It was the hottest day of summer yet. The London sun glared down at the bustling city, glinting off windows of shops full of people trying to beat the heat, then bouncing off the traffic jam that usually always formed around lunchtime. There was almost no breeze which was quite rare, and it only further increased the already supple amount of irritation in those who had to quickly duck out of the way of a tall, freckled red-head following a messy-haired girl with piercing green eyes.

"Are we close yet, Harri? My arms feel ready to collapse at any moment," the red-head groaned, shifting to the side of a building and nearly dropping the seemingly overflowing box she held tightly in her arms.

"Almost-sorry, excuse me," the other girl replied, while quickly ducking to avoid hitting someone with a box identical to the redhead's. The red-head sighed, and stomped after Harri farther down the sidewalk, barely managing to not accidentally push a crowd of muggles into the street.

After continuing for several more grueling minutes, the two girls rounded a corner to a less busy part of the city. "I honestly don't understand why we couldn't have just apparated," the red-head grunted.

Harri sighed. "Roni, I already told you; where we're going is on a busy street and there wouldn't be anywhere convenient to apparate without being seen in broad daylight."

"Well, you would think that the muggles would have the sense to at least widen the sidewalk, let alone the streets. I mean, honestly, why go through all the trouble to make a pineapple box-,"

"iPhone?" Harri corrected,

"-whatever, when you could simply add concrete to an already formed strip of concrete?!" Roni blew a strand of loose hair out of her face, and let out a frustrated groan.

"Well, I'm not sure if this helps, but we have one more block before we reach-," Harri wasn't able to finish because Roni already broke off into a sprint down the sidewalk, causing many people in business suits to turn and glance at her confusedly before turning back to their phone.

When Harri finally caught up with her, Roni was sitting on the front steps, panting. "Finally-slow-poke," she stuck her tongue out, and Harri returned it.

"Lemme see if I have my key," Harri said while pretending to rummage around in her jacket pockets, despite the burning heat. Roni rolled her eyes and playfully smacked Harri's arm. Harri gave Roni a hurt expression. "What was that for?"

"For being a dork."

Harri shrugged. "Well, I thought I almost found the key, but your rude display of violence only delayed the search." Roni glared at Harri but smirked, and Harri finally took the key out from her jacket and widened her eyes for dramatic effect.

As Harri unlocked the door, Roni took a few seconds to gaze at the flat her best friend had recently bought. It had cost a lot, let alone in muggle money or galleons. Harri had been left with enough money from her parents to last a while, but Roni was still confused as to how she could afford this. Sometimes Harri could truly be a mystery, despite the fact that Roni was one of the few people who knew her best. After all, they had spent nearly seven years together as friends, not to mention facing countless near-death situations.

It had been nearly a month since Harri moved in with the Weasleys. She spent little time there, however, as she spent her whole day back at Hogwarts helping to fix the damage the war had caused. Roni had to resist the urge to insist on her rest, but she knew it was the only thing Harri wanted to do, after all that had happened…

"Roni? You okay?" Harri asked, standing halfway in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just starting to get a heat stroke from waiting so long."

Harri rolled her eyes. "Then be useful and help me take these boxes inside." Roni made a face but reluctantly obeyed, and followed her in.

The entrance opened up to reveal a spacious flat with a loft, with a spiraling staircase to the right. There were several towering windows with sunlight streaming in, dust swirling in the light. Roni would've been even more impressed if only the walls weren't a hideous pink. "Uhm, Harri? Why-,"

Harri chuckled. "I know, I know, I didn't buy it for the previous owner's taste in decor, ok? It will all make sense in a minute…" Harry paused as she bent over the box she had carried in. Roni peered over her shoulder, curiously.

"What are you-," Roni stopped in the middle of her sentence as Harri heaved a ladder out of the box. She bent back down to pull out several buckets of paint, paint brushes, tape, and a tarp as Roni stood frozen. Harri stopped before bending down again and smirking at Roni's expression.

