Chapter 4: A Hell of a Week
"Holy Merlin! OW! What the hell was that?" Harry winced in pain as Hermione wrapped his hand.
"Just a little something I whipped up. Now stop fidgeting or this is going to hurt more tomorrow morning." Hermione pushed Harry's forearm to the table.
"I swear, if I catch who did this, there will be Hell to pay."
"If you weren't trying to be the hero again, you never would have gotten hit with the hex, so blame yourself, you stupid wanker."
"Thank you Ron. I can always count on you to straighten things out. If I hadn't jumped in front of that hex, Willow would be dead right now. Son of a-"
"Harry!" Hermione shot Harry a look. Harry bit his lip as he suppressed another profanity.
The week had not gone well by any standards, and today was no exception. Expecting Harry to be in the living room that morning, Ginny had freaked when he was nowhere to be found in the burrow. He had apparated at about 5 in the morning, to the site of yet another attack, this time on the remnants of a morning witches' tea meeting. While there were no muggles to worry about this time, the Deatheaters had been much more generous in doling out Unforgiveables towards the witches. When the ministry arrived, not one had decided to leave, seeing fit to duel with the ministry officials into late in the morning.
Harry had arrived third to the scene, and done his part to rounding up who they could. But a Deatheater had fired a hex at Willow Bode while her back was turned and Harry had jumped in front of it. It had grazed his shoulder, causing a nasty gash. Harry had continued to fight, but when the Deatheaters finally disapparated, he had headed straight for Hermione's.
"There! Now put this on every two hours until tomorrow and then it should be healed. Come back if it doesn't get better though, okay?"
"Thank you Dr. Hermione, Medicine Woman," Harry added sarcastically as he stood up to apparate back to the burrow. Hermione glared at him. "I'm sorry. Thank you, really. It's been a tough week."
"I know, but it's no reason to be a brat to your friends." Harry gave her a pleading look. She sighed heavily. "Alright. Apology accepted." Harry grinned at her, and jumped the kitchen chair to give her a hug.
"You're the best."
"I know. Now get home before Ginny has a freaking heart attack." Hermione pushed Harry away, but smiled at him.
Harry chuckled. "I'll see you two later. Bye Hannah!" he called to Hermione's roommate.
Hannah stuck her out from the bathroom door, hair still dripping from her shower. "Bye Harry. Feel better, k?"
"I'll try." With that, he waved to his friends and apparated to the burrow.
*~*~*
"Why me? Why do I have to pick the boyfriend who goes out and almost gets him self killed every day? What were you thinking, just leaving like that? No note, you're gone on your day off, Ron's missing, and your hand on the clock pointing to 'Mortal Peril'. I've been sitting here worrying all morning. And then I have to hear from Hermione that you're there, and hurt besides, but you want me to stay here. You are impossible, ya know?" Ginny huffed, exasperated, as she paced across her bedroom floor.
"You done?" Harry looked up at Ginny timidly.
Ginny threw herself onto the bed, sitting next to him. "I was so worried about you, Harry. With everything that's been happening this week, and then, one morning I wake up and you're no where to be found. Don't do this to me." Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny as her head sank to his (unhurt) shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sorry." He rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I know you just want to have some sort of normal relationship-"
"That's not even it! I knew from the beginning that this, us, we would never be normal. And it doesn't bother me. I just worry about you, donning a cape and running off to save the world every weekend."
"Not every weekend," Harry mumbled.
"That's not the point, Harry! You disappear and I have no idea where you are sometimes. And with everything that has happened this week, the Prophet getting attacked, and Sirius, Remus and Bella's office being destroyed, and Hogwarts almost being broken into, what can I think when you aren't here when you're supposed to be? And what happens when you don't come back? I just found you. I don't want to lose you." (A/N: Soooooooo Cliché, I know)
"Ginny, I'll always come back, I promise. I don't want you worrying about me. And if I'm hurt, I'm hurt, but I'll always get better." Ginny sunk into Harry's lap as she tried to stifle her crying.
"So I guess I have no choice but to become an Auror so I can watch over you." Harry snorted loudly. "What? You don't think I could do it?"
"Ginny, sweetie, you could do it, no doubt about it. But you must be absolutely daft if you think that I'm going to let you do that."
