Chapter 3: Reunions
A gentle knock on the door interrupted the young couple and caused them to break apart, somewhat unwillingly.
Dumbledore entered the room and smiled at them before informing them that Ron and Hermione had not travelled home on the Hogwarts Express and were waiting for them in the Gryffindor Common room. Smiling benevolently, he sent them off to find their friends.
*****
Ron Weasley paced the floor of the Gryffindor common room relentlessly. No one had told him or his best friend Hermione Granger why they had had to remain at school or when they would be allowed to travel home. After the way that his younger sister Ginny and his other best friend Harry had had to suddenly go into hiding following reports that Voldemort wanted to kill them, the prospect of something similar happening to them had hung over them for some time. Then this happened; they were simply told they had to stay with no explanation offered, and obviously, the fear had been reawakened in both Ron and Hermione.
Hermione shifted in her seat and smiled nervously up at her friend. He was making her feel worse with his relentless pacing.
"Ron, Sit down. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." she said, her eyes betraying the fact that she was lying even as her voice struggled to conceal that fact.
She really had been convinced that there would be a simple explanation to all of this; that they really did have nothing to worry about. But then Professor McGonagall had told them that they had to remain in their common room that day and that food would be brought to them, and she truly had begun to panic.
Time passed very slowly for the two friends. She tried to read and Ron beat her yet again at Wizarding Chess. They played exploding snap and twice the House-elves brought them food, but still there was no sign of any explanation.
Around dinner time the portrait hole slowly swung open, but expecting another house elf with more food for them neither Ron nor Hermione paid it much attention. That meant that they were very surprised when they saw a tall girl with braided hair and a well-built boy with glasses enter.
The four simply stood and regarded each other for a few moments before Ron found the ability to speak once more.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his worry giving way to anger at the way he felt they had been mistreated.
The newcomers shared an amused look and the girl broke into giggles at that question.
"Always was the tactful one," she commented when she had calmed down.
This made Ron even more confused, and then when Hermione gave a small shriek and threw herself on the newcomers hugging first one, then the other to within an inch of their lives he began to feel very exasperated and finally demanded to know exactly what was going on.
Everybody laughed at that and then finally Ginny walked up to him and hugged him whispering in his ear "Its good to see you big brother" before quickly walking back to stand by Harry again.
Those words finally penetrated his brain and with a cry of "Ginny!" he ran over to his sister, picked her up, and spun her round.
He couldn't believe that after over a year of not seeing them, of not having any contact with them his best friend and his sister were standing there in front of him like they had never been away.
Harry was pleased to see his friends again; and even more pleased to see some of the light return to Ginny's eyes as she hugged her brother and laughed at his stupidity. Walking over to Ron, he offered his hand and a "good to see you, mate." Before giving into the emotion of the moment, and pulling his friend into a manly hug.
*****
The four of them spent the next hours talking, catching up and trying to cram a years worth of missed friendship into as short a time as possible. Eventually around midnight, Professor McGonagall entered the common room.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, welcome back." The normally stern transfiguration teacher smiled slightly as she said that. "I realise that you have not seen each other for quite some time, but it is now rather late and the four of you have to get the train home tomorrow morning so I would recommend that you finish this reunion for tonight and go to bed"
The relief was evident on both Hermione and Ron's faces as they realised that their friends were back home for good and that they would not have to go into hiding with them.
*****
The next morning after a leisurely breakfast in which all of the Hogwarts teachers except Snape expressed their delight at the return of two of their best students, but at which even Snape was civil, the four and Hagrid caught the Hogwarts express to Kings Cross where they went their separate ways again.
*****
Sitting in a Muggle taxi on the way to Paddington station and the hidden Portkey point from which he would use another damned Portkey to get to somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Wales and the home of the last two living Marauders, where he was to spend the rest of the summer. He was really looking forward to spending sometime with his former professor, Remus Lupin, and his godfather, Sirius Black who apart from Ginny were the closest thing he had to family. It was so funny how he felt about Ginny and he couldn't believe how intense their relationship was and how much she loved him. Before they had got together, he could easily say that he did not know what real love was; didn't even think anyone could love him.
Growing up with the Dursley's he had been treated as a nuisance; they had never shown him even the slightest bit of affection. He had wished all his life for someone to come and take him away from that hellhole, and on his eleventh birthday, his fairy godmother had turned up in the form of a friendly giant called Hagrid and taken him to Hogwarts. Since then, he had only had to return to his relatives for the summer holidays and life had been a little bit more bearable. However, it had not been until this last year in Australia that he had known what it was like to love someone and have that love returned. Ginny had given him so much: had held his hands through the terrible times of the last year when they had been scared for their own safety, hugged him when he admitted to being homesick for the only true home he had ever known and simply been there unquestioning at any time day or night that he had needed to know he wasn't alone.
