Harry Potter and the Eye of Tae Nan
By Kyizi
Disclaimer: I own none of the main characters and only a few of the minor ones. J.K. Rowling created these characters, and as far as I know, they are still her property. Only the story is mine.
Rating: If you can read the books then you can read this.
Timeline/Spoilers: Starts in the summer holidays after the fourth book and will continue through Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts. Therefore, there will be spoilers for all four books.
Notes: I'm attempting to write this in the same style as J.K. Rowling writes the books. I'm basically trying to write, in essence the next book. Well, where my imagination takes it at least! I realise that to do what she will is an impossibility, but I'm just having a bit of fun and *need* to get this out of my head! You may notice that a lot of the first chapter will simple rehash the last book, but as I'm planning on integrating it all into my story, I felt it needed to be done.
Summary: Harry and his friends are back at Hogwarts for their fifth year. But with Voldemort back, what lengths will they have to go to to protect the ones they love? Cemara stones, Atlantis, interschool exchanges and Animagi, what can possibly go wrong.?
Feedback: Please let me know how I'm doing as I'm attempting a completely different style and pointers, praise, tips and ideas are all welcome, as is constructive criticism. Please send no flames.
Email address: kyizifanfic@hotmail.com
Yahoo Group:
Notes: A big thanks to my betas Heliona and Loriel who spent ages trawling through this! Love ya! *mwah*
(ff.net was having issues with the spacing in this one, so I had to double them, sorry if it's annoying!)
~x~x~x~x~x~
Part Three
Hurricane Ginny
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Stepping out into the garden, Harry stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before him. The Weasleys were notorious for their temper, but what greeted Harry definitely took him by surprise. The garden was in a state of uproar. The garden gnomes were scurrying out through the fence in droves, the flowers all seemed to be standing at attention, as if awaiting for the inevitable, the garden furniture was all lying haphazardly in one corner, looking rather like it had been thrown there, but it was the scene in the centre of the garden that had his full attention.
Knowing the Weasley twins' love of mischief, it did not surprise Harry that they were in the thick of it. What did surprise him was that they were currently hanging upside down in mid-air, bobbing up and down in such a way that their heads were bouncing off the ground. The Weasley twins were identical down to the last freckle, but Harry had grown used to telling them apart, however, from this distance, Harry had no idea which twin was which. Their arms were flailing about as they shouted at their mother to help them. Mrs. Weasley, for her part, was dividing her attention between consoling the twins, trying to get Ron out of the way, and attempting to resolve the situation.
However, what really surprised Harry was that, in the centre of the garden, floating a little off the ground, surrounded by a whirl of wind, was none other than Ginny Weasley. Her hair flew about her, her freckles seemed to be pulsing, her hands were clenched at her sides, and her face and eyes were currently so red they were clashing with her deep ginger hair. He wasn't sure, but Harry thought she seemed to be glowing ever so slightly, a silver light seemed to pulse about her, making her hair and eyes sparkle.
Harry stared at her with his mouth agape as she continued to wreak havoc on her surroundings. He had heard that Ginny had the worst temper of all the Weasleys, her brothers swore testament to it. But this was nothing to what he had expected. How could it be? All he had ever seen of the youngest Weasley was when she stuttered and blushed, dropped her elbow in the butter and made her excuses to leave when he was around. The only time he had ever spent with her, aside from that, was during her first year at Hogwarts when she had been under the spell of Tom Riddle's diary.
"Bit of a spitfire, isn't she?"
Harry jumped a little, and turned to see Charlie and Bill standing beside him. Charlie winked at him before grimacing as he watched Fred's head take a rather nasty sting from a nearby flower. Bill had already moved further into the garden and was heading towards Mrs. Weasley, who looked to be getting rather angry herself.
Harry grimaced as both twins began to sway from side to side, swinging dangerously close to each other. They seemed to be doing acrobatics in order to stop from hitting each other, and that still didn't seem to help.
"Don't worry," Charlie said, patting him on his back. "You should be all right, it's the rest of us I'm worried about."
"What-what happened?"
"The twins were being, well, themselves." Charlie shook his head and smirked a little. "They charmed all her animals to sing to her and charmed her soap, turning her red. Although, to be honest, if it didn't clash so much with her hair, I don't think she'd be quite so mad." The twins seemed to have lost control of their legs as they began to do some kind of complicated tap routines, still hanging upside down. "Or maybe she would. Also, they can't seem to make up the reverse charm."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh."
Harry watched as Bill cautiously approached his sister in an attempt to calm her, but, before he was so much as a few feet away, he flew backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. If there was one thing Harry was sure of, it was that he would make an effort never to make the youngest Weasley angry.
"Harry, dear!" Turning at the tense sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice, he noticed the twins fall to the ground.
"Ouch!"
