Warm Night at Hogwarts Chapter 11: Finding Home Again, a harry potter fanfic

"Warm Night at Hogwarts"

Chapter 11

"Finding Home Again"

Finding Home Again

Harry and Ron walked into the Weasleys' kitchen to see Molly and Petunia sitting at the table, talking. Molly was pouring cups of tea for everyone as Petunia started to cry. She still clutched onto the wooden box from which she had pulled the divorce papers. Harry was watching it bob up and down as her long frame shuddered with her tears. Molly was rushing about the kitchen making sure that she had snacks, even though she didn't think that she would need them. She placed a bowl of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans on the table along with a pot of pumpkin juice. She sat down at the table and laid a hand on Petunia's bony fingers. "Tisk, tisk dear; it will be alright. Go ahead and cry it out," Molly said to the distraught friend in front of her. She looked up at the two boys standing in the doorway and adressed them, "Boys, be dears and take her things up to Fred and George's room." She turned her attention back to Petunia. "Now Pet, listen to me…" Petunia looked up into the brown eyes of this lady that she had just met. All of the barriers that she had built up over the years came crashing down in an instant, with one word. The enormous tears were flowing down her face of their on accord.

The boys quickly walked into the living room and looked at the pile of trunks. Ron looked over at Harry and said, "This is going to take all day. Women really know how to pack for a vacation."

Harry laughed with delight. "It's not a vacation, Ron. It's just the rest of her life, not anything important, you know." He stole a quick glance at the redhead and watched his ears start to change to their crimson state. "Wands at the ready." The boys both pulled out their wands and pointed them at the trunks. Simultaneously they spoke, "Locomotor." They watched as the trunks took flight in a uniformed fashion and made their way up the stairs. As they followed, they heard loud bangs as the trunks were eagerly knocking on the door, trying to gain entrance. "You know, mate, I always forget something," Harry said with a smile.

"It seems that these things have a mind of their own," Ron said as he opened the door. He quickly fell backwards as the trunks overtook him, throwing themselves into the empty room. He was lying on the floor when Harry stepped over him and looked around the room.

"Oh, Ron, this won't do," Harry remarkd while covering his nose and shaking his head.

Ron stood up and looked around the room. "What? What's wrong with their room?" He walked around the room, clueless to what Harry was talking about. With squinting eyes and a blank expression, he turned to Harry and shrugged.

"It stinks, you dolt! How can you not smell that?" Harry replied while laughing. "Don't know how long these women are going to take, so we might as well get busy," Harry said while making his way over to Ron. He reached up and in one fluid motion, opened Ron's robes and took off his shirt. He stepped back, gazing at Ron's milky white chest, and smiled. "Now that's my kind of cleaning."

"You git!" Ron said while blushing. He walked over to Harry and slowly undid the front of his robes. With caressing hands, he opened the front of Harry's button down shirt, making sure to take his time with the top two buttons. Once his shirt was off, he stepped back and marveled at his work. "You know, if we keep up at this, there won't be any time to get the work done before she needs to get some sleep."

"You're right, mate. Work first," Harry said with a glint in his eyes, "play later." He grinned widely as he pulled his wand out. With a quick rise and flick, he said "Castus." He stepped back as the broom that had been hidden in the closet forced its way out and started sweeping the floor. The mop in the hallway came in and waited patiently for the broom to do its job. The bed linens quickly flew off of the beds and down the stairs. The beds stood on their ends as the rug beaters came zipping into the room and commenced the beating. Clouds of dust rose from the mattresses and covered everything in the room. Ron, coughing, pointed his wand at the window "obviam fenestra". The window flew open. The dust clouds could be seen billowing outside as Ron said, "Effodio!" He watched as the room quickly cleared of the dust.

Draco Malfoy sat on the bed in silence. He began to think of what the world outside of this room was like. Then he scolded himself for even thinking such a thing. Part of him believed that this was it, and there was no world on the other side of the walls. But the other part of him longed to believe that there was something out there, someone who could come in and save him. He raked his hand through is blond hair. He then brought his hand down and looked at it. His gaze went up his wrist and followed his arm to where it met his shoulder. The idea came so suddenly that it took a bit for him to realize it was even there. Without saying anything, Draco got up and made his way over to the table. He picked up the drinking goblet and looked at it. A grin came to his mouth and he said loudly, "I want to leave this place." An instant later, a door appeared on the far wall away from him. It was that easy. All this time that he had been in there, he had wished for food, a bed, windows, things to read, but the thought never came to him of asking to leave. He smiled to himself and walked to the door. He noticed that as he reached for the handle, his hand was trembling. He hated feeling like this, not knowing what would happen to him once he opened that door. Draco Malfoy was scared. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and grasped the handle firmly. He pushed with all with might to no avail. "WHAT! I SAID I WANTED OUT OF HERE!" Without letting go of the door, he pulled his long arm back to his body and watched as the door came with it. A small laugh escaped him. He had his exit; it was right there in front of him…if he could work up the nerve to step out of the room.

