A/N: Here you are ladies and gents. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy. =)
Saturday
23 May
3:36am
Bits of wood went flying all over the room as Andromeda's front door was blown open. Teddy's screams started echoing down the hall and it took all of Harry's energy to not go to him.
"Come out Andromeda. I know you and that Harry Potter are hiding in there." The man sneered Harry's name.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry cast the spell blindly into the doorway. There was no following sound and Harry knew he had missed.
"Is that all you've got boy? My late wife was right. You're nothing but a little bitty baby." With those last words Rodolphus Lestrange stepped into Andromeda's house, his wand pointed at Harry's chest. "You know, I do believe this is the first time we've officially met."
"And hopefully it's the last. Expelliarmus!" Rodolphus deflected the spell as Harry moved into the dinning room. Harry slipped on the runner and Rodolphus easily followed him around the corner.
"Crucio!" Harry threw himself behind the china cabinet. The spell missed him by mere centimeters.
"Stupefy!" Harry cast the spell with extreme precision. Rodolphus was knocked unconscious immediately. Harry leapt to his feet just as Proudfoot and Savage came scrambling into the dinning room.
"Incarcerous. Levicorpus." Savage was already walking Rodolphus out of the house before Harry could manage to catch his breath.
"Fine job there Harry. Can't wait to see how you fare when you're trained up a bit." said Proudfoot.
Kingsley walked in to the room. "Harry. Let's get you down to St. Mungo's and get you checked out. And what did I tell you about chasing after Death Eaters?"
Harry couldn't respond. All he could focus on was Teddy's screams. "Excuse me." Harry pushed past the two men and followed the cries to Teddy's room. The door wouldn't budge.
"Dromeda it's me. Everything is okay now. Kingsley and Proudfoot are here." The door opened and Harry was grabbed up into a hug. Harry finally managed to pull away from her and took Teddy into his arms. Andromeda was shaking and Harry was sure that the movement wasn't helping Teddy calm down. He walked Andromeda into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Kingsley and Proudfoot came over to the two of them.
"Mrs. Tonks! Are you alright? Will you please permit me to take you to St. Mungo's? Both you and your Grandson need to be checked out." Dromeda looked up at Proudfoot and then at Harry. Harry nodded encouragingly while rocking Teddy. His hair had turned to a muted blue and his screams had become gasping cries.
"Wha-wha-what about my bro-brother in law?" she stuttered.
"One of our Aurors is currently taking him to Azkaban. There is no need to worry Andromeda. You and Proudfoot go on ahead to St. Mungo's, Harry and Teddy will follow, and I will repair your door so that when you come home, you can rest assured that you will be safe." Kingsley smiled at her, but Harry knew that it would take a lot more than that to calm her down.
Saturday
23 May
6:42am
Harry sat on the hospital bed, feet hanging over the edge, clearly annoyed. He was perfectly fine. And yet here was, being held captive.
After arriving, the doctors had rushed Teddy and Andromeda off while Proudfoot and Kingsley walked him through his first Auror report. Obviously he didn't have any major injuries because those would have made them self apparent during the two and a half hours it took him to 'recount everything in detail.' Harry sighed. He wanted to know how Andromeda and Teddy were doing and he assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were here somewhere as well. He thought about Ginny. "Ginny!" He said out loud as he smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead. He knew that she was most likely freaking out. He needed to get out of here. Just then, the door clicked open.
"Well Mr. Potter. It appears that you are in perfectly good condition and are free to go." Harry hopped off the bed and reached for his clothes. The nurse smiled at him. "Try to take today easy and rest up."
"Thanks. Umm can you tell me about the lady and baby I came in with? Andromeda Tonks and Ted Lupin?"
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter but that is considered private information."
Harry forced another smile. "Well thank you anyway." He didn't wait for her to leave as he immediately started pulling on his sleep pants and t-shirt. When he emerged into the hallway he headed for the nearest stairwell. He knew that if someone was waiting for him, they would be one floor up. He took the steps two at a time and jogged into the visiting area slightly out of breath. He spotted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley immediately. They were conversing with Kingsley. Harry smiled at the sight of them. Mrs. Weasley spotted him almost immediately and jumped out of her seat. She bustled over and pulled him into a giant bear hug.
