"So, where did you two end up going when we split up?" Ron's question was slightly muffled, due to the fact that he had just spooned a huge bite of ice cream sundae into his mouth. The four had ended up back at the ice cream parlor well before Mrs. Weasley was ready, so they had taken up one of the booths by the window and ordered their favorite treats.
Ginny looked up at Harry quickly because she didn't know if he wanted the other two to know where they had gone. It had been an emotional visit back at the vault, and Ginny knew that Harry was a pretty private person when it came to emotional matters. 'Probably because he wasn't allowed' to show any emotion at the Dursley's," she thought, and caught Harry's eye.
"We, uh, actually went back to Gringott's first." Harry said it matter-of-factly, but that didn't stop looks of confusion from appearing on both Ron's and Hermione's faces. "I wanted to look at some things really quickly," he explained more when he saw that they were both about to ask questions as soon as they swallowed their ice cream.
Hermione looked very interested. "Did you find anything interesting? Anything that you didn't know was in there?" Her brown eyes appeared larger than normal, ready to take in any information that she could about the mysterious lives of Harry's parents. Sure, they all knew that Lily and James were Head Boy and Girl their seventh year, that James played Quidditch for Gryffindor, and that James was part of the Marauders and had Sirius Black as a best friend. But beyond that, they really didn't know much about them, besides their death. It was frightening, really, to think about how little Harry actually knew about his own parents.
Harry spooned the last drop of the chocolate syrup from the bottom of his bowl and placed it in his mouth before reaching for his bag. He pulled out the photo album, but left the other two books inside of his bag and zipped it up. He held it up, and the words Photo Album glinted in gold on the aged cover. "Found this," he offered, and a glint actually came into his eye as he opened up the first page.
"Ooooh," Hermione said, looking at it as he held it up. It was actually more of a scrapbook of sorts, with more than pictures inside of it. The page he had opened it to had both James' and Lily's birth announcements, and it was already clear that it had taken someone lots of time to put the book together, the Muggle way. She could see that the pages were even covered in clear protective sheets.
Ron squinted harder at the Muggle picture of a newborn Lily. "Oi, your baby pictures look just like his mum's, Gin. Well, beside the fact that you're moving in yours." Ginny squinted at the picture, too, and easily saw the resemblance between Lily and herself. Having kept quiet until then, she let out a small noise of surprise as she saw that Lily even had the same baby blanket that she had had as a newborn.
"It's the red hair," she finally said, talking about why she and Lily seemed to look alike. "We just can't help it." She couldn't take her eyes off of the picture, though. If Lily hadn't had sparkling green eyes even at birth, then she and Ginny could have passed as twins at that age. Her eyes glanced down at the picture of Harry's father, and she had to giggle. James' hair was wild even as a newborn; the short black hair was sticking up all around his head as his arms and legs flailed about in the moving wizard's photograph.
Harry set the book down in the center of the table, and all of them scooted closer together in the circular booth so that they could get better views of the pages. Hermione reached out and gently turned the page to see baby pictures of both Lily and James. They were all entranced by the book, almost as much as Harry was, because these were the first pictures besides those in Harry's book from Hagrid that they had all seen of the witch and wizard. Harry's eyes took in as much detail as he could, but he knew that he would eventually look over the pages until he had them memorized for years.
The four of them 'oohed' and 'ahed' over all of the pictures and details that the creator had put in; there was fiery red hair from Lily's first hair cut, James's first baby tooth that fell out, and even bits of fabric from some of the clothes that they wore in the pictures. Lily's acceptance letter from Hogwarts was inside, as well as James', and it was around those pages that Lily, too, began to move in the pictures. They all had a good laugh over the picture that showed James showing off on his broom before deftly falling off as he tried to stop, and the picture shook as the person who took it must have begun laughing. They concluded that Gryffindor Tower hadn't changed much at all from the time of Harry's parents, for even the same couches and tables that were in the pictures were still there.