Molly and Petunia still sat at the kitchen table, every once and a while looking toward the ceiling wondering what the boys were doing upstairs to create such a ruckus. Molly looked at Petunia with her big brown eyes. "I'm sorry Pet, please continue with what you were saying." She tightened her grip on Petunia's hand, hoping that it was reassuring her.

Petunia used her free hand to wipe the tears away from her blue eyes. "Where was I? Oh yes, going to Durmstrang. As you know, my sister Lily was accepted at Hogwarts, but I was made to go to Durmstrang. I don't know why, still to this day, but we set off to Diagon Alley to get all of the things that we would need for our schooling. My mum was so proud to have to witches in the family. She went to Gringotts and exchanged all of the money that she had brought with her that day, almost my parents' entire life savings. We had gotten everything that we needed and then made our way home. My father was a bit unnerved when he found out what she had done. You see, Molly, may I call you Molly?"

Molly only nodded in response.

"We were saving up to take a family holiday that summer, and the money that was in the savings was just enough that year to make the trip possible, along with purchasing souvenirs for everyone. But now that Mum had exchanged it for wizarding money, it was of no use to him. But within several short weeks, we were off to school. I had never been to the train station before that. It was so different from anything that I had experienced before. Everyone said their goodbyes and we made our way off to our separate schools.

"Once I was at Durmstrang, I met a lovely girl named Christy. We became fast friends and even shared a room together. It was absolutely amazing. Things were moving on their own. Molly, I had no clue that there was even such a world out there. To be honest, I was scared at first. That was until Christy told me that all of the things that were moving were enchanted. So it was on someone's permission that they moved on their own. That certainly made things a bit easier to bear. That year came and went without anything too special happening." Petunia took time to pause and stole a glance at the wooden box. Molly was intrigued with the box, but knew that Petunia would explain it in her own time. She refilled the glasses of pumpkin juice and waited patiently for her house guest to continue.

"Three years had passed then. We were fourteen and still sharing a room at school. We had learned many things together. Of course, our learning didn't stop at the end of school studies. The first time I noticed anything was one night when we were sleeping. I had woken up in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep. I slid out of bed and asked Christy if I could sleep with her. I think she was still asleep because she only nodded and mumbled something that I couldn't understand. I did so anyways. When I was in her bed, I was so calm and felt so safe." Petunia trailed off. Molly had noticed that Petunia had stopped caressing the wooden box, but her grip remained tight. "I still don't know why I did it, but I ran my fingers though her silky red hair. She moaned in her sleep and I knew that I wanted more. Nothing was said at the time, or even in days afterwards. In fact now, I don't even know who brought it up, but it was in our fourth year that we became lovers." She stopped talking and watched Molly's face for some kind of approval or disapproval. She wasn't sure which she was looking for, but she showed no signs of disgust, so Petunia continued. "It was one night during our fourth year that things turned sour. We had wanted to try something new and we had found a spell." Petunia wiped the bulbous tears away again then carried on. "I did the spell wrong and the next thing I knew, Christy was gasping for breath while holding her throat. I was expelled before I ever knew what had happened to her. I found out a month later by a friend who sent me an owl that Christy had died that night. I then decided to give up magic. Lily and my mum couldn't understand why I chose to do so, and my mum stopped talking to me shortly after my decision was made. I married Vernon and had Dudley. Well, then I suppose you know the rest."

Molly wiped the tears from her own eyes as her friend told her this story. She had no clue what it must have been like for her to live through that, and then to live with the guilt of killing the one person that she had loved. She could fully understand her decision to give up magic after that. A loud knock on the door ripped Molly from her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Petunia, but I have to get this." Petunia nodded in reply as Molly quickly left the room and opened the front door. Light laughing could be heard coming from the front stoop. Petunia stood and quietly made her way through the Burrow and found the front door. The wooden box fell to the ground as she let out a loud gasp.

