Chapter ten

The day after the Grangers funerals, Harry was again the first one up. He found he liked getting up early. He rugged himself up and sat outside with his cup of tea and started to think about what he wanted out of his life now he could. He was so lost in his thoughts he never heard the fireplace, the first thing he noticed was Charlie and Bill Weasley stepping outside.

'Hi, is everything alright?'

'Fine Harry, you don't need to look worried. No, mum sent us this early, she wanted to make sure Hermione and Ron we're behaving themselves if you get my meaning,' Bill shrugged.

'I get what you mean Bill but I don't think either of them are thinking about that especially now.'

'I suppose we can understand and really, they are adults now so if they did it would be natural.'

'We wanted to talk to you as well Harry,' Charlie said.

'Me, what about?'

'Ginny, she told us how you two were dating and she's hoping you will want to again. We all knew she's like you for years, but we all think her feelings for you have grown past liking to more.'

Harry sighed, 'That was more than a year and a half ago and to be honest, I haven't thought about Ginny in a long time. I did like her but I didn't think it was safe for her to stay dating me, not after Dumbledore died, that's when we broke up. After all the fighting when I was staying at the Burrow, she did ask me about us. I didn't know what I was feeling or thinking at the time, so I told her I needed some space. After being in Australia for all those months one thing I realised was I'm not interested in being with anyone. I found I like being alone and not having to worry about anything or anyone. After the last few years, having to always have people around me, staying at Hogwarts, or Grimmauld place, I just want to be me. So I hope you two aren't going to give me a hard time about this. I know all you boys are protective of Ginny, being the only girl and the youngest, which I do get. But I can't help it if I don't think of Ginny that way.'

'We're not going to give you a hard time Harry. I think all of us know more than most what you're life has been like. We just wanted to know if maybe there was a chance because Ginny keeps asking mum and dad if she can come here and spend some time with you three, but we all know she means you.'

'Do you think I should talk to her or maybe have your mum tell her. I don't know a lot about girls, not in that way.'

'We'll tell mum, she'll talk to her. But you spend a lot of time with Hermione, surely you know girls.'

'We might spend a lot of time together, but Hermione doesn't act like a lot of girls and we never talk about personal stuff. We've never had time to so I never really got to see her like that especially with what we were always talking about.'

'Well I know Hermione is a little different from other girls, she likes to read more than anything. But how did her and Ron get together, all they did was argue?' Charlie asked.

Harry chuckled, 'They have liked each other for years Charlie, but neither of them would tell the other. With their fights, normally it's me that stops them or sits between them to stop them fighting so much. I think that mainly came down to their feelings for each other. I notice I would say something to Hermione that Ron would say. She would yell at him, but not me even though we both said the same thing. At first I just thought Hermione felt sorry for me. I used to get those looks from so many people, but that wasn't it with Hermione. It all came down to her feelings for Ron.'

'Makes sense,' Bill said.

'Bill, Charlie, what are you two doing here?' Ron asked as he sat down.

'We needed to talk to Harry about something, but mum wanted us to come check on you and Hermione.'

'Me and Hermione, I get her worrying about Hermione, but why me?'

Harry, Charlie and Bill all looked at each other and laughed, 'Not that type of worrying Ron, she wanted to make sure you and Hermione behaved yourselves, you know, that you weren't shagging each other,' Bill said then the three of them laughed again as Ron's ears went red.

'I'm going to make a cup of tea,' Ron huffed and went back into the house.

'He never did like talking about that type of stuff, so I bet he won't come back out here while you're here. You lot just can't help winding each other up all the time.'

'True, but with Ron it's just too easy. Anyway, we'll go, I'll tell mum to speak with Ginny. Let us know if Hermione needs anything.' Bill said.

'I will Bill, but before you both go, how's Fleur? I haven't seen her since before we left for Australia.'

'Oh right, so you don't know the news. With everything Hermione is going through, we just never thought to tell you, but Fleur's pregnant.'

