A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. August was a hectic month with summer classes ending, my older brother being on leave from Cuba for two weeks, and my nephew's 1-year-old birthday party.
To be honest, after moongazer7's rather nasty review, I was kind of disheartened, and didn't feel like writing for a while. After two weeks passed in which I had edited two individuals stories, I realized I hadn't started this chapter.
I would like to thank those of you who reviewed, because without your words of encouragement I would have never found the drive to write this chapter.
As for those of you who put this on your story alerts, which is all 20 of you, thank you.
Chapter 3: Plans
May 11.
The night before when the family arrived back from Aunt Muriel's, Mrs. Weasley automatically went to start dinner, Mr. Weasley went into his shed, and the rest of the family went to their rooms. Harry and Hermione kept each other company during that time by sitting on the couch in the living room since they didn't know how to help there grieving friends.
"Are you and Ron, you know, together?" Harry asked her. Hermione shot him a curious look.
"Technically, yes, but I'm not sure how to help him through this." She said as Harry nodded in understanding. "Are you and Ginny"..."
"Not right now." He told her.
"And she's ok with that?" she said kind of surprised.
"No, not really, but I made her promise to stay my friend for a while."
"How long is 'a while'?" She asked.
"Only long enough for me to get my nightmares and guilt under control." He said, "I feel like I'm going to need both of you to help me through them."
"Well, at least you're willing to have someone help you with them." She said.
"How are you dealing?" He asked her. Hermione's face scrunched in pain from the memories.
"I... I've been having nightmares about Malfoy manner." She confessed. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I've been having nightmares about... well, everything." He admitted softly. She leaned into him as she wrapped her arm around him.
"Everything?" She asked turning her tear streaked face toward him.
"Yeah, everything, you know, how things could have gone wrong. Voldemort gaining a body in our first year; what would have happened if I didn't save Ginny in the chamber; what would have happened if Remus didn't show me the Patronus charm; what would have happened if we didn't use the time turner to save Sirius; conjuring up many different scenarios as to how the three tasks could have ended in my death; Cedric's death, and what happen afterward; Umbridge and her punishments; Mr. Weasley almost dying; Snape's occlumency lessons; Sirius' death; Voldemort learning the entire contents of the prophecy; what would have happened if I didn't save Ron on his birthday in sixth year; Dumbledore's death, and generally everything that happen while we were on the run last year."
Hermione shuttered just thinking of the possibilities her friends overactive mind was conjuring.
"And here I thought that all I had to worry about was whether I am capable of reversing my parents memories and come to terms with the effects of the Cruciatus curse." She said, "And now you've given me more to worry about."
"That wasn't my intention." Harry said obviously frustrated.
"I know, but your pain is now my pain, and we should be able to help each other come to terms with all of it sooner rather than later." She said.
After this conversation, Harry vowed to tell Ginny everything when he got the chance.
9 o'clock.
This conversation was still on his mind while he ate the delicious breakfast Mrs. Weasley had whipped up for the family. Harry seemed to be the only one up at the moment when he heard footsteps descending the stairs. He continued to pick at his breakfast, which Mrs. Weasley noticed.
"Are you hungry dear?" She asked kindly. His stomach rumbled in response.
"I am, but I just can't bring myself to eat." He told her.
"And why not?" Hermione asked him as she came into the kitchen. Harry mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she came around to his side of the table and sat next to him.
"Just nightmares." He whispered desperately hoping that they would just go away, "Nothing I can't handle." He said more confidently than he felt. By this time, Hermione had stationed herself on Harry's other side.
"Nightmares about what, Harry?" Hermione asked him.
"Dursleys." He whispered as he pushed his food around his plate. Noticing that Hermione didn't have a plate of breakfast in front of her, Mrs. Weasley left Harry's side long enough to do just that, and returned a few minutes later when she was satisfied with the amount of food that was piled on the plate.
"What kind of things about the Dursleys?" Hermione asked him in an undertone. Not that she didn't want to be heard or anything, it was just because Harry himself was whispering and she didn't want to disturb the peace and quiet this morning provided.
He shuttered just thinking about it.
Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a motherly embrace. "Those memories couldn't be that bad, could they? Unless that shudder was anything to go by." She said that last bit as an afterthought. Hermione gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and Harry applied the same pressure back to show that he understood.
Bill and Fleur made their appearance a minute later which sent Mrs. Weasley back to the stove to fetch their breakfast.