"If you're going to LET me? I'm a big girl now Harry Potter. I can do what I want without you protecting me."
"Than why can't I? If you're allowed to try and protect me, I'm sure as hell going to do everything in my power to protect you." Harry wrapped his arms tighter around Ginny's waist. "You, my love, aren't going anywhere except to your desk to write that article."
Ginny laughed in spite of herself. "Impossible, you are. Never know what's going to happen tomorrow with you."
"You want to know what will happen with me tomorrow? I'll end up going to work and filing paperwork all day, until Fudge comes in and makes another attempt to get me to work for him full time. After he leaves, after I've turned him down yet AGAIN, I'll file some more paperwork until six and then I'll come home tired and pissed because Sundays are most definitely my day off." Harry got up from her bed and rummaged through a pile of his clothes in the corner of her room as he talked to her. Ginny admired him as he changed his shirt and turned back to her.
"Alright then. If you're going to have such a bad day tomorrow, we should do something tonight. I'll finish my article this afternoon while you nap a little, then I'll call Hermione and see if she and Ron want to go out somewhere tonight. Though you can't wear that shirt," she added, as she looked Harry up and down. "Imagine going to a nice restaurant with you wearing a shirt with a picture of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on it."
"But I like this shirt!" Harry whined, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Impossible. You always have to be impossible. Lie down and get some sleep, and we'll talk about this later." Harry sulked a bit, but climbed quickly into Ginny's bed. Ginny chuckled softly and pressed the on button on her laptop. She bent over and kissed Harry's forehead, and returned to her desk.
*~*~*
A few hours later, Harry was still asleep. A loud crack woke him suddenly and he sat up. Ginny was gone, and the sun was creeping in through the west window in her room. Harry made a grab for his glasses and wand and hopped from the bed carefully, listening for any other noises. He heard hushed voices and crept down the stairs to get a better listen.
"Albus, he's comfortable here. He can live his life here. I'm quite sure there isn't anywhere else he'd want to be right now."
"Be that as it may, Sirius, he can't stay here. After this morning's attack, even purebloods aren't safe. I need to take him somewhere else."
"He's 19 Albus. You can't just shuffle him about like a child anymore. He's happy here, with Ron and Ginny and us."
"Arthur, he KNOWS Harry's here. I can't put your family in that kind of danger."
"Then let him come stay with me!" Sirius slammed his fist on the table. "The girls can't protect him."
"The girl's flat is the best place for him Sirius. Voldemort has no idea that Hermione is still in England, and that she's living with Hannah. It's the last place he would look for him."
"Until someone tells him I'm there. You think no one knows that Hermione is living with Hannah?" Harry stepped into the room from the stairs, looking directly at Dumbledore. His eyes stole a glance to the right and saw Ginny sitting by herself on the couch, holding back tears.
"Harry, it's either that or Hogwarts. I can't protect you here anymore. Going to Hermione's will buy you some time, and I can set up some other wards there."
"And what happens when Voldemort misses the memo about me leaving here? Me leaving isn't going to keep him from the Burrow." Harry walked slowly to the couch, his eyes still focused on Dumbledore. "At least if I'm here, I can help if he does come. I can't leave the Weasleys without anyone here. And don't say the Aurors will help, because I beat the Aurors this morning. Sirius, Remus and I were the first people there. There wasn't a Muggle to worry about this morning and we beat the Aurors there." He sat on the couch next to Ginny, pulled her into his lap, and took her hands.
"These people are my family Professor. I'm not going to leave them open to being attacked without me here."
"You leave all the time, to go to work and such Harry. How different is this?"
"I can watch them at work. Let's say I leave here and go to Hermione's. I go to work one day and something happens here. The charm only works for 'home' Professor."
"You cannot stay here Harry. There is no other choice. I'll give you the evening to think about it, but I'll be back tomorrow morning for your decision." With an air of finality, Albus Dumbledore disapparated from the room.
Harry picked Ginny up from his lap effortlessly and set her back down on the couch. He walked purposefully towards the back door, and with a swish and a slam, he was in the backyard.
*~*~*~*
"I HATE YOU! YOU ALWAYS RUIN MY LIFE! WHY ME? WHY NOW, HUH? WHENEVER ANYTHING STARTS TO GO RIGHT, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO RUIN IT! I HATE YOU!" The words bounced back at Harry amidst the empty sky, echoing eerily. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Harry slumped to the ground, tears streaming from his face.