"Oh Harry my dear. We have been so worried about you. I'm so glad that you are okay."
"Alright Molly, lets give him some room to breathe." Mrs. Weasley released Harry and Mr. Weasley stepped forward to shake Harry's hand. "Kingsley was just telling us that you are free to come home."
Harry gave Kingsley a look of doubt. Kingsley laughed.
"The Death Eater has been apprehended, you've cleared your medical evaluation, and your paperwork is finished. Things are in good order. Go home and get some rest Harry."
"But what about Andromeda and Teddy? How are they?"
"I took Andromeda home myself. She is still a little shaken up but, otherwise in good health. Proudfoot is keeping watch over her house for a couple of days. She will be perfectly safe."
"I need to go see her."
"Harry it's 7:00 in the morning. She has been home for a little over 2 hours now and will most likely be asleep. Why don't you check on her later today once you yourself have had a few hours rest."
Harry could see Mr. Weasley's reasoning. He nodded his head, shook Kingsley's hand goodbye and the three of them started off towards the lift.
"Umm...Did either of you happen to tell Ginny..."
"No." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said in unison. Mr. Weasley placed his hand on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and then continued. "It's just that...we knew that waking her up, taking her down here, sitting here for several hours waiting...well...we knew that it wouldn't be very productive. She worries about you, and this would have been unnecessary."
The doors to the lift closed and Harry nodded his head, not saying a word. If he knew anything about Ginny, he knew that she was not going to be happy about how her parents handled this. Harry sighed as he placed his hands to his temples. He hoped that he could talk to her before she heard about it from someone else. The lift binged and the doors opened.
Camera flashes went off and Harry put his hands over his face. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley each took an arm as the three of them were swarmed by reporters and battered with questions. Harry tuned them out as they made their way away from the crowds and to the fireplace. Harry groaned internally. There wasn't a slim chance that Ginny hadn't heard. She was not going to be happy. Harry stepped into the fireplace. "The Burrow." He threw the floo powder down and was whisked away from St. Mungo's.
Harry stumbled out into the Weasley's kitchen, coughing on the soot. Harry managed to see a flash of red before he felt arms and legs wrap around him. He took a step back to regain his balance and then wrapped his own arms around Ginny. He held her there, taking in her scent. But after a moment he wanted to see her face.
"Gin. Look at me."
She pulled back from his chest, but her arms didn't loosen their grip. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were damp with fresh tear tracks. Harry smiled and kissed her. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until this moment.
If it was at all possible she pressed her body even closer to him and returned the kiss. Harry became vaguely aware that someone else had just come into the room. He very softly stopped the kiss and looked over. It was Ron. Harry stiffened and Ginny followed his gaze.
There was an uncomfortable pause and Ron shifted his weight. "I'm glad your home mate, but I'm not going to snog you."
Harry set Ginny down, taking her hand in his, and closed the distance between him and Ron. "I appreciate that mate. It's good to see you." They gave each other a one armed hug.
"Oh for goodness sake. He was only gone a couple days." Hermione was standing arms crossed in the doorway.
"I know that. But he was on an Auror mission."
Hermione smiled and Ron. And Harry interjected. "Actually I was just helping out. I'm not officially an Auror until July 1st."
Ron shrugged. "Whether you're officially an Auror or not, you were on an Auror mission."
"No really, I was just helping out."
"Can you talk about it?"
"Of course, but there's not much to tell. For the past two days all I did was play with Teddy and help Andromeda around the house. Then, last night someone attacked and I stopped him."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Come off it mate. It's us, not the Daily Prophet."
"What? That's really what happened."
"We know." Said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken. Harry was so distracted by the sound of her voice that he didn't see the newspaper until she put it right in front of his face.
Saturday
23 May 1998
The Daily Prophet
Death Eater Captured by Harry Potter
In the early hours of the morning we received word that the Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange, had been captured. And by none other than Harry Potter.