The garden was filled with silence, a hushed, eerie kind of awkwardness. The twins were still lying on the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads, no doubt dizzy from the sudden change in both altitude and orientation. They were staring at Ginny with a mix of anger and fear, but neither said a word. Ron, Bill, and Charlie looked relieved and, to be honest, Harry agreed with them. It was unnerving to see someone use so much power, to seem to be able to concentrate it, and yet at the same time not be in control of it.
The wild look was gone from Ginny's eyes, and she stared at Harry in horror. Harry shifted his feet, feeling more than a little embarrassed. Ginny had started to speak to him more last year at Hogwarts and, although she still seemed a little hesitant, things had been a lot less awkward. What Harry saw in her eyes now was the same look that eleven-year-old Ginny had given him the first time she had been faced with him. He didn't like it.
Mrs. Weasley collected herself and pulled out her wand, casting a spell on Fred to stop the swelling on his head, no doubt a result of the sting he had received a few moments earlier. No one else dared to move.
"Fred! George! I want you to apologise to your sister this instant!"
"But she's the one that's been."
"What? You can't be serious!"
".flying us around the garden for the last two hours!"
"She was the one who made us."
"Enough! Virginia will be dealt with, but I want you to apologise now!" There was silence and Harry became aware of a chorus of voices coming from upstairs. When he listened, the words became clearer and clearer. ".His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad." Harry began to blush, as Ginny looked away in embarrassment, she was bright red from head to toe, although he supposed she would look the same despite the spell.
"And for goodness sakes will you silence those silly toys!"
The twins stood and muttered an angry 'Sorry' to their sister, but scurried into the house the minute Ginny glared back at them. A few moments later, the noise inside stopped, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to have that playing in the background. Bill had pulled himself to his feet and was brushing off his trousers as he approached his sister. After a short talk with Ginny, Bill stepped back, allowing her to approach their mother.
Harry watched as Ginny received a lecture from Mrs. Weasley, all the while staring at her hands as she fidgeted with them. He couldn't help but feel that he was intruding on a family moment, something that he shouldn't be present for. As much as he felt that the Weasleys were family, the situation made him uncomfortable.
As if sensing his unease, Charlie tugged at his sleeve and motioned to the kitchen. Nodding, and offering the elder Weasley a small smile, he followed and entered the kitchen. The Weasleys' house seemed quiet and small in comparison to the scene that had greeted him in the garden.
"Sorry 'bout that. Wasn't exactly what we were expecting to come home to either, but I remember this all too well. That's why we agreed to come get you. Got us out of the house again." Charlie smiled, and Harry took a seat next to him at the table.
"How is.I mean, how is everything going?" Harry desperately wanted to ask Charlie about his godfather, about the war, about their part in it, about anything to do with Voldemort, but he couldn't. He knew that all the Weasleys that had left school were helping Dumbledore with his fight against Voldemort, a fight that he desperately wished he could be a part of. He knew that even if he had asked, Charlie could not have told him anything.
"It's okay," Charlie said, before laughing a little morbidly. "Okay, it's not okay. Harry, you're old enough to know, and you've been through enough to know that everything isn't okay. But we're fighting, and it's difficult, but it's real. We're making a difference. And we can only hope that, in the end, it matters."
Harry nodded, unsure what he could possibly say to Charlie. There was nothing. Harry looked at the older man again and smiled. "Say hello to Sirius for me when you see him?"
"I will. Oh, and Harry, there's something you need to know about Ginny."
"There's more?"
Charlie laughed and ruffled Harry's already messy hair. "There's a lot more, but I'm sure you'll find all that out on your own." Charlie shook his head and leaned forward. "What I was going to say was, Ginny knows about Sirius."
Harry frowned. "Oh. H-how?"
"It's okay, she took a while to get used to it, but everything's okay. She walked into Dad's office when we were having a meeting. We were all there, and she freaked a bit. Sirius had a word with her and she seems okay about it."
"Sirius spoke to her?"
Charlie smiled. "Yes, he did. But don't ask me what he said, only he and Ginny know that."
"Oh."
Hearing voices behind him, Harry turned to see the rest of the Weasleys enter, including Mr. Weasley and Percy, who had just Apparated from work. Percy was scowling at Ginny, but wisely keeping his distance, and Mr. Weasley appeared to be grinning.
"Now then, Ginny, let's see what we can do about this blushing problem you seem to have at the moment." Mr. Weasley chuckled at Ginny's glare. Unlike Mrs. Weasley, who was short and slightly round, Mr. Weasley was a tall, thin, slightly balding man with a strange fascination for all things Muggle. And he also seemed to be the only Weasley that wasn't currently afraid to tease his daughter. He looked over and the table and smiled widely. "Hello there, Harry! Nice to have you with us again."
Nodding to the living room, he followed Ginny through, and Harry couldn't help but notice the worn-down, sad look that seemed to be hiding in the back of his eyes. In the instant that he had stopped smiling at Harry, he seemed to age about ten years and Harry didn't like it.
"C'mon, Harry, let's go up to my room. Hermione's coming over in a few weeks. We should send her a letter to let her know you're here."
