Chapter 7:

It was a pleasant morning at the Burrow. Breakfast was carrying on as usual and everyone was busy with their fried eggs or toast or sausages. Ron was busy with all three.

Mrs. Weasley was cooking for the big dinner they were going to have that night celebrating Ginny's return home, safe and sound.

Fred was just asking George to pass him the jam when a shout carried down the stairs and everyone stopped what they were doing to hear what it was all about.

"All right! That's it! Where have all my socks gone?!!!!"

There was a fair amount of banging down the stairs, and a second later, Harry appeared, looking rather disheveled and more than a bit annoyed. He looked straight at Ginny, who looked blankly back at him.

"Why, what's wrong Harry?" she asked in an innocent tone.

Ron, Fred, George, Charlie, Bill, Percy, and Harry all snorted, Hermione giggled, while Ginny seemed to pay no notice and continued looking at Harry angelically.

Harry raised his right hand, in which he was tightly holding a pair of awful gray scratchy socks that had once belonged to his uncle.

"Ginny," he began trying to sound patient and failing horribly, "I don't know how you did it, but I have no socks and I want them back. Now."

Ginny looked from Harry's face to his hand and back. "But Harry," she said sweetly, "you're holding a pair of socks right there."

At this point, Fred and George were shaking with silent laughter and even Percy was smiling, to an extent.

"You call these socks?" Harry cried, outraged. "These are lumps of gray tweed that happen to be in the shape of socks. They are not going anywhere near my feet!"

Ginny was giggling, and Harry had to smile. She looked so much better now that she'd been awake for three days. She was eating at home, at least. Ginny hadn't touched anything they'd served in the hospital and if the nurses had come anywhere near her with a tray, she went all green and woozy. Now Ginny had color back in her cheeks and she was taking it easy, slowly getting her strength back. But every so often, Harry caught glimpses of Ginny staring off into space, out the window, over the garden…. At these times, she looked so alone that it hurt Harry to look at her. She needed to talk to someone about what had happened. It would help her so much if someone else knew what she had been through.

Harry knew, at a certain level, having undergone torture and Death Eater attacks himself. But every person took things differently. Harry had a feeling Ginny would open up eventually. He was just waiting until she felt she could.

Harry thought of this as he watched Ginny laugh, and finally decided he'd live without socks. He'd borrow a pair from someone. Of course, eventually he'd have to plan revenge….

He sat down at the table and threw the socks in his hand across at Ginny, who barely managed to duck in time. Instead they hit Mrs. Weasley square in the back.

Everyone at the table fell silent. Mrs. Weasley turned around suddenly in surprise, looked down and picked the offending object off the floor.

Harry slumped down in his seat. Wonderful, all he needed to start his day would be to set Mrs. Weasley off.

"Honestly!" she exclaimed, looking down at the awful pair of socks. Harry slumped even lower, almost disappearing beneath the table.

"You'd think a star Quidditch player would have better aim, wouldn't you?" With that she threw the socks at Ginny, which hit her smack on the nose!

"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed, turning beet red. The table exploded with laughter and Harry got up, relieved. Mrs. Weasley winked at him and added six sausages to his plate.

Harry wriggled his bare toes under the table. It had come as a complete shock yesterday, when Harry had gone to put on a pair of socks only to find that half of them were missing. He had practically turned the room upside down when Ron had walked in and asked him what was going on. Harry had told him, and by the time he'd finished Ron had nearly collapsed from laughing so hard. It was then he had told Harry all about Ginny's sock fetish.

He wondered how she did it? And where did she put them all? Hmmm… these were very good questions with no known answers. And none of the Weasley brothers had ever managed to find out.

Harry was actually flattered that Ginny had stolen his socks, as odd as it sounded. He remembered how he'd asked her if they could be friends and she'd agreed whole-heartedly. Just like that. She wasn't angry with him for all the years he hadn't paid her any attention. She'd just given him her friendship, no questions asked. And the sock thing, well, that proved it.

"So," came Mrs. Weasley's voice from inside one of the cabinets, where she was searching for something. "What are you going to do today?" She emerged a moment later, victorious, a huge pot in her hands, which she briskly put on the stove and began to fill with various foodstuffs.