"He can't hear you Harry. Yelling at Voldemort won't make him go away," Sirius said, walking out from the house.
Harry sighed. "I know Sirius. I know." He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Every time I get comfortable though. I'm born, he kills my parents. I go to school, he comes back. I defeat him, and he sends a giant snake to attack all the muggle borns. I defeat him again, and he comes back again. I settle into a job, he's blows up the next-door neighbors. I come here and find the love of my life, he finds me again and I have to leave. It never fails."
"Love of your life?"
"I don't want to talk about it. I can't leave the Weasleys' Sirius. There's too much here for me."
"Harry, we don't have a choice in the matter. And you wouldn't be leaving. It would take you three seconds to get here from Hermione's, by broom or by apparating. And everyone of them could come to you just as quickly."
"Sirius, I just need to be alone. I'll be in in a little while." Harry looked up at Sirius with a distant look. Sirius nodded, and patting Harry on the shoulder, went back inside.
*~*~*
Several hours later found Harry still outside, the sky darkening as day slipped into night. Harry watched the sunset from on top of the picnic table, a crowd of garden gnomes sitting at his feet. The door closed softly behind him but he didn't turn.
"I said I wanted to be alone."
"Harry, it's me."
"I don't care if it's you Ron. Or Hermione, or Sirius, or even Ginny. I want to be alone."
"Harry, you can't sit out here all night long. Freezing to death and not sleeping isn't going to change anything. We're all still going to be here when you come back. And the problem isn't going to go away." Ron walked purposefully towards Harry, kicking garden gnomes as he got closer. "We're your friends Harry. We want to help you out."
"You're not my friends Ron! You're so much more than that. You're my family. You and Hermione, and Fred and George, and Bill, and Charlie, and even Percy. You're my family. And your mom and dad are like the parents I've never had. I can't just up and leave you in a heart beat."
"Harry, mate, you just got here a week ago. And you'd be going to Hermione's. We would see you all the time."
"Ron, it's just-"
"You don't want to leave Ginny. I know that. Hell everyone knows that. Except for perhaps Ginny herself. But you're not leaving her. You're going 5 minutes away." Harry shifted himself to look at his best mate. "You think we want you to leave? Harry, it will be okay if you go, I promise." Ron pushed himself up onto the table and looked out towards the setting sun. The door shut softly again.
"You two okay out here?" Hermione climbed up on Harry's other side. "It's starting to get a little chilly." She shivered slightly.
"We're fine." The three friends shifted closer together, attempting to keep each other warm. Harry feet kicked at the air, Ron watched the gnomes start to head back into their gnomeholes, and Hermione seemed preoccupied with the setting sun. They passed quite a few minutes in this fashion before Harry took a deep breath, calling both Hermione and Ron's attention back to him.
"Mione, are you and Hannah okay with me coming to stay?" Harry turned his head towards his other best friend. Hermione's face softened and a smile crept across her mouth.
"Of course we are! I never would have suggested it to Professor Dumbledore if we didn't want you there. And maybe this will make a certain red headed boy come visit his girlfriend more often." She threw a sly grin at Ron. Harry laughed and slung his arms around his two friends.
"You two are the best, you know that? I couldn't ask for better best mates ever." Harry turned to the house and saw Ginny's head peaking from the kitchen window. He sighed. "I guess I need to go talk to her huh?"
Hermione nodded. "She's really upset, but I think she understands. She just wants to make sure you're okay with everything."
"I should never have stayed out here for so long. How long has she been there?"
"Since Sirius came back in. Refused to eat dinner, just sat watching you out here. You have a weird effect on her. I've never seen her like this, and she's my sister." Ron turned around to the house.
"I suck at this love thing. I mean I REALLY suck." Harry laughed as he got up from the table and headed towards the house.
"I think Ginny will forgive you Harry."
With a last smile at his best friends, Harry started to the house. A squeaking hinge and a soft click signaled Harry's departure from the back yard. Ron scooted closer to Hermione. She took his hand and giggled.
"I wonder if we had any idea what we were getting into when we went into the compartment with Harry first year." Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder.
"We were clueless. But I wouldn't trade it for the world."