Hermione sat on her bed and watched as her things were being carefully folded and packed away in her trunk. She sighed to herself and let her gaze drift to the window. She did not like the fact that her two best friends had missed their end of the year exams and even more so that they were not there to pack up their things and leave with everyone else. She watched as dark clouds came closer and closer to the school. She was sure that they were bringing rain and storms with them. She brought a hand up and racked it through her bushy brown hair. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her trunk snapping shut and locking. She looked at it, sighed, and stood up making her way to the common room to talk with the other students, hoping that she could get some word on Harry and Ron.AC1

Harry pushed the dresser against the wall and sighed. The room was finally finished. Harry stepped back and wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around the room with a smile. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ron. "It's all done, love." He leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Ron fell back on the bed and let Harry fall on top of him. He wrapped his arms around his raven-haired boyfriend and stared lovingly into his jade-coloured eyes. Ron brought his head up and pressed his lips firmly against Harry's. The two sets of soft lips meshed together harmoniously. Harry stifled a moan and pressed his hips into Ron's. Ron complied and did the same. Harry pulled away and rolled off of Ron. "I don't think that we should continue this here."

"Why not, mate?"

"Because it's the room that my aunt is staying in Ron; it just doesn't seem right," Harry said while propping himself up on his elbow.

"You're right. Let's go to my room," Ron said while starting to stand up.

"No, I don't think that we should do this in your mum's house," Harry replied while averting his eyes.

"What? She knows about us, Harry. I'm sure that she expects it, and to be honest, I don't want to let her down."

Harry smiled and stifled a laugh. "I know you don't want to let her down, but I just don't think it's right. We'll have plenty of time to worry about that stuff."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It is summer now," Ron said casually.

Harry sat upright and brought his hands up to his face. "Merlin, it is summer now, isn't it? I'm supposed to be at Hogwarts!"

Ron reached out and grabbed Harry's arm, keeping him on the bed. "Relax, mate. I'm sure Dumbledore knows where you are and he can come and get you when you need to go back. Besides, the students haven't left yet. He might be waiting for the commotion to die down before he has you come back, that way he doesn't have to answer a bunch of questions as to why you're not going home with everyone else. Saves him a lot of trouble, if you ask me."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Harry laid down on the bed again and reached up and ran a hand through Ron's hair. "Have I told you that I love you yet today?"

Ron brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed it softly. "Um, I think about four times. Why?"

"Well, make it five. I love you, Ron." Harry said with a smile.

"I love you too, Harry," Ron replied while laughing. He brought his hands up to his face and began to rub it furiously. He let them drop with a sigh. Ron fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "You know, mate, we don't know how long you're going to be here."

Harry looked over at him with a coy smile. "I know, that's why I left the remaining clothes here, remember?" He watched as Ron scrunched up his nose and made a confused expression. "When your mum and dad came to pick us up, remember, she asked what I wanted her to do with my clothes and such. I told her to leave them here, because we'll never know when I might need them here, just like today, or tomorrow."

Ron nodded as everything began to sink in. In only a day or two, Dumbledore would be by to collect Harry and take him back to Hogwarts for the summer. This would be the last time that they saw each other until August. A small tear formed in his eye and he quickly wiped it away before Harry could see what he was doing, or even make him think that something was wrong. But something was wrong. Two people who loved each other shouldn't be apart for a whole summer. He was trying to figure out how he would deal with not being able to see Harry for three months. A wave of depression came over him and he groaned.

Harry looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. "What is it, Ron? Is something the matter?" He scooted closer to the tall, thin redhead and laid his head down on Ron's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"No, it's nothing." He looked down and saw the top of Harry's head and the wave deepened inside of him. The black hole was growing with every passing second and each time he looked at Harry, it made him feel worse. "What do you say we get a shower, love?"

Harry looked up and smiled. It was just the thing that he needed. They had spent most of the day cleaning the room and getting it all prepared for his aunt to come up here and stay and he knew that he felt dirty. He wanted to wash away the dirt. Harry stood up, walked to the door, and looked back to the beautiful teenager still lying on the bed. "You coming or what?"

Ron quickly jumped up and followed Harry into the bathroom. When he walked into the room he was surprised to see that Harry was already naked and turning on the water. He looked over to Ron as he stepped behind the curtain. Ron quickly dropped his trousers and reached in the feel the water. He was met by a gasp coming from Harry. "That's not the water, mate," Harry said with a giggle. Ron looked up and shook his head. He suddenly didn't care how the water felt. He had a sudden need to be as close to Harry as he could. He pulled the curtain back and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind him quickly.