"Have we missed anything?" Bill said as he examined Hermione's, Harry's, and his mother's faces.
"It's just nightmares, Bill." Mrs. Weasley told him, "I dare say we all are having them."
"Both of you?" Fleur asked as she eyed the teens.
They both nodded. Fleur reached over and clasped one of their hands in each of hers.
"You're not alone." She said, "The two of us are having them as well."
Harry and Hermione smiled a little just knowing that they weren't alone did help. She squeezed their hands gently, and they returned the gesture. The four occupants of the table went back to the attempt of eating breakfast just as Ginny entered the kitchen only to find almost everyone awake.
"Morning." She mumbled as she took the empty seat next to Harry.
"Morning Ginny." The five occupants murmured back. She scanned the individuals around her as her mother put the fifth plate of breakfast in front of her.
"Thanks mum." She said. Mrs. Weasley gave her a hug before going back to the stove.
"Dad, Percy, George, and Ron are still sleeping?" She asked the room at large.
"Your father and Percy went into work today." Mrs. Weasley answered.
"Ron was still sleeping when I came down here; and George's door was still shut as well." Harry added.
"Do any of you have plans for the day?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Ginny looked at Harry as Harry glanced at Hermione.
"Not that I know of." She answered his unspoken question, "Unless you have something we should be doing."
"Nope." He said as he turned to smile at Ginny. "You have anything you should be doing?" He asked her. She shook her head. "Looks like we'll be sticking around here today." He told Mrs. Weasley who looked pleased.
"And what about you two?" Mrs. Weasley said to her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
"We were requested to come into the bank this afternoon." Fleur said.
"I believe we will leave after lunch then." Bill concluded.
Ron entered the kitchen about two minutes later and took a seat to Hermione's left. Mrs. Weasley sat the sixth heaping plate in front of him, and he began to eat in the fashion that only Ron could muster.
"I see that his appetite hasn't changed considering everything that's happened." Ginny said disgustedly. Ron just glared at her as Harry, Hermione, and Bill chuckled.
"Do you know if George was up when you came down Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Havenoidea." Ron responded through a mouthful of eggs. Mrs. Weasley glared at him, Hermione looked horrified, Ginny looked disgusted, but Harry just asked,
"What was that mate?"
Ron had the decency to swallow before answering just in case his mother started ranting about manners, which he was surprised Hermione didn't.
"I said I have no idea."
With that, Mrs. Weasley exited the kitchen to attempt the impossible.
"Ron? Ginny? Are you having nightmares too?" Bill asked his youngest siblings.
"No." Ron lied.
"Too?" Ginny questioned.
"Yes, too." Fleur said.
"Who is having nightmares?" Ron asked.
"Nearly everyone at this table." Bill said, "Gin, you didn't answer me." Ginny gazed at her brother trying to figure out where he was going with it while Harry and Hermione waited for her answer. Ginny took her eyes off her brother and focused on her lap.
"Yes." She said softly.
Harry gazed at her not knowing what to do. A second later, he found her eyes fixed on him which made his stomach do back flips.
"You too?" She questioned softly.
He nodded.
She looked over his shoulder at Hermione who nodded as well. She turned her gaze back to Harry who was still battling with himself. Ginny took his right hand into her left, and scooted her chair closer to him. He took his hand out of hers, and wrapped his right arm around her. Ginny reciprocated the gesture and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Hermione watched the pair fondly before turning to her boyfriend for comfort but Ron was too busy eating to notice she needed him. Ginny motioned to Hermione who scooted her chair close to them. Ginny swung herself onto Harry's lap, which he didn't protest, and she drew Hermione into part of a three way hug. Harry felt another arm join his around Ginny, and when he noticed it was Hermione, he completed the three way embrace. They sat there in silence for a few minutes as Bill and Fleur thankfully said nothing, but Ron on the other hand is always a different story.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" He shouted after realizing the silence and no one except him was still eating. Ginny plopped herself back into her chair, took a huge bite of sausage, and used her long hair to cover her equally red face. Hermione, on the other hand, spun around in her chair so fast that she knocked her boyfriend and the chair he was sitting in to the ground.
"What was that...?" Ron spluttered.
"Ronald Weasley, you really are insensitive!" She said as she fumed out of the kitchen and into the garden.
"Is everything all right down there?" Mrs. Weasley called seeing as she heard Ron crash to the floor.
"Everything's fine mum." Bill called back.
Silently, Bill, Fleur, Harry and Ginny glared at Ron.
