The next day the Weasleys started going back to the Burrow (we were going to apparate) and as they neared the gate I hung back
The next day the Weasleys started going back to the Burrow (we were going to apparate) and as they neared the gate I hung back. Ginny noticed my hand slipping from hers and stopped.
"Come on Harry, let's go," Ginny knew exactly what he was going to say next, the noble git.
"Gin, your family has done so much for me, I don't want to be a burden," Ginny smiled inwardly, she had been right.
"Harry, you ARE family, and besides I need someone to keep me company now that Ron's with Hermione every minute of the day," I grinned; keeping Ginny company usually meant sitting under a tree snogging and/or talking about life, Quidditch or anything that happened to pop in to their heads.
In fact I remember a particular funny occasion when we were talking about the most random subject: waffles.
We were sitting under 'our' tree by the Black Lake early in that morning before leaving. I was leaning against the base of the tree with my legs spread wide out; Ginny was sitting in between them as well as leaning against my chest for back support. We sat there in silence, taking in the scene and enjoying each other's company when Ginny suddenly spoke up, "Waffles."
"What about waffles?" I asked dumbfounded by the randomness of what she had brought up.
"Why are they called 'waffles', why not 'snewffles'?" She mused.
"I don't know," I didn't but she raised a good point. Why WERE they called waffles?
"That's what baffles me. I know how to make them, I know how they get light and fluffy, but not why they're called what they're called."
"Who knows? Why are dogs called dogs?" I replied, wondering why we were talking about why waffles are called waffles.
"Harry, whoever invented the word 'waffle' was a nutter," concluded Ginny as if she had just figured out how to cure cancer. Quite honestly, she looked like a satisfied little kid.
"Whatever you say dear," THAT got me a whack on the leg.
"Don't 'Whatever you say dear' me Potter, I've seen my father do that to my mum," My head was already hurting from thinking in a constant loop about waffles and now my leg hurt to."
"How about this Gin? We go and ask the House Elves if they'll make us some waffles," I finally recognized what kind of mood Ginny was in: it was her "I'll talk about random stuff, but I'm just trying to not fall asleep" mood. I had experienced it when we were dating in my 6th year.
"Waf (insert yawn here) fles." She rolled onto her side and snuggled into my chest. Hermione had told me Ginny had been having nightmares, but couldn't sneak into my dormitory for it was full with her brothers, Neville, Seamus, and Dean.
I stroked her hair until I too fell asleep.
"Harry? Harry?" Ginny was waving her hand in front of my face, "You in there Harry?"
"Yeah, sorry. I was just remembering this morning and what a good time it was." She turned pink at the mention of her falling asleep on me.
Then she grabbed my hand and went toward the gate. "Everyone's left without us. Now you have to apparate me home," She laughed at the look of realization as I realized I was stuck and not able to argue any further, though I was excited all the same, the arguing was just to give Ginny a hard time.
"Fine. Hold tight, don't wanna splinch us," Okay technically I'm not licensed to apparate, but as I had been doing it for the past few months I didn't really care. I thought of the Burrow and soon felt as if I was being dragged through a tube with Ginny squished into me. In seconds we were there.
The feeling of euphoria I always felt when at the Burrow returned. The Burrow is a place I've always been welcomed. All the Weasleys have fought with me in the Battle, even Percy. It was great to be back. I'd been worried that the Death Eaters had burned or destroyed it while we were on the run.
Ginny and I were the last to arrive. Mr. Weasley stood facing his children. "Okay, the Death Eaters may have laid some traps around the house so Bill, Charlie, and I will go first. Everyone stay out here until we return." The oldest Weasley men went into the house and we heard a yell to indicate there had been traps and apparently they had been very clever.
An hour later, Bill, looking slightly disheveled, Charlie, who looked like he was going to break out laughing, and Mr. Weasley returned.
Ginny was the first to ask, "We heard a yell, what happened?"