Ginny pointed out a particularly young Professor McGonagall in one of the House Quidditch Team pictures, and a young, greasy haired boy in Slytherin robes that was no doubt Severus Snape in the corner of one of the pictures. Strangely enough, it seemed as though he was looking at Lily in the picture, but all of them still had a good laugh over it. There were pictures of the two of them in their respective dorms with their roommates throughout the years, and other pictures of them whose names they didn't know. Some names were printed alongside the pictures with other memorabilia like ticket stubs, but no one really recognized many names besides the other Marauders. Finally, the two began to seem like a couple in pictures. There were pictures of them, both with their Prefects badges on their cloaks, in front of the lake, in front of Hagrid's cabin, and even one with Hagrid and a small, black puppy that could only have been a baby Fang.
Ginny's breath caught in her throat as she turned another page and saw letters to James and Lily telling them that they were Head Boy and Head Girl, and across from it was a large picture. James and Lily stood with their Head Boy and Girl badges on, posing close together for the camera with huge smiles on their faces. Harry's eyes almost misted over at the sight of the cloaks that he had just seen and touched, and he caught Ginny's eyes and smiled slightly before looking back at the book. She gasped again when the next page was turned, and she saw what must have been one of their last balls at Hogwarts. Lily was dressed in the lilac and silver dress robes that had been in the trunk in the Potter's vault. She was beautiful in them, just as Ginny had envisioned. Her long red hair was pulled up into a complicated style, and she looked radiant. James himself had on very fancy dress robes, and it seemed that he had managed to calm his hair down for at least one night of his life. Ginny couldn't help but remarking softly to Hermione, "Those robes were made for her!" and Hermione couldn't help but nod in agreement. Ron and Harry added their agreements also, being able to hear Ginny from across the table.
There were pictures of the Marauders, and Ginny noticed that Harry glared maliciously towards one of Peter and his parents, and couldn't blame him for doing so. Ron pointed out how young Sirius looked in the photos, and then silence took over the table as Harry flipped another page and saw the invitations to his parent's wedding shower, then wedding across from a page of pictures from the two. Several were copies of ones from Hagrid's book, but Harry still couldn't believe that it was his parents that he was watching in the photographs. Yet another page was flipped, and there stood a very pregnant Lily Potter, still young and vibrant. James stood behind her, visibly running his hands over her large tummy. On the opposite page was Harry's own birth announcement, complete with what had to have been his first picture. He looked remarkably like his father in his own birth announcement, with the wild black hair and fists flailing all over the place, but his green eyes were wide. Harry couldn't help but run his fingers over it in disbelief. Below it was a copy of his birth certificate.
Not being able to move, Harry just stared at the book until Ginny slowly reached out and turned the page again. There were pictures from his Christening, with Sirius standing over him as his Godfather. Photos were in the book labeled, Harry's first steps, Harry's first broomstick, and Harry's first birthday. There was one last picture after his birthday, and it had both of his parents holding him up in front of them, their arms intertwined. Their heads were tilted together, and they were looking lovingly at Harry.
Hermoine reached out again and shut the book, and all of them were still in silence. Ginny looked at Harry's faraway look on his face; it seemed as though he didn't know if he should be upset or happy about the discovery of all that he had just seen. "Wow," Ron said, and all of them had to agree – there wasn't much else that could be said about the book.
Luckily for them, Mrs. Weasley showed up right at that moment, ready to go. "Sorry I took so long, kids, it's just that I ran into that nice Mrs. Watson, and we had a long chat." She didn't notice as Harry quickly put the book carefully into his backpack, and then the four stood and walked out of the ice cream shop, following Mrs. Weasley in pairs. Ron and Hermione walked out first, holding hands and quietly discussing something. Ginny walked out next to Harry, who was still being unusually quiet, even for him. "Harry, are you alright after seeing those?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm just in shock, I guess," Harry replied, before looking at her with a smile on her face. "I just can't believe that I saw everything, you know? And seeing them with their rings on…" He trailed off, and Ginny hadn't realized until he just told her that they had been, in fact, wearing their promise rings in many of the pictures taken later at Hogwarts, and that Lily had had on the engagement ring in the picture of their last ball. Ginny didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded, and the two of them followed the others in a companionable silence as they walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron, lugging along all of their purchases.