Everyone began speaking at once. Ginny and Hermione chatted to one another, Ron looked out the window as he asked Charlie if he were up to a game of Quidditch. Percy exclaimed proudly that he didn't have time to dawdle about when there was work to be done. But Fred and George were oddly silent. They seemed to be discussing something quietly and urgently. It reminded Harry of last year, when they'd been trying to blackmail Ludo Bagman. He watched them curiously for a few moments before suddenly realizing something.

"I haven't got my things for school yet." He could have killed himself because a moment later the table was silent and Ginny looked uneasily at the floor.

Harry sat stunned in the silence. "Oh, I didn't mean to-- what I mean is-- er…."

Mrs. Weasley smiled sympathetically. "It's all right, Harry," she said. "You can't be expected to go off to school without anything, can you? And besides," she turned back to the pot, which was now steaming and letting off a spectacular scent, "we haven't all finished our shopping either." Mrs. Weasley walked to the table and absent-mindedly began buttering Harry's toast for him. Harry smiled.

"Here's what I think we should do. Perhaps Ginny and Hermione will stay here and the rest of you go off to Diagon Alley to finish your shopping. Charlie?" she called. Charlie looked up from his porridge.

"Yeah Mum?"

Mrs. Weasley looked at him uneasily and hesitated for a moment. "I know you still have a few things you need to get while you're in town, but I could send a list with the others if you like."

Charlie looked gratefully at his mother and sighed in relief. "Yeah, that would be great, Mum." He smiled and went back to his porridge.

Mrs. Weasley faced the rest of the table. "Anyone else want to stay behind?"

Percy nodded. "Yes, Mother. I have work, you know. I can't be expected to run a round with children all day." He received several fierce glares from around the table but seemed not to notice at all…. Mrs. Weasley tried to hide an amused smile.

"I'm staying," Ron exclaimed unexpectedly. Harry looked at his best friend in confusion. Ron seemed unaware that what he'd said was strange in any way. He glanced a moment at Hermione before continuing and Harry saw it. He smiled to himself smugly. Well that explained it….

"I reckon you can all do fine without me." He grinned jauntily. "Anyway, I finished all my shopping." Hermione scowled as though she seemed to highly doubt this. Ron rolled his eyes. The twins smirked.

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley said, "so that leaves Harry, Fred, George and...." Mrs. Weasley stopped suddenly. She huffed up and scowled.

"No," she said at last.

"Aww! Come on Mum!" Fred exclaimed.

"No."

"Mum! We're seventeen, we can take care of ourselves, and Harry!" George added.

"Oh?! More like Harry would end up taking care of you!" Mrs. Weasley was adamant.

Harry had just realized what was wrong, and he had to laugh. He, Fred and George were the only ones going….

The twins both gave identical sighs of exasperation. "Mum!" they wailed in unison. But their mother was as stubborn a person as anyone would ever find, and she firmly believed that Fred and George anywhere by themselves was a recipe for disaster.

"I said no and that's final. You three are not going by yourselves!" She glanced at Harry for a moment and he realized that she wasn't only worried about what they might do. She was worried about what might happen to him.

Harry felt himself blush, but he was actually very pleased. He would never get used to people worrying and caring about his well being.

Fred and George sat back, defeated. "Well, then how are we going to get our things?" Fred pointed out.

Mrs. Weasley looked uncertain for a moment but then she turned to her eldest son. "Bill dear," she said, "would you mind taking them?"

Bill, who had been watching until now in amusement sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, I don't know…." He smiled. "They can be quite a handful, you know…."

The twins were practically bouncing in anticipation. If Bill came, it would pretty much be the same as if he hadn't, only better….

"Oh, please Bill?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously, not picking up on the joke.

"Yes. Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssseeeee?" The twins asked, making ridiculous faces at their older brother. Harry burst out laughing. Ron was already nearly rolling on the floor.

Percy watched the whole display in disdain, and Harry thought he heard him mutter, "Really. How childish." This only made Harry laugh harder.

Bill winked. "Oh, all right, I suppose I could baby-sit for an afternoon."

The twins scowled.

So it was settled. Bill would take Harry, Fred and George to Diagon Alley. They got lists from Ginny, Charlie, and Ron (despite what he'd said before) and set off.

~*~

"Oof! Fred, gerroff me!" George shouted as Fred shot out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron and landed on top of him. Harry snickered as Fred scrambled up, looking rather green.

