CP 10
The next morning, Harry woke early, kissed a still sleeping Ginny and went back to his room. He had a lot of plans for the day, and he wanted to get an early start. He took a shower and ate a quick breakfast, and after leaving Ginny a note, Harry was gone.
He apparated outside of Neville's London flat and walked the four flights up to his apartment. He knocked softly, glad that Neville had agreed to meet with him so early. Neville opened the door and greeted Harry warmly, ushering him inside.
"Harry, I just need to change my clothes, help yourself to coffee in the kitchen and we'll be on our way."
"Sure, Neville, thanks," Harry replied, heading to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup and wandered around Neville's sitting room. He looked at the pictures on his mantle and grinned at them. Neville had pictures of Ginny and Luna, Hermione, Ron and himself, most of them taken this past year in the common room, in DA meetings and on the Quidditch pitch.
Neville had a great picture of Ginny firing the quaffle at Ron during a Quidditch practice, a radiant smile on her face as the red ball sailed through Ron's fingers and she raised her hands in the air in victory. Harry watched this picture for a long time as it replayed itself over and over and he grinned. She was beautiful.
Neville came back into the room, and Harry turned to put his cup in the kitchen sink. "Ready to go?" Harry asked and Neville nodded, taking his coat from the peg by the door.
"Thanks again for doing this for me, Neville, I really appreciate it."
"Not at all, Harry. My Uncle Bill is a great guy and he's happy to help. He was really sorry to hear about what happened to the Weasley's," Neville replied as they walked down the stairs.
Harry took Neville's arm as he side-along apparated with him to his uncle's architectural office. Neville introduced them, and Harry explained what he wanted. As Neville's uncle was a wizard, Harry was able to speak freely about the Burrow and its magical properties, and what Harry wanted for the Weasley's. Neville's uncle worked over a page of parchment, drawing, as Harry spoke, making adjustments, adding and deleting as needed.
Neville's uncle had a construction team waiting to begin the project, and Harry was able to meet them all that morning. Neville, Harry and Neville's Uncle Bill apparated to the Burrow an hour later with blueprints in hand, ready for the reconstruction to begin.
Once on sight, Harry pointed out where things had been before, the house, the shed, their relation to the orchard, the chimneys and bedrooms. Harry asked that the rooms be expanded in size a bit but kept very similar, the kitchen and its equipment updated and a number of fireplaces added.
He had already arranged for Mrs. Weasley to have an account at a furniture store in Diagon Alley so that she could pick out what she wanted once the reconstruction of the Burrow was completed.
Harry asked Uncle Bill about a date of completion and he had said two weeks, which Harry thought was outstanding. He was hoping to keep it a surprise for the Weasley's, but he was going to tell Ginny and Ron so that they could help keep their parents away from the site until it was ready.
He shook Neville and Uncle Bill's hands and thanked them profusely again, then disapparated back to Grimmauld Place. He found Ginny in her bedroom with the Healer, who was in the middle of her daily rehab. He nodded to her and she smiled a little at him, a grimace of pain flickering across her face as the Healer worked her leg muscles.
Harry retreated then, finding Ron watching cricket in the sitting room. Harry joined him and told him about his plans for the Burrow and how he needed Ron's help to keep his parents away. Ron looked at Harry with wide, unseeing eyes, almost like he had been confunded.
"What, Ron?" Harry said nervously. "You think it's a bad idea?"
Ron just shook his head. "I'm just…it's just…brilliant," he finished. "Mum is going to flip."
"I had to do it, Ron. It's my fault that it happened to you all in the first place."
Ron rolled his eyes. "I wish that you would stop blaming yourself for something that you couldn't control, mate. It's rubbish, really," Ron said.
Harry shook his head, unwilling to allow Ron to let him off the hook, but letting the subject drop.
The Healer from St. Mungo's exited Ginny's bedroom twenty minutes later and approached Harry and Ron. Harry stood to greet her, and she went over what she had been working on with Ginny. She asked if Harry would be willing to work with Ginny once more during the day so that she received two full sessions. Harry agreed at once, happy that he was going to be able to help Ginny.
He went to her then. Ginny lie on her bed looking at Harry a small smile on her lips.
"How did it go, love?" Harry asked, sitting beside her.
