A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Hope everyone enjoys, I know I did writing it.

~~**~~

Time flew for Harry over the next month. The days were long and hot now and every day he found himself watching the people build his and Ron's house not five miles from the Burrow. Finally he could take sitting down no longer and walked up to Rick, the person in change of the building.

"Need an extra set of hands?" Harry asked, looking up at the six foot seven inch man in front of him.

"You?" Rick asked, eyeing Harry. "You're a little thin to be doing hard work like this aren't you?"

Harry didn't think about that. Being a wizard meant that he barley had to work for anything. He could lift anything, no matter the weight, with a simple spell. He could make his bag ten times lighter or even float when he didn't want to carry it. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the Dursley's had starved him most of his life, he would probably be a little pudgy.

"I think I can manage." Harry disagreed, hoping to work for a change, if not to just experience it for himself. Ron had gotten a job at Hogsmead's sweet shop earlier that week. Harry knew he couldn't work at a place like that without snatching things every now and then so he gladly let his friend take the only available position and offered to supervise the building of their house.

Rick thought for moment, but nodded. "All right. Here's what you can do…"

Life at the Burrow

By: Satashi

Chapter 2

Harry limped into the Burrow at almost eight that night. He was sore all over and sported a red face and arms from being out in the sun all day. He held his shirt in his right hand and placed his firebolt next to the door with the others. George gave him a strange look and raised an eyebrow at his sunburn. "Might want to see mum about that."

He nodded lightly and limped over to the stairs and crept up them slowly. Once at the top he bumped into Ginny, who gave him a more personal reaction than George had. "Harry!" She cried, looking him over. "You're all burnt! Come with me this instant." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her room, sitting him on the bed and leaving him there while she found her mother.

They arrived a minute later, but found Harry fast asleep on her bed, like he just passed out while sitting there. Molly sighed and sat next to him, rubbing some solution on his back. This caused him to awake with a start and bite back a yell of pain.

"It hurts, but you'll thank me in the morning." She told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "You should of used some kind of sun repellant if you were to stay outside without your shirt."

"Wasn't planned." Harry muttered over the pain. "Just kinda happened…. Have anything for sore muscles?"

"You have no muscles." Ron commented as he walked in the room. "Where you been at all day mate?"

"At the house." Harry muttered as Mrs. Weasley finished his back and made him sit up and apply to his shoulders and front. " Decided to help out on it instead of just watching."

Ron nodded approvingly at his friend. "It shows."

"How so?"

"What little muscle you have is strained and defined after the work out."

Harry looked down at his arms to see the very beginning of definition there. His stomach was clearly under developed and you could see his ribs as he breathed, but he was happy with his arms at least.

"Hey, Ginny's wearing make up!" Fred commented, sticking his head in the door.

"Huh? I am not!" Ginny stammered, tearing her eyes from Harry.

"Nice blush you have on their, Gin." George smirked as his head appeared under Fred's. "I do believe the brand name is called 'Harry Potter Red'."

Ginny quickly ran out of the room, stumbling once and blushing madly.

Harry blinked. "What was that about? Harry Potter Red?" A grin hit his face then. "Do I get a cut of the money it makes when selling?"

This earned him a good laugh from everyone in the room.

~**~

Harry awoke the next morning at seven sharp. Groaning, he forced himself out of his bed and stumbled to the shower. He made himself take a cold shower to wake himself up and then dressed for the day in shorts and a tank top. When he got back in the room, Ron was already up and getting dressed for his day at work.

"Going to the house again, mate?" Ron asked as he tied his shoes.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, getting his shoes on as well.

~**~

Harry jogged a good bit to his house before breaking down and hopping on his firebolt, flying the rest of the way. He hid his broom behind a few trees that would be in his back yard and walked up to the group of workers, planning the days work.

"Hey guys."

"Yo Harry." They greeted him with a smile. It was a known fact that he was the best employer they had had in a while. Not only was he paying them good money to build his house, but he gave them lunch too, courtesy of Mrs.Weasley.

"Can I help again today?"

"Sure can." Tony nodded over at Rick. "Rick will need an extra set of hands since Gary is sick."

"Well, I'll do anything I can."

~**~

Harry sighed in relaxation as he fell back against his shirt on the pile if dirt that served as a backrest for him and the group of guys around him. They had just eaten a massive lunch and were gladly enjoying the rest of the break hour.

"So, Harry," Jack started the conversation. "Why do you want to move out? You only look about seventeen."