The wooden box fell to the ground with a loud bang. The impact of it hitting the ground broke it. A shattering of glass was heard as a yellow light came from the remains of the box. The light rippled as it expanded and then, at once, flew up and went into Petunia's chest. She let out another gasp as her arms flew akimbo style and she stuttered backwards. Her tightly curled hair released its curls and it flowed down straight. The lines on her face faded a bit and the blue of her eyes deepened to the colour of the ocean. Her back straightened, and her legs went stiff. Her entire posture changed as the light began seeping into her. Her head was thrown back as she let out a guttural moan.

Molly ran over to her and put her arm around her. "Are you alright, dear?" She tightened her grip around Petunia's waist and waited for a response.

"I've…never felt better." She looked down at her own body and laughed. She looked up at the woman in the doorway and faltered.

The tall redheaded woman standing in the doorway wasn't watching Petunia. Her gaze was focused on what had spread itself out on the floor where the box was. The dark red robes looked too small to be worn by the woman who had just put on the amazing show. She thought that maybe they were robes that one of her children would have worn. But why, if her child went to Durmstrang, was she here with the robes? Durmstrang was too far away and there was no train that left from London to make it all the way there, at least not anymore. She let her gaze travel up the woman's thin, lanky frame and then fell to her face. "Are you all right?" she asked, trying to show concern.

Petunia looked up into the woman's hazel eyes and immediately felt safe. She was shaken by the feeling of comfort that this woman exhibited so easily. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." She answered with complete sincerity. She bent down easily and picked up the fragments of the box and the school robes. She looked up at Molly and her hand gently traced over them, "You know, it feels like home again." She closed her eyes and pulled the robes close to her bosom.

Molly slowly bent down and helped her stand up. "Come on, dear, let's all sit down and have a cup of tea to calm things down a bit." She urged Petunia on with her hand on the small of her back and gently nodded to the woman standing in the doorway.

When the two were seated, Molly went to the stove and removed the kettle and began pouring steaming water into three cups. She then went into the cupboard and removed three packets of tea. "I'm sorry; I didn't have time to soak the tea in the kettle. We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. I hope that that's alright with everyone." She looked at the two women who nodded but did not look at her. Their gaze had not left each other since they had sat down, even though they had not shared two words. Molly set the kettle on the table where it could be reached by any of the parties there and then followed suit and sat down. She opened her packet of tea and began dipping it slowly into the still steaming water. She looked up with a start. "Oh, Merlin me. I'm so sorry. Petunia, this is my friend, Christy. Christy, meet Petunia."

Christy looked deep into Petunia's eyes. "I once knew a Petunia. Back when I was in school. I heard that in our fourth year she got expelled. I never did find out what happened to her." She blushed, "Pardon me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go on about that. It's just that whenever I hear the name, the memories come back to me and," she paused, "it's still the most beautiful name that I have ever heard."

It was now Petunia's turn to blush. The words that came out of Christy's mouth had not hit her yet. It was Molly's gasp that brought her out of her reverie.

"Did you say that she was expelled in her fourth year?" Molly asked.

"Yes she, I mean, we, tried a spell one night. I won't say what the circumstances were at the moment, but the spell didn't go exactly as planned. Or at least at the beginning it seemed that it didn't go as planned. But still to this day, it was the best thing that I had ever felt. After she left school, I never heard from her again." Christy lowered her head and wiped a tear from her eye.

Petunia looked up with her mouth agape. The words hit her at once. "Christy?" She could not believe that this woman sitting across the table from her was her former girlfriend. Her grip on the robes tightened.

Christy looked up and at once realized who she had been talking to. "Pet?" The tears that had formed in her eyes started to fall freely. It had been several decades since they had seen each other but it seemed now that no time had passed. She slowly reached across the table and placed her hand on Petunia's. "All these years... Where have you been?" She was struggling to see a clear image of the dark haired woman in front of her through the tears.