Fred was the last one to come through the fireplace and when he'd dusted himself off, they left through the back door of the dingy and darkened pub out into the alleyway behind it. Bill tapped the correct bricks and the portal opened revealing the famous Diagon Alley beyond.

Dozens of shops selling everything from fashionable robes to Billywig stings to Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover. Harry always loved coming to Diagon Alley. Every time he visited it, it overwhelmed him just as much as the first time he'd come with Hagrid before his first year. That seemed like such a long time ago….

Harry grinned as they walked along, watching witches and wizards haggle over this and that, children running around, ignoring their parents' impatient calls. No one would have believed that just a few days ago, chaos had taken place here….

Harry's eyes darkened as they passed a specific part of the alley that was blocked off to people. Many of the shop windows there were broken and there were black charred spots all over the floor. This had been where it had happened. Harry looked away and continued on.

"I've got to go to Gringott's first," he told Bill, who nodded.

"All right. How about this? You go to the bank and we'll wait for you outside Florean's place. We'll get you an ice cream. Anything particular?"

"Chocolate," Harry said immediately. Not many people knew, but he had a huge weakness for chocolate. Belgian in particular….

Bill nodded and they separated.

~*~

Harry loved those cart rides. It reminded him of flying. Zooming along, at break-neck speed. Hagrid, he knew, hated it, but he never understood why.

Harry walked over to Florean Fortescue's ice-cream parlor, grinning, his pockets now filled with enough wizard gold to last him through the year.

"Hello," he said sitting down in front of his triple fudge sundae.

The four of them sat there, enjoying their ice creams and the sunny day. When they were done they set off shopping.

"Ok, where to first?" asked Bill.

"Fred and I need to go take care of something," George announced. Harry and Bill both stared. This could prove dangerous…

"What, exactly?" Bill asked carefully.

Fred and George grinned and exchanged glances. "Oh, nothing important," Fred said, "anyway, we've got to pick up something for Ron." He looked pointedly at Harry and he remembered their promise at the end of last year to by Ron some decent robes.

"Actually," George said thoughtfully, "Harry, I think you should come with us. We wanted to show you something."

Harry was utterly confused. What did the twins want?

Bill gave Fred and George a piercing glance, but then shrugged and said, "All right. You don't want me around. I'm off to the pub. Come and get me when you're done."

Fred grinned. "Ah, that's why you're our favorite brother!"

Bill snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, whatever. Be careful Fred, you might turn into Percy if you suck up anymore."

Fred scowled and George burst out laughing, Bill left, heading for the Leaky Cauldron and Harry was left alone with possibly the two most dangerous people in Hogwarts….

"Right then," said George briskly, turning business-like. "Harry, we were hoping we'd get a chance to show you this."

Fred stopped scowling abruptly. "Yes," he continued for his brother, "and I think you're going to like it."

Harry, bewildered, suddenly found himself being pretty much dragged down the busy alley, passing by shops so quickly he didn't even catch the signs. He didn't have any idea where they were going, but he was definitely curious to find out.

They finally stopped somewhere near Flourish and Blott's and Harry looked around.

There was nothing exactly out of the ordinary here, (discounting, of course, the shop nearby with the floating purple toads in the window) and Harry looked to Fred and George in confusion. They, however, were looking at an empty store in front of them with pride and glee.

"Umm, Fred? George? What did you want to show me?"

George turned away from the shop and looked at Harry gratefully. "It's all because of you, Harry mate. We never could have done it without you. We never would have got it off the ground. That's why we were so desperate last year, about Bagman. We'd been counting on those Galleons, and then the rat…" George made a frustrated noise.

Harry looked up at the shop in front of him, understanding. "Do you mean…?" he spluttered, "This shop is, is--"

"Harry, you are looking at the future Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" exclaimed Fred. "Most of the Triwizard money went into the down-payment. Nothing's official yet, but, well, we're actually going to do it!" Fred was nearly bouncing with excitement.

Harry's face split into a huge grin. "That's great!" he said, nearly as excited as the twins were. "I didn't think you'd get started so soon!" Harry suddenly paused. "But, what about school?"

"Well, we'll be finishing school, of course," George replied as though Harry was daft.

"But, then, what about the shop?"

Fred gave an exasperated sigh as though Harry wasn't quite all there. "The shop's waiting. We'll start right after school's out and we'll rent a flat here in Diagon Alley. In the meanwhile, we're going to start selling at Hogwarts. Spread the famous Weasley name, scare a couple of first years out of their wits, drive the teachers insane…. You know how it is." Fred shrugged.