"Don't tell me there are ghosts here, too?"

Roni shook herself. "No, just wasn't...expecting that."

Harri shrugged. "It's just an expansion charm. Harold does those all the time," Harri trailed off and glanced at Roni with a weird look in her eyes which she quickly ignored.

"Here, I'll take these," Roni picked up the buckets of paint, "and head over there." She strode across the room to the farthest wall, and Harri smiled to herself.

A few minutes later, music was blasting and the two girls were singing along as they painted over the hideous pink with a creamy white. Roni jokingly said they should've painted it a bright red or gold, and even though Harri secretly wouldn't have minded it, she laughed but firmly declined. They soon finished the entire first floor as Roni was wiping the sweat off her forehead, and turned to Harri. "I'm starved. Would you mind picking up some food?"

Harri winked at Roni. "Already thought of that." She reached into the box Roni had carried earlier and pulled out two sandwiches, a large bag of chips, and a few bottles of water.

"Ooh, you're the best!" Roni said, snatching the food from Harri.

"Can I get that in writing?"

Roni snorted. "In your dreams."

Harri shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a shot."

The two girls sat on the tarp in the kitchen and discussed the latest Chudley Cannons game. As predicted, they had lost horribly to Puddlemere United, but Roni still had hope. "They just need a better Keeper, I'm telling you," Roni ranted while chewing her sandwich.

Harri smirked. "Like you?"

Roni waved her off, pretending to blush as Harri laughed. "Don't flatter me, but yes."

After they had finished their late lunch, they went upstairs and continued painting. A few hours passed by, and the sun began to become dim outside. As the girls were finishing up, Roni checked the time. She cursed under her breath, and Harri looked up, concerned. "What's the matter?"

Roni shook her head. "Nothing, it's just mom is expecting us to come back for dinner in 20."

Harri looked at the time. "Whoa, I didn't realize it was that late. I'm almost done with the finishing touches, so you can go ahead." Roni looked at Harri, a confused expression on her face. "What?" Harri asked.

"You sure?"

Harri gave Roni a firm look. "Yes, I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few minutes." Roni hesitated a few moments, before finally nodding and turning on her heel. Harri glanced at where she had disappeared and sighed.

She felt bad causing her friend to be concerned and had always hated it when she focused on her. Roni had also been struggling with the death of her brother, not to mention the effect it had had on her family, particularly George and Molly. Harri guessed she was Roni's distraction, as Hogwarts was hers. But it wasn't these memories that had caused Roni to be concerned.

A few weeks ago, Roni and Harri had attended a party at a fellow Gryffindor's house. It was meant to celebrate the defeat of Voldemort after the battle of Hogwarts, and Harri was rather reluctant to go. Roni had urged her to go for a distraction from Hogwarts, plus it would mean a lot to everyone else who was going. Harri knew it was because Harold would be there and the two haven't seen each other in a while, since Roni was always busy helping Molly out at the Burrow, and Harold was staying at Hogwarts to help as Harri was. He insisted on staying instead of joining them at the Burrow because of how much time it would take to repair the books in the library, but the two girls knew it was because he felt guilty for leaving before.

At some point at the party, someone cracked open a large bottle of Firewhiskey, so things began to get a bit out of control. Harri had mostly been hanging back, watching as Roni and Harold danced together, giving them some much needed alone time to discuss their relationship, which she, of course, didn't mind. The only thing bothering her was something that had happened earlier with Geo.

Harri had been making an increased effort to wear long-sleeves despite the increasing heat of the summer, and at one point the two had been snogging back in his room at the Burrow. He had reached to take off her jacket which she had been wearing for days, and Harri freaked out. She felt stupid because she knew she could trust Geo, but an argument broke out between the two. She knew she was Geo's distraction, but at the moment it didn't feel...right.