As the public was already informed, Harry has been staying with a family friend and his Godson. They live in the same neighborhood as the Creevey's, who were attacked by a Death Eater on Wednesday evening.
So was Harry just in the right place at the right time? Or was there another motive for him being there.
"After the attacks I needed to make sure that [Andromeda Tonks and Ted Lupin] were okay. I spent the last two days helping out around the house and playing with my Godson. When the Death Eater attacked, I was just protecting them." Stated Harry Potter.
Still, we have to wonder. There have been many rumors that Harry Potter will be forgoing his final year of education in order to become an Auror.
Our sources confirmed that he did not take the placement test with the rest of the students returning to Hogwarts.
Both Headmistress McGonagall and Auror Proudfoot were unavailable for comment on this subject but there isn't much left to speculate. Harry Potter is most likely our newest Auror.
"Thats really truly what I did. And I never said that." Harry looked up at them. "Kingsley or Proudfoot must have released a statement for me."
There was a woosh of noises as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley appeared in the fireplace. Ginny took a step toward Harry and he caressed her hand with his thumb. Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen and startled bustling around. No one moved. Mr. Weasley picked up the Daily Prophet and sat at the head of the table, flipping through to a different section. After a moment Mrs. Weasley seemed to notice the four of them standing there. After giving them all a once over she addressed Ron.
"Ronald, why are you awake so early?" Mr. Weasley looked over the top of the paper. "Breakfast won't be ready for another hour." Hermione snickered and Ron shot her a dirty look. Harry was surprised that Ron didn't stick his tongue out at her. "Hermione dear. Will you come tell me more about the trip to Australia while I cook?"
"Of course." She replied. Ron muttered something under his breath and took a seat at the table as Hermione went over to stand by Mrs. Weasley.
Harry squeezed Ginny's hand and slowly started walking towards the stairs.
"Ginny. I need your help down here. And Harry needs his rest."
Ginny whirled on her feet to face her mother. "Actually Harry and I were in the middle of a conversation when you and Dad came home. So if you don't mind, we are going to go finish it in private. And besides, you have both Hermione and Ron to help you. It doesn't take four people to make eggs and toast."
There was a significant moment of awkward silence before Mrs. Weasley responded. "Ginevra Weasley. You will not take that tone with me."
"Or what? You're going to punish me? Or oh! I know! Maybe you'll just make the conscious decision to withhold crucial information from me and act as though nothing happened. That sounds like a great idea."
Hermione and Ron's mouths dropped and Harry looked away uncomfortably. Mr. Weasley set down the paper and stood up.
In a very calm voice he addressed Ginny. "Your mother and I made the decision not to tell you because it was a minor incident. We knew that Harry would tell you about it once he returned."
"If it was so minor how come they contacted the two of you to let you know he was at St. Mungo's?"
"If by they you mean the hospital staff, they didn't. Kingsley called over and told us that there had been a minor incident. Harry was fine, but being checked over at St. Mungo's as part of protocol. Afterwards he would be allowed to come back here. Your mother and I wanted him to have someone there waiting."
"What? And I didn't want to be there waiting?"
"There was no point in waking you up at 4:30 in the morning to have you wait for nearly two and a half hours to see or hear anything about him." Mr. Weasley's tone had become firm and it was clear that he was through arguing. "What's done is done and there is no point in discussing this any further. Now you and Harry may go finish your conversation but afterwards you will come down here and help your mother in the kitchen. Have I made myself clear?"
Ginny nodded her head. "Yes sir." Mr. Weasley turned back to his paper, dismissing the two of them. Ginny practically ran up the stairs, dragging Harry along with her. She didn't stop at her landing and continued on up the stairs. Harry assumed they were going to Ron's room but was surprised when she stopped on second landing and went over to Fred and George's room.
"Uh... Ginny? What are we doing?"
"Just a second." Ginny pulled out her wand and popped the lock. She pulled Harry in and shut the door. She sighed and sat down on George's bed. Harry hadn't been in here since Fred died. His side was mostly empty. There was a mismatched sock on the mattress and a couple of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes boxes on the floor.