At this Charlie started laughing like a maniac, "Bill…knife…hair…ahahahaha!"
"What the hell?" Ron asked.
Bill sighed, "I opened a drawer and a knife had been charmed to fly out when opened. It flew up and got stuck in the ceiling for a second or two. When I had my back turned it fell. It flipped in the air so the blade went downward. It missed my head, but chopped off my ponytail.
Mrs. Weasley didn't even try to hide her smirk; everyone knew she had hated that ponytail. Her sense of hate for the hairstyle outweighed the dismay of her son nearly dying—just this once. Finally everyone else except Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Bill broke out laughing, even Fleur.
Eventually we went inside. I went up to Ron's room where I had my cot. I don't think that had ever been taken down, ever since I first arrived here before my second year. It was comfy and I could lay down without my feet hanging off the end of the bed like at the Dursley's in my miniscule twin bed. I didn't have any of my normal clothes; Hermione had them in her ever-expanding collection of stuff in her little beaded bag, I decided to fetch them.
"Ginny? Are you in?" I knocked her door. Hermione was staying her Ginny's room as usual. She was seated on her bed, her gorgeous red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing an old red Weird Sisters t-shirt and light blue jeans.
"Yeah, what's up?" She smiled at me.
"Hermione's got my clothes in her magic bag, so I kinda need them."
"Her bag is here, so I'll get your clothes," She started rummaging through the bag; she looked at me questioningly when she pulled out Phineas Nigellus's portrait. Thankfully, he was currently residing in his portrait at Hogwarts. Ginny put it aside and casually started pulling clothes out. "These are Ron's."
"How do you know whose are whose?" I asked, but I wasn't sure I wanted an answer.
"When you left here after the wedding, who do you think help mum wash your clothes? I now know what size shirt, underwear, and pant to get you for your birthday," She smirked as she saw my face go red with embarrassment. She finally pulled out a stack of clothes for me to take upstairs. I was also sent upstairs with Ron's clothes, but I was ordered to return after the clothes were in the room.
Everyone was staying at the Burrow for a few days. Fred and George would have there room, Percy and Charlie would share Percy's room, Bill and Fleur in his and Charlie's room, Ginny and Hermione in the former's room, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously in their room, and Ron and me in Ron's room.
I returned to Ginny's room after my chore was done and started to think about what we should do for the rest of the day.
"We could go to Diagon Alley," suggested Ginny, but we both knew that was way to public this early after the battle; reporters had already started to swarm near the perimeter of the Burrow. Bill was currently out there putting up the same wards that were there last year.
Then it hit me: I needed to visit Teddy. "Teddy," I said. Ginny looked at me funny until she realized whom I was talking about, "I need to visit Teddy. The boy almost lost his parents and I haven't met him yet. I'm his godfather." Ginny agreed and we went downstairs to find Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen making lunch. It was eleven in the morning so it was no surprise.
"Mum," Ginny started.
"Yes dear?" Mrs. Weasley turned around.
"Harry and I are going to visit Teddy Lupin. Harry's his Godfather and I'm-"
"Of course! Be back for a late lunch at one." She shoved them out of the house; happy they could go places freely again.
We walked out of the wards so I could apparate us there, but then I remembered something, "Gin, you were saying something before your mum cut you off."
"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, I'm Teddy's Godmum," I wasn't really surprised by this. I knew Tonks and Ginny are close, but I think Remus saw something between us when he last saw us at the wedding.
"Are all Marauder's match-making gits?" I asked her.
She smiled and replied, "No, Peter Pettigrew wasn't."
"True."
I apparated us to the front of Mrs. Tonks yard. I remembered Ted had died, but he, like Dobby, was already buried, sadly they too had been gone too long. I knocked on the door and Tonks answered, "Wotcher Harry, Ginny."
"Hey Tonks," We replied.
She stared at us for a minute before saying, "Damn Remus. He was right, by the end of the war you two would be together."