So Harri stood alone at the party, watching everyone go wild. The party was a very effective distraction, but distractions never seemed to last long enough. A few girls passed by her, whispering but not doing a very good job of keeping quiet. Harri backed against the wall, listening.

She didn't recognize them, but a girl with long, blonde hair was talking to her friends. "Why did Harri even bother coming? I mean, hasn't she done enough damage?"

A brunette nodded with her. "I know right? She's honestly the last person I would ever want to see here. Yeah, she defeated he-who-must-not-be-named and all that, but she fled and couldn't even save the lives of her friends. Not to mention her godfather and everyone else that had saved her time and time again."

The third one smirked. "We honestly should've just handed her over. For once I agreed with Pansy; her life was not worth everyone else's."

"Yeah, and did you see her eyes the other day? I swear, it's almost as if she's still…," the brunette paused, then continued, "possessed."

The blonde grimaced. "That's because she is. She's a monster, and will always be one."

The three girls walked out of Harri's earshot, leaving her with tears in her eyes. She quickly made her way through the crowd, no one bothering to acknowledge her. She wondered if they even recognized her.

She finally stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She went to the sink and splashed water on her face, blinking fast and trying to stop the tears from flowing. She wiped her face with a towel and stood back, hands gripping the ledge of the sink. She tried to steady her breathing, and slowly lifted her gaze to the mirror.

"...did you see her eyes the other day? I swear, it's almost as if she's still…possessed."

Harri's heart began to pound, and the sounds of screams and spells being fired raged in her mind, the ones that seemed to never leave. Her vision became blurred, and soon she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

The screams continued, growing harsher, louder, mind-splitting.

"...she fled and couldn't even save the lives of her friends. Not to mention her godfather and everyone else that had saved hers so much."

Screams became defined, the sobs of her friends and family pierced through her. Her scars burned, and tears streamed down her cheeks, her breaths becoming shorter. Her head felt ready to explode, her heart ready to be ripped from her chest. She could see his red eyes, hear his manic laugh.

But she only saw herself staring back at her.

"...She's a monster, and will always be one."

Harri screamed and threw a metal tray that held soap against the mirror, breaking it to pieces. Hands shaking, she sank onto the floor, and sobbed into her hands, shaking uncontrollably. Roni and Harold came bursting through the door a few minutes later, having sensed something was horribly wrong. Harold hugged her helplessly, a tear falling down his cheek as Roni held her to her chest, her heart feeling ready to burst.

Harri couldn't hear anything, couldn't feel anything anymore. She felt numb and wished she could stay like that.

"Ah, hello, my dear," Molly greeted Harri with a hug and kissed her forehead.

Harri smiled and sniffed the air. "It smells amazing in here, as always."

Molly blushed and laughed. "Always so flattering! Roni, when you're done stirring that, would you please go fetch me some more salt from the pantry?"

"Sure, mom." Roni glanced at Harri who had cleaned up before apparating to the Burrow and shooed her away.

"C'mon, Roni. It's enough that your mom won't let me help around here."

"Yeah, well I'll actually hurt you if you try anymore, so go snog Geo or something."

Harri whipped her head over her shoulder to check if Molly had heard, and then slapped Roni's arm. She stumbled back and opened her mouth to say a retort, but Harri was faster.

"I told you what happened between us. It's awkward enough that I'm going to see him tonight, but if you go yelling that around-,"

Roni cut her off with a look. "I know, I was just kidding."

Harri glared at her. Roni threw her free hand into the air, as if in surrender.

"Look, I'm sorry, but you two need to talk anyway. You can't just ignore each other forever, plus, he's my brother."

Harri sighed. Roni had always been very protective of her little brother, even though she had sided with Harri on this fight.

"All I'm saying is try to work things out, ok? You don't need to figure everything out tonight, just promise me to at least try?"

Harri nodded. "Okay."

Roni pat Harri's arm and went to the pantry.

"So, how did painting your new flat go?" Molly asked, waving her wand over the knife that was chopping vegetables.