"I've been…" Petunia trailed off. It seemed that no answer she could have given seemed fit. She looked at the woman in a new light. She had never seen anyone so beautiful before in her life. Her long, dark red hair flowing straight down and rested gently on her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were so beautiful, even though they were shedding tears. She lowered her head as her own tears started to best her. With her free hand she tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming relentlessly. "I've been living in the Muggle world. After I heard that you had died, I bound up my magic and put it in a bottle. It was hidden under the robes in the box." Her hand tightened again on the robes. "These are yours. Before I left the school, when I was packing up my things, one of your robes was mixed in with my stuff and I took it with me." She looked up and saw the wonder in the woman's face.

Christy gave a smile. "So that's what happened to those robes. I always wondered where they went. Did you say that you found out that I had died?"

Petunia nodded. "Yes. Alexei wrote to me and told me that you had died that night."

"I never did like Alexei. He was always mean to you," Christy said with another smile.

Molly sat back and watched the two converse. It seemed that no time had passed between them in all the years that they had been separated. She sat back in her chair and smiled. It was times like this that made life worth while. She slowly sipped on her tea and decided that it needed a bit of sugar. Molly stood and quietly walked back to the cupboard and pulled down the box of sugar and put two cubes into her tea and sat back down, slowly stirring it. She kept glancing between the two friends as they chatted back and forth, filling the other in on what had happened to them after that fateful night so long ago. She looked up at the ceiling, wondering what was taking the boys so long to put the trunks in Fred and George's room. She pushed herself back from the table and excused herself and walked to the stairs. She started up them slowly and quietly. When she reached the last step then the landing she heard two voices coming from the bathroom.

"Oh, Harry, that feels so good."

"Shh, Ron, your mum will hear you," Harry said in a hushed tone.

"No she won't. She's down there with your aunt right now. We're all alone up here." Molly heard a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, don't stop. Do that again." It was followed by another moan. Molly shook her head then turned around and walked down the stairs again. When she reached the bottom, she looked back up them and smiled. She made her way back into the kitchen to find the two ladies still in the same seats that they were in and still talking, but their tea cups were empty. She quickly picked up the kettle and refilled them then sat down, listening to them converse.

Draco sat on the floor in front of the open door. The whole world was in front of him at this moment, but he couldn't find the nerve to go through the door and see what awaited him. He was now more scared than he ever remembered himself being. He looked back at the big soft bed in the center of the room, then at the bookshelf against the wall to his right. Everything had been so perfect here. He had food whenever he was hungry, or whenever he wished for it. The windows had let in a substantial amount of light into the room and every so often a fresh breeze would sweep through the room. He often heard a deep voice coming from outside singing a tune, but he never had the courage to walk to the window to see who owned the voice. All he knew was that he liked the sound of it. It was so deep and melodic. Draco felt the wind on his back and he turned around to let it wash over his face. He loved this place. Now he wished that he never would have asked to leave, but he had, and now he was faced with the dilemma of making that decision. He looked again at the door and sighed. From everything he could remember, this was the hardest decision that he had ever had to make in his life. Although, his memory didn't go back that far. He wished he could remember what had happened to him before he entered this room. It might give him some insight as to who he was. All he knew was that his name was Draco Malfoy. He had asked for the short creature to come back, but each time he was not awarded with what he wanted. He still longed for someone to talk to, but the fear began to overtake him. He sat on the floor and began to shake.

Hermione sat in the common room talking with several students. None had heard anything about Harry and Ron. She glanced over at the fireplace and saw Fred standing there. It was weird to see him without George by his side, but she made her way over to him thinking that if anyone had heard anything, it would be Fred, since it did involve his brother, after all.

"Hello, Hermione," Fred greeted her.

"Hey, Fred. Have you heard anything about Harry and Ron?"

"Harry and Ron?" Fred looked around the common room. "No, I haven't. Aren't they here?"

Hermione thought that Fred might try to play a trick on her, but the look on his face told her that he was being honestly clueless. "No, Fred, they're not here. Your mum and dad came the other day and they went back to the Burrow with them. Everyone is leaving tomorrow morning, and they're not here to pack up their things. I'm getting a bit worried that they've been away for so long."

"I'm sure they're all right, little lady. No need to worry about them. They're big boys, after all," George said from behind her.

"Yeah, nothing our little Ronnie can't handle, or I should say Harry. He is the better one of the two, if you ask me," Fred complimented.

"But it's been nearly two days now…"

"Two days is nothing. Remember last year we disappeared for two weeks? Now that was something," George said.

"Yeah, two weeks," Fred said.

"But Harry and Ron aren't you. And besides, you two had everyone so worried here that they closed classes for a week and a half."

