The following weeks were hard on everyone. The Burrow remained rather quiet as Fred's presence was ever missed. Ron had still yet to make his decision about auror training, and Harry suspected that Hermione's opinion was playing a much larger role in the choice than Ron cared to admit.
Harry sensed that things between his two closest friends were really changing after all. Twice, he'd caught them in some tucked away corner of the burrow alone, both looking guilty upon their discovery. Harry couldn't help but wonder when they would just get on with it and tell everyone what was becoming obvious- the two had feelings for each other.
As far as he and Ginny went, however, no secrets were kept there. The whole of the burrow was witnessing the affection between the two of them, and of course this led to incessant teasing from her slew of brothers. Harry couldn't be bothered by the teasing, he was just overjoyed that Ginny seemed to reciprocate his feelings, and didn't seem to be cross with him any longer.
In late July, Hermione approached Ron and Harry lounging in the lawn, floating a quaffle between the two with their wands. She stood looking down on the pair of them, arms crossed. They let the ball fall to the ground, and gave Hermione their attention.
"I need to go to Australia. My parents' memories are still wiped, and I need to restore them. The trouble is, I'm not sure where they've gone. But I'd like to go before the fall term starts." She seemed troubled, yet she still carried her usual air of self confidence that Harry had become quite used to over the years.
"Of course Hermione, and I'd love to help if you'd let me!" At Harry's offer, she seemed to become even more uncomfortable.
"Actually, Harry.. Ron is coming with me, and, well…" She hesitated where Ron interjected.
"We'd like to go alone, Harry." This brought him pause. His friends both looked apologetic, Hermione unable to look at him for inspecting the blades of grass beneath her feet. The truth was, he wasn't quite sure how he should feel. On the one hand, wasn't it great that Ron and Hermione were finally getting along so weel? On the other hand, he was now on the outs of the friendship as his two friends grew closer.
"I see. Well, I understand. I guess I can spend a few days cleaning up Grimmauld Place, it could use a refresher before I move there for Auror training." Hermione looked grim.
"Actually, Harry, it'll be more like a few weeks…" She trailed off looking extremely apologetic.
"Ah. I guess this would take some time. When do you leave?" Ron gulped and Hermione began again to inspect her shoes.
"Tomorrow, Harry." Ron said this with no joy, and Harry knew that they were not doing this for the sake of meanness. Harry assumed that by the time they returned, Ron would have a decision about Auror training, and Ron and Hermione might finally make an announcement about their feelings for one another. He supposed this trip should symbolize hope, rather than discomfort for him.
….
A few days later, Harry is covered in dust and cobwebs in the living room of Grimmauld place. The house had become filthy from inoccupation and intruders during the war. Rugs were out of place, lamps turned over, and the whole place was covered in a fine sheet of dust. He had spent the last two days buried in tasks, attempting to forget his friends' absence. Ginny had come to help as well, helping a lot to pass the time. Currently, she was perched on the end of the couch with a bandana in her red hair to keep the sweat off her face.
"Harry, this house is huge." She brushed a cobweb on her face, only to leave a line of soot from where they had been cleaning the stones around the fireplace. Harry nodded in agreement. His godfather's family had lived a life of opulence in the magnificent home, and he wanted to restore it to its former glory. He needed a place to live, and well, this seemed as good as any.
"I know. I wish it weren't so large, but it seems practical to live here rather than renting out an apartment. And it's so close to the ministry!" Ginny nodded, she understood his desire to preserve Sirius' memory.
"I just wish it weren't so filthy! And hot!" It really was hot in the house. There was no AC like Harry was used to living in a muggle home, and Ginny was used to lots of open windows at the burrow.
"I'll have to see what can be done about getting some air in here. It really is stifling. But Gin, you really don't have to help if you don't want to." At this, she pouted indignantly.
"Yeah right!" She stood from her spot and walked over to him, taking his hands in hers. "Mum would have me doing twice as much at home, and besides, I'd rather help you. Plus, she approves." She smirked at Harry's grin, she knew he loved that her mother saw him as one of her own.
"Well, I'm glad I can be your scapegoat for a few weeks at least." She nodded shortly, and stood on her tippy toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. He smiled, these kisses had become much more frequent as Ginny had become more comfortable.