"And what did you say?" Ginny asked.
"Before school let out last year. I saw Harry eyeing you at the station."
"Then Remus didn't tell you, did he?" I asked. "I think he knew we'd been going out at the end of last year because apparently I'd been eyeing her longingly at the wedding." I had told this told to Remus in hopes for advice; none of which I'd gotten.
"That prat! He owes me 5 galleons." Tonks was very happy now and we finally were able to step inside. "Come meet Teddy Harry," She handed me a bundle that was just waking up from an afternoon nap. I'd seen him around before we left the castle, but I'd not been able to properly meet him. "I'm Harry, your dad and my dad were friends.
"Hey Teddy," I cooed at the cute little baby. He had Tonk's face, just as Remus had said and his small amount of hair turned black as soon as he was handed to me. Ginny leaned over my shoulder and his eyes turned brown to match hers. Anyone who didn't know better would've thought we're his parents.
I brought Teddy into the sitting room and all eyes were on me. Andromeda still looked like her sister, and Remus looked tired, but when they saw us they instantly looked at Ginny and I and started grinning. Tonks walked into the room, saw Teddy, and started laughing.
"He looks like he could be your son!" She exclaimed, still laughing as she handed everyone a cup of tea. "Which reminds me. Remus you owe me five galleons. Harry and Ginny were dating at the end of last year."
Remus tried to hide his disappointment that he didn't win, but failed. Although he did smirk and said, "James always said Potters have a thing for redheads." We laughed; it was very true.
"Remus," I asked cautiously, "did you know Wormtail died?" When he visited Shell Cottage we didn't have time to tell him what had happened.
"Yes, Kingsley told me yesterday after the aurors had raided Malfoy Manor. They said he was choked to death."
"Yeah, he saved Ron and I. Riddle gave him the hand that choked him after his hand went into the thing that brought Riddle back."
"Oh," Remus paused, thinking of his old friend, before he betrayed my parents, "but that reminds me. Harry do you still want to be an auror?" He questioned.
I had thought about it but had made a final decision, "No, I'm done searching and stopped bad wizards. It's what I've done since I started Hogwarts and honestly, I'm tired of it."
"I see, Kingsley asked me to ask you," Remus replied.
I looked at my watch; it was a quarter to one. "Thanks for having us, but we've have to go. Mrs. Weasley is expecting us. Mrs. Tonks, I'm really sorry about Ted." She nodded.
"I'll see you out." Said Remus as he got up.
I gave Teddy a kiss on the temple before handing him to Tonks, who gave me a one-armed hug.
"Remus, I'm sorry that I can't bring Ted back, he's just been dead too long, like my parents. Is Mrs. Tonks mad that I can't do it?" I asked once we were outside. Ginny held onto my arm for comfort.
"No, Harry. She understands, she's been like this since he died. Dora and Teddy help her, but she's just sad and is slowly getting better now that the war is over, but Harry I have something for you from your parents. I was supposed to give it to you last year, but with everything…." He stopped and pulled a small square parcel from his pocket.
I was so excited, something from my parents. I could tell I was shaking. I took the parcel and said, "Thanks," to Remus.
"They gave that to me, figuring if something happened to Sirius that I'd be able to give to you on your 17th birthday," He gave me a hug before repeating the same words that Dumbledore had used when giving me my invisibility cloak in first year, "Use it well."
I apparated with Ginny back to the Weasley's before deciding it would be best to open the package after lunch in the privacy of Ron's room. I tucked under the mattress, anxious to put my mind off of it until after lunch.
"Did you open it?" She asked when I came back downstairs.
I shook my head and replied, "After lunch."
A/N Okay. Chapter 4. Evil cliffhanger. Thanks for all your review and keep them coming. Feel free to guess Harry's new career in the reviews. I'll tell later on. Read 'Signs of Magic' and vote in the poll! Hope you've enjoyed. Chapter 5 is on the way.