"Oh, another letter to Hermione?" Bill teased, sitting next to Charlie, who hit him.
"Leave our little brother alone. I remember when you were sending letters to Monica McGonagall all summer."
"Leave your brother alone, Monica was a lovely girl," Mrs. Weasley fussed before heading back out into the garden to sort out the mess.
Ron looked horrified. "McGonagall as in."
Charlie smirked as Bill pushed him off his chair. "As in Minerva McGonagall's niece."
"You dated McGonagall's niece?" Ron asked his brother incredulously.
"What? She was hot!" Bill winked and Charlie laughed at their brother's face. Harry smiled but couldn't help agreeing with Ron. There was something about Bill dating their stony-faced teacher's niece that was just wrong.
"Wasn't she a Slytherin, too?" Charlie asked, laughing as Bill jokingly drew his wand.
"What?" Ron's eyes widened in horror and he shook his head. "If it wasn't for the hair I'd swear we weren't brothers." With that he turned and stalked out of the room, Harry trailing after him.
He smiled at Ginny as she stood at the fireplace, gritting her teeth. She was no longer red, which Harry supposed was a good thing, however, she was now purple, and she didn't seem happy about it. Ginny smiled a little and turned back to her father who was mumbling, ".fascinating really.if only Professor Snape knew how well they'd listened to him.hmmm.fascinating.." By the time Harry closed the door behind him, Ginny was blue, but her eyes seemed to be getting redder by the minute.
Ron shuddered, and began to climb the narrow, creaky stairs to the top of his house. Harry followed his friend up the stairs, aware that Ron was also taller that he remembered. Harry had hoped that his growth this summer would make him as tall as his best friend, but it didn't look like Ron was going to stop growing until he had at least matched Percy. Ron's bedroom was on the top floor of the rickety old house, right underneath their haunted attic, which meant that he had to deal with the ghoul making a lot of noise. But ghoul or no, Harry loved the Weasleys' house.
"Dunno what the twins thought they were doing, getting Ginny all worked up like that." Ron said, jumping a little as a small *POP!* came from the twins' room as they passed. "Even I know better than to make her angry. She's creepy, she is. Her eyes go all red, and she flies, and goes all sparkly and, did you see that wind about her?" Ron shook his head and Harry frowned. He'd thought her eyes going red was part of the potion the twins had given her, but apparently it wasn't.
Harry smiled as Ron opened the door to his room, the familiar, yet near- blinding orange of the walls hitting him full force. Ron's favourite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, still decorated the room and Harry watched as they zipped around on their broomsticks, playing and waving at him. He loved wizard pictures. They moved as if the events were playing on a television. Harry saw Pig, Ron's owl, jumping about in his cage, and smiled. It was nice to know that some things didn't change.
"Look!" Ron said and Harry turned to see him holding up dress robes of a dark purple cloth. "Twins gave me them, said I was embarrassing when I showed up with those horrible dress robes last year."
Harry smiled, knowing that the twins had bought Ron's robes due to a request he had made of them. After co-winning the Tri-Wizard tournament last year, Harry had been the only surviving winner but hadn't felt right keeping the money. He had enough, and keeping it would have made him feel like he was being paid for letting Cedric die. So, instead, he had given the money to the twins, requesting that they keep making their practical jokes (a line of goods that they called Weasley Wizard Wheezes) and buy Ron some decent dress robes (his were awful and had been all frilly).
"They're great," he said, smiling.
Sitting on his trunk, Charlie or Bill must have sent it up the stairs, Harry watched as Ron began a letter to Hermione. Harry still wasn't sure what to make of everything he'd seen and heard today. To be honest, he was rather uncomfortable about the whole thing. Ginny was Ron's younger sister and he had hard time thinking about the power she seemed to possess. He knew that all wizards and witches had that power, but he also knew that most of them had trouble using it without a wand. He could help wondering where Ginny had learned to do this. There was also the matter of the conversation Sirius had had with Ginny, he wasn't sure what to make of that. Harry had a hard enough time talking to his godfather himself, he wasn't sure how he felt about Ginny getting to spend time with him.
He sighed, and turned back to Ron, who was waving the piece of parchment at him. Shaking away his thoughts, Harry walked to the desk and added a few lines to Ron's letter and decided not to think about it. He still had about a month left of his holiday and he was determined to have a good time.
*
"If nothing else, you de-gnomed the garden, Gin," Mr. Weasley said, winking across the table at his daughter. Despite having finally been returned to her normal colouring, Ginny was turning slightly pink, obviously embarrassed by her earlier behaviour.
The entire Weasley family, plus Harry were sitting around two large tables in the now tidy back garden. The large meal was almost over and Harry was feeling more full than he had been since his last meal at Hogwarts.