"So why are we in here again?"
"Permanent silencing charm. Fred and George rigged the room so that no one can hear the actual noises from inside. What you do hear, is a lie. At night time you hear snoring, during the day you hear shuffling noises, sometimes some laughter and that sort of thing."
"Brilliant those two."
Ginny smiled. "It was Fred who told me, after they moved into their flat. He said that I could use the room if I ever needed some alone time. And then he winked at me." Both Harry and Ginny laughed. "It's kind of genius really. Not once did they get caught. Mom knew they were up to something...but she could never figure out what."
Harry took a step towards her. "So...it's foolproof."
Ginny caught onto his mood. "Basically." She winked at him. "What's it to you?" She asked as she leaned back across the bed. Harry rushed to her. He climbed on top of her clumsily and roughly ran his fingers through her hair. Her lips pushed hard against his and they both kept forgetting to breathe. Ginny pulled away for a moment, gasping for air. She smiled at him and placed her hand gently on his cheek.
"I've missed you Mr. Potter."
Harry turned his head and kissed her palm. "Oh yeah?"
Ginny laughed. "Yeah." She slid her hand through his hair. Twirling a lock of it around her fingers. "I know that we haven't been back together for very long..." Harry's brow furrowed. "But it was hard being away from you. I don't like it." Ginny looked up at him. "I think that the hardest part was not hearing from you. It was like this past year. You were gone nine months. Nine months without so much as word from you and it..." Ginny took a deep breath. "It scared me."
Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny and pulled her against his chest. "I wish I could promise that it would never happen again, but I can't. It's part of my job."
Ginny sighed. "I know... and I get that, I really do. I think that it's hard right now because you just came back. It hasn't even been a month yet."
Harry caressed the side of her face. "I will always come back to you. No matter what. You know that right?"
Ginny looked up at Harry and nodded as he lightly set his lips upon hers.
Saturday
23 May
12:23pm
Harry could hear the familiar noises of The Burrow's habitants below. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen, cooking something while she sang to herself. Ron and Ginny were outside zooming around on broomsticks and laughing. Harry stretched and then relaxed further into his bed, not wanting to fully wake up yet. A foot tapped on the bedroom floor as someone took a deep breath. Harry sat up with a start while managing to locate and slap his glasses on his face all in one swift motion. Hermione was seated on Ron's bed and was holding some sort of parchment in her hands.
"Blimey Hermione! You frightened the hell out of me."
"Where did you get this?" She asked, enthralled by what she was looking at.
"Where did I get what?" Harry asked as he took a closer look at what was in her hands. It was the envelope he had gotten from Dennis. Just as he recognized it, Hermione came over and sat on the edge of his bed. She was holding the photograph of him and Ginny under the big tree at Hogwarts. Harry smiled. "Dennis gave it to me. Apparently Colin had taken a bunch of photos and set them aside for me to have."
Hermione peeked into the envelope and gasped. "May I look at the rest?" Harry laughed at her and nodded his head.
As she pulled out the stack of pictures, Harry took the photo of him and Ginny. He reached under his bed for the photo album Hagrid had given him almost six years ago, and placed the photo on one of the blank pages. He ran his fingers over it one more time and then turned his attention back to Hermione. She was staring at a photo of her and Ron. Hermione appeared to be scolding him and Harry was laughing.
"This is a good picture."
"It is isn't it. Would you like to keep it?"
She looked at him with an almost shocked expression. "Really?"
Harry laughed. "Really." Hermione threw her arms around him, scattering the pictures in the process. Harry smiled and hugged her back.
"I am glad that you're alright. But between Ginny's worries and Ron's sulking, someone had to be the strong one."
Harry pulled away from her. "What do you mean?"
"Oh you knew that Ginny would be worried about you."
"No. I meant with Ron. He was sulking?" Hermione laughed.
"Yes actually. He was in a right fowl mood the entire time you were gone."
"But why?"