"It went well. Thanks for lending Roni again," Harri said as she took a seat on a stool.

"Oh, don't mention it." Molly stirred the concoction boiling on the stove, and Harri nervously wove a finger around a strand of hair.

"Also, I never really thanked you for letting me stay here." Molly turned, with a surprised look on her face, and began to say something, but Harri cut her off. "And not just for this past month, but…," Harry paused, not sure how to phrase what she would say, "...for everything."

Molly smiled but had tears in her eyes. She set down the wooden spoon, and came over to Harri and took her face in her hands. "You do not have to thank me, dear. You are practically my other daughter, and I could not be happier to have you here." Harri blushed and stared at the floor. "You are an amazing girl, Harri. And you're practically almost all grown-up now." Molly beamed at her, starting to become emotional. "And I could not be more proud of you."

Roni then stormed back into the kitchen, cursing under her breath. Molly and Harri were startled, and Molly had to quickly wipe her eyes and turn back to her cooking. "Roni, would you stop cursing and tell me what's wrong?"

Roni glared. "The gnomes got into the pantry! And the big one-," Roni held her finger up to Molly, "-bit my finger!"

Molly sighed and began stirring the pot again. "Go grab a bandage from upstairs, and tell George to come down. He'll know what to do."

Harri stared at her hands, feeling a little guilty. Ever since the war, George had kept himself locked in his room for days at a time. He and his twin would always fight off the gnomes together, but he just didn't have his heart in it anymore.

After a few strained moments, the creaking of the stairs coming from the left corner of the room signaled Roni and George's arrival. George was sighing and looked tired as he ambled toward the pantry. He still made a point to smile at Harri, but only for a second.

Molly turned back to Harri from the pot. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. I should also think-," she turned to the family clock, "that Arthur will be home in just a second." Harri automatically turned to the door and saw his shadow coming toward it.

Arthur came inside and Molly went to greet him. Harri stood by the kitchen island a bit awkwardly. At the same time, George and Roni came out from the pantry and Roni was talking sternly to him. He stood still staring at the stairs for a few seconds before finally mumbling something and then turning to go to the bathroom. Roni went to stand by Harri, looking a little upset. "Everything ok?" Harri asked, glancing at where he had disappeared.

"Yeah. It's just…," she paused, also turning to stare at where George had left. "It's been kinda hard to convince him to even come down for meals. I insisted he at least eat with us since you'll be gone soon, but-,"

Harri cut in, "Hey, don't worry about it. If he wants to join, that's fine."

Roni shrugged, but Harri knew it bothered her.

"Hello, Harri," Arthur said, smiling. They exchanged a side hug, and Roni kissed her father on the cheek. "It smells wonderful in here," Arthur said, and Molly blushed.

"I should go call everyone else down," Molly said and then turned to go upstairs.

Bill and Fleur had stayed with the Weasleys for around two and a half weeks before returning to Shell Cottage. They wanted to stay and help out more, but Molly insisted they not worry about her. Charlie came to visit for Fred's funeral and tried to stay as long as possible, but sooner or later an accident involving a Chinese Fireball called him back to his work. The rest of the siblings had stayed at the Burrow ever since, and they enjoyed each other's company, but it still felt empty. Harri had found a loft in the city after the party mishap, not wanting to cause any more worry over herself. Besides, she figured she would need to find a place to live in for the next year when most of the Weasleys would either be back at the Ministry or Hogwarts, and she secretly couldn't bear to continue feeling helpless toward the empty space in the house.

After Molly came back down, Harri, Roni, and Arthur all helped put the food on the table as Percy, George, and Geo came downstairs a few minutes later. There were awkward greetings, particularly with Geo, which Harri was glad she wouldn't have to be put through any longer. They eventually all sat down, and a conversation began around what the Ministry had been up to lately.