"Everyone done?" Bill asked. At the consensus of nods, he pulled out his wand and sent the dishes into the kitchen. He glanced across the table at his mother, who nodded, and Harry felt instantly fearful at the looks that had suddenly appeared on everyone's faces. Before he could ask Ron what was going on, Bill and Charlie waved their wands and suddenly a large cake and a small pile of presents appeared on the table. There was a chorus of "Happy Birthday, Harry!" and he felt his face flush. After all the excitement of the day, he had completely forgotten that Ron had mentioned having something for him.
"Go on, mate, blow out the candles!" Jerking back to attention, Harry smiled and stood up in order to see over the cake. He felt a bit silly standing up in front of everyone, but it wasn't long before everyone else was standing as well and Harry was thankful that they knew him so well. He closed his eyes and prepared to blow out the candles when he heard Ginny, who was on his right side, whisper, "Make a wish." It was something that Harry hadn't thought of, but the instant she said the words he wished to see Sirius alive and well, and free, before blowing out the candles.
There was a cheer, and Harry looked down the table at Mrs. Weasley, who was smiling at him with a look she often sent in the direction of her own children and again, Harry was happy to be a surrogate Weasley.
"Presents!" Ron cried and Harry turned to face him with a grin. Shaking his head, Harry sat down as Bill sent the cake back into the kitchen so that they could all see across the table. Harry smiled and opened his presents one by one. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him some clothes that he was always grateful for, considering that he had grown up with Dudley hand-me- downs. Bill had given him a Pernot, which was a charm for good health.
"Considering the amount of time you've managed to injure yourself this last year, I thought it might come in handy!"
Charlie had given him a key ring with what looked suspiciously like a dragon tooth. "It's from that Hungarian Horntail. Thought you could use it for luck!" Harry smiled. Charlie had a weird sense of luck; all he thought of when he pictured that dragon was a near death experience.
He smiled and turned to the next present, which was rather large, and from the looks on Fred and George's faces when he picked it up, he had a feeling it was a present from the twins. He eyed the parcel suspiciously before shaking it a little.
"Don't do that!" both twins cried, jumping from their seats, and Harry almost dropped the present in surprise.
"Just, be careful," Fred said, as they took their seats again.
"Don't worry, Harry, it won't bite!" George said with a smirk. Shaking his head and figuring that the twins were unlikely to give him anything too bad in front of their parents, especially after what they had done to Ginny earlier, he cautiously opened the present.
There was a loud bang and Harry coughed as a puff of orange smoke surrounded him. He took a moment as the mist cleared and blinked before taking his glasses off and wiping them clean. After a moment, the entire table burst out laughing and he frowned.
"What?"
"Well now, Harry," Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Looks like you're an honorary Weasley after all!"
Harry frowned more and turned to question Ron, but his friend had fallen onto the ground he was laughing so hard, so instead he turned to Ginny. The youngest Weasley was laughing at him, but seemed composed enough to answer.
"What is it?"
"Y-your hair!" she exclaimed, reaching a hand up to tug at the strands. "It's ginger."
Harry laughed and shook his head. "Can I see?"
Charlie pulled out his wand and a mirror appeared in front of him. Harry looked into it and began to laugh. He might feel like a Weasley at times, but he was glad he didn't have the hair. It really did look comical.
"That's not all," Ginny whispered to him. Turning to look at her, he frowned and she pointed to the twins' present, before bringing her finger to her mouth and indicating to be quiet about it in front of her parents. Taking a look inside the box, almost afraid that it would do something else to him, he spotted a few smaller boxes at the bottom.
"It's more from Weasley Wizard Wheezes," Ginny whispered.
He looked across the table at Fred and George and mouthed a thank you, before turning to the last two presents on the table. There was one from Ron and one from Ginny. Deciding to open his best friend's present last, he picked up the gift marked from Ginny. It was a small box, and he made quick business of the wrapping before opening it. Suddenly a big, round, red clown nose jumped out of the box and attached to his nose. He pulled at it to take it off, and it screamed. The entire table began to laugh, and looking in the mirror again, he couldn't help but laugh himself. With the bright orange hair and the big red nose, added with the fact that his face was flushed, he was a very amusing sight.
"Way to go, Gin!" Fred exclaimed.
"You'll be one of us in no time," George laughed.
Harry turned to Ginny, who was turning red again. She turned to Charlie, who nodded and muttered a small spell and the nose fell back into the box.
"The spell to take it off is in the box," Ginny said, and turned away, the shyness that Harry had been glad to see the back of, returning.
"Thank you," he said and turned back to the table, picking up Ron's gift. It was a square box and he opened it a little slower than the others. It was a chess set. Nothing too fancy, just a small set with tiny pieces that were all squeaking at him.
"Sorry, it's not a big set, but I thought you could practice. Bill charmed the whites to play by themselves, so you'll be able to play on your own. Make things more interesting when I beat you next time."
Harry smiled thinking of Hermione's present. "You might be surprised."
The rest of the evening went by quickly. They ate cake, and then played a quick game of Quidditch until the light faded. By the end of the evening, Harry was exhausted, but happier than he had been all summer, and he collapsed into bed, falling asleep only moments later.