Hermione sighed and reached down to pick up a couple of photos. "For as long as I've know the two of you, we've been in and out of trouble. Fighting crime and all that." Harry let out a small laugh. "That made all the peaceful moments treasured and special. But now... the war is over. Yes there is still a few rogue Death Eaters, and I'm sure there will always be dark wizards to fight, but our future isn't planned for us. You know what you want. You want to continue to protect the wizarding world. I want to go back to school and finish my education. But Ron, Ron doesn't really know what he wants. He knows that he doesn't want to go back to school but..."
"I thought he was going to help George?" Harry meant it as a statement, but it came out more as a question.
"Of course. That's his brother. But the joke shop was never his dream."
Harry stared at Hermione. He didn't really know what to think about this. He and Ron had never really spoken about this sort of thing. They had talked about jobs after Hogwarts, but that was a long time ago. "You know. When we were younger, we talked about becoming Aurors together."
Hermione slumped forward. "That's what I was afraid of. Like you, he enjoys fighting against dark wizards. But right now, he has family obligations and girlfriends that need his help tracking down her misplaced parents." She threw her hands up in exasperation. Harry couldn't help but smile at her. "I know he feels left behind and I don't want him to form resentments."
"I think that if you give him permission to become an Auror, he would feel a lot better."
She scoffed. "He doesn't need my permission."
"Maybe not, but he does want to be with you. If you weren't okay with it, he wouldn't do it. And he isn't going with you to Australia because he has to. He's going with you because he wants to."
Hermione placed her head on his shoulder and exhaled. "I just want him to be happy."
Harry patted her shoulder. "I know you do."
Sunday
24 May
9:15am
Harry came trotting down the stairs and stop on the first landing. He reached up and smoothed his hair in the back before knocking on the door. Ginny and Hermione were laughing, but they both managed to yell out for him to come in.
Harry opened the door to find the two of them on the floor almost doubled over in laughter. "What's so funny?"
"I was just telling Ginny about the first time Ron and I kissed." More laughter.
"What I wouldn't give to see a photo of his face. It would be absolutely priceless." The two girls picked up laughing again, slightly rolling on the floor.
"I truly believe that if I hadn't of kissed him, he would still be denying his feeling for me."
Harry smiled at them and leaned against the door frame. "Nah. He had been working up to it. He definitely would have made his move after the battle."
Ginny and Hermione glanced at each other and burst into more laughter.
"What's with all the bloody laughing." Ron had appeared at Harry's side and both of them were staring at their girlfriends.
Hermione forced back the laughter, trying to compose herself. "Oh nothing Ron. We just have a case of the giggles."
"Yeah too much time cooped up in this bloody house can do that to a person." Ron complained.
Ginny leaned back against her bed. "Yeah well it's not like we're going to get out of here any time soon. Mum probably won't let us out of the house till we're forty."
"Actually," said Harry. "That's why we are here."
"Really? And here I was thinking you two just enjoyed being around your girlfriends."
"Very funny Ginny. Now hurry up and get dressed. We're going out for the day."
Both girls looked genuinely shocked. "Where?" Asked Hermione.
Harry and Ron gave each other a satisfactory smile. "Diagon Alley."
A slow smile crept on to Ginny's face, but Hermione looked worried. "Is that really such a good idea? Last time we went, there were reporters and paparazzi all around us."
"Not to mention a bunch of Harry's adoring fans." Ginny mumbled under her breath. Harry gave her a sympathetic smile.
"And it was before the Death Eaters retaliated."
"Death Eater, Hermione. Even Kingsley has said that Rodolphus Lestrange acted on his own accord."
Hermione glared at him. "Whether he was by himself or not, he is still a Death Eater. You know that they have to be angry about another one of them being locked up. It is not safe to be out in big public gatherings right now Harry."
"You're right. It's not safe for Hermione Granger, Ginny and Ron Weasley, or Harry Potter to go to Diagon Alley."
"Harry, I don't understand. You just said we were going."
"We are, just not as ourselves. Ron?"
"Harry?" The two boys smiled at each other as Harry pointed his wand at Ron's face and gave it a small wave. Ron's hair appeared to go back into his head as his hair changed into a dark brown buzz cut. Other than his hair, he looked exactly the same. But somehow that small change made him look like a different person.