"Kingsley is practically driving himself mad with trying to hire enough Aurors. There's been a shortage and unsurprisingly, nobody is up for the job," Arthur said.

"I'm surprised none of the old Order of the Phoenix members are willing to take it," Harri said, meeting Arthur's eye across the table.

He shrugged. "They're either too scared or still recovering from injuries."

A silence filled the room before Molly broke it. "Percy, what time is your interview tomorrow?"

"Er-eleven, I believe."

Arthur pursed his lips. "I can't go in any later, but I could come back for an early lunch and take you then if you want?"

Percy shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's alright."

Another silence.

Roni cleared her throat. "Anyone need something from the kitchen?" Everyone looked around and either shook their head or mumbled a 'No thanks'. Roni went into the kitchen, exhaling.

"So, Harri, what exactly are your plans for this upcoming school year?" Molly asked, smiling at her.

"Oh, er-I don't plan on going back," Harri stammered, and Molly looked confused.

"Why not? I thought you were going to take your N.E.W.T.S and begin training as an Auror?"

Harri sank in her seat. "Well, I figured that I could maybe take a break from all of this, and uh-actually figure out what I want to do." Molly still looked confused. "I felt like becoming an Auror was more of an obligation, really, but now…," Harri paused, fiddling with her fork. "I'm not really sure what I want to do."

Molly stared down at her lap. Arthur took this as a cue to reply, "Well, Harri, I think that is an excellent idea."

Molly looked up at her husband abruptly. "What? I mean, it's-," she hesitated, struggling to figure out what to say. "It's not what I thought you would do, Harri."

Harri raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean-," Molly sighed. "What I mean, Harri, is that you're a fighter. You don't give up easily, and-,"

"I'm not 'giving up', I'm just taking a break so I don't do something I'll later look back on and regret," Harry cut her off.

Molly sighed again. "I know, it's just-,"

"Mum, let her be." Heads turned toward Geo, and Harri sucked in a breath. He met her eyes, and she exchanged a small, grateful smile. They quickly turned away, and Roni re-entered the dining room.

"So, what'd I miss?" George smirked, and Molly glared.

Arthur patted his wife's hand. "Let us all just enjoy our last dinner with Harri, all right?"

George lifted his glass. "Cheers to that."

They all clinked glasses including a reluctant Molly, and Roni threw Harri a confused expression which she just smiled and shook her head at.

Conversation flowed a little better over time, George cracking much-needed jokes, and Arthur telling hilarious stories from being at the Ministry. At one point everyone was wiping their eyes from laughing so hard, and Molly stood up to begin gathering everyone's empty plates. Percy stood up to help, and they both went into the kitchen. As soon as Molly disappeared, Arthur glanced over at George and Geo who had started discussing quidditch a few seconds ago and quickly turned to Roni and Harri.

"I need to show you two something," he said in a low tone, a mischievous smile playing out on his face.

Roni and Harri followed after Arthur outside and into the garage. Roni nudged Harri and mouthed, "What is he doing?" Harri just shrugged and the two girls grinned, silently laughing at the silly man.

Eventually, Arthur turned on the tiny light hanging from the garage ceiling and led the girls to the back through a maze of old muggle junk. When they finally reached the back, coughing from the dust, Roni said, "Dad, what old piece of junk was worth us coughing up our throats tonight?"

Arthur turned to look at his daughter, a deadpan expression on his face. "Well, I thought you'd want it, but I guess not. You are, of course, welcome to leave." He turned to a box full of rubber ducks and squeezed one while whistling. Roni turned to look at Harri and rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Weasley, if I may ask," Harri began as he raised his eyebrows, "what are we doing here, exactly?"

Mr. Weasley clapped his hands together. "What we are doing here was originally for me to show you two something I had been working on, which I thought you would be interested in-," he threw a glance at Roni who stuck out her tongue, "but, I suppose you are the only one who cares." He slapped a hand over his heart and stared at the wall, causing Roni to groan.