"Not bad – I'm a little sore – but that could be from last night," she replied, her eyes twinkling, and Harry chuckled and held her tight to him.
"I'm sorry about that, Gin," Harry said quietly. "I got carried away, but I should have been much more gentle with you last night."
"I wasn't complaining, Harry, trust me. I don't even think I felt my legs last night! My attention was focused elsewhere…" she answered and he laughed.
"I have someone coming over to visit you in a little while. Are you up to it?" he asked her, helping her up. Ginny took his arm and they walked towards the sitting room.
"Sure," she said, "but who is it?"
At that moment, the flames of the fireplace shone emerald green and flared brightly. A silver-haired wizard stepped from the flames, levitating a large trunk behind him. Harry helped Ginny to a chair, and then hurried to help the aging wizard with his wares.
"Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Ollivander," Harry said and he shook the old man's hand and escorted him to a chair very near Ginny.
"Mr. Ollivander!" Ginny said, surprised. She stood to greet him. "It's so nice to see you again – it's been a long time."
"Yes, quite," the wizard said, sitting once again. "Well, I hear that you are in need of a new wand, Miss Weasley. A shame, yours was a perfect fit for you. Well, let's see if we can't find you a suitable replacement." The wizard opened his trunk and began rifling through the boxes that had been packed in tight.
Ginny looked at Harry with wonder. How did he always know? Ginny had been feeling so strange for the past month – vulnerable – without her wand. There had been numerous times when she had cursed herself for leaving her wand on her nightstand the night of the fire. She had been eyeing Harry's wand almost jealously whenever he performed a spell.
She caught Harry's eye and smiled at him. She mouthed the words 'thank you' to him and he nodded and smiled.
For the next thirty minutes, Ginny tried wand after wand, stopping only when Ron and Hermione burst in to see Mr. Ollivander and ask him how he was feeling. The foursome talked as Ginny waved every wand that she was offered, but nothing felt quite right in her hand.
That is, until Mr. Ollivander pulled out a long dark green box and opened the lid. He handed Ginny a long, slender wand that instantly felt warm in her hand.
"Ten inches, birch, griffin heartstring core, very springy, excellent for charm work," the wand maker said. "Give it a go."
Ginny flicked her wrist and a stream of red sparks flew out of the tip, the wand glowed momentarily and Ginny smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I quite agree, Miss Weasley. I think you've found your wand."
Hermione helped Mr. Ollivander to gather the boxes that had been unceremoniously discarded and arrange them neatly back in his trunk as Harry stood to help him up from his chair.
"Thank you again, Mr. Ollivander for coming all this way," Harry said.
"Not at all, Mr. Potter. I owe you my life. Anything you need…" he left the sentence unfinished, but Harry understood. He dug deep in his pocket and pulled out a few coins to pay for Ginny's wand. He put the coins into Mr. Ollivander's hand, but the elder wizard shook his head.
"No, Mr. Potter, I can't accept your money," he laughed a little. "Besides, this one here looks a little the worse for wear!"
The old man disappeared into the fire as Harry looked down at the coins in his hand. Strange that he would have a bent galleon. Hermione looked closely at the coin and laughed at him.
"Harry, that's your DA coin! I'd recognize one anywhere – see, they have my initials engraved here on the edge. I did it to every one of them that I charmed fifth year."
"Can't be, I have mine upstairs in my Hogwarts trunk," Harry replied, confused.
"Well, it's definitely a DA coin, Harry."
"Hang on! This must be the coin that I found at the Burrow after the fire. I meant to ask you both if it was yours?" He looked at Ron and Ginny questioningly.
"Not mine, mate. Hermione has mine," Ron said and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Mine was in my bedside table at home, Harry," Ginny said.
"You're sure? Both of you?" he asked and they nodded their heads. Harry's eyebrows furrowed and he thought for a moment.
"Expecto patronum," Harry said, holding his wand aloft as the stag burst forth and turned to him. "George, I need to know if you have your galleon from the DA that Hermione charmed. Do you have yours, and do you know where Fred's might be? Please let me know as soon as you can." The stag cantered away and disappeared.
"What are you thinking, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Dunno. I just think it's odd, that's all," he said. "Come on, let's go in to dinner," he said reaching for Ginny's hand, a sinking feeling settling deep in his chest.