Harry then flicked his wand at himself and his hair slowly lengthened and turned into a dirty blonde. His hair was long enough to hang slightly in his face and completely cover his scar.
"That. Is slightly disturbing." said Ginny. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Look do you two want to get out of here or not. Harry asked Kingsley about it and he got Mum and Dad on board. So with or with out you, the two of us are going." Ron folded his arms across his chest.
Suddenly the two girls were scrambling to get up, tossing clothes around the room in search of something to wear. After a moment Ginny turned to Ron and said, "Are you really going to stand there and watch us change? Because I'm about to get naked and don't believe that's something you want to see."
Ron ducked his head and turned to leave. Harry stayed where he was, a mischievous smile on his face. Ron noticed that Harry wasn't moving and looked up. "Oy! That's my baby sister you're staring at." Ginny winked at Harry as Ron grabbed him by the arm and pulled him from the doorway.
45 minutes later the four of them were finally making their way through the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. Ginny's hair was now dark brown and curly, while Hermione's was more of an auburn, board straight, and of a medium length. The girls had gotten ready in record time, but Mrs. Weasley had sat them all down for a long chat.
"Just because your hair looks different, doesn't mean that you don't look anything like yourselves. Think before you act and do try to blend in. The more attention you bring to yourselves, the more likely someone will recognize you and put you in harms way."
After repeating herself for about 20 minutes, and getting them to agree that they would be back no latter than 3:00 to wash up and help prepare dinner, they were finally allowed to leave.
Harry pulled Ginny's hand into his and smiled down at her. "You know, I like you with curly hair."
"But not the color?"
"Well you see, I kind of have this thing for red heads."
Ginny laughed at him and he kissed the top of her head. It was really nice to be able to do this in public without an overwhelming fear of it ending up in the tabloids.
"So where to first?" asked Hermione. Her eyes already flickering down the row of shops to the windows of Flourish & Blott's. Harry snickered.
"I'm guessing you want to go look about the book store?"
"Well I'm out of books. It won't take long I promise."
"'Mione. You always say that." Harry froze and looked around to see if anyone had heard Ron.
He lightly smacked Ron's arm and said in a low voice, "No names."
"Sorry." Ron grimaced.
"It's okay. Let's just stick together and enjoy the day."
The four of them headed over to Flourish & Blott's and after a short while, any worries were forgotten and they were all enjoying themselves. After about an hour Hermione finally agreed to leave and they all headed back towards Quality Quidditch. The briefly stopped at Scribbulus Writing Instruments and purchased some new stationary, quills, and ink. As they were leaving the store, Ron looked torn.
"What's the matter?" Asked Harry.
"I can't decide what I want more. To go to Quality Quidditch or food." The other three laughed. "What? I'm serious."
"That's what makes it so funny." Ron glowered at Harry and Harry patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's all sit down for a bit and grab some food. We can hit the stores after we eat."
"But.."
"It will still be there when we come back mate." Ron seemed to realize the truth in Harry's statement and then his eyes light up.
"Can we get some ice cream afterwards?" Hermione placed her hand in his. Shaking her head slowly back and forth, smiling to herself.
Sunday
24 May
2:35pm
Ron went running up to Hermione in a frantic matter. "Which one do you think is better. "The away jersey?" Which was black with orange accents. "Or the home jersey?" Which was orange with black accents. Hermione looked up from her book and watched as he first held out the black one and the pushed the orange one forward.
"Honestly, there isn't much of a difference." She looked back down at her book as Ron's mouth fell open in astonishment.
"There isn't..." He looked back at Harry, who was currently trying to hold back a smile, then at Ginny, who was doing the same. His head whirled back around to face Hermione. "What do you mean there isn't that big of a difference? There is a HUGE difference." Ron emphasized the difference by throwing his arms out as far as they would go, the jerseys flapping like flags in the wind. Hermione shrugged, still looking at her book. Ron scoffed and came over to Harry and Ginny. "What about you two? Which one?"
