Chapter Six

Spoiler Alert!

Anything you recognise belongs to JKR

Laughing is the best medicine.

It was a howler... Apparently, Cho now had a big red mark on her pretty face.

I tried very hard not to laugh, though failed miserably when George cracked into hysterics. So now we were all laughing - even Mum, Dad and Percy. It was the first time we'd laughed in so long, and it felt great. Somehow, I laughed even harder when I realised that the first time we'd laughed in months was due to the fact that I slapped someone. So, evidently, we were laughing because someone got hurt. It wasn't the best thing to laugh about, but at least we were laughing.

When Cho's mum said, 'and to think you two used to be friends,' I was crying with the laughter. It seemed hilarious that just minutes ago I had been terrified by opening the howler, and now I was feeling the complete opposite. Anyone would think I was going mental. Maybe I was.

I got my wish - Hallelujah. The day was actually quite nice. The sun was up, so we ate outside on a rug, and the conversation was light. We didn't mention anything about the night before, because we didn't want to crush the mood our ridiculous laughing fit had put on us all.

Hermoine, Ron, Harry and I were sitting as a group, with George and Luna not so far away, her raddish earrings threatening to sweat in the heat. And Dad and Percy had gone inside to help Mum clean the house.

"I think Cho still likes you, Harry." Hermoine said.

"Good for her." Harry muttered. "I dunno what I ever saw in her."

I was lying on my back, his hands tracing patterns on my face, so I hardly minded the path our conversation had taken.

"Hermoine?" I asked.

"Mm?"

"What are you going to do with your SPEW carreer?"

Ron and Harry chuckled.

"Oh." She said. "Well, I was sort of planning..."

"Planning what?"

"To have some good NEWT points for it." She muttered quickly.

"Oh yeah." Ron said, "About that. You don't really want to go back to Hogwarts, do you?"

"Of course I do, Ron." She sounded slightly outraged that he'd thought otherwise. "You couldn't ever imagine someone like me going on with life without some good NEWT points."

"You got perfect OWLS." Harry pointed out. "That could be enough. I mean, you have a pretty good excuse for not doing your last year..." His voice trailed off.

"But I don't have a pretty good excuse for not going back to do it."

I opened my eyes to see the blinding light being shaded by Harry's - beautiful - face.

"Hi." I murmured, and I felt myself smiling.

"Hey."

"Anyway," Hermoine said, "I don't see why we shouldn't go back."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Would you go without me?" Ron asked in a small voice.

"No." She said too quickly.

"Right..."

She sighed, "I think you should as well, Ron. It'd make Ginny really happy if you did..."

"Don't bring me into this." I said.

"Well do you want us to come?"

I sighed, hating myself for bringing up the subject.

"I'm only going if Harry is." I said.

"See! And Harry's only going if we are."

"I never said that." Harry said.

She didn't speak, but I could tell that she'd raised her eyebrows.

"Fine, I guess it wouldn't be as great with you two there." He admitted.

"Please Ron..." She begged.

He took a deep breath, "Okay. If that's what makes you happy."

There was a silence.

"They're snogging, aren't they?" I asked.

Harry nodded, a smile on his face.

"Ronald!" Mum called.

"W-what?" He yelled.

"Come and put away your clothes!"

"But why just m-"

"Come!"

I snickered as Ron and Hermoine left.

"I've missed that." Harry said.

"Missed what?" I asked.

He paused. "Your laugh." He murmured, "staring at you without having to be caught out... the list goes on."

I smiled weakly. "I've missed you, too." I closed my eyes, feeling the tingling of his fingers along my face.

The silence was long and comfortable. Eventually, I sat up, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him until I forgot my name, like I -

"Ginny, I think Mum wants you to put away your clothes, too," George laughed.

I opened my eyes, looking over Harry's shoulder, and sure enough, Mum was standing in the doorway, watching. I felt self conscious as I sighed, and got out of Harry's arms.

"You can never get privacy around here." I muttered.

"Never." He agreed.

"So, Luna." I said, shuffling over to where she sat with George, "Are you going back to Hogwarts?"

She looked at George for a long time before finally saying, "No."

"Why not?" I asked, "Even if Harry, Ron and Hermoine come? It wouldn't be complete without you..."

She shrugged, "Or George."

"Oh yeah." I mumbled.

Of course, George wouldn't be going back, even if he dropped out in the middle of his last year. And Luna was staying to support him...

George kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Please!" I groaned. "Why doesn't Mum care if you kiss Luna? I mean, she's three years younger than you!"

"Are you trying to say she's too young for me?"

"No." I said quickly, "It's just if I'm not allowed to kiss Harry, than you shouldn't be allowed to kiss Luna."

"She never said you weren't allowed, you annoying git." He said. "She just doesn't like it..."

"I don't know whether to be more surprised that you called me an annoying git, or that you think Mum wouldn't try and make a new rule in the house for no kissing."

He rolled his eyes.

"So you're going back?" Luna asked.

I nodded slowly, "Well Hermoine said she'll go, so Ron's going, but if Har-"

"She's going." Harry cut in, "And I am, too."

"How sweet!" George said.

"Shut up!" I slapped his shoulder.

"Oooh! I'm gonna get Mum to send you a howler!"

Despite myself, I laughed. So that day, I found myself laughing like I had no worries in the world. I wanted the feeling to last.