~x~x~x~x~x~
End of Part Three
By Kyizi
Disclaimer: I own none of the main characters and only a few of the minor ones. J.K. Rowling created these characters, and as far as I know, they are still her property. Only the story is mine.
Rating: If you can read the books then you can read this.
Timeline/Spoilers: Starts in the summer holidays after the fourth book and will continue through Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts. Therefore, there will be spoilers for all four books.
Notes: I'm attempting to write this in the same style as J.K. Rowling writes the books. I'm basically trying to write, in essence the next book. Well, where my imagination takes it at least! I realise that to do what she will is an impossibility, but I'm just having a bit of fun and *need* to get this out of my head! You may notice that a lot of the first chapter will simple rehash the last book, but as I'm planning on integrating it all into my story, I felt it needed to be done.
Summary: Harry and his friends are back at Hogwarts for their fifth year. But with Voldemort back, what lengths will they have to go to to protect the ones they love? Cemara stones, Atlantis, interschool exchanges and Animagi, what can possibly go wrong.?
Feedback: Please let me know how I'm doing as I'm attempting a completely different style and pointers, praise, tips and ideas are all welcome, as is constructive criticism. Please send no flames.
Email address: kyizifanfic@hotmail.com
Yahoo Group:
Notes: A big thanks to my betas Heliona and Loriel who spent ages trawling through this! Love ya! *mwah*
(ff.net was having issues with the spacing in this one, so I had to double them, sorry if it's annoying!)
~x~x~x~x~x~
Part Three
Hurricane Ginny
~x~x~x~x~x~
Stepping out into the garden, Harry stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before him. The Weasleys were notorious for their temper, but what greeted Harry definitely took him by surprise. The garden was in a state of uproar. The garden gnomes were scurrying out through the fence in droves, the flowers all seemed to be standing at attention, as if awaiting for the inevitable, the garden furniture was all lying haphazardly in one corner, looking rather like it had been thrown there, but it was the scene in the centre of the garden that had his full attention.
Knowing the Weasley twins' love of mischief, it did not surprise Harry that they were in the thick of it. What did surprise him was that they were currently hanging upside down in mid-air, bobbing up and down in such a way that their heads were bouncing off the ground. The Weasley twins were identical down to the last freckle, but Harry had grown used to telling them apart, however, from this distance, Harry had no idea which twin was which. Their arms were flailing about as they shouted at their mother to help them. Mrs. Weasley, for her part, was dividing her attention between consoling the twins, trying to get Ron out of the way, and attempting to resolve the situation.
However, what really surprised Harry was that, in the centre of the garden, floating a little off the ground, surrounded by a whirl of wind, was none other than Ginny Weasley. Her hair flew about her, her freckles seemed to be pulsing, her hands were clenched at her sides, and her face and eyes were currently so red they were clashing with her deep ginger hair. He wasn't sure, but Harry thought she seemed to be glowing ever so slightly, a silver light seemed to pulse about her, making her hair and eyes sparkle.
Harry stared at her with his mouth agape as she continued to wreak havoc on her surroundings. He had heard that Ginny had the worst temper of all the Weasleys, her brothers swore testament to it. But this was nothing to what he had expected. How could it be? All he had ever seen of the youngest Weasley was when she stuttered and blushed, dropped her elbow in the butter and made her excuses to leave when he was around. The only time he had ever spent with her, aside from that, was during her first year at Hogwarts when she had been under the spell of Tom Riddle's diary.
"Bit of a spitfire, isn't she?"
Harry jumped a little, and turned to see Charlie and Bill standing beside him. Charlie winked at him before grimacing as he watched Fred's head take a rather nasty sting from a nearby flower. Bill had already moved further into the garden and was heading towards Mrs. Weasley, who looked to be getting rather angry herself.
Harry grimaced as both twins began to sway from side to side, swinging dangerously close to each other. They seemed to be doing acrobatics in order to stop from hitting each other, and that still didn't seem to help.
"Don't worry," Charlie said, patting him on his back. "You should be all right, it's the rest of us I'm worried about."
"What-what happened?"
"The twins were being, well, themselves." Charlie shook his head and smirked a little. "They charmed all her animals to sing to her and charmed her soap, turning her red. Although, to be honest, if it didn't clash so much with her hair, I don't think she'd be quite so mad." The twins seemed to have lost control of their legs as they began to do some kind of complicated tap routines, still hanging upside down. "Or maybe she would. Also, they can't seem to make up the reverse charm."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh."
Harry watched as Bill cautiously approached his sister in an attempt to calm her, but, before he was so much as a few feet away, he flew backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. If there was one thing Harry was sure of, it was that he would make an effort never to make the youngest Weasley angry.
"Harry, dear!" Turning at the tense sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice, he noticed the twins fall to the ground.
"Ouch!"