It had hurt so much leaving her, even though he knew they would be reunited in mere weeks. He had never thought that anyone could love him, being repeatedly told he was a burden that no one wanted during his childhood had left him with issues of self esteem and trust. His darling Ginny, however, had shown him that she both could and did love him and even though he knew the time away from him and with her family was going to be good for her, he was going to miss her so much. Now she was at her parents' house and he was on his way to what would hopefully be his future home. Deep down no matter how much he wanted to see Moony and Padfoot he wished Ginny were going with him, she had been his rock for over a year and being apart seemed a little unsettling.
*****
Ginny had once again experienced mixed feelings as the train pulled into the station. She was really looking forward to seeing her parents and other brothers again and to getting home, but she really did not want to leave Harry. He was really looking forward to seeing Sirius and Professor Lupin and she knew it would be good for him to see them, but still she wished they could stay together.
Their relationship was a lot more intense then was normal for their age, but then again it was also understandable considering that for the past year or so they had been all each other had had to remind them of the home that was thousands of miles away, and the friends and family left behind.
The four of them had walked through the barrier, and with hugs all around they had separated; Hermione going to find her parents, Harry and Hagrid getting a Muggle taxi to the nearest port key station and herself and Ron to find their mother.
She had been very close to tears after hearing Harry whisper "I love you, see you soon" as he hugged her before leaving with Hagrid. Then she had felt almost 100% better about the situation when two minutes after watching him walk away she heard her mother cry her name, and all of a sudden it was the moment she had been dreaming of and she was in her mother's arms half laughing, half crying at the weirdness of it.
She held her mothers hand, as she had as a much younger child, as they walked out to where her father and the rest of her brothers were waiting with Ministry cars to take them to The Burrow. Strangely, she did not feel self conscious or annoyed about that; it just felt right.
Ginny smiled the first genuine smile she had in 24 hours when she got outside and saw them all, her five other brothers and her dad - she was finally home again.
A gentle knock on the door interrupted the young couple and caused them to break apart, somewhat unwillingly.
Dumbledore entered the room and smiled at them before informing them that Ron and Hermione had not travelled home on the Hogwarts Express and were waiting for them in the Gryffindor Common room. Smiling benevolently, he sent them off to find their friends.
*****
Ron Weasley paced the floor of the Gryffindor common room relentlessly. No one had told him or his best friend Hermione Granger why they had had to remain at school or when they would be allowed to travel home. After the way that his younger sister Ginny and his other best friend Harry had had to suddenly go into hiding following reports that Voldemort wanted to kill them, the prospect of something similar happening to them had hung over them for some time. Then this happened; they were simply told they had to stay with no explanation offered, and obviously, the fear had been reawakened in both Ron and Hermione.
Hermione shifted in her seat and smiled nervously up at her friend. He was making her feel worse with his relentless pacing.
"Ron, Sit down. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." she said, her eyes betraying the fact that she was lying even as her voice struggled to conceal that fact.
She really had been convinced that there would be a simple explanation to all of this; that they really did have nothing to worry about. But then Professor McGonagall had told them that they had to remain in their common room that day and that food would be brought to them, and she truly had begun to panic.
Time passed very slowly for the two friends. She tried to read and Ron beat her yet again at Wizarding Chess. They played exploding snap and twice the House-elves brought them food, but still there was no sign of any explanation.
Around dinner time the portrait hole slowly swung open, but expecting another house elf with more food for them neither Ron nor Hermione paid it much attention. That meant that they were very surprised when they saw a tall girl with braided hair and a well-built boy with glasses enter.
The four simply stood and regarded each other for a few moments before Ron found the ability to speak once more.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his worry giving way to anger at the way he felt they had been mistreated.
The newcomers shared an amused look and the girl broke into giggles at that question.
"Always was the tactful one," she commented when she had calmed down.
This made Ron even more confused, and then when Hermione gave a small shriek and threw herself on the newcomers hugging first one, then the other to within an inch of their lives he began to feel very exasperated and finally demanded to know exactly what was going on.
Everybody laughed at that and then finally Ginny walked up to him and hugged him whispering in his ear "Its good to see you big brother" before quickly walking back to stand by Harry again.