*
*
Just as the four of them had reached the door to the Leaky Cauldron, a loud, familiar yell rang out from across the street. "GINNY!"
Ginny immediately turned, a smile evident on her face as she yelled back. "Kota!" Seconds later, a taller, blond haired witch was running across the street and had enveloped Ginny in a hug. Dakota Ross was Ginny's best girl friend at Hogwarts, and the two hadn't seen each other for months. The daughter of two Muggles, Kota didn't even have an owl so they could write back and forth when Errol was too tired to travel.
Kota quickly smiled up at the family, greeting everyone. "Hi, Ron," she said sweetly, after a general greeting, and Ginny hid a smile behind her hand. Although it was no secret that he and Hermione were seriously dating, Kota had apparently not lost her crush on him, though Ginny suspected that she played it up a bit because she enjoyed watching his ears turn pink. Indeed, Ron's ears began to tinge, and he got out a strangled, "Hi," while Hermione also hid a smile into her hand. It wasn't that Ron didn't like Kota, he did; just as a friend. It made him uncomfortable, though, to try and tell her that, so he always turned pink with embarrassment whenever she spoke to him. Hermione, like Ginny, knew that nothing would ever come of it, and found it hilarious. Even Harry cracked a smile at the exchange, and soon Mrs. Weasley broke in with, "Well, let's go in for a butterbeer, then. Dakota, are your parents here?"
Kota yelled for her parents to cross the street, and the couple crossed over to them as they walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Tom sat them at a table in the back where their bags would fit into the extra chairs, and everyone began chattering away; the silence from the ice cream shop had been broken. Harry involved himself in an avid discussion of the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team with Ron and Hermione while Mrs. Weasley talked to Kota's parents, leaving Ginny and Kota to catch up.
Ginny looked at her close friend. She had light blond hair and tan skin which made her bright blue eyes stand out against her face. She was taller than Ginny, though not much taller than average, and she was a more outgoing girl that many people liked at Hogwarts. She had a great personality, and had gotten to know Ginny when she had transferred to the school in the beginning of their third year. Being sorted into Gryffindor at the beginning of the year and thus put into Ginny's dorm, Ginny was the only girl who had taken the time to get to know her as a person, and not just judged her by her appearance. Despite the fact that she had the typical 'bimbo' blond hair and sky blue eyes, Kota was one of the top people in their class.
The two talked about their summers so far, and Ginny honestly answered most of her questions. Kota seemed especially keen on hearing what was going on between Harry and Ginny, "A future relationship," she had called it back in their fourth year. Since then, she had always enjoyed hearing the new developments, and Ginny just told her of how much time she and Harry were spending together at the Burrow and such. Before they truly had time to catch up on all of their gossip, the butterbeers were gone, and Mrs. Weasley stood up.
"Well, I hate to say it, but it's time to go." She checked her watch and saw that it was approaching 'Dinner Time', so she asked Tom to use the fireplace. He'd answered with his usual, "Of course!" and off they were, back to the Burrow. Ginny hugged her friend one more time, promised to owl soon with 'more news' of her and Harry, and followed everyone else into the glowing fireplace before she landed with a 'thud' in her own.
*
*
Ron and Hermione had quickly unloaded their purchases from the day and had decided to go for a quick walk before dinner, leaving everyone else at home. Ginny herself had placed everything neatly into her own Hogwarts trunk, ready to leave the next week for school. As she was walking down the stairs, she heard a 'clunk' coming from the direction of Ron's room, so she headed up. She saw Harry place the book that had fallen on her at the book shop fall, once again it seemed, from the top of Harry's trunk to the floor right in front of him. It seemed as if it was almost begging to be read. 'That's silly,' Ginny admonished herself, and made her presence known to Harry.
"Get everything put away?" she asked lightly, leaning against the doorway.
Harry nodded, "Everything but this bloody book. It won't stay where I put it!" He looked frustrated.
Ginny crossed the room and picked up the book, flipping it open at last. It had blank pages. "That's strange," she said, showing Harry the white parchment of the book. "It seems like it wants us to read it, and then it's empty."
Harry looked as baffled as she did. "Well,
it's been nothing but a nuisance since it showed up. I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out what it means."