"What did I do?" He asked.
They just stared at him some more.
Ron silently pleaded with Harry.
"I'm not going to help you this time mate, she's your girlfriend after all."
Ron looked sour, and exited the kitchen in the same direction as Hermione did a few minutes ago.
10 o'clock.
When they were all finished eating, Bill and Fleur went into the living room, Mrs. Weasley started her daily chores, and Harry and Ginny were still gazing at each other, not sure what to do. Harry jerked his head toward the door, and Ginny nodded. The two rose from the table and exited the kitchen in companionable silence.
"How much damage do you think he'll do before fixing things?" Ginny asked.
"Well, if he keeps on reminding her about how much he cares for house-elves, I say not very long." He responded.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well, just before they got together, Ron asked us if we wanted to tell the house-elves to leave the castle so, oh how did he put it, 'so we didn't have any more Dobbies' and that's when Hermione... kissed him for being so... thoughtful." he finished. Ginny smiled,
"Then we better hope he remains more thoughtful this time around unlike earlier." She said smiling back.
He nodded.
Unknowingly, their feet took them over to the pond. Ginny perched on a rock while Harry sat next to it.
"I think I'm ready to talk about last year." Harry whispered into the morning breeze. The statement made her jump.
"You what?" Ginny said. She honestly couldn't believe her ears.
"I said," Harry began, "I'm ready to tell you about last year." He finished as he turned to face her.
"Now?"
"Tomorrow." He corrected.
"And us?"
"We will be when the time is right." He told her calmly.
"Remind me, why not now."
"Nightmares." he whispered, "I know you're having them, I'm having them, Hermione's having them, your mother, and father, are having them, Bill, and Fleur are having them, and I'm sure George, and Percy are too. As for your brother though, I know he was lying at breakfast."
Ginny felt a few tears escape and run down her cheeks. Harry sat up on his knees to wipe them away.
"How is it that you all of a sudden know exactly what to do in front of a crying girl?" She whispered.
Harry smiled.
"I don't." He said, but Ginny didn't look convinced. "Well, I noticed the change sometime after the battle. I feel like all of my emotions, except the negative ones, have been bottled up for several years. Like now, whenever I think of the Dursleys after the nightmare I had, I feel hurt, and angry for how they treated me, but now that I understand everything, I just feel pity. I know you don't understand everything, but you will once we talk tomorrow. I promise." They smiled at each other as Ron and Hermione joined them ten minutes later. Hermione produced her wand and conjured three blankets on the ground. Ron and Hermione took one blanket as Harry took another still watching Ginny who reluctantly took the third.
"What were you two talking about?" Ron asked as he wrapped an arm around Hermione.
"Dursleys and my emotions." Harry said. Ron looked uncomfortable about the last bit, but Hermione just raised her eyebrows.
"Really?" She questioned.
"Yes, really." Ginny said staring at Hermione over Harry.
"So what about the Dursleys Harry?" Hermione asked him. Ginny glared at her, but Harry said,
"I was just telling her that after the nightmare I had last night, I still feel hurt and angry toward them, but I also pity them, which is something I never thought I'd do."
"Well, they were horrible people." Ron said.
"Horrible in the sense that everything had to be normal, but they failed to be even that." Harry said.
"How do you mean?" Hermione asked now looking up at the sky.
"Well, they over spoiled Dudley, in my opinion, and let him get away with everything even if the evidence pointed to him."
"So basically, he could do no wrong, and you were the devil?" She asked.
"Pretty much." He responded.
"He also told me that sometime after the war he noticed that the bad emotions weren't as prevalent." Ginny put in. Hermione sat up in alarm.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"It feels like someone has lifted a weight off my shoulders emotionally speaking." He responded.
"The good emotions," Hermione began, "Do you feel them more now?"
"Yes." He said.
"What about the bad ones."
"I feel them, but not as strongly."
"Maybe," She said hesitantly, "The you-know-what was kind of preventing you from feeling the good emotions as much as you can feel the bad ones."
"Or, it was heightening the bad ones since I feel the good ones more and the bad ones less."
"It's almost like they've balanced themselves out." Ginny said, "Although I have no idea what this you-know-what is or anything." She added.
"I'll tell you tomorrow." Harry said. The four teens laid there for a while just examining the clear blue sky the morning offered.
"Do you two know if George ever came down to eat?" Ginny asked looking at Ron and Hermione.
"Have no idea." She said, "After Ron and I... um, fixed things, we came over here."
