conjure yourselves some drinks, although Luna isn't to drink anything stronger than pumpkin juice, or her father will set the snarling snorkies after me!"

"Actually they don't exist you bludgering fool, its the Crumple Horned Snorcack, and it's ok, I will be on pumpkin juice and yes, Neville or Dean will conjure it for me."

"Good, I think I hear Hermione down in the kitchen, I will be right back, make yourselves comfortable, because I have an announcement that I would like to make shortly."

Harry decided that he would accept the proposal, as he knew he would, so he needed to inform Minerva McGonagall that he would be teaching the following year at school. He would floo to her later. Right now, he had to let Hermione know that they were having a new addition to the household.

"What on earths the matter, I see the wards are replaced. You missed a wonderful speech by Kingsley you know, it was most encouraging for us all."

"I know Herm, I listened to him perform it earlier. Listen, I was going to ask for your agreement but the I was caught in the moment, but, we have a new house mate joining us here, one that I think everyone except for Molly Weasley would agree with."

Hermione looked puzzled, who would Molly having against living with Harry and Hermione? "Who are you talking about? Surely it isn't Ginny, she still has to live at home for another year, or at least her parents want her to anyway. Plus, you two are not together at the moment are you?"

"Will you stop for one bloody minute so I can get a word in? I have invited Ron, well no, Ron was about to ask me if he could move in, bloody idiot thought it was polite, since when did he have manners?" Harry grinned as he said this, he knew that his best mate in the world could charm the pants off of anyone given a little time to practice. Hermione flung her arms around Harrys neck and she was yelling right next to his ear "Oh Harry, that is a most wonderful idea. We will have so much fun, the three of us together again. I can't wait! When does he move in? I'm thinking that the third bedroom will need to be cleaned a bit, and we will need to modify it slightly. Oh Harry, thank you so so so much."

After Hermione had calmed down, Harry waited for Ron to appear. Within seconds his trunk appeared, but Ron was nowhere to be found. Harry stuck his head in the fireplace and called out "The Burrow!" and as his head felt that all too familiar sensation of spinning around a dozen fireplaces, it finally popped out at the Burrow to a slightly merry Mrs Weasley saying "Has he gotten on your nerves already dear?"

Harry replied "Hi mum, I haven't seen him actually, his trunk is here but he isn't." Mrs Weasley had a look of pure worry on her face, she glanced at her clock and it said that Ron was in 'Mortal Peril' with that Harry said "Ok mum, I'm sure its nothing serious, can you and Mr Weasley and Gin, come over. I want to take the DA with me to look for him, but I will need you to scry for him first."

Maybe around 30 seconds later, the Weasley family, including Bill and Charlie Weasley, the eldest of the Weasley children, were standing in the kitchen. Ginny had called the members of Dumbledore's Army down from the drawing room and Mr Weasley had informed the Order of the Phoenix that Ron was missing and to be ready to dis-apparate within a seconds notice. Mrs Weasley, the only mother type figure that Harry had in the world, was desperately trying to locate her son, finally, the crystal fell onto the map in front of her and landed right in the middle of Knockturn Alley, just off the infamous Diagon Alley. With that, Harry decided to lower the wards around his home, should he need to get through them bringing Ron home. He reminded the Weasley family that an intruder alarm will sound if any dark magic entered his property, as he had left that one and only ward in place. With a turn of their cloaks, a serious looking group of teenagers disappeared into thin air, on their way to Diagon Alley.