Ginny couldn't help but agree with him, and she set the book back down on the top of his trunk for school. "Can I ask you a question, Harry?"
He looked up from folding one of the new robes that he had just bought. "Sure."
She sat down on the edge of Ron's bed, biting her lip. "Why didn't you tell Ron and Hermione about the other things that we found?"
She didn't need to mention the unspoken, 'in the vault' because Harry knew what she meant. He shrugged. "I didn't really feel like explaining the rings, and I'd like to read my dad's journals before everyone else knows about them."
Nodding, Ginny stopped biting her lip. She hated the habit, but never could stop doing it. "I understand…I was just curious, that's all."
Harry nodded, but before he had a chance to say anything, a tapping at the window interrupted. He looked up to find Hedwig and another owl flapping their wings, impatient to get inside. Hedwig immediately flew to Harry's shoulder and held out her leg obediently for Harry to untie the package and letter, and then she 'coo'ed at him. He ruffled the top of her head, told her 'thanks' for the delivery, and she flew into her new cage that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gotten him for his birthday. The other owl, looking to be a Hogwarts owl, dropped a letter on his makeshift bed on the floor and flew back out the window, obviously not waiting for a reply.
Harry read the letter that Hedwig had given him, first. "It's from Sirius!" He couldn't help but smile at the letter from his godfather. He hadn't heard much from him lately, and any news now had to be good news. It turned out that Sirius didn't write much, just to wish him a happy belated birthday and to tell him that he was back in England with Buckbeak. He explained that the gift that was enclosed had belonged to his father, and that he would understand as soon as he saw it. Harry gave Ginny the letter to read as he opened the package and pulled out a golden watch on a string. Don't worry, an attached note said, it's not a Time Turner! Harry smiled at that, and held the watch closer to his face for inspection as Ginny watched on. He saw his dad's initials engraved on the back of it, and smiled. Another object that had belonged to one of his parents. He felt especially blessed that he got to see so much in one day.
He was so mesmerized by the clock that Ginny smiled and poked him in the side. "The other letter," she reminded him, and he nodded and grabbed the letter from the blankets he slept on.
She watched as he opened the seal that showed it was from Hogwarts, and then his face lit up in amazement. "I don't believe it! Gin, I made Head Boy!" He looked up at her with a huge smile, and she immediately squealed at the news. He stood up and hugged her, picking her up and spinning her around.
Ginny's thoughts not only registered that he had made Head Boy, but also how close he was hugging her. Trying not to think along those lines, she smiled again. "Harry, congratulations!"
Before either of them could say another thing, they heard the door open downstairs and a loud squeal that they recognized was Hermione. "I made Head Girl!" she shouted, and both Harry and Ginny took off down the stairs, Ginny still with Harry's letter in her hand. When they got down to the landing, they saw Hermione literally jumping up and down before hugging Ron, and Mrs. Weasley beamed in the corner. Ginny ran to hug Hermione in another 'congratulations,' and it was then that Ron asked what she had in her hand. She pulled away from Hermione and looked at Harry, who nodded at her with a huge smile on his face.
"Oh, it's just the letter that told Harry that he made Head Boy," she tried to say nonchalantly, but it didn't work. She was exuberant; two of her best friends had been named the top students in Hogwarts.
Mrs. Weasley gasped in surprise, and then she rushed to pull both Hermione and Harry into her arms in a double hug. "I'm so proud of you both!" A few motherly tears ran down her cheeks, and she hugged both of them tight against her chest. "To think, two right under my own roof, almost like my own!"
The rest of the family decided to apparate into the living room right then with a loud series of 'pops'. Apparently, they had all gone somewhere together, and they all looked confused at the events happening in front of them.
"Oh, Arthur, Harry and Hermione made Head Boy and Girl!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed to her confused husband, and a loud series of cheers rang out from the rest of the Weasley family.
Dinner that night was especially wonderful. Mrs. Weasley had suddenly conjured up some fancy plates and glasses, and they all had a wonderful time celebrating Harry's and Hermione's accomplishments. It was a jovial time at the Burrow that night, and all of them eventually fell asleep smiling.