*~*~*
"Ginny? You okay hun?" Harry walked up behind Ginny and wound his arms around her waist.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. I just needed some time to think."
"You were talking to yourself a lot."
Harry shook his head. "Not myself. My parents."
"Do you talk to them often?"
"Yeah. I mean they don't answer back all the time. Some times they wait until I'm asleep to answer. Sometimes they answer me while I'm talking to them." Harry rested his chin on Ginny's head. "Have I ever showed you pictures of my parents?"
Ginny shook her head. Harry took her hand and led her up the stairs to Ron's room. After rummaging through his trunk for a few moments, he pulled out an old photo album. He looked like a little kid, anxious to show off a new toy. He pulled Ginny to his bed and opened the album.
"This one is of my parent's wedding. See there's Sirius. And there's them when I was born."
"You were such a cute baby!" Ginny exclaimed, watching a tiny Harry sleep in his father's arms. Harry blushed.
"This is where it gets good though. Pictures from Hogwarts!" Harry said, quickly changing the subject. The two turned through the pictures for hours, commenting on how Sirius and Remus had changed and how cute Harry's parents were together. As it neared midnight, Ron came in to go to bed.
"Jeez, it's midnight. I should be up early tomorrow. I'm sure I'm going to have to go in to the Ministry, and then moving my stuff---again."
"So have you decided if you're going to go to Hogwarts, or are you going over to Hermione and Hannah's?" Ginny broached the subject carefully so as not to get Harry upset.
"Well, after much thought and some pushed in the right direction, I think I'm going to go over to Hermione's. I can keep a better watch on you from there anyway." Harry grinned at her, putting her at ease.
"I think you're the one who needs watching, Mr. Harry Potter."
"And I'm the one who needs sleeping! Now hush up and go to bed," Ron snapped from under his pillow.
Harry laughed, and sent Ginny on her way, after a quick kiss goodnight.
"Ron, my boy, I think I love your sister."
"Big news! Like the rest of the world didn't know that already! Now sleep, or you're going to be exhausted tomorrow morning. Or should I saw later this morning!"
"Yes Mom," Harry teased as he changed into his pajama pants and climbed into bed. "Night Ron."
"Night Harry."
"Holy Merlin! OW! What the hell was that?" Harry winced in pain as Hermione wrapped his hand.
"Just a little something I whipped up. Now stop fidgeting or this is going to hurt more tomorrow morning." Hermione pushed Harry's forearm to the table.
"I swear, if I catch who did this, there will be Hell to pay."
"If you weren't trying to be the hero again, you never would have gotten hit with the hex, so blame yourself, you stupid wanker."
"Thank you Ron. I can always count on you to straighten things out. If I hadn't jumped in front of that hex, Willow would be dead right now. Son of a-"
"Harry!" Hermione shot Harry a look. Harry bit his lip as he suppressed another profanity.
The week had not gone well by any standards, and today was no exception. Expecting Harry to be in the living room that morning, Ginny had freaked when he was nowhere to be found in the burrow. He had apparated at about 5 in the morning, to the site of yet another attack, this time on the remnants of a morning witches' tea meeting. While there were no muggles to worry about this time, the Deatheaters had been much more generous in doling out Unforgiveables towards the witches. When the ministry arrived, not one had decided to leave, seeing fit to duel with the ministry officials into late in the morning.
Harry had arrived third to the scene, and done his part to rounding up who they could. But a Deatheater had fired a hex at Willow Bode while her back was turned and Harry had jumped in front of it. It had grazed his shoulder, causing a nasty gash. Harry had continued to fight, but when the Deatheaters finally disapparated, he had headed straight for Hermione's.
"There! Now put this on every two hours until tomorrow and then it should be healed. Come back if it doesn't get better though, okay?"
"Thank you Dr. Hermione, Medicine Woman," Harry added sarcastically as he stood up to apparate back to the burrow. Hermione glared at him. "I'm sorry. Thank you, really. It's been a tough week."
"I know, but it's no reason to be a brat to your friends." Harry gave her a pleading look. She sighed heavily. "Alright. Apology accepted." Harry grinned at her, and jumped the kitchen chair to give her a hug.
"You're the best."
"I know. Now get home before Ginny has a freaking heart attack." Hermione pushed Harry away, but smiled at him.