"Nine-teen." He corrected. "And I used to live with my Aunt and Uncle. They treated me like dirt so I finally exploded and told them some few choice words. I left and moved in with my best friend. He's going to live here too."

"Ah, tough break." Rick chimed in. "You have any plans after we get this built?"

"I was thinking of looking for a job in the town near by. Just live for a bit, ya know? No long term plans, no worries about anything."

"That's the life there." Tony smirked. "Been doing it for ten years now!"

"You're just a lazy bum!" Ian joked at his friend.

Rick thought for a moment. "Hey, Harry." He heard a grunt from him to show he was listening while sunning. "Would you like a job with us? We could always use someone who is dedicated. Unlike these gits here."

"Watch it now, Richard!" His friends joked.

"You mean it?" Harry sat up and looked over at him. "A job offer?"

"Sure thing. I'd hire you now, but you can't pay yourself to work, ya know?" This earned a laugh from the group.

"Yeah, that's be great!" Harry grinned. He couldn't wait to tell the Weasleys that he would have a job waiting for him. The young man was about to lie back down, but an owl hooted to him and landed on his bare shoulder, making him wince.

"Bloody hell!" Tony cursed. "An owl!?"

Harry plucked the note attached to the leg and ran a finger under the bird's neck affectionately to show his appreciation. With that, it took off and began to fly away.

"That your owl there, Harry?" Ian asked, still amazed.

Harry opened the parchment and began to read. "Nah, It's Hermione's."

Dear Harry,

Hey! I'm back from the United States now! I had a blast over there for my holiday. I still can't believe my parents took me there for graduating Hogwarts! Well, we can owl each other again since I'm back. So how you been? I hope your aunt and uncle are treating you better. Why don't you go over to Ron's for a bit? I'm sure he won't mind. But before that, I'm expecting at least a foot of parchment telling me what you've done for the past month. Tell Ron that too, please. This is my last parchment until I go shopping again so I only have this one letter to send. Maybe we can shop together? My job starts in about a month because of something that happened that set back the schedule. I was looking forward to it too. Oh well, at least I get a month more of vacation before I have to work daily. Owl me soon so we can meet and catch up.

Love you,

Hermione

"Love, huh?" Rick asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Huh!?" Harry quickly turned to see all five guys hovering over his shoulder, reading his letter. "Guys!"

The parchment was plucked from his hands by Tony, who skimmed it. "Wow, such fancy hand writing! Who's this Hermione?"

"Just a friend." He grabbed his letter back. " Known her for almost eight years. Any kind of relationship would just be…she's like a sister."

Jack nodded, crossing his arms. "I know how it is. I was like that with a girl once before I got my girlfriend."

"Who dumped you five weeks later!" A laugh sprang up at his expense, but Jack still smiled.

"You have a girlfriend, Harry?"

"Eh? No, not really." He paused for a moment. "There is one girl who likes me, though. She's cute but I don't know if we're compatible or not."

"Bring her here, let us tell you."

Harry turned to Tony. "No way!"

"Alright guys, let's get back to work before the boss finds out we've been slacking off!" Rick took charge, slapping Harry on the back. " 'especially you, Harry, the boss hates slackers you know."

They enjoyed a good laugh.

~**~

Ginny greeted the tired and worn out Harry with a smile when he finally came back home. She had a large glass of water waiting and helped him up the stairs to her room, where she gave him some lotion for his tired muscles.

"Can you put it on me, please?" He asked, falling face down onto her bed. "I can't even move."

"Huh? But, I , well, that is…"

Harry chuckled in the pillow. "Don't be shy." He knew he was teasing her, and decided to see how far he could go. "I don't bite….much." He turned to look at her and made a little chomping sound. Her ears were already bright pink and he could tell her face was turning redder by the moment.

She still complied, however, and began to rub in the lotion into his sore and taunt muscles. Harry let out a moan of approval and sighed heavily. He heard Ginny giggle and then felt her straddle him. Her hands moved across his back as she sat on him lightly. He could feel her legs across his and knew she was doing it on purpose.

His mind pondered on just how he felt for the girl. She wasn't Ron's little sister, that was sure. She was more than that? A friend? Yeah, friends. Maybe a little closer? Hmm, he did tell her things that he didn't tell Hermione. Her hands slid over his sides and rubbed pleasurably. Okay, maybe he did have some feelings for her that he needed to touch on. Maybe be more aware of how she feels. Yes, that was it. Better watch out Ginny Weasley, because Harry James Potter just set his eyes on you.

"There you go." Ginny told him, patting the middle of his back lightly. "All done." She moved to get off him, but Harry turned over onto his back, knowing the lotion was already completely absorbed into his skin.