"And still no 'thank you' from anyone," the twins said in unison.

Hermione shook her head and walked away from them before they would try to get her to eat some new concoction that they had come up with. She sat on one of couches and decided that Dumbledore has to know what was going on, especially with Harry being gone. He wouldn't allow it to go unnoticed that Harry Potter was gone from Hogwarts without his previous knowledge or consent. She felt a tap on her shoulder and was then engaged in conversation with another student. Her mind slowly drifted away from the missing Harry and Ron.

The watch on Christy's left arm beeped and she looked down at it. "Merlin, I have to get going!" She stood up quickly pushing the chair away from the table and took her tea cup over to the sink. She walked to the door and stopped beside Petunia. "It was really good to see you again, Pet. How long will you be here?"

Petunia looked down at the table. "I don't know."

Molly stood up. "As long as she needs to stay here. She has to rebuild her life, now, so I'm sure it will take some time to get everything done." She looked down at Petunia and smiled.

"All right, I'll send you an owl later. You do still receive owl post, yes?" Christy asked while grabbing her travel cloak and wrapping it around herself tightly.

"Yes, it's been a while, but I'm sure that I can get used to it in no time." Petunia blushed and looked down at the table. It was so weird for her to be this shy around someone. But as Molly had put it, she needed to rebuild her life, and she had to start at the beginning. Making friends was the first thing that she needed to do. She pushed herself back from the table and walked Christy to the front door with Molly leading the way. After seeing that she gave Molly a hug, Petunia hesitated, but then opened her arms wide and embraced her second new friend. While Christy was in her arms, she was again overcome by the feeling of safety. She didn't want to let her go, but knew that she had to. Reluctantly, she pulled her arms back and stepped away. She watched as Christy turned and walked down the road and then heard a muffled pop and she was gone. It wasn't until Molly closed the door and had her arm around her waist again that she came out of her thoughts. "How…" She started, but found that she couldn't continue the thought.

"I don't know, dear, but Christy and I have been friends since I married Arthur. ARTHUR!" she screamed. "He still doesn't know that you're here. Oh, it's too late to send him an owl; it won't get there in time. I guess he'll just have to be surprised when he gets here." She walked back into the kitchen and set the remaining two tea cups into the sink. She turned around and leaned on the counter. Molly heard the bathroom door close upstairs and then heard another door close and figured that the boys were in Ronald's room. She looked at Petunia and said, "I'm sure you're exhausted, dear. Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep before dinner? I'll have one of the boys get you when it's done."

Petunia nodded and walked to the stairs. When she was at the bottom of them she turned around, "Which room am I sleeping in?"

Molly looked up and replied, "Oh, I'm sorryAC2 . It's the third door on your right as you're upstairs. I'm sure the boys made it comfortable for you. If not, then just give me a holler."

Petunia made her way up the stairs and found the correct room. She shut the door behind her and found that all of her clothes had been put in the dresser and in the closet. She quickly stripped off her clothes and located her nightgown and slipped it on. She pulled the sheets down and lay down in the bed. Within several minutes she was sound asleep.

Harry lay on Ron's bed and held him. The two were freshly washed and quite tired. He lowered his head and kissed Ron on top of his. The wet hairs tickled his nose and he turned his head to the side and sneezed. He then lowered his head down again and rested his cheek on the top of Ron's head. The two boys lay there, saying everything that needed to be said without sharing a word. Harry brought his hand up and ran it down Ron's now clothed chest. He moved his head to Ron's ear and began kissing it. It had been so long since they had been able to be alone like this that they almost forgot how to handle each other. There was so much that Harry wanted to say right now, but knew that it wasn't the time to say it. The time would come eventually; he just didn't know when. He was pulled from his thoughts by Ron's voice.

"Will we have a place of our own or will we live here with Mum and Dad?" He asked.

"Eventually one day, I hope to have a place that we can call our own, love. It might take some time, but I'm sure we can do it," Harry replied.