Harry chuckled. "I'll see you two later. Bye Hannah!" he called to Hermione's roommate.
Hannah stuck her out from the bathroom door, hair still dripping from her shower. "Bye Harry. Feel better, k?"
"I'll try." With that, he waved to his friends and apparated to the burrow.
*~*~*
"Why me? Why do I have to pick the boyfriend who goes out and almost gets him self killed every day? What were you thinking, just leaving like that? No note, you're gone on your day off, Ron's missing, and your hand on the clock pointing to 'Mortal Peril'. I've been sitting here worrying all morning. And then I have to hear from Hermione that you're there, and hurt besides, but you want me to stay here. You are impossible, ya know?" Ginny huffed, exasperated, as she paced across her bedroom floor.
"You done?" Harry looked up at Ginny timidly.
Ginny threw herself onto the bed, sitting next to him. "I was so worried about you, Harry. With everything that's been happening this week, and then, one morning I wake up and you're no where to be found. Don't do this to me." Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny as her head sank to his (unhurt) shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sorry." He rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I know you just want to have some sort of normal relationship-"
"That's not even it! I knew from the beginning that this, us, we would never be normal. And it doesn't bother me. I just worry about you, donning a cape and running off to save the world every weekend."
"Not every weekend," Harry mumbled.
"That's not the point, Harry! You disappear and I have no idea where you are sometimes. And with everything that has happened this week, the Prophet getting attacked, and Sirius, Remus and Bella's office being destroyed, and Hogwarts almost being broken into, what can I think when you aren't here when you're supposed to be? And what happens when you don't come back? I just found you. I don't want to lose you." (A/N: Soooooooo Cliché, I know)
"Ginny, I'll always come back, I promise. I don't want you worrying about me. And if I'm hurt, I'm hurt, but I'll always get better." Ginny sunk into Harry's lap as she tried to stifle her crying.
"So I guess I have no choice but to become an Auror so I can watch over you." Harry snorted loudly. "What? You don't think I could do it?"
"Ginny, sweetie, you could do it, no doubt about it. But you must be absolutely daft if you think that I'm going to let you do that."
"If you're going to LET me? I'm a big girl now Harry Potter. I can do what I want without you protecting me."
"Than why can't I? If you're allowed to try and protect me, I'm sure as hell going to do everything in my power to protect you." Harry wrapped his arms tighter around Ginny's waist. "You, my love, aren't going anywhere except to your desk to write that article."
Ginny laughed in spite of herself. "Impossible, you are. Never know what's going to happen tomorrow with you."
"You want to know what will happen with me tomorrow? I'll end up going to work and filing paperwork all day, until Fudge comes in and makes another attempt to get me to work for him full time. After he leaves, after I've turned him down yet AGAIN, I'll file some more paperwork until six and then I'll come home tired and pissed because Sundays are most definitely my day off." Harry got up from her bed and rummaged through a pile of his clothes in the corner of her room as he talked to her. Ginny admired him as he changed his shirt and turned back to her.
"Alright then. If you're going to have such a bad day tomorrow, we should do something tonight. I'll finish my article this afternoon while you nap a little, then I'll call Hermione and see if she and Ron want to go out somewhere tonight. Though you can't wear that shirt," she added, as she looked Harry up and down. "Imagine going to a nice restaurant with you wearing a shirt with a picture of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on it."
"But I like this shirt!" Harry whined, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Impossible. You always have to be impossible. Lie down and get some sleep, and we'll talk about this later." Harry sulked a bit, but climbed quickly into Ginny's bed. Ginny chuckled softly and pressed the on button on her laptop. She bent over and kissed Harry's forehead, and returned to her desk.
*~*~*
A few hours later, Harry was still asleep. A loud crack woke him suddenly and he sat up. Ginny was gone, and the sun was creeping in through the west window in her room. Harry made a grab for his glasses and wand and hopped from the bed carefully, listening for any other noises. He heard hushed voices and crept down the stairs to get a better listen.
"Albus, he's comfortable here. He can live his life here. I'm quite sure there isn't anywhere else he'd want to be right now."
"Be that as it may, Sirius, he can't stay here. After this morning's attack, even purebloods aren't safe. I need to take him somewhere else."
"He's 19 Albus. You can't just shuffle him about like a child anymore. He's happy here, with Ron and Ginny and us."