"Yeah," George continued. "We'll keep experimenting as well. I mean, we have an enormous list of ingenious pranks already, but you know how we are." He winked. "Fred and I, we want the world."

Harry smiled. "This is going to be incredible. Your mum's not going to be too happy about it though."

"Oh, I don't think Mum minds all that much any more," Fred said thoughtfully, "I think she's actually got quite used to the idea. We actually made her laugh the other day. What was it, George?"

"A pair of Slippery Slippers," he answered. "You should have been there. She stomped down the stairs barefoot, trying to look all angry and upset, but she couldn't stop laughing. She got out of bed and tried to put her slippers on, but, of course, being as Fred and I changed them in the middle of the night, she couldn't get them on. They kept slipping away from her feet. And then when she finally caught them and jammed them on, she stood up and, well, that was a mistake…."

Fred was shaking with silent laughter and George grinned. "We thought she was going to kill us. It really came as quite a surprise when, instead, she swore she'd get us back for it…. Wonder what she's going to do…."

Harry had been laughing, but he sobered up fairly quickly now. "You know," he pointed out, "you had to have got it from somewhere. I have a feeling your mother could be very tricky if she wanted to." Fred suddenly stopped quickly and looked at George. Harry though he saw a flicker of worry cross his face.

"You know, George, he's right. We had to get it from someone, and I know it wasn't dad…."

"Hmmm," George murmured with a hint of amusement on his face. "Well, we'll have to be prepared, that's all. Barricade the door and all that."

They stood silent for a few more minutes, looking up at the empty shop. Then Fred spoke quietly.

"Harry," he said, "there was something else we wanted to ask you about." Fred shuffled his feet nervously. "None of this could have happened if you hadn't given us your winnings. So, we decided that--"

"We want to make you a partner," George finished.

Harry stood flabbergasted. The twins were offering him a partnership in the shop? Him? Partner?

He must have looked exceptionally hilarious because the twins suddenly burst out laughing. Harry's grin nearly split his face in two. "You want to make me a partner?! Why?!"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Come on, Harry, we just told you. We couldn't have done it without your help. Anyway," he added as an afterthought, "you've got a good sense of humor and we could use you as our test subject!"

Harry shook his head, but then became serious. "I really can't thank you enough," he said, "but I can't accept."

George gaped at him. "What?" he spluttered, "You're turning this down? Are you nuts? We're gonna be big, Harry. We wanted you to be part of it."

Harry looked at both of them levelly. "Have you offered Ron a partnership?" he asked quietly.

The look on both the twins' faces confirmed that they hadn't.

"Look, I don't think you've been fair. If anyone deserves anything it's Ron. You might think of him once in a while. No one ever seems to notice that he's always there for everyone. I'm not. He's always been a good friend. I could have done loads better. And I wouldn't even have that money if it wasn't for Ron's support. He deserves the credit every bit as much as I do."

Fred and George looked uneasily at the ground and Harry sighed.

"I'm not asking you to offer him a partnership. I'm just not going to accept it and have another thing that I think Ron should have more than me. But," he continued, on a brighter note, "I would like to be a sponsor, if that's okay with you."

At these words the twin's faces split into huge grins. "You're joking!" Fred exclaimed.

Harry chuckled. "No, I'm not. Like I said before, I think we're all going to need a lot of laughs before this is through. And I think you two are going to be the ones to supply them."

"Harry," said George, beside himself with glee, "We don't know how to thank you. I mean, wow."

"Very well put," Harry laughed.

"No, really. Just tell us. Anything, honestly." George continued, stumbling over his words.

"Just never change, all right?" he said. Fred and George looked at him in confusion, but Harry didn't pay them any mind, so they shrugged and the three of them walked off towards Madame Malkin's.

~*~

"I don't know…." Harry said uneasily, but grinning nonetheless.

"Awww, come on. Ickle Ronniekins would love these!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.

"I think they'd look great, but, maroon? Ron hates maroon. You know that." Harry shook his head and went back to rifling through the row of dress robes in front of him. He'd always been shocked at how many possibilities there seemed to be for men's dress robes. Honestly, it's not like anyone really cared….

"How about this one?" he asked pulling out a deep brown robe with buttons down the front and folded cuffs.