The garden was filled with silence, a hushed, eerie kind of awkwardness. The twins were still lying on the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads, no doubt dizzy from the sudden change in both altitude and orientation. They were staring at Ginny with a mix of anger and fear, but neither said a word. Ron, Bill, and Charlie looked relieved and, to be honest, Harry agreed with them. It was unnerving to see someone use so much power, to seem to be able to concentrate it, and yet at the same time not be in control of it.
The wild look was gone from Ginny's eyes, and she stared at Harry in horror. Harry shifted his feet, feeling more than a little embarrassed. Ginny had started to speak to him more last year at Hogwarts and, although she still seemed a little hesitant, things had been a lot less awkward. What Harry saw in her eyes now was the same look that eleven-year-old Ginny had given him the first time she had been faced with him. He didn't like it.
Mrs. Weasley collected herself and pulled out her wand, casting a spell on Fred to stop the swelling on his head, no doubt a result of the sting he had received a few moments earlier. No one else dared to move.
"Fred! George! I want you to apologise to your sister this instant!"
"But she's the one that's been."
"What? You can't be serious!"
".flying us around the garden for the last two hours!"
"She was the one who made us."
"Enough! Virginia will be dealt with, but I want you to apologise now!" There was silence and Harry became aware of a chorus of voices coming from upstairs. When he listened, the words became clearer and clearer. ".His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad." Harry began to blush, as Ginny looked away in embarrassment, she was bright red from head to toe, although he supposed she would look the same despite the spell.
"And for goodness sakes will you silence those silly toys!"
The twins stood and muttered an angry 'Sorry' to their sister, but scurried into the house the minute Ginny glared back at them. A few moments later, the noise inside stopped, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to have that playing in the background. Bill had pulled himself to his feet and was brushing off his trousers as he approached his sister. After a short talk with Ginny, Bill stepped back, allowing her to approach their mother.
Harry watched as Ginny received a lecture from Mrs. Weasley, all the while staring at her hands as she fidgeted with them. He couldn't help but feel that he was intruding on a family moment, something that he shouldn't be present for. As much as he felt that the Weasleys were family, the situation made him uncomfortable.
As if sensing his unease, Charlie tugged at his sleeve and motioned to the kitchen. Nodding, and offering the elder Weasley a small smile, he followed and entered the kitchen. The Weasleys' house seemed quiet and small in comparison to the scene that had greeted him in the garden.
"Sorry 'bout that. Wasn't exactly what we were expecting to come home to either, but I remember this all too well. That's why we agreed to come get you. Got us out of the house again." Charlie smiled, and Harry took a seat next to him at the table.
"How is.I mean, how is everything going?" Harry desperately wanted to ask Charlie about his godfather, about the war, about their part in it, about anything to do with Voldemort, but he couldn't. He knew that all the Weasleys that had left school were helping Dumbledore with his fight against Voldemort, a fight that he desperately wished he could be a part of. He knew that even if he had asked, Charlie could not have told him anything.
"It's okay," Charlie said, before laughing a little morbidly. "Okay, it's not okay. Harry, you're old enough to know, and you've been through enough to know that everything isn't okay. But we're fighting, and it's difficult, but it's real. We're making a difference. And we can only hope that, in the end, it matters."
Harry nodded, unsure what he could possibly say to Charlie. There was nothing. Harry looked at the older man again and smiled. "Say hello to Sirius for me when you see him?"
"I will. Oh, and Harry, there's something you need to know about Ginny."
"There's more?"
Charlie laughed and ruffled Harry's already messy hair. "There's a lot more, but I'm sure you'll find all that out on your own." Charlie shook his head and leaned forward. "What I was going to say was, Ginny knows about Sirius."
Harry frowned. "Oh. H-how?"
"It's okay, she took a while to get used to it, but everything's okay. She walked into Dad's office when we were having a meeting. We were all there, and she freaked a bit. Sirius had a word with her and she seems okay about it."
"Sirius spoke to her?"
Charlie smiled. "Yes, he did. But don't ask me what he said, only he and Ginny know that."
"Oh."
Hearing voices behind him, Harry turned to see the rest of the Weasleys enter, including Mr. Weasley and Percy, who had just Apparated from work. Percy was scowling at Ginny, but wisely keeping his distance, and Mr. Weasley appeared to be grinning.
"Now then, Ginny, let's see what we can do about this blushing problem you seem to have at the moment." Mr. Weasley chuckled at Ginny's glare. Unlike Mrs. Weasley, who was short and slightly round, Mr. Weasley was a tall, thin, slightly balding man with a strange fascination for all things Muggle. And he also seemed to be the only Weasley that wasn't currently afraid to tease his daughter. He looked over and the table and smiled widely. "Hello there, Harry! Nice to have you with us again."
Nodding to the living room, he followed Ginny through, and Harry couldn't help but notice the worn-down, sad look that seemed to be hiding in the back of his eyes. In the instant that he had stopped smiling at Harry, he seemed to age about ten years and Harry didn't like it.
"C'mon, Harry, let's go up to my room. Hermione's coming over in a few weeks. We should send her a letter to let her know you're here."