Ron laid against Harry's chest and felt his heartbeat. He knew that no matter what was going on in his life, when he was with Harry, he was always home. His mind drifted to them buying their first house, inviting Hermione over and other friends that they would still be talking to. He longed for the Great War to be over so that they could live their lives in peace and without worry. He sighed and pressed himself harder into Harry's body. It had been a while since they had heard anything about Voldemort or any of his followers, but he knew that they were planning an attack. They had to be, because Voldemort wasn't the type that gave up easily, especially now that he was human again. Ron hated the fact that he never knew what was going to happen to Harry at any given moment, but he knew that at this moment he was safe. They were both safe right where they were, but soon Harry would have to go back to Hogwarts, and Ron couldn't be able to protect him. Not that Ron normally protected him, but he hated the fact that he wouldn't be able to see him all summer. He let out an audible sigh as the momentary depression washed over him. He had tried to push it out of his mind, but he found out that it wasn't as simple as he would have liked it to be. He wished that all he had to do was think of it being gone, and it was gone, but that didn't work. He wanted Harry to stay with him at the Burrow all summer, or to go to Hogwarts with him. He just wanted to be together, but he knew that it wouldn't happen that way. He was already preparing his mind for the long departure they would have.

Harry sat there thinking of the things that he would be doing this summer. He thought of meeting his grandmum for the first time. He couldn't wait for that. He knew that after reading her letters, the more recent ones anyways, she was very excited to be coming to Hogwarts. He knew that she was a Muggle, but adored the fact that she had two witch daughters. He still didn't comprehend that his aunt Petunia was a witch. After all those years of living with the Dursleys, being treated the way that he had been treated, why she had decided to tell his uncle Vernon that she was a witch after all. He wanted to talk to her and find out what it was all about, find out why she hid that side of her for so long. He wanted to know why she allowed his uncle to say the things that he had said about his parents. And most importantly he wanted to know why, when he had found out that he was a wizard, she called his mum a freak. The memories were unnerving. He knew that she had certain images that she needed to portray, but to speak of her own family that way, especially when she was the same thing, was just wrong. He looked down at Ron and noticed that he had fallen asleep in his arms. It felt so right to hold him this way, to protect him from anything that could hurt him. Harry loved him like he had never loved anything before. He rested his head against the headboard and quickly fell asleep, holding the love of his life.

Molly was busy bustling around the kitchen enchanting pots and pans and getting dinner prepared for the evening. The controlled chaos in the room was a sight to behold. The pheasants that Christy had given Molly were being plucked and dressed in the far corner with feathers flying out the window. Molly added a new bird as each was finished with a simple multiplication spell that had served her well most of her married life. As she worked on a lovely hollandaise sauce and cranberry sauce at the stove, the table was alive with activity. At the far end the apples for her tarts were being peeled and quartered. Potatoes and carrots were being scrapped and cut up and a crisp spinach salad was flying together with ease. Molly was very pleased to have this chance to put together such a wonderfully rich and special dinner. Feeling a tap on her back, Molly turned as the pans with the birds requested space to enter the oven for their cook time. As each task was finished the cleaning supplies scurried to make the room tidy and straight.

When the sauces were complete, she sat down at a clean end of the table and sighed to herself. She knew the risk that she was taking by not letting Arthur know that Petunia was there, but she didn't really think that using Errol was a good idea since Arthur would have already left the Ministry. She knew that the best option was to continue with her meal and wait for him to come in and relax a bit before she brought on the news. Although they had guests regularly, it was odd that one would spring up in the middle of the week like this. She lowered her head into her hands and sighed again.

Molly was shaken from her daydream when the timer to the oven went off. She stood up quickly, walked the length of the kitchen to retrieve the two pans of pheasant,and set them on the counter. She turned to look at the clock and saw that Arthur was just about home. She quickly set the food on the table and dressed the pheasant in the hollandaise sauce. When the pans were on the table, she whipped around and enchanted the glasses to fill themselves with ice and water, and then set themselves on the table. With that done, she walked to the stairs and started up them to retrieve the boys. She didn't want to scream out of fear of waking Petunia. Any time that she could spend sleeping was better. When she hoisted her robust frame up on the landing she made her way to Ronald's room. When she opened the door she gasped. She stepped into the room quietly and watched as her son slept as his boyfriend carefully had him wrapped in his arms. She thought it better to let the boys sleep after the busy day that they had had, but time was pressing on her and she knew that she wanted them awake and down stairs when she told her husband about their guest. She quietly walked over to the boys and shook Harry's arm. She knew that she wasn't shaking him hard enough to wake him, but he did elicit a response.

"Not yet, Mum. Five more minute, please."

Molly stepped back and smiled, then frowned. She thought that he must have been dreaming about his parents and the thought saddened her. She always knew that after Harry had met all of their family that he considered them his, but she didn't think that his subconscious would accept that.

