A/N: Here's an extra early update for all of my loyal readers!~
The summer flew by quickly. Harry had spent that last weekend after the trial relaxing at the castle with the rest of the Weasley's, spending as much time as possible with Ron and Hermione relaxing outside. The days were spent falsely carefree, as if the real world was waiting just over the horizon.
Harry had then spent a week over at Ron's house, as had Hermione. Almost immediately upon arrival, Mrs. Weasley had received three owls with the Hogwarts crest, informing Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Hogwarts would be inviting all the seventh years back because they hadn't been able to finish their education. It was to be their '8th year'. Harry had already known this from Malfoy's trial and punishment, but had forgotten to tell his friends in their last carefree days spent at the castle. Hermione had started jumping up and down upon reading it, and Ron had rolled his eyes and said 'no way in HELL', to which Mrs. Weasley gave him a hard smack on the back of the head in admonishment.
Harry wasn't sure he wanted to go back either. It would be strange going back after he had seen it in so much destruction. Hermione had insisted that they all go back together, stating that she didn't think it would feel right if one or only two went. Harry knew that Ron would follow Hermione.
And then he thought of Malfoy, who he knew would be there. And that was all it took for his mind to be made up. He didn't know exactly what he was hoping to achieve by spending another year in Malfoy's presence, but it would drive him crazy if he passed up the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the boy's life and their strange relationship.
Hermione had cheered up immensely upon hearing that they would all be going back together, and they had moved on, spending the rest of the week helping her work out a plan for finding her parents in Australia. It had taken several days, and in the end, it was decided that Ron would accompany Hermione to find her parents. When Harry teased them about this, both had blushed profusely.
Harry thought it would be strange now that they were finally together, that he would feel like a third wheel, but it didn't feel like that. Not really. Maybe he was just so busy with his own thoughts that he didn't notice when they snuck off on their own. Either way, he was happy for them. They needed all the happiness that they could get right now, and Harry knew that Hermione was helping Ron heal from the loss of his brother.
They had also spent the week attending funerals for the deceased. It had been a long, stressful week. Particularly, Fred, Remus, and Tonk's funeral had been devastating for Harry. Seeing the Weasley's weeping over Fred's coffin had been extremely hard to witness. Likewise, seeing little Teddy in his grandmother's arms at the dual funeral that they had held for Remus and Tonks had been equally as hard. It was hard for Harry to miss the similarities in his and the small boy's lives; both had lost their parents to a madman. However, he would make sure that Teddy knew he was loved. He was the boy's godfather, and he would make damn sure that he was a part of his life.
Part of this was the reason that Harry decided to take the rest of the summer and fix up Grimmauld Place. He had a full two months until he had to be back at Hogwarts on September 1st. He figured if he could have it fixed up by then, he could have Teddy over for part of the holidays that he had from Hogwarts. He also figured that it would be a good way to keep busy until he had to return to his school. Because he was actively not thinking about Malfoy, and he was not wondering and obsessing what the next school year would bring.
The first day he had simply walked all throughout his house, learning the layout and exploring rooms he had never been in before. It was all very dark and dingy, and he couldn't wait to be rid of it all. He wanted a fresh start, needed it. He didn't even know where to start. He knew he would have help in Kreacher, and Winky had stopped by that day as well, pleading to help him. Harry had insisted that Winky was needed more at Hogwarts with the renovations, but Winky had tearfully explained that without her friend Dobby there, she no longer felt that Hogwarts was her home. McGonagall had released Winky, and she was now a free elf.
Harry had relented, agreeing that Winky could help him and stay on helping Kreacher with the upkeep of Grimmauld Place and any other subsequent properties Harry may acquire in his lifetime. Winky had also refused any payment, merely stating that all she wanted was to 'belong' to the Potter line, just like Kreacher. Harry had reluctantly agreed, and as soon as he said the words, he had felt a swirl of magic whip around himself and Winky.
He had written to Hermione that night, describing the strange events, and he had received word from her the next day. She explained to him that Winky had been bound to his line, that Grimmauld Place recognized their spoken agreement and had then bound them together. Winky would now be bound to follow all of Harry's commands, and would be unable to speak of any discussions or anything that was witnessed when around his 'master'. Harry had been afraid that Hermione would be irate upon hearing that Harry now had not one, but two house elves under his lineage, but she seemed to have lightened up on the subject. Perhaps it was that she knew Harry would never treat any creature poorly. Or perhaps it was that she and Ron had been in Australia for a few days now and were 'getting closer' to finding her parents. She had been excited upon hearing that Harry was going to fix up his dismal home, and couldn't wait to see how it was coming along when they returned.
She had also sent, along with her letter, a book on common house-hold cleaning charms. Harry found it very useful and now that he had two elves more than willing to help him with whatever he needed, he found the process of renovating his home much more enjoyable. He had started with the first level, which consisted of a large living room, large kitchen, living room, sun room, office, library, and two bathrooms. He was focusing on getting rid of everything he didn't want first, which was basically everything. He had even been able to get rid of the awful portrait that was in the front hallway, with the elves' help. Apparently, Kreacher had known all along how to get rid of it, but since he hadn't recognized Harry as his master previously, had never been willing to share this information.