"He has seriously got to be hurting." Ginny said, as the other three nodded in the affirmative.
"We can only imagine." Hermione said, "Because we'll never truly understand what it's like to lose a twin."
"I wish there was something we could do to help him though." Ron said.
"Well, if it makes anyone feel better, I'll talk to him on Friday if he doesn't come out before then." Harry offered.
"Shouldn't it be one of us?" Ron asked.
"Well, if you want to do it, then be my guest." Harry shrugged.
"Harry's the one who has had to deal with loss time and time again, so I'm sure it'll be Harry he'll want to talk to." Ginny said.
"Friday it is." Ron agreed. They talked about insignificant things for a while before the topic of the Dursley's came back up.
"What happened to the Dursley's while we were on the run last year?" Ron questioned.
"The Order took them to a safe house. Dedalus and Hestia were watching over them." Harry said.
"So you have no idea what happened to their house?" Hermione asked.
"Well, since no one has told me anything, I assume nothing has been done to it, but I'll talk to Bill if you want to see when he can come with me to check it for curses." He supplied.
"I would feel better if someone went with you." Ginny said.
"It would be for the best." Hermione said, "Unless you want us to go with you." She offered.
"No, I'll just ask Bill at lunch."
And so he did when they were called into eat lunch a half an hour after that conversation.
"I'll get back to you tonight." Bill told him, "I'm glad you're thinking strait through all of this."
"For now, I am." He responded.
And after lunch they went back out to the pond to relax.
1 o'clock.
"Ron, have you thought any more about what you want to do as a career?" Hermione asked.
"Not yet, but being an Auror sounds pretty cool. I have also thought about helping George re-open and run the shop." He said turning red from the attention the question put on him.
"Have you thought of a career choice for you?" He asked her.
"Well, I'd like to get on in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to make the lives easier for house-elves and other creatures or in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement so I can put an end to pro-pureblood laws." She said. Ron, Harry, and Ginny just gaped at her. "But I'll have to finish my education before I do all that." She finished. They still stared at her in disbelief. "Well, you asked, so I told. She said in response to the look on their faces. "Besides, Harry all ready knows what he wants to do."
"Well, yeah, but I don't plan on finishing school." He said after a while.
"You still want to be an Auror?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, I do." He affirmed. "What would you like to do?" He asked in return.
"I'd like to play professional Quidditch if I'm good enough, but if that doesn't work out I'd like to be a Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet." She said smiling.
"You know, it sounds like all of you have more than one option to choose from, and I only have one." Harry said glumly, "I mean what if the Auror office doesn't want me."
Whack!
"Ow! Hermione!" Harry shouted because it was her who smacked him in the back of the head.
"Who the heck wouldn't want The-Boy-Who-Lived." She said exasperatedly. "You need to stop selling yourself short."
"What are you trying to say Hermione?" He asked, smiling at her.
Whack!
"Ow! Ron!" Harry shouted, rubbing the back of his head from the second blow.
"She's mine!" He said forcefully.
"And he's mine!" Ginny said tackling Harry to the ground. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You can keep her." Harry said to Ron.
"And you can keep him." Hermione said to Ginny.
"Hey! Get your hands off my sister." Ron fumed.
Whack!
"Ow! Hermione!" Ron shouted rubbing the back of his head.
"I'll get my hands off your sister if you get your hands off mine." Harry said. Ginny wiggled her way out of Harry's arms.
"You think of me as a sister?" Hermione said her eyes filling with tears.
"Yes, I do." He said smiling.
Whack!
"Ow! Ginny!" Ron shouted as he rubbed the back of his head again. "What was that for?" He huffed.
"For interfering with my life." She said as she made her way back to Harry.
"Hermione, are you ok?" Harry asked after everything had calmed down.
"Speaking of family just reminded me that I should attempt to find my parents." She sniffed. Ron moved over and wrapped her in his arms.
"I'm sure you will find them and restore their memories just fine." He said soothingly.
"But what if I can't?" She asked still teary eyed.
"Hermione," Harry said, "If you can successfully modify their memories, then I have complete faith that you can successfully restore them. You're not the brightest witch of our age for nothing, just like I was The-Boy-Who-Lived."
Hermione smiled,
"Thanks Harry, I needed to hear that."
"We will ask my dad when he gets home to see if he can get you an appointment with the Department of Magical Transportation." Ron said, "And on second thought, Harry and I should make an appointment too for our apparition licenses."