"Arthur, he KNOWS Harry's here. I can't put your family in that kind of danger."
"Then let him come stay with me!" Sirius slammed his fist on the table. "The girls can't protect him."
"The girl's flat is the best place for him Sirius. Voldemort has no idea that Hermione is still in England, and that she's living with Hannah. It's the last place he would look for him."
"Until someone tells him I'm there. You think no one knows that Hermione is living with Hannah?" Harry stepped into the room from the stairs, looking directly at Dumbledore. His eyes stole a glance to the right and saw Ginny sitting by herself on the couch, holding back tears.
"Harry, it's either that or Hogwarts. I can't protect you here anymore. Going to Hermione's will buy you some time, and I can set up some other wards there."
"And what happens when Voldemort misses the memo about me leaving here? Me leaving isn't going to keep him from the Burrow." Harry walked slowly to the couch, his eyes still focused on Dumbledore. "At least if I'm here, I can help if he does come. I can't leave the Weasleys without anyone here. And don't say the Aurors will help, because I beat the Aurors this morning. Sirius, Remus and I were the first people there. There wasn't a Muggle to worry about this morning and we beat the Aurors there." He sat on the couch next to Ginny, pulled her into his lap, and took her hands.
"These people are my family Professor. I'm not going to leave them open to being attacked without me here."
"You leave all the time, to go to work and such Harry. How different is this?"
"I can watch them at work. Let's say I leave here and go to Hermione's. I go to work one day and something happens here. The charm only works for 'home' Professor."
"You cannot stay here Harry. There is no other choice. I'll give you the evening to think about it, but I'll be back tomorrow morning for your decision." With an air of finality, Albus Dumbledore disapparated from the room.
Harry picked Ginny up from his lap effortlessly and set her back down on the couch. He walked purposefully towards the back door, and with a swish and a slam, he was in the backyard.
*~*~*~*
"I HATE YOU! YOU ALWAYS RUIN MY LIFE! WHY ME? WHY NOW, HUH? WHENEVER ANYTHING STARTS TO GO RIGHT, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO RUIN IT! I HATE YOU!" The words bounced back at Harry amidst the empty sky, echoing eerily. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Harry slumped to the ground, tears streaming from his face.
"He can't hear you Harry. Yelling at Voldemort won't make him go away," Sirius said, walking out from the house.
Harry sighed. "I know Sirius. I know." He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Every time I get comfortable though. I'm born, he kills my parents. I go to school, he comes back. I defeat him, and he sends a giant snake to attack all the muggle borns. I defeat him again, and he comes back again. I settle into a job, he's blows up the next-door neighbors. I come here and find the love of my life, he finds me again and I have to leave. It never fails."
"Love of your life?"
"I don't want to talk about it. I can't leave the Weasleys' Sirius. There's too much here for me."
"Harry, we don't have a choice in the matter. And you wouldn't be leaving. It would take you three seconds to get here from Hermione's, by broom or by apparating. And everyone of them could come to you just as quickly."
"Sirius, I just need to be alone. I'll be in in a little while." Harry looked up at Sirius with a distant look. Sirius nodded, and patting Harry on the shoulder, went back inside.
*~*~*
Several hours later found Harry still outside, the sky darkening as day slipped into night. Harry watched the sunset from on top of the picnic table, a crowd of garden gnomes sitting at his feet. The door closed softly behind him but he didn't turn.
"I said I wanted to be alone."
"Harry, it's me."
"I don't care if it's you Ron. Or Hermione, or Sirius, or even Ginny. I want to be alone."
"Harry, you can't sit out here all night long. Freezing to death and not sleeping isn't going to change anything. We're all still going to be here when you come back. And the problem isn't going to go away." Ron walked purposefully towards Harry, kicking garden gnomes as he got closer. "We're your friends Harry. We want to help you out."
"You're not my friends Ron! You're so much more than that. You're my family. You and Hermione, and Fred and George, and Bill, and Charlie, and even Percy. You're my family. And your mom and dad are like the parents I've never had. I can't just up and leave you in a heart beat."
"Harry, mate, you just got here a week ago. And you'd be going to Hermione's. We would see you all the time."