Fred scrunched up his nose. "Ugh, he'd look like the Fat Friar. Well, except for the fat part..."

"Actually, if anyone saw him eating at the ball, it would be very hard to tell the difference," George chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose…." Why was this so hard?! They continued on for about ten minutes. Harry was just going through some of the robes in the back when a glint of blue caught at the corner of his eye. He pushed a bunch of robes aside and pulled out the robe.

It was perfect, Harry decided at once. The robe was a deep midnight blue, velvet, with a turtleneck. The sleeves were wide, like the school robes, and in the middle of the turtleneck there was a small circle of dark gold.

"Hey Fred! George!" he called them over. They came curiously but rushed forward when they saw what he was holding.

"It's perfect," declared George, admiring the material.

"Absolutely spiffing," agreed Fred, eyeing the gold button, probably trying to figure if it was real or not.

Madame Malkin noticed that they had found a robe.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "that's one of my favorites. Worked on it for hours!" She beamed at them. "It's splendid, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Why was it here in the back, then."

Madame Malkin looked taken aback. "Here? I was sure it was in the window, to tell you the truth. It was this morning. It must be that blasted husband of mine. He always thinks he knows better. He didn't like that robe, blue isn't his color, you see, so he probably moved it. He's done this sort of thing before, you know. Honestly, sometimes I just don't know what--" she could have gone on for hours and hours but Harry interrupted.

"Um, Madame Malkin?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, got a bit carried away." She blushed and then took the robe from Harry. "This way please." She led them to the front of the shop and her desk. "Now," she began briskly, putting on a pair of reading glasses. "Are there any specific measurements or changes that you'd like made on the robe?"

Harry's eyes widened. What an idiot. He hadn't thought of that.

Fred must have noticed the look on Harry's face. "Don't worry," he said, "we've taken care of it." He handed a small folded piece of parchment to the witch.

"When it's done, please have it delivered to The Burrow in Ottery St. Catchpole. It's for a Mr. Ron Weasley." George winked Madame Malkin, who blushed profusely. He continued, "Also, if you wouldn't mind putting in this note." He handed her another piece of parchment.

"Oh, of course," she agreed. "My, three handsome young men such as yourselves. How could I refuse?" Fred and George grinned and Harry blushed.

~*~

By the time the three of them met up with Bill in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry was nearly spent. He didn't know where Fred and George came up with their limitless amounts of energy, but they didn't seem even the least bit tired.

Bill had spent the day at the pub and picking up a few things he needed that he couldn't get in Egypt. When Harry Fred and George came in, they found him waiting for them at a table in the far corner of the room.

"Look at this!" he exclaimed in excitement as they sat down with him, their shopping bags surrounding them. Harry looked at Bill curiously as he pulled something out of one of his bags. It was a small polished mahogany box with silver clasps. It was quite unremarkable.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Bill didn't answer; instead, he handed the box to Harry and bid him open it himself.

When Harry had sprung open the lid, he gasped.

"Wow! It's a Snitch!" But it was the strangest snitch Harry had ever seen. It had small dials on one side and the wings were a bit shorter than other snitches he'd seen before.

Bill grinned. "You know how we can never play Quidditch back home because the snitch might escape? Well, the Nimbus Broom Company came out with a new prototype. You can fix the Snitch so it only stays in a designated area. That's what those little dials are for."

Fred looked thrilled. "That's brilliant!" he shouted, causing half of the customers in the pub to stare at him. Fred didn't seem care.

"Yes, but wait 'till you see this," Bill said mysteriously. He reached down and pulled out another box. A much larger one. And it seemed to be moving…

George made a move as though to open the box, but Bill stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned him. George withdrew his hand.

"Why?"

Bill sat back, looking very pleased with himself. "The Nimbus Company didn't only come out with a new snitch prototype…."

George still looked confused but Fred was ecstatic. "You're kidding! Bludgers?!"

Bill nodded, smiling. "Yup. You can program these as well. They're smaller and they're not made of metal, since they're for home use and there's no guarantee that there'll be a mediwizard somewhere nearby."

"So what are they made of?" George asked, practically bouncing in excitement.

Bill shrugged. "It's some kind of charmed rubber. They still fly fast enough to knock you off your broom, they're just not hard enough to break anything."