"And I'll be stuck at home with mum doing chores all morning or afternoon." Ginny said sourly.
"Oh cheer up Gin," Harry said as he put his arm around her shoulders, "At least we won't be gone long."
But that didn't seem to cheer her up because of the scowl that was still plastered on her face.
5:30.
Just before dinner, Bill, Fleur, Percy, and Mr. Weasley arrived home from work. The four teens had decided to go back inside about two hours ago, and they ended up in the living room playing Exploding Snap. Mr. Weasley sat down in his armchair, Percy went up to his room, and Bill and Fleur sat on the sofa behind Harry and Ginny.
"I was able to get this Thursday off to go with you to examine the Dursley home." Bill told Harry after Ron managed to blow up the deck of cards.
"Oh great, the sooner the better I suppose." Harry responded enthusiastically.
"Hey dad, do you think you could make an appointment with the Department of Magical Transportation for Hermione, Harry and me?" Ron asked.
"What for, son." Mr. Weasley asked.
"Well, I need to figure out how I'm going to find my parents and reverse their memories." Hermione said.
"And Ron and I need to get our apparition licenses." Harry concluded.
"I'll see what I can do then." Mr. Weasley said, "I'll let you know tomorrow."
"Thanks Mr. Weasley." Harry and Hermione said together.
"Oh, none of this Mr. Weasley stuff you two, just call me Sir, or Arthur, or dad won't you?" He said. The two blushed, and nodded silently to him.
May 12: 2 o'clock in the morning.
Harry could not sleep. Well, he couldn't get back to sleep at any rate because of the dream he just had and the fact that Ron was snoring louder than usual. Harry sat up and flung the covers off him and then swung his legs over the side of his cot. Ron let out a particularly loud, and extremely weird sounding snore that Harry would have laughed at under normal circumstances, but seeing as he could not get back to sleep in the last hour, he gave it up as a bad job and decided to go downstairs. He was careful to not make any noise when he descended the staircase, and in his sleep deprived state, he didn't notice the light that was turned on in the kitchen. He sat down quietly on the sofa and rested his head in his hands.
"Could you not sleep dear?" A woman's voice asked. Harry looked up startled only to find Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"I... I didn't know you were up." Harry said softly. She walked further into the room and sat beside him.
"I couldn't sleep." She confessed, "So I came down here to fix a cup of hot chocolate. Would you like some?" She said smiling at him.
"Shuh-sure." He stammered. She squeezed his shoulder affectionately and then got up to go back into the kitchen. Harry followed her a second later and took the seat across from her. Mrs. Weasley poured two cups of hot chocolate, and then handed one to Harry who sipped appreciatively.
"What were you dreaming about?" She asked after taking a sip out of her own cup.
"The Dursleys, again." He said shaking.
"What about them."
"Different things really."
"Like?"
He stared at her not sure if he should say anything.
"Harry dear, I'm sure you've never had an adult to talk to about that stuff, but I can assure you that whatever you tell me will stay between us, well, and possibly Arthur." She said kindly. "The way you had to grow up had to have left a mark. I'm just surprised it's taken this long for you to have nightmares about it."
"I probably would have had nightmares about it sooner, but I had a psychopath after me for nearly my entire life. It makes the Dursleys treatment look like luxury in comparison to be honest Mrs. Weasley." He said taking another sip of hot chocolate.
"That may be true, but what are you going to do about these nightmares."
"Hope they go away?" He said.
"You know they won't, and besides, you know they can't do any more harm since you are of age here in the wizarding world."
"I know, but the memories still haunt me."
"What did they do, or not do for you?" She asked.
"Well, I slept in a cupboard under the stairs for ten years of my life, and apparently I was there personal slave." He said not looking at her. He did not want to see the disgust that was sure to cross her features.
"You slept in a cupboard? And was their personal slave?" She asked slightly shocked.
Harry nodded.
"What kind of things did they make you do for them?"
"Make meals, clean the entire house, do all the yard work, stuff like that." He said still looking anywhere but at her.
And now is the first time Molly Weasley has ever been speechless.
"And what did they make your cousin do?" She choked out.
"Sit on his lazy behind all day eating and watching the television, or they would let him do so when he wasn't out with his friends bullying younger kids or playing his favorite game Harry Hunting."
Harry chanced a quick glance at her which he regretted because she was silently crying.
"How could anyone think of doing such a thing to a child?" She sobbed.
"Well, the Dursleys thought they could squish the magic out of me."