"No, you didn't do my front." He grinned wickedly up at her, and she could only blush and stammer. She was sitting in a very compromising position now, and it was clear that she knew it. She also made it clear she didn't want to move by tightening her legs on either side of his. He smiled seductively up at her, wondering how long this game was going to last. He wasn't going to chicken out first, that was certain.

~*Ginny's POV*~

'Oh, that's what's he's doing.' I finally realized after seeing that smirk he just gave me. I haven't been stalking him for years with nothing to show for it. I knew each and everyone of his facial expressions. He was trying to make me blush, to make me stammer and run off. Well, we'll see about that, Harry Potter.

"I would love to." I tell him, adding a seductive undertone to my voice. His eyebrows shoot up in sudden panic and he starts to rise up. Oh no you don't Harry. I push him back down and put lotion on my hands. You got yourself into this, now you're going to get to enjoy it. I smile evilly. I get to enjoy it too.

My hands touch his chest and I feel him take in a sharp inhale through his nose. Hey, this was actually kinda fun, making him nervous for once. I could get to like this. Every single one of his muscles, however small, seemed to spasm as my hands went over his chest and stomach.

I took this time to truly look at him for once, allowing my hands to explore his shoulders and arms. His face seemed to calm as I did this and his eyes fluttered close. He was relaxing. Good, I thought happy. Stay that way, you look so much cuter.

A giggle comes out of me and I explore his chest with curious hands. He only smiles and happily breathes. I let my hands rest on his stomach, not bothering to hide my curiosity. Amazing how one can become so determined over a span of a few seconds isn't it?

The lotion was done a long time ago. Now I was just staying on him for the principle of it. His hands found mine and we danced a little with our fingers, shamelessly flirting. He never opened his eyes, but the smile on his face showed me that he was indeed having fun.

That was until a flash caught my attention. I jerked to the door and there stood Fred and George, smiling like idiots. I was about to say something, but Fred had dashed over to me and clamped a hand over my mouth. He motioned to George, who was closer now and prepared to take another snap. I could tell I was shaking at being caught in the act, but the two didn't seem to mind too much. They would punish me with blackmail and Harry in some other way. Fred takes my hands from Harry's by my elbows and I could see the disappointment on Harry's face, but suddenly I realized what was going on.

Fred placed his hands on Harry's chest and rubbed it lightly. Harry's face twitched a little, but he didn't open his eyes. "Oh Harry." Fred said in his best attempt to imitate my voice. I saw Harry's face go into utter confusion, but my brother went on. "You're chest is so sexy."

Harry opened his eyes to the face of Fred Weasley.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Flash!

~**~

This is so embarrassing. Ron was in my room in a matter of seconds. One look at the site of Harry, scrambling to get away from Fred, who was acting like me, was enough to send him into a helpless fit of laughter.

Harry had finally gotten away from Fred when my mum came into the room and looked around. "What are you on about then?" She demanded, probably because Harry's scream could wake the dead. He still didn't have a shirt on, and I found my eyes dancing happily as I got to see how it heaved when he panted like that, hand clutching the place where his heart was.

"Oh nothing, mum." Fred said innocently. "Ol' Harry here just had a heart attack when Ginny fell on top of him.

Ron was still laughing, but he probably knew what happened, having gotten there so quickly. I was still too nervous about the whole ordeal to laugh too hard. My stomach was in knots. What the hell was I thinking!? Straddling him and feeling him up like that. This did cause me to giggle. I couldn't wait to tell Hermione about how Virginia Weasley had felt up Harry Potter.

~**~

I sigh in frustration at my dresser. Surely not all of my nightgowns were dirty were they? I close the dresser and peak my head out of my door. "Muuuummm!" I called out, hair dripping a little from my shower I had just taken. "Are all my cloths dirty!?"

"Yes, dear!" My mum replied from downstairs. "Sorry, I was a little behind with Harry's cloths too!"

Just then Harry came around the corner and saw me. Oh god, I never blushed so hard. "Hey." He called casually, but stopped when he noticed that through the crack in my door and the wall that I was only wearing a pink towel. He placed one hand on his chin and the other on his elbow, making an obvious display of taking this in. "Wow, you have grown up." He decides after a while. Ohhhhh, his socks were so mine! He smiles then and was suddenly hit on the back of the head by a large black shirt.

"Stop ogling my half naked sister and give her some cloths." Ron told him, crossing his arms and standing in the hallway. Harry took off the attacking clothing and gave it to her without a second glance at them. I quickly snatch them and close the door, hitting Harry's elbow in the process. He yelped in pain, but I grinned. That was the price for seeing me. Pretty cheap if I do say so myself.