He kept a few select pieces, such as the dramatic long dining table and chair set that was in his dining room, an elegant mirror that hung behind the table, and the coffee table that was in the living room. Everything else was taken from the house. What the house elves did with these pieces of furniture and random knickknacks, Harry didn't know. As long as they weren't a part of his possessions anymore, he couldn't care less. A week after he had started getting rid of everything in the downstairs level was done, he was done with that stage.
He looked around, and was shocked at the difference it made. Already, the space felt lighter, more open. He then, with the elves, focused on scrubbing every inch of the place. The windows were so dirty that they blended into the bleak walls. Once they were cleaned, the lower level was surprisingly bright. He also decided to use one of Hermione's charms to refinish the scuffed up floors. They had been a strange brown, dusty color, and when he was done, they were a shiny, dark cherry wood color, and looked brand new. He kept the windows open for several days, airing out the house.
He would need to go shopping very soon, to replace everything he had gotten rid of, and knew it would cost a lot. He had gotten rid of absolutely everything, from lamps and rugs, to chandeliers and curtains. He would also need to repaint all of the walls. It was actually quite exciting, making the space his own. He thought he would like some help choosing things though, and wasn't sure who to ask. He thought about waiting for Hermione and Ron to return, but discarded that idea quickly. He had no idea when they would return, and he didn't want to put it off that long. He had nowhere to sit and lounge, other than the fancy dining room table. It was a blank canvas, just waiting to be decorated. He decided he would try asking Ginny for help. They hadn't spoken since he had left the Weasley's house a week before, but before he had left, they had started being less awkward to each other. This might be a nice way to bridge the gap, and rekindle their strong friendship.
Deciding to follow through with his decision to ask Ginny for help, the next day found Harry at Gringotts bank. He had heard back from Ginny almost immediately, and she had readily agreed to meet him in Diagon Alley to help him search for pieces for his home.
He was in an office he hadn't been in before, talking over his accounts with one of the dwarves.
"Mr. Potter, so nice to see you again. We received your owl yesterday and have gathered your account documents. I see here that you have two accounts open, one in the Potter family name, one in the Black family name." The dwarf said in a gravelly voice.
Harry nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's correct. I was wondering if you could go through with me how much is in each account, and I may also want to combine them. I don't really see why I would need two vaults, instead of just the one."
"Mhmm" the dwarf said, peering closely at the documents underneath his nose. "Well, you can combine them, but you will need a larger vault. The combined total of both vaults is just over 12 million galleons."
Harry almost fell off his chair.
"What? Twelve MILLION galleons?!" Harry nearly shouted. "That can't possibly be right. I've been in the vault that my parents left to me. There was a lot, but not THAT much!"
"Yes, I see that. But the Black family was a very prominent family, and the majority of your holdings comes from their family. There is 2 million in the Potter vault, the rest comes from the Black vault. You are currently one of the wealthiest men in wizarding Britain." He explained in a hard tone. Apparently, dwarves didn't like being contradicted.
"Right, I'm sorry, I meant no offense. I'm just surprised. Shocked, really." Harry took a moment to breathe properly. "Ok. Ok. Er, yes, I would like to go ahead and combine the two vaults, under my name please. And I would like to add my two elves to have access to my vault, if that's possible?" He said uncertainly. He wasn't sure how these things worked, and didn't want to offend the dwarf any more than he already had. No doubt the dwarves remembered his, Ron's and Hermione's memorable breakout of Gringotts the year prior.
"Very well. I will go ahead and combine the two vaults. Your new vault number will be 1027. It's in the lowest levels here, and because of its vast amount, it will hold extra precautions to keep your fortune safe. As for the elves, that shouldn't be a problem. I simply need their names. They will then be allowed to come directly into your vault at any time, and take what you have ordered them to take out. The proper amount taken will be automatically recorded in your ledgers. Many wizarding families choose one or two elves to have this privilege; it keeps them from having to come here too often to withdraw money."
"Alright, excellent. My house elves are named Kreacher and Winky. I would also like to withdraw some money while I'm here, but I'm not sure how much I'll need. I suppose I'll just take out 500,000 galleons. I'm redecorating my house!" He exclaimed excitedly. Now that he knew he would be able to buy whatever he wanted, he was even more excited.
The dwarf nodded and went to retrieve the galleons, placing them in a magically shrunken sack that Harry placed in his pocket.
He thanked the dwarf and went on his way to meet Ginny.
Ginny looked stunning. Her hair was glossy and shining, her eyes were warm and bright, and she was absolutely beaming at him. She was also in a summer dress, one that he had never seen her wear before, and showed off her curves in all the right spots. He may not want to date her anymore, but he was still a 17-year-old boy, after all. She smiled as she watched his eyes travel down her lithe frame and threw herself in his arms, much to Harry's surprise, and kissed his cheek when he awkwardly returned her embrace. He saw a flash out of the corner of his eyes and broke away quickly. He didn't need any more stories written about him right now.