"The black one."
"The orange one." They said at the same time. Ron looked back and forth between the two of them.
Ginny laughed. "The black one is more practical. You can wear it day to day. The orange one is more just for games. It will make you stand out."
"The black one." said Harry and Hermione in unison.
Ron looked down at the two jerseys and seemed to be suffering from some inner debate. He headed back to the jersey stand where he had found them.
"Just hurry up and pick one mate. Your mum will worry if we aren't back well before 3:00." Ron looked up at the clock and his eyes grew wide.
Harry looked down at Ginny. She had turned her attention to the Holyhead Harpies calendar. She also had a Holyhead Harpies jersey in hand. She seemed to feel his gaze and looked up into his eyes.
"You don't have to buy this you know."
"I know. But I want to. Besides you need the calendar for school."
"I could always get a Harry Potter one." Harry rolled his eyes.
On the way back from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, they had seen a 'Harry Potter' stand. It was filled with pictures, calendars, posters, shirts, and all sorts of other things you could imagine. They even had bed sets and a miniature version of himself.
"I'm kidding." she said as she kissed him quickly on the lips and stepped up to the counter. Ron came tearing around the corner, just in time.
"Okay. I've decided to get the orange one. It just feels more... homey."
Harry laughed at him. "Alright then." He placed the miniature Gryffindor jersey, that he had grabbed for Teddy, and Ron's jersey on the counter with Ginny's things. As the cashier rang everything up, the worst possible thing happened.
"You know. You sure look a lot like Harry Potter."
Harry looked down and pulled out his wallet, trying to hurry up and pay before the man could look any closer.
"Really? I guess I never thought about that before."
"Yeah. Except you're blond."
Harry looked up at the man as he gave him the money. The man's eyes widened. "Bloody hell. You don't just look like him. You are him."
Harry smiled nervously. "No need for change." He grabbed the bags and rushed over to the other three. "Time to go. Now."
The man behind the counter had leaned as far over as he could to get a better look and was starting to yell. "That's Harry Potter! He has dyed his hair blond!"
Hermione grabbed hold of him and Ginny as Ron placed his hand over hers. And in one long sickening moment, they were back at The Burrow.
Ginny placed her hand over her stomach as Harry caught his balance. Ron slowly opened his eyes and sighed, just happy that he hadn't splinched. Hermione took two steps back and sighed.
"Well... it almost worked." She lazily waved her wand about her head and her hair returned back to normal. She then did the same with the other three.
Harry picked up the bags and headed towards the house.
"Harry?" asked Ginny.
"I'm never going to have a normal life am I?"
She placed her small hand inside of his and leaned against his arm as they walked. Somehow she knew that the best thing she could say was nothing at all.
Sunday
24 May
11:03pm
There was a small knock on the door before Ginny came into the room. Harry knew that he was pouting, but he had had a big realization today. For the rest of his life, people would watch his every move. It would probably die down as time went on, but there would always be people who were going to react like the man in the store.
Ginny walked over to the edge of his bed and climbed on top of him. Harry continued to stare at the ceiling. She rested her chin on his chest and twirled her fingers in his hair.
After a few minutes of silence, Ginny let out a big sigh and started to get up to leave. Harry caught her arm and then looked into her eyes. He could see that she was worried, and slightly scared.
Harry pulled her towards him and kissed her. He held her there until she relaxed against him. Suddenly, he sat up, forcing her to straddle his lap. She had just come from the shower, her hair was still damp. The floral smell of her shampoo was intoxicating, as was the feel of her soft skin against his.