"Fine, I'll come see it," she said, crossing her arms.

Arthur shook his head. "No, no, no, that won't be necessary."

"Daaad," Roni groaned. Harri smirked.

"Okay, fine, if you say so." He waved his hands dramatically in the air. "Prepare yourselves, now." Harri exchanged glances with Roni. The two girls clasped hands jokingly and nodded toward him. He smiled and swept a cover off something big and dark in the back. Roni and Harri gasped.

There, shining in all its glory, was the wild Ford Anglia. "B-b-but, how?!" Roni asked, jumping forward to marvel at it.

"I thought you didn't care about my 'junk'," Arthur said, grinning at Harri. Roni only continued to stare at it, dumbstruck.

"It looks brand new. How'd you find it?" Harri asked, running her hand along the smooth side.

"Well, I stumbled upon it when I was taking a stroll in the Forbidden Forest one night. It appeared lonely, so I decided to take it back and clean it up."

"It looks great, Dad," Roni said, and he took a bow.

"You know, technically, this isn't even here, because I would never bring it back without your mother's approval, so if you would, let's say, just happen to find a strikingly similar car and take it for yourselves, that would be to my utmost gratitude." His eyes twinkled as he smiled.

Roni gasped and leaped forward to hug him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank youuu!" Roni shouted, and Harri smiled.

Arthur wriggled out of his daughter's tight grasp and smiled, tapping his nose. "Now, just don't tell your mother, and get it out of here particularly by tonight." Roni saluted, and Harri nodded.

Arthur whistled as he left, and Roni turned to Harri, a crazed smile on her face. Harri raised her eyebrows, a bit concerned. "Everything all right in there?"

Roni squealed and hugged Harri super tightly, causing her to gasp for breath. "I'm assuming that's a 'yes'," she said in a strained voice.

Roni began dancing around the car and soon pulled Harri with her. "Think of all the places we can go to in this thing! We could go on road trips, go to concerts, go to the beach at midnight…," Roni continued with her ideas, and Harri could only smile. She was happy that her best friend was so happy. She hadn't seen her like this in a while, and she wanted to soak it in.

After a few minutes, the girls sat down inside the car and began debating how in the world they could sneak it out without Molly seeing it. "Well, we could drive it down the road, and when I leave I can just apparate there and drive it home," Harri suggested.

Roni nodded, then said, "Or, we could just call up Harold and he can come here and teleport it to your place."

Harri shook her head. "No, it's ok, I can manage. Besides, I'm sure he's exhausted." The two girls sat in silence, missing their friend.

All of a sudden, the garage door opened. The two girls yelped and leaped out of the car, hurrying to cover it with the blanket Arthur had used. Luckily, it was only Geo, but Harri's heart still thumped in her chest. "Hey, Harri, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Harri blinked. "Uh, yeah, sure."

They all stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before Roni cleared her throat. "Well, off you two go," she pushed them toward the doorway and stood in front of the car. Geo and Harri walked out, and Harri turned to look back at Roni, who gave her two thumbs up. Harri rolled her eyes and followed after Geo.

The two made their way to the backyard and sat down on the steps leading up to the back door. Harri nervously pursed and un-pursed her lips, as Geo gazed at the sky. He sighed and turned to face her. "Look, I'm sorry about...that night. I get it that you weren't ready, and I was out of my place."

Harri looked into his eyes and nodded. "It's ok. I guess I was just-," she paused, glancing at the trees swaying in the wind. "I dunno."

Geo smiled faintly. "Scared?"

Harri exhaled. "Yeah."

The two looked up at the stars and sat in silence. Geo took Harri's hand in his. "Listen, when you are ready, I'll be waiting. Okay?" Harri contemplated this.

She then nodded. "Okay."

Geo squeezed her hand and bent to kiss her on the forehead. They leaned against each other and continued to gaze at the stars.

Harri wished it was always this quiet. At least in her mind.