Those words finally penetrated his brain and with a cry of "Ginny!" he ran over to his sister, picked her up, and spun her round.
He couldn't believe that after over a year of not seeing them, of not having any contact with them his best friend and his sister were standing there in front of him like they had never been away.
Harry was pleased to see his friends again; and even more pleased to see some of the light return to Ginny's eyes as she hugged her brother and laughed at his stupidity. Walking over to Ron, he offered his hand and a "good to see you, mate." Before giving into the emotion of the moment, and pulling his friend into a manly hug.
*****
The four of them spent the next hours talking, catching up and trying to cram a years worth of missed friendship into as short a time as possible. Eventually around midnight, Professor McGonagall entered the common room.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, welcome back." The normally stern transfiguration teacher smiled slightly as she said that. "I realise that you have not seen each other for quite some time, but it is now rather late and the four of you have to get the train home tomorrow morning so I would recommend that you finish this reunion for tonight and go to bed"
The relief was evident on both Hermione and Ron's faces as they realised that their friends were back home for good and that they would not have to go into hiding with them.
*****
The next morning after a leisurely breakfast in which all of the Hogwarts teachers except Snape expressed their delight at the return of two of their best students, but at which even Snape was civil, the four and Hagrid caught the Hogwarts express to Kings Cross where they went their separate ways again.
*****
Sitting in a Muggle taxi on the way to Paddington station and the hidden Portkey point from which he would use another damned Portkey to get to somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Wales and the home of the last two living Marauders, where he was to spend the rest of the summer. He was really looking forward to spending sometime with his former professor, Remus Lupin, and his godfather, Sirius Black who apart from Ginny were the closest thing he had to family. It was so funny how he felt about Ginny and he couldn't believe how intense their relationship was and how much she loved him. Before they had got together, he could easily say that he did not know what real love was; didn't even think anyone could love him.
Growing up with the Dursley's he had been treated as a nuisance; they had never shown him even the slightest bit of affection. He had wished all his life for someone to come and take him away from that hellhole, and on his eleventh birthday, his fairy godmother had turned up in the form of a friendly giant called Hagrid and taken him to Hogwarts. Since then, he had only had to return to his relatives for the summer holidays and life had been a little bit more bearable. However, it had not been until this last year in Australia that he had known what it was like to love someone and have that love returned. Ginny had given him so much: had held his hands through the terrible times of the last year when they had been scared for their own safety, hugged him when he admitted to being homesick for the only true home he had ever known and simply been there unquestioning at any time day or night that he had needed to know he wasn't alone.
It had hurt so much leaving her, even though he knew they would be reunited in mere weeks. He had never thought that anyone could love him, being repeatedly told he was a burden that no one wanted during his childhood had left him with issues of self esteem and trust. His darling Ginny, however, had shown him that she both could and did love him and even though he knew the time away from him and with her family was going to be good for her, he was going to miss her so much. Now she was at her parents' house and he was on his way to what would hopefully be his future home. Deep down no matter how much he wanted to see Moony and Padfoot he wished Ginny were going with him, she had been his rock for over a year and being apart seemed a little unsettling.
*****
Ginny had once again experienced mixed feelings as the train pulled into the station. She was really looking forward to seeing her parents and other brothers again and to getting home, but she really did not want to leave Harry. He was really looking forward to seeing Sirius and Professor Lupin and she knew it would be good for him to see them, but still she wished they could stay together.
Their relationship was a lot more intense then was normal for their age, but then again it was also understandable considering that for the past year or so they had been all each other had had to remind them of the home that was thousands of miles away, and the friends and family left behind.
The four of them had walked through the barrier, and with hugs all around they had separated; Hermione going to find her parents, Harry and Hagrid getting a Muggle taxi to the nearest port key station and herself and Ron to find their mother.
She had been very close to tears after hearing Harry whisper "I love you, see you soon" as he hugged her before leaving with Hagrid. Then she had felt almost 100% better about the situation when two minutes after watching him walk away she heard her mother cry her name, and all of a sudden it was the moment she had been dreaming of and she was in her mother's arms half laughing, half crying at the weirdness of it.
She held her mothers hand, as she had as a much younger child, as they walked out to where her father and the rest of her brothers were waiting with Ministry cars to take them to The Burrow. Strangely, she did not feel self conscious or annoyed about that; it just felt right.
Ginny smiled the first genuine smile she had in 24 hours when she got outside and saw them all, her five other brothers and her dad - she was finally home again.