Harry got up and hugged Bill, 'Congratulations, make sure you give Fleur a kiss for me.'

'I will but I should tell Ron, make his ears go red more. It'll be proof I'm shagging my wife.'

'You're as bad as Charlie Bill.'

'Well with the shagging, but he told us some startling news, not that any of us care.'

'Oh, so what's this startling news Charlie?'

'I like to shag, but I like shagging blokes, not woman.'

Harry grinned, 'That's why you used to tell everyone how many girlfriends you had, wasn't it?'

'Yep, I wasn't sure how the family would take that news.'

'Well if you tell Ron, you're definitely going to turn his ears red. But I'll tell you this, he never hid it, he was just private about his life, Dumbledore was gay.'

'Blimey, did he tell you that Harry?' Charlie asked.

'Yep, when we used to sit in his office and discuss Voldemort. One time he finally started to talk about him and his life. It started because he thought Hermione might have been my girlfriend because we spent so much time together. I explained about how Ron and Hermione felt then he told me about his partner who died a long time ago, before he got into teaching.'

'I don't think anyone knows that about Dumbledore. But let's go shock our little brother.'

'I have to watch this Bill,' Harry laughed with the two older Weasley boys and followed them into the house.

'Ron, Fleur and I have news.'

'Oh, you're not buying another house are you?'

'No, but we shagged good, I got my wife knocked up. We're going to have a baby.'

Ron stood there with his ears red and his mouth hanging open until Harry pushed it shut making the Weasley boys laugh louder.

'Blimey, so I'm going to be an uncle. Hope she looks like Fleur.'

'Thanks a lot little brother. Fleur thinks I'm cute. But Charlie has something he wants to tell you as well.'

'Oh don't say you got one of your girlfriends pregnant?'

'No, because I've never had any girlfriends, I just said that.'

'Charlie, you're twenty six years old, you must have had some girlfriends.'

'No, I haven't and you know why?'

'Charlie, you terrible,' Harry laughed.

'Why, what's going on Charlie?'

'I do shag a lot, but I have blokes, a boyfriend actually. I might bring him here to meet all of you.'

Ron stared at Charlie with his mouth hanging open again then sat at the table but never took his eyes off his brother.

'I think you shocked Ron into not eating Charlie.' Harry chuckled.

'Yeah, and his ears aren't red, he's actually gone white. Ron snap out of it, so I'm gay, get used to it.'

'I think you should leave him alone for a while. He'll come back sooner or later.'

'Don't be a smart arse Harry, I'm just shocked to find out one of my brothers is gay.'

'I don't get called a smart arse, but I do get told by my man that I have a cute arse.'

'Charlie,' Ron said then his ears went red, 'I don't want to know any of it, so don't go telling me what you and him do.'

'I might have to lock you in a room and go into very explicit glorious details, see how red I can get those ears of yours. But we're going, remember, behave or mum will be letting loose.'

Harry watched the older Weasley's leave before he sat with Ron, 'It's not that shocking Ron, Charlie and his partner is just like any other couple, they just do it differently.'

'Harry, stop it alright. I'm trying not to visualise any of that. I got nothing against gays, but I wasn't expecting to hear Charlie was gay.'

'No, especially with him telling us all how many girls he's shagged. But they love to wind you up, don't they?'

'Yeah, they do, but when Bill and Charlie are together, they can be worse than the way Fred and George was just without the jokes. But I like hearing that Bill is going to be a father, it sort of proves that we're really out of danger, our war is over. I remember mum and dad talking about after the first war, so many people started to have kids because they thought it was safe. This time's different though, it really is safe, he won't come back.'

'No he won't Ron and you helped with that. So I think all of us can finally have a good life. And you know what, it's a good feeling.' Harry gave his friend a smile and even though Hermione would still have some bad days, she will learn to cope and move on with her life just like everyone else can.