Some years back, before Harry turned eleven and his life changed, he had to wait untill the Dursleys were sleeping. Then, in the safety of the night, he slipped out of the cupboard, turned on the TV and was able to watch whatever he liked to.
One night he saw that incredible movie with an alien - "E.T.". When he saw that kid riding – flying is more like it – a bike with that Extraterrestrial in front of him he could not help but admire both of them. The kid because he had that incredible friend, because he was flying a bike. And E.T: because he wasn't from this earth. He could do incredible things, made friends with an entire family, but still… he wasn't home. This was mostly how Harry felt at that time. He wanted to have friends, having a home. All that came true on his eleventh birthday. H.P. phoned home.
He found the world he belonged to. He found friends. But also the attention coming with his past. Everything had changed, a birthday wish had been coming true. His struggles for survival are finally over and the new struggle of even more attention was to come, he was sure of it. But as long as he had a home, as long as he had friends who would always be by his side – as he was sure they would! They had proven it so many times – it would all be worth it. And right now he was flying a bike with his best friend and his best friend's father, flying towards the best family he could have. Flying towards the best friends he could imagine. And towards the only girl he would gladly be with for the rest of his life. Ginny.
"We're almost there, you two!" said a large Mr. Weasley on his childrens bike.
"I think I can see Ottery St. Catchpole! Yeah… there it is!" Ron yelled back. A wide grin spread across Harry's face. But his face darkened immediately. "How is George?" Fred was dead, George lost an ear. Harry would not blame him when George wouldn't want to be around him after all the losses he had.
"He's hanging in… He's not talking to anyone right now, keeps to himself…" said Mr. Weasley.
"We're not allowed in his room. That were his only words since we're back. I reckon' he's up to something, but Mum's not allowing me to disregard him and storm in the room anyway", Ron said blankly. He stared at the air in front of him. The Burrow came closer and closer.
"You know, Harry…" started Ron thinking "Since officially you haven't been told to go in that room…"
"I know what you're up to, Ron… And I won't do that!" Harry interrupted him. Harry would not intrude George's privacy at such a time.
"Oh, come on, mate! I'm sure he wouldn't mind you…"
"No, Ron" Harry answered simply as they began their decent.
"Blimey, you're stubborn! You could say it was an accident… wrong room or something!"
"Right, because I'm at your house for the first time ever, Ron…" Harry grinned. Who was the stubborn one now? he thought.
"Boys, we better land somewhere else! I think Molly wouldn't be so happy with us flying these things." Mr. Weasley said as they approached their final destination.
They turned around towards the village to land there. The way up to the Burrow would be done the Muggle way. Nice and slow. When they approached the Burrow, Ron was covered in sweat. "Riding is making me hungry" he protested when they got off their bikes.
"You know what else is making you hungry, Ron?" Harry asked grinning.
"Let me think…"
"Yeah, that one, too" Harry's grin widened.
"Haha! Honestly, being hungry is only bad when you're not about to get something… I bet Mum's made us something already and will be mad because we're late!"
"I cannot believe this, Arthur!" shouted a woman nearby. Harry quickly turned around to see an angry-looking Mrs. Weasley running towards them.
"She saw us afterall" Mr Weasley said to them.
"How could you bewitch these things! You know what happened when you made that car fly!" Mrs. Weasley put her fists on her hips. She narrowed her eyes on her husband.
"Molly, we were riding them…" tried Mr. Weasley.
"Riding? Is that what it's called when you fly?!" She must have seen them.
"And you, Ron!" she started to look at the worried looking Ron "You're overage now! You have to act responsible! … Of course I don't blame you, Harry. You must've grown up with those Muggle things"
Yeah, he did. But only by seeing other people riding them. The Dursleys never allowed him to ride a bike, let alone own one.
"Molly, they flew perfectly!" Mr Weasley defended himself. Harry did not miss the tone of excitement, but surely neither would Mrs. Weasley.
"We'll talk later! Get in the house! Food is already on the table!" Mrs. Weasley said simply and led them in the house.
