Harry smiled as he looked up from the last of his weeding. Ron, George, and Percy were gathered around Aunt Petunia's garden gnome. Harry tossed the rest of the weeds into the bag of yard waste and went to join the three snickering Weasley's. "Muggles honestly!"

Percy swelled up like a bull frog ready to tell George off for laughing at the muggle's when Ron burst in, "These little Santa's are nothing like the gnomes in our garden. Although degnoming this garden would be easy!"

Harry broke up the discussion before it could turn into a fight and suggested they go inside to see if the girls needed any help. Harry stepped into the shade of the house and walked into the hall. He froze when he saw the looks on the faces of the three women, they all stared from Harry to the cupboard with identical looks of disbelief and pity on their faces.

Ron stopped next to Harry looking from his mum to Harry in confusion. "What's going on?" George asked while a look of realization crossed Percy's face. "George let's go make sure Dad doesn't hurt himself with the lawn mower."

George looked at Percy still trying to piece together what was happening, but allowed himself to be pulled out the front door. Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder and he shrugged it off. This was what he was afraid, everything would be different now, the Weasley's would look at him with the same expressions that had followed him since the day Voldemort had killed his parents and he didn't think he could stand that.

Ginny reached up to grab his hand and Mrs. Weasley looked like she wanted to hug him. If felt as if the walls were closing in on him, Harry couldn't stand to see them look at him like this so he brushed past them all and ran out the door. He ignored the calls from the Weasley's sitting on the front lawn and took off the street his feet following the paths he had walked so many times.

He didn't stop until he got to the playground; there was still only one unbroken swing. Harry sat down on it and started to push the swing going as high as it would allow him while his thoughts wandered.

Harry remembered the first time he had seen that look, he had just started kindergarten and the other children kept asking what his parents did. Harry told them they died in a car crash and then he got the look. The look that said they pitied him, they didn't quite know what to say to him, the look that stopped people from seeing him as Harry and instead made them see him as an orphan.

The worst looks came from the people who knew what life was like at the Dursleys. The people who called him a poor dear and looked at him as if he had simply been born unlucky; the Weasley's had never given him that look, not until today.

Molly Weasley knew when she saw the look in Harry's eye's that her suspicions were right. Harry didn't want them to know about this cupboard. She also knew that they had made a mistake, when she saw all the hurt in the beautiful green eyes Molly knew that Harry hadn't wanted them to know about this.

Before she could reach out to comfort him Harry was gone backing away like they'd slapped him. She heard her husband and sons calling out to Harry as they saw him take off down the street and before Molly could stop her Ginny had taken off after him with a look on her face that Molly knew meant Harry was in big trouble.

As her family gathered in the hall around her Molly decided how much to tell them. Speaking before they could start asking questions Molly asked her youngest son, "Ronald how much do you know about Harry's time here?"

Ron gave her look that said he knew what she was getting at and replied, "Not much he never talks about it even to Hermione and me. Although we gathered from the bits he did tell us it wasn't pleasant."

Molly nodded as though this was exactly the answer she had expected, "right well I believe Harry kept all this from us for a reason, so we'll wait until Harry and Ginny get back and then we'll get some answers. Whether he wants to tell us or not Harry is our family and I think talking about his time here will help him to heal."

Molly shooed her husband and Children off to sit in the parlor while she stayed staring at the cupboard and wondering once again how a boy who had been through so much could have turned into such a wonderful young man.

Ginny was an athlete she could hold her own in any sport, but there was no denying that Harry's long legs and familiarity with the neighborhood gave him an advantage. When she finally caught up with him he was in a muggle playground.

Ginny's father had taken her to playgrounds several times when she was a little girl and she though the thing Harry was sitting on was called a swing. She watched him swing higher and higher, Harry's face showed his inner turmoil and it hurt her to see the look in his eyes.

Ginny knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, but unfortunately for Harry her temper was more than a match for his. Ginny put her hands on her hips and stepped into Harry's field of view he stopped the swing quickly trying not to kick her and topped off into the dirt.

Ginny tried not to laugh as he picked himself up and stood to face her, the stubborn look on his face telling her they would soon be scaring the local birds.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WHY WOULD YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT?"

"WHY DO YOU CARE GINNY? WHY DID YOU EVEN COME HERE? WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE?"

At those last words Ginny paled it felt as if she'd been slapped. Trying to compose herself Ginny turned away from Harry and climbed up onto the top of the Jungle Gym trying to put as much distance between her and Harry as she could without leaving the playground.

Harry's face changed, he just looked hurt now, the anger had cleared out of his eyes leaving behind nothing but the haunted look Ginny knew all too well.

Harry climbed up next to her and spoke almost in a whisper, "I'm sorry Gin, I shouldn't have said that."

Ginny's Temper flared again, "BUT YOU DID HARRY. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT MAKES YOU LIKE THIS? WATCHING YOU HERE TODAY, THIS ISN'T YOU I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH IS BUT YOU CERTAINLY AREN'T ACTING LIKE HIM."

Harry swung himself around so he was sitting directly in front of Ginny their knees barely touching. "You're right Ginny, I don't like who I am here. It's part of the reason I don't talk about life with the Dursleys. Here everyone sees me as a criminal the Dursleys told everyone they sent me off to a special Boys school for the criminally insane and everyone here believed it. Around here I'm a menace, a snot nosed kid who gets beat up a lot. I don't like the person I am when I'm here."

Ginny's heart melted a little remembering back to the beating Harry had received earlier, "I get that Harry and maybe yelling at you was the wrong thing to do, but what was that back at your Aunt and Uncle's House. You just freaked and ran, care to explain."

Harry sighed and looked up at Ginny, "I slept in that cupboard Gin, it was my room until my first Hogwarts letter showed up addressed to me in my cupboard. I cooked and cleaned, I did lawn work, the Dursleys were sure they could beat the magic out of me. They would lock me the cupboard when I did something wrong, sometimes they would refuse to feed me as punishment. They figured if they could keep me as downtrodden as possible I wouldn't turn out to be a wizard or freak as they said."

Ginny didn't say anything wondering if Harry would go on. "I always loved your family Gin. The first time Ron brought me to the Burrow I was amazed that there was so much love in your house. I was so jealous of Ron. I loved how it felt to be around your family they acted like they actually wanted me around and who I was here didn't matter. My whole life looks of pity have been following me around, but your family never gave me that look, not until today when you saw my cupboard."

Ginny's Heart was breaking; she felt a tear slip down her face and wiped it away as she looked up into Harry's eyes.

"Thank you for telling me Harry, but the look we all gave you has nothing to do with pity, and we don't care what the muggles think of your personality. We love you Harry, I love you. When we saw that cupboard it just made us sad to think that you had to go through that. We don't pity you Harry we know you too well. We know what you're like Harry and we're sorry you had to suffer any more then you already have, but this could never change how we think of you."

Ginny reached out a hand to caress Harry's cheek and then she gently touched her lips to his wary of his split lip. Ginny reached her arms to wrap around Harry's neck twisted her fingers into his hair as his lips moved gently over hers. One of Harry's hands found its way into her hair and the other rested on her lower back pulling her closer to him.

When they broke apart Harry caught Ginny with his eyes, that look that melted her bones and said, "I love you too Gin."

Ginny smiled up at him, "Well then we should head back the Dursleys will be home soon." Harry helped Ginny down from the Jungle Gym, her breath caught for a moment when his hands wrapped around her waist to lift her down, still wrapped in his arms Ginny said, "You know you might have to tell some of that story to my family."

Harry just smiled and wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders so they could head back to private drive, "I know, but it'll be okay."