He roughly ran his fingers through her hair and lightly pulled, separating their lips. Ginny gasped. Harry lifted up one finger and traced their shape. He then placed the hand against her back and pushed her tightly against him. There was no mistaking his desire for her. It was now pressed hard against the inseam of her shorts. She started to lean forward to kiss him but he pulled back, just out of reach. Lightly he traced down her left side, her thigh, her calf. Following the natural curve of her body and not once breaking eye contact. Then he moved to the inside of her leg, tracing up her calf, her thigh, and stopping where her shorts started. Ginny's breathing had picked up, and Harry could feel her heart thudding. He continued to stare deep into her eyes as he skipped over her shorts, and slid his hand up her shirt. Her breathing hitched and he broke, almost attacking her with a kiss. It was messy and rough. The desire taking over any other thoughts. He needed her, right then. Ginny rotated her hips, rubbing against his now rock hard erection. Harry pushed her back onto the bed, and pulled his shirt over his head. Ginny took in his physique as Harry positioned himself on top of her. He pulled down her tank top and his mouth quickly found one of her breast. Ginny's hands flew to her mouth and Harry put one of his hands over hers. Slowly he started kissing up her chest and across her collarbone. He followed the curve of her neck up to her ear and flicked his tongue against her earlobe. With his free hand, he caressed the inside of her thigh, slowly going higher.
As he was sliding a finger inside the band of her panties, Ginny sat up. Harry froze and let his hand drop from her mouth. Ginny quickly pushed his hand away and pulled her shirt down. Harry leaned back, confused. After she caught her breath, she looked him in the eye and said, "I'm sorry. I can't... I can't do this."
"I thought that this is what you have been wanting all along."
"It is.. but I don't know. I guess I just imagined it differently."
"How?"
"Well not in my parents house for one."
"Are you kidding me? That's never stopped you before."
"I know. I'm sorry." Ginny covered her face with her hands. Harry sighed and then reached forward, pulling them away.
"It's okay Gin. I'm just kind of surprised." She looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Come here."
He opened his arms and she crawled towards him, curling into his lap. She winced as she felt that his desire for her hadn't completely gone away. "I'm sorry!"
Harry laughed. "It'll go away in a bit."
"Are you sure?"
Harry thought about that for a moment. "No. But I'll be fine."
"I just feel so bad."
"Why?"
"Because all this time I've been trying to get into your pants, and the one time you decide you're ready, I'm not."
"So what changed?"
"Honestly? I don't really know. In the beginning it was purely grief. I wanted to be with you to feel loved. I need to fill the loss of Fred." Ginny shot a nervous look up at Harry. "Not that I didn't and don't want to be with you, cause I do. I was just rushing... that step." Harry nodded. He understood what she was talking about. It was why he had said no, even if he hadn't realized it at the time. "But slowly, It became less necessary. And since we had that talk about what we were comfortable with... I've been thinking more about wanting to wait."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
Harry laughed. "Okay. We'll wait."
"Really? I mean I'm not saying I want to wait until we're married, but it would be nice to not have to worry about my parents."
Harry smiled at her. "I agree. I've actually been thinking about that lately."
"About... what exactly?"
He brushed her hair out of her face and rested his hand on her leg. "Your parents, Ron, this whole living situation." Harry gestured around the room. "I've always loved staying here, but now... it's more like i'm living here."
"So?"
"So. It's a little weird. Ron's my best friend, you're my girlfriend, they're the closest thing that I have to parents. What if we were to break up or Ron and I get into a fight. I don't want anyone to have to pick sides."
"You think we're going to break up?"
"I sure hope not. But I can only speak for myself in the relationship. And besides, I can't just live here forever. I need to get my own place eventually."
Ginny nodded her head. "I'd never really thought about it before, but I guess you're right."
"Come September, both you and Hermione go back to Hogwarts. It's okay for her to be here, cause she is only here for a few more months. It's okay for Ron to stay here after you two leave, cause it's his house. But me? I don't know. It just wouldn't feel right."
"Let's not talk about the upcoming school year." Harry smiled at her and gently kissed her slightly swollen lips.
"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing right now. It's time for me to say goodnight."
Harry looked over at the clock. 11:58pm. Time had flown by. Harry kissed Ginny ever so lightly and she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"You're a good boyfriend Harry. I'm glad you're mine."
Harry kissed her hair and then pulled away, smiling at her. "Not nearly as glad as I am that you are mine."
A/N: Also thank you for your reviews. They make me smile and keep me motivated to write. =)
Till next time
-chandlermarie89