When Harry looked at the table he could not help but be amazed by the cooking abilities of Mrs. Weasley. It looked just like one of those Hogwarts feasts. He took a good look around. Percy was sitting at the table and was eating. He looked up at the new-comers and put his hand in the air, greeting them. "Hello!"
Next to Percy was a young woman Harry did not recognize. She put her head up and smiled fondly at Harry. He smiled back and gazed towards a girlish figure. Ginny, he hoped. It was Hermione. She jumped off the table and ran towards them. She hugged Ron and looked at Harry with a look he could not misinterpret. "Did you turn them back?" she asked him.
"He did, Hermione" said Ron sounding disappointed.
"Good! Because it's not right to put them in that state, Harry! You should…"
"I know" Harry said smiling at her. She reminded Harry of another woman he heard just seconds ago.
"I still think his Aunt and Uncle would be better off the way he left them, 'Moine" Ron said.
"We'll talk later! Come on, you should eat something" she said to Mr. Weasley, Ron and Harry. Harry laughed at the thought that Hermione sounded exactly like Mrs. Weasley. She also had this being-in-charge-mother-tone in her voice.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked him.
"Noth'n" he returning the laughter to a smile. "You just remind me of someone…"
"Whom?" she asked curiously.
"Blimey… now that you mention it, Harry…" Ron said with a wide gaze upon Hermione. "You really look a lot like Professor McGonagall when you're mad!"
Harry looked at his friend with an aroused eyebrow.
"Maybe you'll listen to me then! At least once in a while!" Harry shot them an threatening look. Ron simply smiled at her affectionately.
"You're cute" he said.
Hermiones look did not change while her mouth formed a smile she was obviously fighting to suppress. She turned around at sat down at the table still fighting that smile. Ron sat down next to her and Harry next to him.
The girl next to Percy kept looking at Harry every once in a while untill Percy finally introduced her. "Harry, this is Philine Jenkins. She's working at the Ministry"
"And above that, her brother is Joey Jenkins!" Ron exclaimed proudly.
"Joey Jenkins?" Hermione asked. Harry knew that name. He had heard it somewhere before.
"He's a beater at the Chudley Cannons!" Ron said with even more excitement in his voice.
"It's not important who her brother is, Ron" Percy said simply. Harry noticed Philine getting a little bit closer to Percy after that statement.
"Percy is right. No one is simply a relative of someone. Everyone has something unique that people like about them" Mr. Weasley supported his son. Percy gazed at his father and both smiled at oneanother.
"Right! But seriously, Harry. I'm sure we'll meet Joey soon enough, when rumors are true!" Ron pointed at Percy and Philine with his head.
"Rumors?" Harry wondered.
"Yeah… There will be another…" but Percy interrupted him.
"It is not your place to tell people, little brother. But yes, they are true" Percy said gazing at Philine. She smiled at the rest of the table and held up her hand. A sparkling ring was on it. "We are getting married!" Hermione clapped her hands in front of her mouth, Mr. Weasley smiled with pride at his son. Ron and Harry simply sat in their seats and looked at that engaged couple with big eyes. "But please don't tell Mum. I want to tell her alone to make the last years up to her" Percy announced. But too late.
Harry was sure he never saw Mrs. Weasley ran so fast. She stormed towards Percy who looked totally shocked. Afraid her mother would harm him he got off his chair and took a Stepp backwards. But Mrs. Weasley rached him before Percy could do something else. It surely was the most intense Mrs. Weasley hug Harry ever saw. "My son!" she yelled "My son!" Harry could not help but smile. My family he thought.
When Mrs. Weasley finally let go of her son, tears were all over her face. She cleaned them and turned to face Philine. Philine swallowed and got off her chair, smiling at Mrs. Weasley. "My daughter!" she exclaimed and took her into the same embrace as Percy had become.
"Blimey!" whispered Ron to Harry "Good thing I don't get married!" Hermione looked at Ron with narrowed eyes. "You're hopeless, Ronald!" she said and left his side to congratulate Percy.