A few weeks back, Harry had finally told Ginny the whole story of those months he spent away from her on the run. She had listened for hours with rapt attention, as Harry told her about the fears and trials he had experienced. He even explained how Voldemort had come to be, but begged her never to divulge the information to anyone else. When he had come to the end of his story and explanations, she had pulled him into a massive hug on the swinging bench. Harry was flooded with relief, he had feared she would judge him, or change her mind about him when she heard the full story. But here she was, hugging him!
He was pulled back into the present when Ginny had pulled away from him.
"I'm going to make a sandwich, do you want one?" She looked over her shoulder at him from the doorway to the kitchen, smiling slightly at his mussed hair and clothes. His glasses sat slightly crooked on his nose, and he looked more boyish and young than she could remember him being in a long time. A lack of stress did wonders for his looks.
"Sure, I'll take one, but let Kreacher make them. He'll be cross if we try to take over his kitchen again." Ginny chuckled at the memory of the day they had reopened the doors to Grimmauld Place.
Her and Harry had entered via floo through the fireplace, coughing up soot and dusting ash off of themselves. They had heard a crash from the kitchen, and gave each other frightened, yet curious looks. Before they could investigate, Kreacher came flying around the corner with a fire poker brandished as a weapon.
"Oh Master, Master!" He cried, dropping his fire poker in his haste to hug Harry's legs. "Oh and you've brought a friend! Kreacher must make food." He quickly scrambled into the kitchen, and Ginny and Harry exchanged a bemused look.
"No, Kreacher, we're alright for now." He turned and gave Harry such a sad look, that he acquiesced and allowed that they might like a glass of lemonade. Kreacher was delighted and ran to the kitchen to accommodate his master.
Since then, Kreacher had been insistent that Ginny and Harry would not be allowed to cook for themselves. He had even taken to helping with some of the tasks required to restore the house. Apparently, the war was all Kreacher needed for an attitude adjustment.
Harry couldn't help but feel excited to move into Grimmauld Place in the next few weeks. He and Ginny had been working on it for about a month, and it finally seemed a fit place for a person to actually live. They had replaced bedding and curtains, and had repainted a few of the rooms a less dull color to liven the place up. Harry felt giddy about having a place of his own, where he could do as he pleased. As a bonus, it also gave Ginny a place to stay while they would both be busy with school and training. It seemed perfect. He was even entertaining getting a new owl to help with the post, since he would no longer be living at the burrow, and he wanted some way to communicate with Ginny while they were apart.
The pair was still taking it slow, neither wanting to rush anything not in due course. The other occupants of the burrow saw through this however, and at one of Harry's last family dinners there, Arthur approached him to ask if he and Ginny were together.
"Oh, no, Mr. Weasley, we're not." Harry blushed under the father figures gaze, he wasn't sure whether he was hoping for a yes or a no.
"Ah, a pity, Harry. Get on with it before she's back at Hogwarts!" He winked at Harry's bewildered face, slapped him on the back, and went to meddle in his shed of muggle items.
Just a few days later, Ron and Hermione flood back into the living room at the Burrow, near the end of July. They seemed, at least to Harry, to lean into each other as though the other contained a magnetic field they could not resist. They reported that it had taken a few weeks to locate Hermione's parents, and that they were quite confused when their memories had been restored, but that they were flying home that day to return to their London home.
The family was reunited at last, and Molly was beside herself with fretting over the pair of them. Over dinner, Ron stood to make an announcement. Harry couldn't help but cross his fingers under the table that Ron would decide to join him at the ministry in just a few days for Auror training.
"Well, I've come to a decision. The trip to Australia really brought me a lot of clarity. I've decided that returning to Hogwarts would be like stepping backwards. I- I want to do the auror training. I'll send Kingsley an owl this evening." Molly began to cry, wringing her hands and muttering about how proud she is. She enveloped her youngest son into a large hug, kissing his head while he turned red. Hermione was quiet, but she did seem pleased for him.
Harry on the other hand, was over the moon. He slapped Ron on the back, and they shared a large grin with each other.
"It'll be just like old times, eh Harry?" Harry grinned, and nodded in agreement.
"What do you say Ron, move into the spare bedroom in Grimmauld Place with me?" Ron's mouth fell open in shock at the invitation, and then spread into a broad smile.
"Bloody hell. Let's do it!" The two friends shared a hug, while Hermione and Ginny exchanged knowing smirks behind their backs. This was sure to be an interesting time.