Sorry it's been a while! I've been in Africa (And procrastinating) without wifi. This chapter is very long, I think. I'm not too sure on the word count because my computer's doing something weird, but it felt longer than normal.

Harry sighs nervously, his hand in Ginny's. He is unaccountably nervous, and as Ginny said, he'd battled the darkest wizard of all time, lead Death Eater attacks at fifteen and loads more. This would not be the death of him.

But it could be… he might not walk away from this, never speak to the Weasleys again. He might die there, in that harmless-looking place. He was outnumbered, out skilled and at the disadvantage; he wanted to protect Ginny, and he didn't want to fight.

They might want just the opposite.

The second they heard him they might attack. Brutally attack, and Harry had no intentions of fighting back, unless they hurt her.

His brow is wet as they walk towards the house, the house that had extended upwards as more and more children were born. The house he had- at a time- basically lived in.

Oh yes, Harry Potter was telling the family about him and Ginny. No one knew of their brief dating, and now he was announcing it all.

If Harry had been thinking logically, he'd have realized that Mrs. Weasley would be overjoyed, Mr. Weasley excited, and the worst he'd get would be a few threats from her brothers. But alas, Harry wasn't thinking logically.

'Can't we just… not tell them?' he pleads. Not the right thing to say.

A moody- due to the nerves she was trying to suppress- Ginny rounds on the man, yanking her hand from his iron grip, 'Not tell them?' she snarls with a scowl, 'So this-us- is such a small, short-lived thing that we shouldn't bother to tell? You want me to tell them you said that? Because then maybe your mad visions of what will happen will come true!'

Harry hastens to apologize, all the while officially scared out of his wit, 'Sorry Gin… only meant… can't we postpone it? Until after Christmas… I'm just nervous. You… you must be too!'

Realizing what she had said, Ginny grows sober, 'I'm sorry Harry. I'm nervous too is all. Nothing will happen! Except maybe mum crying tears of joy. I swear Harry. We'll tell them over dinner.' She gently grabs his hand, leading him forward. He smiles apologetically at her.

'Hi darlings! Hurry up and get down there, Gin. You need to set the table… what are you two doing here?'

Harry impulsively yanked his hand from Ginny's. She rolls her eyes at him but turns to smile at her mother innocently, 'I came to meet Harry on his way down. You know you can take the wards down now, the danger's passed.'

'I know, Ginny. But I can't help worrying… anyways, all the boys have come in. Even Charlie! We'll have a lovely night. And Christmas is only a few weeks away! It's going to be a big family event! Everyone will come here!' she beams at them, 'You're coming too, of course, Harry!'

Harry gulps nervously, both worrying about all the brothers being there, and secretly thinking that she might change her mind about his invitation.

XXX

'Ginny?' he whispers to her, just cutting into his chicken, 'now?' she nods her agreement and clears her throat loudly. Harry cringes inwardly at the sound as the attention is turned towards the duo.

'Guys, Harry and I have an announcement.' Ginny says, in a slightly trembling voice. Harry stoops low into his chair, until Ginny's glare starts to burn his neck, and he stands, getting an encouraging smile from Hermione and a neutral shrug from Ron.

'Um… mum, you know how much I always liked Harry?' she pauses, letting that sink in for a second, 'Well, in my fifth year… we dated.'

George looks, for a second, surprised, and then smiles, though flashing a warning look at Harry. Charlie stands up, 'Did you hurt her?' he demands aggressively.

'I-no! Well, I broke up with her to keep her safe. That's all!' Harry replies, feeling a bit defensive.

'No, Charlie! He didn't hurt me. Sit down. Don't treat him like that.' Ginny explains calmly, though her face is growing steadily redder.

'You see, now that the war is over, there's nothing keeping us apart. And so… we're together no-'

Her statement is cut off as Mrs. Weasley bursts into tears and Mr. Weasley walks around to pat Harry on the back, beaming proudly at him, 'Now you're officially one of the family.'

Mrs. Weasley chokes back a sob, 'my little Ginny, all grown up! It's so perfect! That she's with the one man I regard as a son,' she lifts a trembling hand, 'To Harry and Ginny!'

'To Harry and Ginny.' They all chorus, though the sharp eyes of Charlie stare hard at Harry.

Sighing in relief, Harry slides back into his chair, red as any Weasley's hair.

XXX

'So, Harry, I'm completely supportive… unless you hurt her. In which case I'll use some of my latest equipment on you.' George says in a half-teasing/half-serious manner as he moves away from the green-eyed boy.

As Harry makes his way down the path, Charlie catches up with him, 'don't hurt her, Harry. I like you, and I'd hate to have to pound you, but if you hurt my Ginny, I'll hex you 'til you can't wiggle a finger.'