She seemed unperturbed by his abrupt withdrawal and instead smiled up at him again. "Harry, I'm so happy you asked me to help you with this! I've got a great eye, you know," she said, winking at him.
Harry looked at her strangely, before nodding with a small smile. "yeah, well, we should get started. I need absolutely everything. I just got back from the bank, so we're good to go."
Ginny threaded her arm through his and eagerly led him off to a furniture shop. She explained that she thought it would be better to buy the larger items first before getting the smaller thing that way they could match the décor better to tie it all together. Harry just nodded dumbly and followed her lead, shaking his head in bemused exasperation as she dragged him around.
Several hours later, and several shops later, Harry was exhausted. Ginny was still running on full energy, and Harry was ready to throttle her. They were almost done, needing only to find a chandelier for the entry way, but he was so ready to go home. All of the purchases he had made so far, for which there were MANY, had already been magically delivered to his home, and the elves would already be draping them safely so that when they painted the next day, they weren't ruined from the paint. He and Ginny were currently deciding between two chandeliers at one of the last shops they had visited. One was iron and ornate, and the other, Harry's favorite, was a clear crystal, elegant and understated. He found his taste to be more light and airy, elegant and classy. He tended to like dramatic colors in jewel tones such as emerald, ruby, and violet, along with some crystal and pearly colors that shone with a luminescent luster. Ginny described his style as 'manly chic', and had said it was great, but needed a woman's touch, which was where she came in. All in all, he was extremely happy with the purchases, and had no doubt that he would now be very comfortable in his new home.
He couldn't wait to paint and put it all together. Ginny had also gone with him, right before they had gone to pick out the last chandelier, to the paint store to select colors for his lower level. They had agreed on a light sea green for the kitchen. It was bright and cheery, but not overwhelming. He had then decided on a light gold color for the walls to accent his color scheme of jewel tones. It had a slight shimmer to it, something Ginny strongly approved of. Harry didn't really care if it glittered slightly, he just wanted something light and airy, as opposed to the dingy black walls they had previously been.
After he had paid for the crystal chandelier from his considerably lighter money pouch, he thanked Ginny once more with a half hug and invited her to come over the next day to see the results. She had happily accepted, saying she would bring some dinner at around 6 that night. They parted ways and both apparated to their respective homes.
Harry fell asleep as soon as he got home, exhausted beyond belief. He woke up the next morning to bright sunshine. He groaned loudly. Apparently, in his haste to sleep he had forgotten to draw the curtains around the bed. He sighed and resigned himself to getting up and starting his day.
He slid out of his bed, looking around his room and dreading repeating the process on the upper level. He shook his head and decided to focus on finishing the lower level before he began even thinking about the other parts of the large house.
He decided to forego a shower for the moment; he was sure he would get dirty when he painted all of the downstairs anyways. He got dressed quickly and went downstairs to the dining room, eating the large breakfast that was laid out for him. He blessed his house elves. He wasn't sure he could get by without them, not now that he was used to having them there to help him with the house and to take care of him. And it wasn't only that he enjoyed not having to worry about cooking, cleaning, or laundry. He also enjoyed their company. Grimmauld Place was a large, grand home, and he would be quite lonely without the little elves who constantly checked in with him. He was very happy that Winky had come to him, and he knew that Kreacher enjoyed the added company as well.
After he finished his breakfast, he set about charming the paint onto the walls. It was really much quicker this way, and there was no way that the coats would be uneven or that the paint would drip. He went methodically room to room, putting the first coat on, and then starting over and putting the second coat on. He then set them all with a quick-drying charm, courtesy of the book that Hermione had gotten for him.
The whole painting process took a few hours, and by the time he was done, he had a late lunch and set about maneuvering his new furniture and decorations about to his liking. He marveled at how easy it all was with magic. He couldn't imagine having to do this as a muggle. The whole process would've taken much, much longer.
By 5:00 that night, he was completely finished, and headed upstairs to get showered and changed into fresh clothing. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he was slightly nervous about Ginny coming over. They hadn't been alone together in private since breaking up. Even at the week Harry had spent at the Burrow, Hermione and Ron had always been around as a buffer and distraction. Shopping didn't count; he knew that all eyes were on him, so that was hardly a private outing between the two of them. And he had noticed how clingy Ginny had been yesterday. She was acting like they were still dating, and while Harry was glad that she wasn't angry and awkward around him anymore, she was making him slightly uncomfortable with all the little touches and looks she had been sending his way yesterday.
He tried not to dwell on it as he dressed in fresh clothing, deciding to watch how she behaved tonight before he said anything. The last thing he wanted to do was call her out on it and have it be awkward again if he wasn't sure she was trying to get back together with him. Now, Harry knew he was sort of clueless when it came to women and their 'signals', but he wasn't a complete idiot. He had a fairly good idea of what she was trying to do, but just to be sure, he'd see how tonight went.
He was just finishing buttoning up his shirt when the doorbell rang. She was slightly early, which was unusual for her. She was generally late, but Harry shrugged it off and tucked his shirt in his trousers as he trotted down the stairs. He took a steadying breath, and opened the door.
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