~*Normal*`

"Ouch…" Harry rubbed his elbow ruefully and followed a grinning Ron into their room. The clock on his wall was well past "Should be in bed" but everyone was up late that night anyway. "I wasn't ogling her." Harry protested, grabbing a towel and rooting through his trunk.

"Sure, whatever." Ron waved it off. "Just watch your socks."

"My what!?" Harry was about to ask for an explanation but realized the cloths he sat on the bed were gone. "Hey, we're my shirt and boxers?"

"I threw your shirt to Ginny."

"No, you idiot, I had my boxers in there too! I always fold them together when I got to take a shower so I won't have to streak it back to my room in a towel."

Ron's face suddenly lit up in laughter. "I hope they weren't the ones with hearts all over them, 'cause Ginny would never forget that!"

"No you git!" Harry snorted and grabbed some more cloths from his trunk. "They were my black ones!" He sniffed. "I liked them too."

"You're not getting either back, I can tell you that much. Ginny'll treasure them to the day she dies." He spun around the room after snatching Harry's new clothing., acting like he was smelling the shirt. "Oh my god! Harry Potter's nightshirt! I can die happy!"

Harry tackled his friend and proceeded to nuggie him into submission before grabbing his cloths and stalking to the shower, which still smelt like Ginny. 'It's going to be a loooong shower' Harry thought miserably, closing the door and inhaling the strawberry scent.

~**~

Harry crept down the stairs slowly, being careful to avoid making a sound. It was after three in the morning, but he couldn't sleep after waking up from a rather intament dream with a certain red head. After tossing and turning for a while, he finally heard Ron yell at him to "Shut up or Sod off!" so he chose the latter and went to make some hot chocolate.

However, he was beaten there by the very vision of his dream.

Ginny looked up from the couch and smiled at him over her mug. She was sitting on the couch with a smug expression on her face. "Cold shower?"

Harry groaned. Ginny had evidently used all the hot water, leaving Harry to take the fastest and coldest shower in his life. "Very cold. Next time, I get it before you."

Ginny only smiled at him and patted the place next to her. The war was on and she didn't want to back down first. "We can always take one together."

Harry smirked. Ginny knew that was the one he used when agrees to play Ron at chess. A smirk of confidence and determination. "Sounds fun." He told her wickedly, plucking her hot chocolate from her hands and sipping it and getting a marshmallow for his troubles.

"You stole one of my marshmallows!" she cried indignantly, taking back her mug and gulping down some so he wouldn't get her last one.

Harry chuckled to himself. "Why are you up?"

"Same reason you are? Can't sleep."

Harry nodded, looking into the empty fireplace. "Yup."

"……Soo…."

"So…"

Ginny looked up at him a moment before scooting over next to him and moving in a way that instinctively made Harry raise his arm and place it around her. "Wanna snuggle?" She gave him cute eyes.

"Do I get another marshmallow?"

Ginny looked into her cup, realizing she had, indeed, snagged the last one. "Nope."

Harry took his arm back. "No snuggling."

She humphed and sat her mug down, pulling on his arm. "Come on!"

"No."

"Please!?"

"No!"

She gave him the biggest cutest eyes she could muster. "Pweeeeaaaassseee!?"

"No!" He said again, but let a laugh slip by. Ginny caught it and smiled triumphantly.

"Yes!" She pulled his arm, but he laughed and fakery pulled back. Ginny cried out in surprise, and fell over on top of him, knocking both of them down onto he couch. Her empty cup rolled onto the floor.

Ginny blushed, realizing she lost the war then and there. Harry smiled up at her in a triumph. "You're blushing you are." He told her plainly.

"Oh shut up." She replied, her hot breath tickling his lips.

Just then he noticed she was wearing his shirt, and a smile came to his face. "Like my shirt?"

"My shirt." She corrected him, lying down on his chest and inhaling his scent like he did to her the day he came. "You can't have it back."

His arms snaked around her and held her, not really caring about anything much else at this point in time. "You've gotten braver."

"You noticed?"

"Kind of hard not to. What happened anyway?"

"Nothing really." She snuggled against his chest. "I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't blush around you as much as I used to, and would try to flirt my butt off."

"It's working."

"I know."

~~**~~

A/N: Liking it? Hope so. Next part will be posted tomorrow, Saturday December 21 2002 around 7:00 Central time. Please review if you liked it. I write for you guys.