And with that gruesome warning, the man reaches the end of the wards and disapparates.

XXX

'Okay, so here's the spell. It was a difficult potion, and the use of Arithmancy was incredibly advanced, but I managed it. It's Nulansiphinsa, and if I'm correctly understanding the shade of smoke, the wand movement is something like this,'

She does a complicated move with her wand as demonstration as the boys look on nervously, 'Hermione, I reckon you ought to do it.'

'Fine.' Hermione replies, looking at the stone now glowing a gentle red- due to the restriction charm they had put on earlier.

Okay, I'm ready.' Her wand swiveled through the air, 'Nulansiphinsa!' she cries, and a jet of blue light hits the stone, now making it a soft purple.

'Alright, Harry.' Says Hermione, her voice full of sympathy and understanding, 'I hate to do this to you a second time, but you need to test it.'

'It's no problem, Hermione. The Cheering Charm makes it so I don't get at all sad. But, if I test it now, won't that make it only two a year for the first year?'

Hermione mulls this over, 'yeah, but I think that's for the better. Less times for the first year, see how it goes.'

'How do I test that I can't abuse it?' Harry asks quietly.

'I wrote it down here, so you can read how to as you do it. It's a bit complicated.'

Harry accepts the parchment, turning the stone over thrice.

'O-okay.' Harry says in a drawn out voice as he reads the sheet, glancing up to see his 'family' around him, 'Right, so, you guys,' he gazed up fondly at them, feeling a bit odd as Hermione and Ron exchange looks. It must be weird-looking to them…

'So, today I have to abuse this. So don't judge anything I do.' He begins, looking around at them, 'Hermione?'

'Yeah?'

'Do I really have to spend an hour here and block out reality as best I can?'

'I think so…' replies Hermione, biting her lip, 'if it's easier, Ron and I can leave. Did you read the back? There's more.'

Harry heaves a sigh as the couple files out, 'All right. So… how are you guys?' he starts awkwardly, feeling a strange flutter of joy at the sight of those he loved.

'Harry,' coos Lily, 'everyone here wanted to express how proud of you we are.' Tears sparkle in her eyes, 'Because you chose the harder, tougher route when you had the chose of an easy way out. We love you.' Her voice cracks and breaks.

Not feeling sadness, as he could not, not feeling wistful, as the Abusing spell forbid it, and feeling only warmth, Harry moved forward, 'Don't cry, mum. Please.'

Sirius moves forward as James pulls Lily into his arms, 'I've never been so proud. I can't say I wasn't a little regretful about not having you here but that doesn't matter. We've been so proud of you! Even Snivellus had to admit you were brave.'

'Sirius!' exclaims Lily indignantly, 'you're in Heaven now. Isn't it time you… I don't know… lay off Sev?'

'Lils, Padfoot and I can't resist taking a dig at the git! After how he treated Harry! Anyways, you punched him too when he first got there.' Grumbles James in an almost whiney voice.

'Yeah, but that was it! I've treated him like an old friend ever since!' insists Lily tiredly.

'Fine. Anyways, Harry, Your mother's been insistent upon you getting old Severus's- see, Lily! I can be sensible- portrait up in the Headmaster's office.'

Harry gives a start, having completely forgot about that revelation, and then sighs, 'you just mentioned reality. Now we have to start again!' he cries, though with a smile, and a joking chord in his voice.

'Oops, sorry.'

Lupin rolls his eyes, 'Smooth, Prongs. Harry's going to have to spend forever here with you around.'

'No, really. I don't mind. Although I think the time restriction is three times a year, for two hours at a time. So we can't afford many slip-ups. Although I'm pretty sure the spell worked.'

A soft sob escapes Lily's lips, 'Fred will be so happy. I know I say it a lot, but I'm so proud of you, honey. And giving up the Stone is one of the greatest deeds you've done yet.'

'That and telling the Weasleys you were dating their only daughter and sister.' laughs Sirius, 'we were all watching. Fred was laughing his head off at the look on Bill's face. Did you see his face? You must not have, you'd have lost your nerve, but he looked pretty mad.'

'Don't worry,' James hastens to add at Harry's expression, 'He calmed down just before George came up to you and he saw you and Ginny together. I think that if you'd not been with Ginny then, he'd probably have threatened you a bit.'

'Er… that doesn't help much,' chortles Harry, trying to hide his fear of the eldest Weasley brother.

'What Prongs meant was Bill saw how good you were to Ginny and decided that he liked you, and you didn't seem like you'd ever hurt her, and chose to let it slip.' Lupin explains, grinning at his friend.