"Oh, another letter to Hermione?" Bill teased, sitting next to Charlie, who hit him.
"Leave our little brother alone. I remember when you were sending letters to Monica McGonagall all summer."
"Leave your brother alone, Monica was a lovely girl," Mrs. Weasley fussed before heading back out into the garden to sort out the mess.
Ron looked horrified. "McGonagall as in."
Charlie smirked as Bill pushed him off his chair. "As in Minerva McGonagall's niece."
"You dated McGonagall's niece?" Ron asked his brother incredulously.
"What? She was hot!" Bill winked and Charlie laughed at their brother's face. Harry smiled but couldn't help agreeing with Ron. There was something about Bill dating their stony-faced teacher's niece that was just wrong.
"Wasn't she a Slytherin, too?" Charlie asked, laughing as Bill jokingly drew his wand.
"What?" Ron's eyes widened in horror and he shook his head. "If it wasn't for the hair I'd swear we weren't brothers." With that he turned and stalked out of the room, Harry trailing after him.
He smiled at Ginny as she stood at the fireplace, gritting her teeth. She was no longer red, which Harry supposed was a good thing, however, she was now purple, and she didn't seem happy about it. Ginny smiled a little and turned back to her father who was mumbling, ".fascinating really.if only Professor Snape knew how well they'd listened to him.hmmm.fascinating.." By the time Harry closed the door behind him, Ginny was blue, but her eyes seemed to be getting redder by the minute.
Ron shuddered, and began to climb the narrow, creaky stairs to the top of his house. Harry followed his friend up the stairs, aware that Ron was also taller that he remembered. Harry had hoped that his growth this summer would make him as tall as his best friend, but it didn't look like Ron was going to stop growing until he had at least matched Percy. Ron's bedroom was on the top floor of the rickety old house, right underneath their haunted attic, which meant that he had to deal with the ghoul making a lot of noise. But ghoul or no, Harry loved the Weasleys' house.
"Dunno what the twins thought they were doing, getting Ginny all worked up like that." Ron said, jumping a little as a small *POP!* came from the twins' room as they passed. "Even I know better than to make her angry. She's creepy, she is. Her eyes go all red, and she flies, and goes all sparkly and, did you see that wind about her?" Ron shook his head and Harry frowned. He'd thought her eyes going red was part of the potion the twins had given her, but apparently it wasn't.
Harry smiled as Ron opened the door to his room, the familiar, yet near- blinding orange of the walls hitting him full force. Ron's favourite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, still decorated the room and Harry watched as they zipped around on their broomsticks, playing and waving at him. He loved wizard pictures. They moved as if the events were playing on a television. Harry saw Pig, Ron's owl, jumping about in his cage, and smiled. It was nice to know that some things didn't change.
"Look!" Ron said and Harry turned to see him holding up dress robes of a dark purple cloth. "Twins gave me them, said I was embarrassing when I showed up with those horrible dress robes last year."
Harry smiled, knowing that the twins had bought Ron's robes due to a request he had made of them. After co-winning the Tri-Wizard tournament last year, Harry had been the only surviving winner but hadn't felt right keeping the money. He had enough, and keeping it would have made him feel like he was being paid for letting Cedric die. So, instead, he had given the money to the twins, requesting that they keep making their practical jokes (a line of goods that they called Weasley Wizard Wheezes) and buy Ron some decent dress robes (his were awful and had been all frilly).
"They're great," he said, smiling.
Sitting on his trunk, Charlie or Bill must have sent it up the stairs, Harry watched as Ron began a letter to Hermione. Harry still wasn't sure what to make of everything he'd seen and heard today. To be honest, he was rather uncomfortable about the whole thing. Ginny was Ron's younger sister and he had hard time thinking about the power she seemed to possess. He knew that all wizards and witches had that power, but he also knew that most of them had trouble using it without a wand. He could help wondering where Ginny had learned to do this. There was also the matter of the conversation Sirius had had with Ginny, he wasn't sure what to make of that. Harry had a hard enough time talking to his godfather himself, he wasn't sure how he felt about Ginny getting to spend time with him.
He sighed, and turned back to Ron, who was waving the piece of parchment at him. Shaking away his thoughts, Harry walked to the desk and added a few lines to Ron's letter and decided not to think about it. He still had about a month left of his holiday and he was determined to have a good time.
*
"If nothing else, you de-gnomed the garden, Gin," Mr. Weasley said, winking across the table at his daughter. Despite having finally been returned to her normal colouring, Ginny was turning slightly pink, obviously embarrassed by her earlier behaviour.
The entire Weasley family, plus Harry were sitting around two large tables in the now tidy back garden. The large meal was almost over and Harry was feeling more full than he had been since his last meal at Hogwarts.
"Everyone done?" Bill asked. At the consensus of nods, he pulled out his wand and sent the dishes into the kitchen. He glanced across the table at his mother, who nodded, and Harry felt instantly fearful at the looks that had suddenly appeared on everyone's faces. Before he could ask Ron what was going on, Bill and Charlie waved their wands and suddenly a large cake and a small pile of presents appeared on the table. There was a chorus of "Happy Birthday, Harry!" and he felt his face flush. After all the excitement of the day, he had completely forgotten that Ron had mentioned having something for him.