Harry was fascinated. They could all have a real Quidditch match tonight if they wanted! Harry could think of nothing more he'd rather do than play a good game of Quidditch after the past few days. That's what they all needed.

Bill put the boxes away. "So, what kind of trouble did the three of you get into today?"

"Eh, not very much. Actually we got Ron a new pair of dress robes. Heaven knows he needed them. Poor bloke. Must have been awful having to show up last year wearing that moldy, disgusting thing Mum called a robe," George said, making a face.

Bill looked at him incredulously. "You got Ron robes? Since when did you two take to caring about the state of Ron's robes?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Bill, did you see his robes last year? It was a disgrace to the Weasley name! Honestly, I don't know how Ron plans on ever getting a date anywhere! Do you really want that? We've always been known for our-- er-- Weasley Charm. Don't you think Ron should continue the legacy?" In the course of his rather elaborate explanation, Fred had taken Bill by the shoulders and he now shook him a bit over-zealously. Bill quirked an eyebrow at his brother, not believing a word he said, but obviously having enough sense not to pursue the argument any further.

"Fine, ok! I don't want to know." Bill held up his hands in defeat and Harry shook his head, smiling.

George grinned at his twin. "Well? Are we going to stand around here all day? Let's go!"

~*~

Dinner was a splendid affair. Mrs. Weasley had prepared everyone's favorite foods in honor of Ginny's return to health. It was better than any Hogwarts feast Harry had ever had. All nine Weasleys, Hermione and him sat around a huge table in the backyard of the Burrow, eating, drinking and all in all being very merry.

By the end, Harry felt like he was about to burst and everyone else looked the same.

"That was a wonderful dinner, Mother," Percy said pompously.

"Yeah, jolly good grub, Mum," sighed George contentedly leaning back in his chair.

Mrs. Weasley looked very pleased with herself. "Well, it was nothing, you know. Seems the only thing I can do nowadays is feed you properly. You're all growing up so fast." She seemed to get a bit teary-eyed as she gazed around the table approvingly.

Ginny suddenly stood up, holding her glass. She cleared her throat. "I'd like to make a toast," she exclaimed, smiling at everyone. The table fell silent as all eyes turned to Ginny. She blushed a bit but continued.

"I'm lucky to be here today," she said, her voice soft. "I know that and I'm grateful. I know that times are going to be harder from now on, but I also know that as long as I have my family and my friends, everything else is a breeze. So," Ginny took a deep breath, "To family," she raised her glass towards her mother, father and all her brothers. Mrs. Weasley was near tears by now. "To friends, old and new," Ginny smiled at Harry and he felt his insides squirm as he blushed, "And to everything that comes our way, because we can take it together." She finished her drink, as did everyone else. Ginny sat down looking rather pleased with herself and Mrs. Weasley got up to bring dessert.

"That was great," Harry said quietly. He was sitting across from Ginny, so if he spoke softly, only she heard him. Besides, Ron was now deep in conversation with Hermione, so he wouldn't have heard Harry if he'd been shouting.

Ginny blushed slightly. "Thanks," she said, "I didn't even plan on making one, but it seemed right."

Harry nodded. "It was perfect." He reached over for the bowl of pudding Mrs. Weasley had just put on the table and spooned a generous amount onto his plate, ignoring the fact that he was already near bursting point. Ginny quirked an eyebrow as she watched him.

"What? Harry asked, noticing her expression. Ginny shook her head.

"Nothing." She sat back and looked at Harry appraisingly.

"What?!" he asked again, this time a bit annoyed.

"Well, you got quite tall over the summer, you know. Not nearly as tall as Ron, but compared to last year…." Ginny trailed off.

"Is that a bad thing?" Harry asked her, swallowing a mouthful of pudding and grinning

Ginny shook her head. "Not at all," she said matter-of-factly, "Actually, it quite suits you." Ginny looked shyly at Harry and he blushed. However, Ginny began laughing a second later. Harry, confused, looked around wildly to see what was so funny and nearly died when he found he'd stuck his elbow in the pudding bowl! He made a noise halfway between a strangled gasp and a screech and quickly wiped himself off with a napkin, blushing furiously. He glanced across at Ginny who was nearly crying with mirth and he couldn't help but smile bashfully, though he did quickly look around to make sure no one else had seen that.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said when she'd calmed down a bit, "I shouldn't laugh, but that was hilarious."