'All right.' Grinned Harry, 'Now let's get down to business…'

XXX

A loud crack fills the air and Harry leaps back in surprise as Kreacher appears.

'Master Harry, sir? Kreacher has some questions.'

'Oh, okay. Go ahead.' Harry replies, glancing at Ginny in confusion.

'Kreacher has been taking down old Black relics to make Grimmauld place a home for Master, but Kreacher needs Harry Potter sir's opinion on colours and what to do with certain rooms. Will Master accompany this humbled elf?'

'Uh, I guess. Go on, Kreacher. I'll be along in a minute.'

The elf disappears with a crack, and Harry turns to Ginny, 'come with me?' he asks, alittle desperately, but with a smile that Ginny simply couldn't refuse.

'of course, Harry.'

XXX

Ginny proves herself a very good decorator, and together they choose a soft yellow for the kitchen, a maroon for the now portrait-less entrance hall, a cream for the staircase- that no longer had House Elf heads- and all the other halls were chosen to be what Ginny called Harvest, and was a pale orangey colour. The dining room was to become a colour known by Kreacher as Water lily.

'Now for the rooms, Master? Kreacher has not touched any of them, and so may be unclean.'

'The room Ron and I shared can be red and gold. Ginny, the room you and Hermione shared? What would you like for it?'

Ginny looks up from a folder of sample colours, looking thoughtful. 'What about this one, Cherry Wood?' she asks, pointing towards a dark pink, 'although it's your house, and you probably won't want pink.'

'No, that's a lovely colour. Kreacher, that room can be Cherry Wood.'

Kreacher nods his assent, taking note. 'And Master Sirius's room?'

'Don't touch it!' Harry says sharply. Any mention of Sirius in front of Kreacher brought bitter resentment. 'I'd like to leave it the same.' He amends 'In fact, I'm going to go there now. Ginny, will you keep browsing?' he adds, as Ginny nods, understanding his need to be alone.

He trudges up the now clean, red oak stairs, half-marveling how bright and clean and emptied of Black relics the halls were, though he's now in a rather somber mood.

On entering Sirius's room, he tidies all the bits of parchment on the floor, putting them in neat stacks on the desk. Next, he straightens the framed pictures of the Marauders, and makes the bed.

He then leaves, closing the door.

'Don't touch his room, Kreacher. Leave it as it is.'

Kreacher nods, looking ashamed. 'What of my Master's room?'

'That's your room now. Do whatever you want with it.' Harry says decidedly.

'Oh!' Kreacher throws himself down at Harry's feet, sobbing, 'New Master gives Kreacher Master's room. Thank you, oh thank you!'

'Okay, Kreacher. Will you dispose of all the unwanted furniture? I think I'll go to a Muggle shop to buy new stuff. And all the other rooms can be…' he points to a couple of neutral, plain colours, most of which were either a peach/beige, light yellow or light grey.

'Yes Master.'

XXX

A week later, the house is refurbished with nice furniture, and had many framed photos of everyone Harry loves, whether alive or dead. The house is bright and cheerful; even Buckbeak seems in a better mood!

Harry has personalized the red and gold room with all his possesions, and plans to surprise the Weasleys, Hermione, and all his good friends with it a day before Christmas.

'Harry… It's beautiful!' Ginny cries as Harry gives her the final tour of his masterpiece.

'Because of you.' He laughs, kissing her gently.

'Me?' she giggles, 'I did nothing!'

'you light up the room when you walk in! And, of course, you helped shop for furniture and all.' He explains, sitting down on the lavender couch in the room she chose Cherry Wood for.

Blushing, she falls down next to him, tucking her feet in under her and resting her head on his shoulder.

'I don't want Christmas break to end.' She muses, smiling at him, 'these weeks have been the best.'

'I know.' He replies, 'I've loved them too, but you like school. At least I get to see you a lot.'

'Oh yeah. I was wondering… what's the policy on professor/student relationships?'

Harry freezes, having forgot about that, 'I'm not sure… probably they're forbidden. We can pretend to be just friends in public, I suppose.'

Ginny laughs softly, 'That should be interesting.'

'I've still got my Invisibility Cloak.' He chuckles, 'And the Marauder's map!'

'You're right, it'd be a piece of cake… if it was anyone but you.'

Harry pecks her on the lips, getting up. 'I've just remembered! I've got to get Mr. Weasley his Christmas present! I want to thank them for helping me out so many times!'

With great regret, he parts from Ginny, trying to figure out which store might have what he is looking for.

So yeah, that was very long, but the next chapter *Wipes away tear* is the last, and expected to be short. I don't want to end this story...

Oh, I almost forgot: PLEASE REVIEW!