Mrs. Weasley chuckled weakly. "If anything, that was a sure way for you to display accidental magic."
Harry nodded. "I know that now."
"I should attempt to go back to sleep." He said hastily getting up. "I'm sorry to burden you with all that so soon after Fred."
Mrs. Weasley quickly got up from her chair and caught Harry in a hug at the bottom of the stairs.
"Don't you ever think that you're a burden to me Harry James Potter. No one realized how terrible a home life you had back then, well, maybe I did just a little bit judging by how underfed you were."
Harry was completely dumbfounded.
"I just figured you'd want me gone so that you didn't have to look at the person who was responsible for so many deaths. Maybe I did deserve the treatment I got from the Dursleys after all."
And that seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because Harry noticed that look anywhere seeing as that look also graced her daughters face when she started to get angry.
"You will never be responsible for those deaths no matter how much you think so, and you most certainly did not deserve the treatment the Dursleys inflicted on you." She said fiercely, but quietly.
"I... um... ok." Harry said unintelligently. "But I don't think I can get back to sleep even if I tried."
Her face softened. "And why would that be?" She asked.
"Ron's snoring particularly loud tonight, which is the other reason I couldn't get back to sleep besides the dream."
"Ronald." Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, I could ask George if you could sleep in their for the night if you want."
"I don't want to disturb him." Harry said embarrassed.
"Mrs. Weasley?" Someone said on the landing above. She peered over Harry's shoulder to see the person better.
"Yes, Hermione?"
"I know Ginny's room is kind of small, but I could levitate Harry's cot down," She pointed into the room, "here so he can get some sleep."
"Absolutely..." Mrs. Weasley began.
"We'll leave the door open if that would make you happy." She cut in, "It's three in the morning, and since Ginny and I are all ready awake we figured it was easiest."
"No Hermione, I could just sleep on the sofa."
"No no Harry dear. Oh all right. Be quick and quiet about it then." She snapped at the two of them.
Hermione crept up stairs and came back down moments later with the levitated cot. Harry followed her into the room and sat upon it.
"No funny business you three, I mean it." Mrs. Weasley scolded as she shut the door.
"I'm surprised you lasted this long sleeping in that room." Ginny said sleepily.
"Ginny, that's not nice." Hermione said.
"It's true though." Ginny said seriously. "He snores as loud as a dragon with a head cold."
"Oh, I doubt it." Hermione scoffed. Harry snorted, trying to contain his laughter.
"Was he still snoring when you went up?" He asked Hermione.
"Well, yes." She admitted.
"And?" Harry prompted.
"I think he sounded more like a cross between an elephant and a dragon with a head cold." She giggled. Ginny buried her face into her pillow trying to contain her laughter, and Harry stuffed his fist into his mouth in an attempt to muffle his laughter. They didn't notice Ginny's door open a crack, but they did hear the voice that spoke.
"I thought mum told you guys no funny business." Bill whispered. They stopped laughing immediately.
"Did we wake you up?" Harry asked.
"No, I was awake all ready just like the rest of you." He said.
"Hey Bill, did you know Ron's snoring sounds like a cross between an elephant and a dragon with a head cold?" Ginny asked.
Bill snorted.
"Please tell me he wasn't breathing fire again."
They all started laughing.
"Again?" Harry and Hermione asked after they calmed down a little bit.
"It's a symptom of Dragon pox." Bill explained. "He was the only one of us who actually caught anything on fire. But, a cross between an elephant and a dragon with a head cold you say?"
"Well, if we could get him to the pond in time, he'd be able to put out the fire before it destroyed the house." Hermione said trying to hold back laughter.
"Oh, what a sight that would be." Harry began, "All we'd have to do is make sure he filled his trunk up before he went to bed, and once he started belching fire in the middle of the night he'd be able to put it out."
"How... Sufficient." Ginny giggled.
"We can all just hope he doesn't sneeze in the middle of the night before he sets everything on fire." Bill said which made them laugh a little harder. "Be sure to tell Charlie that in your next letter Gin, he'd get a kick out of it. Now, go to sleep." He said as he quietly shut the door. The three teens lied down and fell asleep almost immediately.
A/N: Hopefully the next chapter won't take this long, and if any of you want to bug me about updating faster, just follow me on twitter. My name on there is the same as my penname on here.
Oh, and out of the 20 people who have alerted this story, I'd like to see 11 of you review this time, although I believe I had a few more than that when my minimum was 10 for the last chapter.