"Charlie, Ron!" Came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the other side of the table, "It's your turn to wash the dishes. Fred and George, you clear up, please." There were various grumbles across the table but the twins got up and started taking all the plates into the kitchen while Charlie and Ron followed them close behind.

Ginny turned to Harry. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed, "I don't have kitchen duty." She looked very pleased with herself.

"Don't see why they'd make you wash dishes. It's your party, after all." Harry pointed out.

"True. Eh!" Ginny stood up and grinned. "Want to go for a walk?"

Harry stared. A walk? Just him and Ginny? Harry swallowed. "Sure," he replied.

"Great. Mum!" she called.

"Yes dear?"

"Harry and I are going for a walk. We'll be close by if you need us."

There was suddenly an uncanny silence as everyone gaped at the two of them. Harry stared at the ground uneasily, but a moment later everything resumed as normal.

"Very well," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling.

~*~

The night was crisp and a half moon partly lit the path as Harry and Ginny walked together. There was a small stream a way off and it was in that direction they were going.

"So, let me get this straight," Harry was saying, smiling. "You managed to sneak into Snape's office, knick your written exam off his desk and fix all the answers before he graded it?! And he didn't catch you?!" Harry was incredulous.

Ginny giggled. "Yes! You should have seen how disappointed he was when he told me that I'd got full marks! It was priceless! Of course, I was nearly caught. You have no idea how well he guards his office! Luckily, though, I get top marks in Charms. Flitwick is a dear, isn't he?" Harry could only stare and shake his head.

"All right, how about this? When we were in first year, Hermione and I got caught sneaking a dragon up to the Northern Tower. We got detention in the Forbidden Forest. What a nightmare!"

"A dragon?" said Ginny in shock, "Wherever did you get a dragon?"

"Well," Harry said in amusement, "Hagrid had always wanted one and then he got an egg from some chap in a pub. What a nightmare…" Harry sighed. "He called him Norbert, for heaven's sake. Norbert! And he had a teddy bear for him and everything! But the thing was getting huge, and Hagrid couldn't hide it anymore, so we wrote Charlie and asked him to help us. You can probably figure out what happened from there…"

Ginny was laughing so hard that she had to stop and catch her breath. When she calmed down she said, "Why didn't Ron ever tell me about this?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. He didn't like Norbert very much. See, Norbert bit him once pretty badly. He told Madame Pomfrey it was a dog, but…. Anyway, I think he kept it secret because if your Mum ever found out, she'd have a fit."

"Yes, she would," Ginny mused, "still, he could have told me. Can't believe he got bitten though, that must have been awful."

"Yeah," Harry said, "but you know? The funniest thing that ever happened to Ron must have been in second year. Malfoy was being the usual pain, but then he insulted Hermione and, well, you know your brother."

Ginny giggled and nodded her head.

"Well, he tried to curse Malfoy, but his wand was broken so it backfired."

"No!" Ginny gasped.

"Yes!" Harry was laughing. "You should have been there. He was burping slugs for hours afterwards!"

Ginny burst out laughing and she grabbed Harry's shoulder to steady herself. Harry blushed, but Ginny didn't seem to notice anything. "Poor Ron!" she exclaimed gasping for breath.

They continued walking in silence afterwards and Harry couldn't help but think how nice it was talking to Ginny. She was nothing like he'd expected her to be. He'd always thought she was shy and quiet, but she was neither. She was witty and funny and did some of the most outrageous things… She was quick to laugh and seemed so vibrant and full of life that Harry marveled at how he could have ever not noticed her before. When they reached the stream they walked along it a little way until they reached a place where it was shallow and you could cross by jumping across a couple of stones. Harry and Ginny made their way to the other side and then sat down on the grassy bank.

"So," Ginny began, "I heard you stayed with Sirius over the summer."

Harry looked up abruptly. He still wasn't used to the fact that the entire Weasley family knew about his godfather, but it was nice, not having to hide it from them. "Yeah," he said at last.

Ginny turned to face Harry. "What's he like?" she asked him, "I mean, really like?"

Harry grinned and leaned back on the grass, propping himself up by his elbows. "Sirius? Well, he's nothing like I ever thought he'd be. When I first met him, well, he scared the living daylights out of me. Of course, at the time, I thought he was going to kill me so…" Harry trailed off. "But, the truth is, since then, he's changed a lot. He looked awful when I saw him that first time, but now, well, he's been staying with Professor Lupin, remember him? And they were best friends along with my Dad at school. He's incredible." Harry sighed. "He and my Dad used to be worse than Fred and George, or so I've heard."