Harry had been sleeping in the room that he and Ron had shared in their own house. It was after the Great War and unfortunately, Arthur did not make it. The two had decided to let Molly move in with them. He was sure that it was some unruly time in the morning. He still felt her shaking him, trying to rouse him. "Not yet, Mum. Five more minutes, please." It had come out of his mouth before he could even tell himself not to say it. It was true that he thought of the Weasleys as his family also, but for it to come out in a dream as well? Harry was stupefied even in his dream at what he had said. The confusion made him wake.

Harry carefully brought his arms up to his face and rubbed his eyes. When he replaced his glasses he saw Molly standing close to the bed, wearing a frown on her face. He attempted to bolt upright, but he was hindered by Ron's body. Instead he looked up at her with fear in his eyes. "What is it, Molly? Is something wrong?" He reached over to the nightstand beside the bed and grabbed his wand with urgency.

Molly shook her head. "It's nothing, dear. I just wanted to let you and Ron know that it was almost time for supper and that Arthur would be home soon." She stood where she was still wearing her frown. Harry knew that there was more that she wanted to say.

"But…" Harry urged.

"Oh it's nothing, dear, at least not anything important." She waved him off with a quick flip of her wrist.

Harry studied her carefully. He watched as her shoulders slumped forward a tiny bit. He noticed that she was taking in deeper breaths than normal. He wondered if he had talked in his sleep. Before the next thought hit him, he knew why she was upset. She had heard him say "Mum" when he was sleeping. He carefully pressed down on the mattress and pushed himself to a more upright position. "Molly, did you, err, hear me talk in my sleep?"

Molly nodded in response.

"I want to tell you something. Please pull that chair up and sit down." He waited until she did what he asked and then continued, "In my dream, Ron and I had our own house. I won't bore you with a lot of details, but you were there living with us. You had tried to wake me." Harry looked down at the mattress on his side. "I…I called you Mum." He still did not look up at her. He heard her stand up and felt her arms around him before he could move. He didn't really want to move at that point. It had been so long since anyone other than Ron had hugged him and he missed the feeling. The two were still embracing when a door downstairs opened and closed. Molly stood up and straightened her apron and dress. "It's alright to think of me as your mum dear. Something tells me that your mum wouldn't mind." She smiled softly at him. "Arthur's home and dinner is ready. If you would, please wake up Ronald and your aunt and bring them downstairs." She walked to the doorway and turned around. She gave Harry another smile before disappearing down the hallway humming to herself.

Harry shook Ron awake. He looked down at his redheaded boyfriend and kissed him on the forehead. "Your mum came in to tell us that your dad is home and that dinner is ready."

Ron rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "Food." He smiled up at Harry and then rolled off of him. He stood there for a moment and took in the site of his boyfriend lying in his bed. He relished in the thought and feeling that it gave him. He quickly walked to the door and went downstairs.

Harry stood and quickly swiped at his pants and shirt, getting the soft folds out of them, while walking to the door. He made his way to Fred and George's room to wake up his aunt. He could hear Ron downstairs laughing with his dad and he smiled. When he reached the door, he knocked quietly and opened it. He stuck his head in and said in a loud whisper, "Aunt Petunia?" He waited for her to open her eyes. "Molly wanted me to let you know that dinner is ready. Would you like for me to wait for you out here?"

"Yes, Harry, that will be fine," Petunia said before she watched him close the door. She threw the covers back on the bed and stepped on the hard cold floor. She was overcome with the feeling of the new floor. For years she had been accustomed to having carpet in their bedroom. She shook her head and chided herself. Now is not the time to be thinking about not having carpet. She located some casual clothes and put them on. When she opened the door she found Harry dutifully waiting for her across the hallway. "Good evening, Harry," she said.

"Evening, Aunt Petunia." Harry stood and walked up next to her. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and grabbed her hand. He looked up and saw that she was smiling at him. Since Petunia had told him and Ron about her being a witch, Harry felt that there was a bond between them now. He still did not know how much of a bond, but he was glad that the bond was there.

When the two reached the bottom of the stairs and turned into the kitchen, Petunia's gaze fell immediately on Arthur. He quickly stood from the table as she stuttered backwards into the family room. The last thing she saw was the concerned look on Harry's face before she went into the darkness that was surrounding her so quickly.

-END OF CHAPTER 11-

AC1Every sentence starts with "She" try varying it up a little to keep it interesting

AC2Lots of "dears"…might not want to overdo it or the effect could be lost