"Go on, mate, blow out the candles!" Jerking back to attention, Harry smiled and stood up in order to see over the cake. He felt a bit silly standing up in front of everyone, but it wasn't long before everyone else was standing as well and Harry was thankful that they knew him so well. He closed his eyes and prepared to blow out the candles when he heard Ginny, who was on his right side, whisper, "Make a wish." It was something that Harry hadn't thought of, but the instant she said the words he wished to see Sirius alive and well, and free, before blowing out the candles.
There was a cheer, and Harry looked down the table at Mrs. Weasley, who was smiling at him with a look she often sent in the direction of her own children and again, Harry was happy to be a surrogate Weasley.
"Presents!" Ron cried and Harry turned to face him with a grin. Shaking his head, Harry sat down as Bill sent the cake back into the kitchen so that they could all see across the table. Harry smiled and opened his presents one by one. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him some clothes that he was always grateful for, considering that he had grown up with Dudley hand-me- downs. Bill had given him a Pernot, which was a charm for good health.
"Considering the amount of time you've managed to injure yourself this last year, I thought it might come in handy!"
Charlie had given him a key ring with what looked suspiciously like a dragon tooth. "It's from that Hungarian Horntail. Thought you could use it for luck!" Harry smiled. Charlie had a weird sense of luck; all he thought of when he pictured that dragon was a near death experience.
He smiled and turned to the next present, which was rather large, and from the looks on Fred and George's faces when he picked it up, he had a feeling it was a present from the twins. He eyed the parcel suspiciously before shaking it a little.
"Don't do that!" both twins cried, jumping from their seats, and Harry almost dropped the present in surprise.
"Just, be careful," Fred said, as they took their seats again.
"Don't worry, Harry, it won't bite!" George said with a smirk. Shaking his head and figuring that the twins were unlikely to give him anything too bad in front of their parents, especially after what they had done to Ginny earlier, he cautiously opened the present.
There was a loud bang and Harry coughed as a puff of orange smoke surrounded him. He took a moment as the mist cleared and blinked before taking his glasses off and wiping them clean. After a moment, the entire table burst out laughing and he frowned.
"What?"
"Well now, Harry," Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Looks like you're an honorary Weasley after all!"
Harry frowned more and turned to question Ron, but his friend had fallen onto the ground he was laughing so hard, so instead he turned to Ginny. The youngest Weasley was laughing at him, but seemed composed enough to answer.
"What is it?"
"Y-your hair!" she exclaimed, reaching a hand up to tug at the strands. "It's ginger."
Harry laughed and shook his head. "Can I see?"
Charlie pulled out his wand and a mirror appeared in front of him. Harry looked into it and began to laugh. He might feel like a Weasley at times, but he was glad he didn't have the hair. It really did look comical.
"That's not all," Ginny whispered to him. Turning to look at her, he frowned and she pointed to the twins' present, before bringing her finger to her mouth and indicating to be quiet about it in front of her parents. Taking a look inside the box, almost afraid that it would do something else to him, he spotted a few smaller boxes at the bottom.
"It's more from Weasley Wizard Wheezes," Ginny whispered.
He looked across the table at Fred and George and mouthed a thank you, before turning to the last two presents on the table. There was one from Ron and one from Ginny. Deciding to open his best friend's present last, he picked up the gift marked from Ginny. It was a small box, and he made quick business of the wrapping before opening it. Suddenly a big, round, red clown nose jumped out of the box and attached to his nose. He pulled at it to take it off, and it screamed. The entire table began to laugh, and looking in the mirror again, he couldn't help but laugh himself. With the bright orange hair and the big red nose, added with the fact that his face was flushed, he was a very amusing sight.
"Way to go, Gin!" Fred exclaimed.
"You'll be one of us in no time," George laughed.
Harry turned to Ginny, who was turning red again. She turned to Charlie, who nodded and muttered a small spell and the nose fell back into the box.
"The spell to take it off is in the box," Ginny said, and turned away, the shyness that Harry had been glad to see the back of, returning.
"Thank you," he said and turned back to the table, picking up Ron's gift. It was a square box and he opened it a little slower than the others. It was a chess set. Nothing too fancy, just a small set with tiny pieces that were all squeaking at him.
"Sorry, it's not a big set, but I thought you could practice. Bill charmed the whites to play by themselves, so you'll be able to play on your own. Make things more interesting when I beat you next time."
Harry smiled thinking of Hermione's present. "You might be surprised."
The rest of the evening went by quickly. They ate cake, and then played a quick game of Quidditch until the light faded. By the end of the evening, Harry was exhausted, but happier than he had been all summer, and he collapsed into bed, falling asleep only moments later.
~x~x~x~x~x~
End of Part Three