"That's impossible!" Ginny exclaimed.

Harry shook his head and smiled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Well, I heard it from McGonagall herself. Potter and Black…." He was silent for a moment, looking out over the stream. "Sirius hasn't changed all that much, at least that's what Lupin told me. Of course, Sirius hasn't had it easy." Harry glared at nothing in particular. "He doesn't deserve what he's been through, and everything would have been different if he hadn't- well, if things hadn't turned out like they did. I wouldn't have had to live with the Dursleys. He wouldn't have gone to Azkaban. I just wish I could stay with him all the time, you know? Always have him there if I needed him…."

Ginny sighed and Harry looked up to find her gazing at the sky. After a moment she did the most surprising thing. She took Harry's hand and pointed his finger up at one of the stars.

"Look," she said quietly and let go of his hand. Harry gazed at the star for a moment. He knew he should know it, they'd learned all of the stars in astronomy. Then he recognized the constellation Canus Major.

He dropped his hand. "Sirius, the Dog Star," he whispered.

Ginny nodded. "That's right," she said. "He's always watching you. No matter what happens. You don't have to worry."

Harry leaned back again and sighed. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Thanks Ginny."

Ginny smiled. "Anytime."

~*~

They were walking back towards the Burrow a while later. Everything was silent and peaceful. Harry felt remarkably content, especially after everything that had happened lately. Just taking it easy…. Often, it was what he wanted to do most and, ironically, it was usually what he never got. A breeze blew past him and Ginny, ruffling his hair. Ginny shuddered with chill.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, noticing for the first time that Ginny wasn't wearing a jumper. She was wearing a light yellow summer dress and the material was rather thin. Harry couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked in it…. He quickly shook his head and took off his own jumper, handing it to Ginny.

"Here," he said, "You must be freezing."

Ginny blushed but took the jumper and pulled it over her head. "Thanks," she said gratefully, "Much better." Ginny grinned.

Harry looked up suddenly as he heard footsteps and saw Ron running towards them.

"Hey!" he shouted as he neared. "The others just sent me to call you two." He was looking at Harry and Ginny strangely. He seemed to be amused and yet, Harry thought he saw the smallest trace of hostility in Ron's eyes, especially when he recognized Harry's jumper on Ginny. But a moment later Ron blinked and it was gone.

"How come?" Ginny asked.

"Well, Bill got these incredible Quidditch balls! We were just going to play a game. Want to come?" Ron seemed ecstatic.

"Yeah!" Harry replied enthusiastically.

"Wonderful!" Ginny jumped up excitedly. Harry looked at her in surprise.

"Oh?" he asked inquisitively, "Since when do you play Quidditch?"

Ginny laughed. "Since I beat my brothers every game since we were kids!" Harry laughed and Ron scowled.

"She's lying. She doesn't beat us all the time!" Ron's comment only made Harry laugh harder.

The rest of the evening was spent in a happy blur for Harry. They played an incredible game of Quidditch in which everyone participated except Hermione who much preferred to stay on the ground. Charlie, Fred, Bill and Percy played against Harry, Ron, Ginny and George. Harry's team won and he was pleasantly surprised when Ginny turned out to be an incredible chaser. Harry never would have thought….

They'd trudged back to the Burrow utterly exhausted but happy and everyone had said their goodnights and gone up to bed.

Harry fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

As though a warning, a reminder that all was not right in the world, that he couldn't hide from the truth forever as he had tonight, Harry dreamed. It was unclear, but made Harry restless all the same. Whispers, whispers from all around him… calling him…. They came and he felt something stirring inside of him, something familiar. Harry tossed and turned in his sleep, unable to wake up, yet unable to escape the incessant calling, the pulling, of the whispers….

"One of Power…."

AN: HUGE thanks to Ami and now Joyce as well, my betas, I really should thank you more often. You deserve tons of credit! I know I'm a pain, but thank you so much for ignoring it (most of the time…)

Thank you to Imogen as well for letting me steal her socks. It's all her brilliant idea, of course, and I don't know where we'd all be without a sock stealing Ginny…

All that's left for me to say is please! Please, review!