"Ron, it's just-"
"You don't want to leave Ginny. I know that. Hell everyone knows that. Except for perhaps Ginny herself. But you're not leaving her. You're going 5 minutes away." Harry shifted himself to look at his best mate. "You think we want you to leave? Harry, it will be okay if you go, I promise." Ron pushed himself up onto the table and looked out towards the setting sun. The door shut softly again.
"You two okay out here?" Hermione climbed up on Harry's other side. "It's starting to get a little chilly." She shivered slightly.
"We're fine." The three friends shifted closer together, attempting to keep each other warm. Harry feet kicked at the air, Ron watched the gnomes start to head back into their gnomeholes, and Hermione seemed preoccupied with the setting sun. They passed quite a few minutes in this fashion before Harry took a deep breath, calling both Hermione and Ron's attention back to him.
"Mione, are you and Hannah okay with me coming to stay?" Harry turned his head towards his other best friend. Hermione's face softened and a smile crept across her mouth.
"Of course we are! I never would have suggested it to Professor Dumbledore if we didn't want you there. And maybe this will make a certain red headed boy come visit his girlfriend more often." She threw a sly grin at Ron. Harry laughed and slung his arms around his two friends.
"You two are the best, you know that? I couldn't ask for better best mates ever." Harry turned to the house and saw Ginny's head peaking from the kitchen window. He sighed. "I guess I need to go talk to her huh?"
Hermione nodded. "She's really upset, but I think she understands. She just wants to make sure you're okay with everything."
"I should never have stayed out here for so long. How long has she been there?"
"Since Sirius came back in. Refused to eat dinner, just sat watching you out here. You have a weird effect on her. I've never seen her like this, and she's my sister." Ron turned around to the house.
"I suck at this love thing. I mean I REALLY suck." Harry laughed as he got up from the table and headed towards the house.
"I think Ginny will forgive you Harry."
With a last smile at his best friends, Harry started to the house. A squeaking hinge and a soft click signaled Harry's departure from the back yard. Ron scooted closer to Hermione. She took his hand and giggled.
"I wonder if we had any idea what we were getting into when we went into the compartment with Harry first year." Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder.
"We were clueless. But I wouldn't trade it for the world."
*~*~*
"Ginny? You okay hun?" Harry walked up behind Ginny and wound his arms around her waist.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. I just needed some time to think."
"You were talking to yourself a lot."
Harry shook his head. "Not myself. My parents."
"Do you talk to them often?"
"Yeah. I mean they don't answer back all the time. Some times they wait until I'm asleep to answer. Sometimes they answer me while I'm talking to them." Harry rested his chin on Ginny's head. "Have I ever showed you pictures of my parents?"
Ginny shook her head. Harry took her hand and led her up the stairs to Ron's room. After rummaging through his trunk for a few moments, he pulled out an old photo album. He looked like a little kid, anxious to show off a new toy. He pulled Ginny to his bed and opened the album.
"This one is of my parent's wedding. See there's Sirius. And there's them when I was born."
"You were such a cute baby!" Ginny exclaimed, watching a tiny Harry sleep in his father's arms. Harry blushed.
"This is where it gets good though. Pictures from Hogwarts!" Harry said, quickly changing the subject. The two turned through the pictures for hours, commenting on how Sirius and Remus had changed and how cute Harry's parents were together. As it neared midnight, Ron came in to go to bed.
"Jeez, it's midnight. I should be up early tomorrow. I'm sure I'm going to have to go in to the Ministry, and then moving my stuff---again."
"So have you decided if you're going to go to Hogwarts, or are you going over to Hermione and Hannah's?" Ginny broached the subject carefully so as not to get Harry upset.
"Well, after much thought and some pushed in the right direction, I think I'm going to go over to Hermione's. I can keep a better watch on you from there anyway." Harry grinned at her, putting her at ease.
"I think you're the one who needs watching, Mr. Harry Potter."
"And I'm the one who needs sleeping! Now hush up and go to bed," Ron snapped from under his pillow.
Harry laughed, and sent Ginny on her way, after a quick kiss goodnight.
"Ron, my boy, I think I love your sister."
"Big news! Like the rest of the world didn't know that already! Now sleep, or you're going to be exhausted tomorrow morning. Or should I saw later this morning!"
"Yes Mom," Harry teased as he changed into his pajama pants and climbed into bed. "Night Ron."
"Night Harry."